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Member Profile
Chris Gill, CCP, GRP, SPHR
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
AMPHENOL DC ELECTRONICS
MEMBER SINCE 2004
What led you to Human Resources as a profession?
My story is probably similar to that of other professionals who have an interesting
narrative on the path they took to Human Resources. After graduating from Cal
Poly San Luis Obispo, I returned to the Bay Area to work for my father at his mid-
sized commercial printing company in Santa Clara. I quickly assumed the position of
Controller, enjoying the challenge of producing financial statements, analyzing financial
risks, developing budgets, and maintaining departmental controls. But being a mid-
sized organization, I found myself having to learn and solve the personnel side of the
business as well. This “learn by doing” environment is what served as my catalyst to
develop a Human Resources acumen and to advance my education within the field.
Always searching for new challenges, I transitioned to a different industry with a new
employer who was initiating an aggressive plan for business growth. I was fortunate
to find a position and a career in which I could apply both my financial experience and
my passion for people within a combined role. Organizational challenges will always
exist, and as an HR professional, I am fortunate to be able to assist in solutions and
contribute to success as both an employee and company advocate.
In your opinion, what is the future of HR?
The future of HR will involve our ability to strengthen our role as both a business
partner and change agent, and to participate as a strategic link for the organization.
Being able to understand the goals of the business, the business strategy for achieving
those goals, and the performance drivers that are involved, will all determine how
HR sets up and prioritizes its action and contribution plan. HR as a whole must be
able to create and drive a plan that balances the need for alignment and consistency
at the strategic level with the need for customization and flexibility in local policies
and practices, and always in alignment with business and HR strategies. Additionally,
future HR professionals will increasingly need to create a culture of learning and focus
on Talent Management from a global perspective as well as incorporate strategic
human resource planning into the process. It will also be critical for HR to focus on the
individual; identify strengths; and target learning and development opportunities for
high potential, talented employees. Lastly, being able to take advantage of technology
and HR analytics in order to create and manage organizational efficiencies will progress
the role of effective HR Management into one of effective HR Leader.
What would you recommend to
someone just starting out in HR?
I’m a big believer in setting targets, so for someone that is just setting foot in
HR, I would recommend they start by designing a fluid career road map that
includes a few short-term and long-term HR profession goals and objectives.
And because HR is made up of quite a few different disciplines (compensation,
HR development, labor relations, workforce planning, etc.), being the subject
matter expert in a particular area of HR will allow you to increase your value
within the field, which ultimately will pay long-term career dividends as your
experience grows. With so much of HR now depending on acting strategically,
strengthening competencies and skills allows you to develop an advantage
through your expertise. An additional piece of advice: always be networking and
developing relationships within the HR community, and if given the opportunity,
look for a mentor to assist in the development and growth of your career.
What do you find is the greatest reward working in HR?
I always get a sense of satisfaction from building successful employee
talent plans that factor in the different needs of employee groups and create
meaningful employee value propositions that reward employee innovation and
growth. Being able to support and coach employees through their plan and
seeing the growth of their commitment and engagement to the team is a very
rewarding experience. Additionally, I find developing and supporting first-line
managers/supervisors worthwhile in that, not only do I see improved results from
the manager, but improvement in the relationship between the manager and
employee as well. Anytime I can experience a win-win for both the organization
and its employees, it reaffirms my passion about working in the field of HR.
What role has NCHRA played in your career?
NCHRA has played, and continues to play, a part in my career by being an
always present resource as both an HR knowledge base and HR community
networking tool. Being able to use NCHRA to enroll in HR certification classes
served as a great opportunity to learn with, and from, peers that are also focused
on progressing their career and impact within the HR field. Additionally, with the
growing complexity to an ever-changing landscape of HR compliance, NCHRA
has allowed me to stay current on HR law so that I can act as a strong business
partner in order to protect my organization’s assets from financial liability.
BIOGRAPHY
Chris Gill is an HR professional with 15 years of experience creating HR
strategies that value people and drive organizational performance. He is
currently the Director of HR at Amphenol DC Electronics, a Bay Area company
that specializes in the design, engineering and manufacturing of custom
wire harnesses and cable assemblies. After earning his degree, he has been
certified as an SPHR, CCP, and GRP. Chris’ expertise comprises total rewards,
employee relations, and both talent and strategic management.
HR
