Michelle Arieta SHRM - SCP, SPHR

Polaris Pathways, LLC

At Polaris Pathways, we specialize in maturing HR functions and strengthening their alignment with leadership to drive business success. By focusing on scalable HR practices and the intersection of HR and leadership, we help startups build resilient teams and navigate the complexities of growth.

• Developed scalable HR practices to align with leadership goals, driving business success.
• Advised startups on building resilient teams and navigating growth complexities.
• Aligned HR strategies with business objectives to support company growth.

Founder & Principal Consultant

StartupExperts

StartupExperts is an invite-only community of experienced HR, Finance, and Ops leaders who understand that while we tend to be “teams of one” or leaders of small teams at individual companies, we all regularly encounter the same business challenges and believe that collectively we are stronger when we support each other. As a community of professionals we are passionate about learning, we want to build deeper relationships with our peers, and most importantly we find personal satisfaction in giving to others.

HR Leader

TroopHR

TroopHR is a national HR network created to empower People professionals to drive change and maximize their impact as leaders.  At Troop, People leaders connect with their peers, engage with industry thought leaders, and learn from master practitioners across the business community.

Troop HR Member

Chief

Chief is a private network built to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there. Chief is the only organization specifically designed for senior women leaders to strengthen their leadership journey, cross-pollinate ideas across industries, and affect change from the top down.

Member

Atlan

We're a modern data workspace enabling better collaboration between diverse users like business, analysts and engineers — creating higher efficiency and agility in data projects. Think what Github did for engineering teams or Figma for Design. Today, we are proud to enable pioneering data teams like Postman, Plaid, WeWork, Unilever & Ralph Lauren.

We're backed by top investors like Insight, Sequoia & Waterbridge and proud to count the shapers of the modern data stack, the founders & CEOs of Snowflake, Looker, Stitch, DataRobot & more as investors. Find out why they invested in the link below 👇

🚀 Atlan was recognised as a Gartner Cool Vendor in the inaugural report on DataOps, the fastest company to make the list since launch.

Atlan started as an internal tool for our own data team at SocialCops, which over time made us 6X more agile. Everything we do today is shaped by our learnings as a data team ourselves. We're building with lots of ❤️.... for the humans of data by the humans of data.

Head of People

MediaLab

MediaLab is a holding company of consumer internet brands that engages 1 in every 3 US internet users each month.

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Domino Data Lab

At Domino Data Lab, we’re unleashing data science to solve the world’s most important problems. Our Enterprise MLOps platform powers data science for 20 percent of the F100, and that’s only the beginning for us.

Chief People Officer

VP, People

Percolate by Seismic

(acquired by Seismic) Percolate is the system of record for marketers. It is a Sequoia, GGV and Light-Speed backed, SaaS company helping to redefine how marketers engage consumers.

•	Established and developed a global team of 10 HR and Talent Acquisition professionals dedicated to cultivating a results-oriented culture where developing talent, relationships and programs in support of the corporate strategic direction are fundamental.
•	Participated as a core member of the executive team and strategic advisor to the CEO. 
Worked closely with the BoD and served as the Chair of the Compensation Committee to manage all equity programs and executive compensation. 
• Responsible for the people side of the Percolate-Seismic merger, including due diligence, pre-merger HC planning, design of retention incentives and day 1 messaging. 
• Co-lead of the executive-level Integration Team, responsible for coordinating, tracking and reporting on integration activities. 
•	Built, owned and scaled employee training and enablement programs.  Developed curriculum plans that blended online, instructor and mobile learning.
•	Implemented the OKR framework across the business, to improve accountability and overall transparency.
•	Launched Management Excellence Series and Great Leader Framework (first and second-line manager enablement programs); YoY impact was +19 points on the employee engagement survey.
•	Transitioned to a distributed workforce (DWF) in an effort to scale, attract and retain engineering. talent.  Opened up a Denver office and established a partnership with Andela.  More than 25% of the engineering team is now remote. An overall increase of 23%, in 12 months.
•	Developed strategic plans for talent management to attract and engage employees. Focused development for executives and managers with competency modeling and personal development plans. Oversight of annual director conference.

Vice President Human Resources

Endpoint Clinical

(acquired by Labcorp) endpoint Clinical is dedicated to enhancing the clinical trial workflow utilizing the latest technologies. Our vision is realized by pioneering the next generation SaaS interactive response technology (IRT) through, PULSE TM endpoint’s proprietary platform. PULSE helps drive patient data capture, shipping logistics, and supply chain management for clinical trials during the pharmaceutical drug discovery process.

• Established and developed a global HR and Talent acquisition team from 1 to 11 that orchestrated the daily HR functions across the business, supporting 400+ employees growing at a rate of 50% in FY17, spread across 10 countries and 40+ states. 
• Served as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team and the HR Leader reporting to the CEO. 
• Decreased turnover within the organization by 7% and maintained a workforce abroad in India where attrition is a common issue in a highly competitive war for talent.   
• Coached executives in leading strategic change following the company’s transformation in and period of rapid growth. Enabled teams to implement goals within three months. Developed and implemented key performance measures. 
• Executed a plan in tandem with a Performance Management Task Force to deploy a refreshed performance management system, across the business; inclusive of 360 feedback, updated core, and functional competencies.  
• Guided management and employee actions by researching, developing and updating policies, procedures, methods, and guidelines; communicating and enforcing organization values.
• Actively participated in all due diligence efforts in preparation for IPO, sale or M&A activity. 
 Successfully implemented a compensation philosophy including upon updated. compensation plans for sales, executives and the general bonus pool.

VP, People & Talent

Metaswitch Networks

(acquired by Microsoft) Metaswitch is a leading provider of carrier systems and software solutions that are powering the migration of communications networks to open, packet-based architectures. 

•	Benchmarked and set compensation and benefits guidelines to ensure that we attract and retain the best people.
•	Created and implemented compensation programs; provided compensation guidance to management
•	Designed, implemented and oversaw the company’s benefits programs, 401(k) and rewards and recognition programs.
•	Promoted a positive work environment and ensure employee relations issues were effectively addressed in a timely manner.
•	Ensured compliance with all federal, state, and local employment legislation and regulations.
•	Conducted recruitment efforts and strategy for all exempt, non-exempt personnel, temporary, executive employees throughout the Americas, including US Canada, CALA and South America with regular searches in APAC. 
•	Oversaw all annual headcount planning in tandem with the FP&A; partnered with business leaders to build quarterly, annual and multi-year plans.
•	Monitored annual employee goal setting and performance assessment procedures. 
•	Established, created, and implemented processes, procedures, best practices and documentation to support and ensure global legal compliance for all requirements and regulations related to employment, benefits, compensation, etc.
•	Maintained, developed and revised HR Policy & Procedure Handbook.

Head of HR, the Americas

Are you juggling talent acquisition, HR strategy, and leadership expectations—without a clear path forward? 

Struggling to get the recognition and influence you deserve in executive conversations?

If any of this sounds familiar, we should talk.

Hi, I’m Michelle, founder of Polaris Pathways.

With over 20 years as a global HR executive, I’ve helped growing companies align HR with business strategy, develop leaders, and build high-impact teams. I’ve seen firsthand how HR can be a true business driver—when done right.

💡 “Michelle brings high-level CPO expertise to teams of any size. At Eigen Labs, her results-driven approach helped us establish key HR initiatives from scratch. She’s an invaluable partner for growth.” – Chris Dury, Former COO, Eigen Labs

I’ve led HR through hyper-growth, introduced game-changing HR tech, and helped scale businesses from startup to exit. Along the way, I’ve coached hundreds of leaders, helped companies land on Best Places to Work lists, and built HR teams that drive real impact.

But here’s what I really love: helping HR leaders step into their full potential—so HR isn’t just a function, but a force multiplier for the business.

Through Polaris Pathways, I work with companies and HR leaders to:
✨ Build scalable HR strategies that fuel business growth
✨ Help talent leaders transition into HR executive roles
✨ Provide fractional HR leadership when you need a seasoned hand
✨ Offer 1:1 coaching for HR professionals ready to elevate their impact

💡 “I brought Michelle into a challenging turnaround. She stabilized our team, developed leadership training, and built systems crucial for our fast post-acquisition integration. Michelle excels at both strategy and execution, making her an invaluable partner.” – Randy Wootton, Former CEO, Percolate by Seismic

If you’re ready to turn HR into a growth engine for your business, check out polaris-pathways.com.

And if you want to learn, I share tons of free content right here on LinkedIn.

DMs are always open. Let’s connect. ❤️

Senior Vice President Human Resources

Not every week is smooth, but starting my Friday with this face and a pup cup feels like the right recalibration. Onward.

I deliver tangible results to an organization from the human capital side by attracting, hiring, and retaining top-tier talent. I am a strategic business partner who approaches organizational issues with a systematic approach to support performance within an organization. I see beyond the day-to-day limits of the business and focus on long-term goals. I lead with empathy, listening, and awareness to generate a competitive advantage for the organization.

My experience has provided me with the opportunity to work with diverse organizations and lifecycles including hyper-growth, globalization, downsizing, M&A, shutdowns, and early stage.  I have first-hand experience with what makes those companies successful, along with the lessons learned when scaling for growth. 

Specialties:  executive coaching, compensation architecture, campus recruiting, executive search, international search, organizational development, high growth, merger and acquisitions, OKR framework,   benefits administration,  development and training execution, immigration; creating employee-oriented and high-performing cultures that yield a superior workforce

Accomplishments Include:

•Growing from 450 -1500+ employees = Hyper growth hiring
•Accounting for 55%+ of the P&L = Total Rewards (salary, benefits, equity) strategy and execution
•An early adopter of Culture Amp,  Goodtime, Lattice, Lessonly & others = HR tech stack & talent analytics
•100+ VPs and 500 managers = Manager development and frameworks at all levels
•Several Best Places to Work distinctions = Engagement analysis and action
•On average reduced attrition from over 30% to 15% = Attrition reduction
•2 successful exits, led integrations teams = M&A diligence & integration
•5000+ New Hires
•20+ Countries
•Priceless experiences and network

CPO & People Operator | Trusted Partner in Complexity | Clarity, EQ & Relentless, Data-Backed Accountability

Watching my son work through college applications has been a masterclass in choosing the right risks.

Common App essays. UC prompts. Supplementals. Interview prep.
He's been head-down, deliberate, and—most importantly—doing it independently.  

His desk says it all - notes everywhere, zero reminders from me, and always a Rubik's Cube for a needed break. 

No perfect formula. No guaranteed outcome. Just a clear sense of what matters to him, and the willingness to bet on it.  
It’s reminded me how often we wait to make decisions until the path is obvious or risk-free.

But that’s not how leadership works. And it’s certainly not how HR earns its seat at the table.

✳️ Risk: Waiting too long—on talent decisions, restructuring, team direction—doesn’t just stall progress. It sends a message: “We’re not ready.”

Takeaway:
Pick the hard thing.
Move before you feel 100% safe.
Trust your judgment, and back it up with action.

Doing the right thing—even when it’s hard—isn’t just a personal value.
It’s how you build momentum, credibility, and impact.

❓What’s one decision you’ve been sitting on—waiting for the “right time”? 
❓What would change if you just moved forward today?

We had our StartupExperts weekly leadership meeting yesterday.

To open things up, we each shared three things (thx.Jessica M. for this warm up 💙):
— one thing we’re grateful for in our work
— one thing we’re grateful for personally
— one thing we’re looking forward to as a team

Simple prompt. But powerful.

This time of year reminds me how rare it is to slow down and actually say what we appreciate.
Not in a performative way.
Just plain, simple truth.

You don’t need a holiday to show gratitude.  (But sometimes we forget.)
And it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture to make an impact.

When I was at Domino Data Lab , the executive team started a practice I still think about:
Handwritten notes—yes real mail ✉️—sent to employees across the globe.

Recognizing the resolution of a customer ticket.
Or a quiet but critical hire.
One leader to one employee. 400+ people, one note at a time.

It took time. It wasn’t overengineered.
And it stuck.

This season is one of my favorites.
Fresh trees. Gingerbread houses. Apple pie. Whatever you celebrate.
But mostly—moments like this one with the StartupExperts team that bring it all into focus.

🙏 What about you—what’s something you’re grateful for at work right now?

👇 Shared my three in the comments.

I’ve seen this framework before: HRBP on the left, HR Manager on the right—one “strategic,” one “operational.”

It’s a helpful starting point.
But in reality it’s rarely that tidy.

I’ve been in roles that didn’t fit cleanly into either box—but still required deep operational muscle and strategic thinking. That’s the real tension: how do you drive business results while handling the very human realities inside the organization?

The truth is, influence doesn’t come from a title.
It comes from context. Access. Credibility.
And a track record of showing up with solutions that move the business forward.

So while I get the distinction here, I’d challenge us to ask:
Are we designing HR roles that stay in their lane—or ones that meet the business where it actually is?

Curious how others are navigating this in their orgs.
What are you seeing?

CEO at Doublefin | Helping HR advocate for its seat at the table | Ex-Google

HR business partner and HR manager are 2 different roles

HR Business Partner:

HR Business Partners align people strategy with business goals, working closely with executives. They focus on long-term HR solutions that drive overall business success. HRBPs use business acumen, industry insights, and data analytics to provide tailored HR strategies. They're skilled in strategic planning, change management, and influencing high-level decisions.

HR Manager:

HR Managers handle the daily operations and administration of the HR department. They oversee talent acquisition, payroll, benefits, and employee relations. HR Managers ensure compliance with legal requirements and implement HR policies. Their expertise is in HR best practices, labor laws, and managing HR systems.

Bottom line:

HRBPs are strategic advisors, influencing business decisions, while HR managers focus on operational HR tasks.

Both roles are critical but they serve different functions within the company.
I hope this helps someone out there.

♻️ Consider sharing with your peers if you appreciate the lessons. 

P.S. Join 5,000+ CHROs and HR leaders getting insider strategies and AI playbooks at The CHRO Office Substack.

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀. 

CFOs, CEOs, COOs, and Boards don’t want a People data dump.
They want clarity, risk visibility, and a read on whether your org can actually scale.

Two months ago, I wrote about this, and it struck a nerve.
This time I’m taking it a level up — with a 2026 operator lens.

If I were walking into a boardroom tomorrow, I’d frame People metrics like this:

𝟭. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲.
Twelve metrics = noise.
Five metrics = direction.

𝟮. 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:
	•	Business impact
	•	Risk exposure
	•	Scalability

𝟯. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗢𝗽𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗥 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.
If your CFO and CPO can’t interpret the metric the same way, it’s not a board metric.

That’s why I use this simple table (image below):
What to toss → Why it’s low-signal → What to replace it with.

It gets teams aligned quickly — especially as we head into 2026 planning.

My 5 non-negotiable metrics still hold:
	•	Talent Density
	•	Voluntary Regrettable Attrition
	•	Headcount-to-Revenue Ratio
	•	Manager Leverage
	•	Internal Fill Rate for Leadership Roles

Everything else belongs in ops reviews, not board decks.

For CFOs, CEOs, and CPOs:

What 2–3 People metrics actually move decisions in your org heading into 2026?

Comment below — I’d love to compare notes. 👇

(And yes, feel free to repost the image — it helps more leaders get clearer on what actually matters.)

Global Chief People Officer | Org Effectiveness & Compensation Strategy | Scaling, M&A & Talent Density | Moving PE & VC-backed companies through the messy middle with structure and execution

Two points in this piece by Jennifer Trzepacz  really stuck with me:

👉 AI that reduces friction for HR teams instead of adding layers.
👉 A “one-size-fits-one” approach that actually helps people make smarter, more confident benefit choices.

I’ve led teams through open enrollment seasons (I am sure many can relate 😬) where even the best communication plans got buried under complexity. The idea that AI can simplify—not overengineer—the experience for both HR and employees is more than interesting. It’s necessary.

This is a practical, clear-eyed take on what responsible AI can unlock when it’s done right.

Chief People Officer for growth, scale and transformation in public, PE, & late-stage VC backed firms. Embracing AI to bring humanity back into the equation.

AI can be an open enrollment game-changer for HR leaders... it cuts through one of HR’s largest budget items without sacrificing personalization, the care experience, or employee engagement.  

In HRO Today, I share 3 ways responsible AI integration helps employers cut costs during open enrollment, by:

1. Reducing administrative burden on HR teams.
2. Personalizing the benefits experience for employees.
3. Optimizing plan design with data-driven insights.

AI is no longer just a nice-to-have.

Read why I believe it offers a path to balance empathy with efficiency...empowering HR teams to demonstrate innovation, responsiveness, and care at a time when the workforce needs it most.

https://lnkd.in/g2ib5Apq

taplio

Michelle Arieta SHRM - SCP, SPHR's Linkedin Analytics