American Century Investments has named Shannon Hobbs as its chief human resources (HR) officer, filling the role currently held by Mark Gilstrap, who plans to retire at the end of 2020. Hobbs, who previously served in a series of senior human resources positions at JPMorgan Chase and other firms, assumes her new American Century role on October 1, 2020, and will work closely with Gilstrap over the balance of the year to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.
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As chief human resources officer, Hobbs will lead the HR team as it partners with company leaders to develop strong workplace practices designed to contribute to the success of the global asset management firm’s clients, employees, owners and communities. Hobbs will oversee diversity, equity and inclusion, recruiting, talent management, learning and development, rewards, HR data and analytics, and community investments. She also will serve on the company’s Management Committee, the senior leadership team responsible for establishing and executing strategic priorities.
“It’s my pleasure to welcome Shannon to American Century Investments, a company with industry-leading HR practices designed to reinforce the positive, collegial and productive culture our firm has enjoyed for more than 60 years,” said Jonathan Thomas, president and chief executive officer of American Century. “She brings more than two decades of strategic and operational human resources experience to her new position, having worked in senior roles at JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley. Shannon’s deep knowledge of financial services, coupled with her expertise in talent management, will help her build on the HR success achieved by Mark Gilstrap and his team. I also want to personally thank Mark for his 24 years of service to the company and the role he played in creating a client-centric culture focused on having a positive impact on society.”
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Hobbs joins American Century after 10 years of serving in HR leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase, most recently as a managing director and head of talent. In that position, she developed a global talent strategy to ensure a reliable and capable flow of skilled professionals at all levels of the firm. She also was responsible for global talent management and learning and development for the company’s 250,000 employees including overseeing performance assessments, succession planning, career development and employee and leadership development.
During her time at JPMorgan Chase, Hobbs also served as head of human resources for the commercial bank division, HR lead for investor services within the corporate and investment bank, head of learning and development for JPMorgan corporate and interim head of HR for the bank’s operations in France. Earlier in her career, Hobbs held senior HR positions at Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley. She earned a master’s degree in organizational development from Golden State University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Carolina.
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