Kurt Nelson Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Illinois

Prior to it's acquisition by INFORMA in late 2016, Penton was the largest privately held Professional Information Services company in North America, with over $360MM in revenues and $130MM in EBITDA. As leader of the HR function, Kurt led a significant transformation of the talent base at Penton - from a traditional B2B media organization to a true information services team.Highlights of this transformation include:*Reconstitution of both the Executive Team and Senior Leadership Team to reflect the shift in organizational priorities.*Development of a Talent Acquisition function focused on using technology to identify digitally focused skill sets.*Built in-house Training and Development function to foster professional development for employees (launched Fred Pryor, Lynda.com and an internal Certification Program).* Aligned Compensation Programs with performance goals (introduced Pay for Performance, shifted bonus programs to be 100% metric based, aligned sales commission plans with revenue growth).*Established formal process for Performance Management (simplified goals, trained managers on how to provide feedback, instituted mid-year performance check-ins).*Launched Career Pathing Program to provide clear direction for upward and lateral mobility (standardized job families, job titles, and created position profiles).*Introduced Talent Management and Succession Planning programs for senior level roles.*Developed team of HR professionals to highest potential and advancement.*Developed action plans from Employee Engagement surveys to include: introduction of Town Halls, revamp of internal intranet, appointment of Business Site Leaders, creation of Penton Choice Awards, development of Penton Days of Service.*Partnered with CFO, General Counsel and private equity partners in the management of Penton equity program, including the sale process.* Led all HR activities involved in numerous acquisitions including Farm Progress and Aviation Week.

Chicago, Illinois

*Directed all HR activities for 450 employees in numerous locations across the U.S.*Recruited and hired for all levels of employees including management, sales, and editorial.*Served in HR leadership role during four major restructurings which resulted in reduction of 23% of workforce and a $15M annualized savings to the company.*In conjunction with other members of senior HR leadership team, developed and implemented new methods to streamline HR policies and procedures while improving communications with managers and employees.

New York, New York

*Manager of Compensation & Benefits area for 700 employee, multi-location asset management subsidiary of PNC Bank with over $172 Billion of assets under management as of 03/31/00.*Assisted in the development of HR policies in conjunction with BlackRock's Initial Public Offering (IPO) including the creation of firm-wide award recognition and employee ownership programs.

Supported the development of loss prevention programs and the management of work-related accident and injury claims filed by U.S. Merchant Mariners.