Susan Schmitt, Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Rockwell Automation, is responsible for overseeing the company's Human Resources function for its 21,000 employees in 80 countries. As a member of the senior leadership team, she sets the strategy for the company's global Human Resources function including talent management, organization development, leadership development, employee engagement, culture change, internal communications, compensation and benefits.
Prior to joining Rockwell Automation in 2007, Susan worked at Kellogg Company where she held various senior leadership roles, including vice president, Human Resources, for the Morning Foods Division, a multibillion-dollar business unit. She ended her 12 years at Kellogg on assignment in the United Kingdom (UK), providing Human Resources leadership for the UK business and the European business functions. Prior to Kellogg Company, Schmitt served in a number of consulting and compensation roles with Helene Curtis, Inc., the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Managing Decisions, Inc.
Susan's 25+ years of experience provide her with an in-depth understanding of the Human Resources field. She is sought after as a guest speaker for her insights into helping companies build greater long-term value through leadership, talent and corporate culture. Her message is straightforward — Human Resources matters.
She has written two articles, both published in 2009 by Aspatore Books: "Improving HR Performance – Leading HR Executives on Overcoming Performance Challenges, Resolving Conflicts and Creating a Culture of Development;" and "Transforming and Improving HR's Value in the Midst of Economic Uncertainty." She also has brought creative and innovative solutions to the workforce to better enable organization and people performance.
Susan holds a master's degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Illinois State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and French from Albion College. She also attended the University of Grenoble, France.