Sara Foster Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Illinois, Us

Excited to begin my new role as Director in the Global People Organization at McDonald's! I'm part of the Culture and Organizational Effectiveness Team, where I focus on supporting the transformative efforts within the Global Technology organization. My mission is to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, ensuring that our team not only embraces change but thrives in it. I look forward to leveraging my passion for learning and change leadership to contribute to our organization's success and drive impactful results. Let's shape the future of McDonald's together!NEW INDUSTRY, NEW COLLEGUES, NEW ADVENTURES IN TRANSFORMATION!

🌟 Embracing Growth: A Journey of Professional Development 🌟As professionals, we're often at the crossroads of evolution, where hitting pause is a step forward in our growth journey. I've taken a conscious pause from my traditional career path to dive deep into the realms of Talent Management, Leadership, and Technology. This period has been an incredible journey of learning and skill enhancement, focusing on:Talent Management: Mastering data-driven decision-making to inform talent-related strategies, embracing the richness of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and refining the art of remote workforce management.Leadership: Developing adaptive leadership capabilities to navigate through change, uncertainty, and complexity, enhancing digital literacy to stay ahead in a tech-driven world, and cultivating emotional intelligence to lead diverse and dynamic teams with empathy and effectiveness.Technology: Exploring the frontiers of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to foster innovation and improve decision-making processes across functions.This has been a period of profound personal and professional transformation, equipping me with the tools to contribute more significantly in my return to the professional arena. I'm eager to bring these newly honed skills and insights into my next role, aiming to make a meaningful impact in the evolving workplace.#CareerBreak #ProfessionalDevelopment #Leadership #Technology #TalentManagement #LifelongLearning

Northbrook, Il, Us

Change is all around us, and every day it brings new opportunity. A promotion led to an ambitious endeavor: the management of a multi-million Change Center of Excellence Practice. With a team of 18 talented staff, we embarked on a mission to support more than 30,000 global employees through unparalleled transformation.I initiated and led a practice to improve the organization's change management agility, a critical capability in Allstate's transformation strategy. The challenge was to design a practice that elevated change leadership and engaged employees, seamlessly shifting behaviors and culture, essential for the success of large-scale transformation projects. Leading change is not merely about managing processes; it's about inspiring people with the opportunity of the future, and guiding them through the unknown. It demanded innovation, empathy, and a steadfast commitment to our shared vision.STRATEGIC IMPACT✅ On track to deliver millions in savings, attained 95% partner satisfaction, and boosted enterprise engagement by 6 points, establishing enterprise change management practices and innovative methods.✅ Recognized by Gartner for best practice design of a change management influencer strategy. Innovated program and engaged 650 change advocates, focusing on leadership and practitioner empowerment.✅ Promoted widespread change readiness, reaching 30,000+ global employees. Partnered with the Learning and Development team to design and roll out the “Navigating Change” training program.

Northbrook, Il, Us

I led a 12-member team, united by a common purpose: to create a Transformation Management Office (TMO) that enabled initiatives to accelerate. Our TMO orchestrated more than 100 transformation initiatives composed of technology, product, customer experience, finance, and HR outcomes, each playing a vital part in the transformation strategy.Our journey began with a bold step - initiating a Transformative Management Office. Our mission aimed at improving efficiencies, adapting to the ever-shifting market landscape, and fostering a culture of innovation. How? Through the power of cross-departmental collaboration and stakeholder engagement, we broke down silos, built bridges. We created a space where ideas could flourish and voices from every corner of the organization were heard.This endeavor was more than just managing projects; it was about creating a company of the future. We navigated through complexities with a shared vision, knowing our collective efforts would lead to something extraordinary.As the TMO leader, I helped ignite a movement, transforming our processes and products and the essence of our culture. STRATEGIC IMPACT✅ Saved millions by coordinating M&A integration program. Unified brand strategy, enhanced issue resolution, and improved milestone communications.✅ Established TMO Office, improving transparency and decision-making. Developed streamlined governance processes for decentralized Program Management Offices.✅Launched transformation strategy, including onboarding and immersing 250 business and technology team members to align with strategic objectives and work practices.✅Championed business agility initiative, integrating agile practices and bolstering partnerships for 12 critical projects.

Northbrook, Il, Us

I established an internal management consulting practice, centralizing a 45-member team to offer unparalleled service focused not only on strategy execution but also on cultivating deep client relationships.Our commitment was to transformative change, impactful results, and lasting partnerships. This approach set new internal consulting standards, achieving exceptional client satisfaction and enabling a transition to a self-sustaining, fee-based model, proving our model's value and credibility.STRATEGIC IMPACT✅ Attained a 95% partner satisfaction rate.✅ Advanced 20% of team members to significant roles annually.✅ Led a cultural shift towards a Product Mindset, enhancing product lifecycle management.✅ Enhanced the employee experience and operational efficiency by optimizing roles, improving hiring, closing skill gaps, and adopting Objective and Key Results (OKR) for feedback and recognition.

Northbrook, Il, Us

In my first role with Allstate, I steered the Lean Six Sigma program, focusing on technology, finance, accounting, and HR efficiency improvements. I aimed to transform the culture, upskill talent, and weave process discipline and performance metrics to elevate our operational performance. STRATEGIC IMPACT✅ Established a culture of continuous improvement, including conducting extensive training, coaching executive sponsors, implementing balanced scorecards, and launching stand-up reviews.✅ Mentored 50 Black Belt Certification candidates, guiding methodology expertise and value delivery.

Norwalk, Ct, Us

As the leader of the Auto Financing Division’s operations, I oversaw customer service, back-office processing, OEM service levels, off-lease consumer sales, and managed business divestiture and liquidation. My role was pivotal in driving significant operational improvements and strategic initiatives during a difficult period of change.STRATEGIC IMPACT✅ Spearheaded a strategy that cut expenses and improved operational efficiency, reducing call volume by 19% and hold time by 5 minutes.✅ Enhanced payment processing speed by 20% ✅ Reduced compliance risk by 37%, ensuring robust audit processes.✅ Led a successful United Way Campaign that not only increased participation by 50% but also surpassed contribution targets.✅ Effectively led HR operations, human capital planning, and reductions in force over the course of the business run-off.

Norwalk, Ct, Us

I led the development of a Customer Self-Service Application and a Wholesale Vehicle Auction Platform, uniting business process owners, technology teams, and Corporate R&D in a productive partnership. This collaboration was key to innovatively integrating new technologies.✅ The Self-Service Application significantly cut inbound calls and boosted automated payment processing by 22%.✅ The Auction Platform, a successful digital sales proof of concept, enhanced vehicle sales with photos and condition reports, increasing net proceeds by over 3%.

Norwalk, Ct, Us

Increased off-lease vehicle sales from 13% to 52%, by establishing an inside sales team focused on loss mitigation. Redefining success in the pre-wholesale market, pioneering an inside consumer sales team. ✅ Successfully transformed marketing and solicitation strategies by introducing compelling customer incentives, significantly boosting sales appeal.✅ Increased sales staff productivity by 20% by streamlining processes and enhancing training programs, ensuring consistent performance improvements.✅ Collaboratively designed and implemented technological solutions to automate manual operations, including underwriting, pricing, and contract printing, thereby enhancing efficiency and accuracy. GE Pinnacle Award Winner for outstanding leadership and outcomes

Norwalk, Ct, Us

Championed operational excellence and fueled sustainable growth through strategic optimization of business processes using Six Sigma methodologies. Forged a collaborative partnership with the executive team, ensuring seamless alignment between process improvement projects and overarching business objectives.✅ Drove operational excellence by identifying and mitigating inefficiencies and variability, using detailed analysis to develop and execute targeted solutions.✅ Trained and coached cross-functional teams in streamlining complex processes, achieving significant cost savings, improved quality, and enhanced customer satisfaction.✅ Mentored Black Belts and executives, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.#CertifiedMBB #SixSigma #6Sigma #LeanSixSigma #ContinuousImprovement

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