Elga Lohler
CHRO
Smith & Nephew
As the Chief Human Resources Officer at Smith + Nephew, I lead the company's human resources organization and drive its people capital strategy across the enterprise. With over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry, I have a proven track record of delivering results through organizational and cultural transformation, talent management, and succession planning.
My mission is to enable Smith + Nephew to achieve its strategic goals by attracting, developing, and retaining the best talent in the market, and creating a high-performance culture that fosters innovation, collaboration, and customer focus. I am passionate about empowering our people to grow and thrive in an inclusive and engaging environment.
A fun fact about me, I enjoy traveling: Portugal is my favorite country to visit.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I joined S+N via an acquisition as the HR Lead in a manufacturing site in San Diego. In my 23 years with S+N, I have had progressive opportunities to rotate as an HR business partner through commercial, operations and corporate function roles. I gained experience leading organisational development and people initiatives that contributed to business growth and expansion.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
One of my leadership principles is to be accountable for your actions and decisions. Own your successes and learn from your failures.
What is the greatest challenge facing CHROs today, and how are you addressing it?
The greatest challenge is the ongoing evolution of our business and markets and the resilience and agility required to lead through these changes.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CHRO?
Listen more than you speak.
How do you measure success as a leader?
I measure success by what our leaders do but also and in many cases, more importantly, how they build, engage and grow teams so that they can actively contribute to the success of the business.
What is the value of being a member of Gartner C-level Communities?
It is fantastic to be part of a community where I can learn and share best practices, ask questions and build lasting relationships.
Gartner C-level Communities Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
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