Aparna has led and transformed the human capital function at some of the most admired and respected companies including GE, Bridgewater Associates, Success Academy and Techstars. She brings the distinctive perspective of executive experience within both Fortune 10 and mid-size founder-led companies spanning diverse industries including venture capital and alternative asset management, financial services, oil and gas, security, aviation and public education. A global leader with deep expertise in human capital, Aparna has served as a trusted advisor to CEOs, Executive Leadership Teams and Boards on scaling people, organizations, leadership and culture. 

A data driven strategic thinker and operator, Aparna has a proven track record of shaping change, driving large scale transformation, and helping businesses scale to achieve their long term strategic objectives. With a keen interest in investing in the next generation of startups that are transforming foundational industries, over the last three years Aparna has made angel investments in several early stage venture capital funds and in a number of early stage companies, and continues to advise and mentor early stage startups.

EXPERIENCE 

Aparna was most recently the Chief Human Capital Officer for Techstars, reporting directly to the CEO. She led a multi-year strategy and roadmap to design, rebuild and professionalize the human capital function to enable the business to achieve its north star 2.0 vision. She was a key member of the Executive Leadership Team and played a lead role supporting the Board of Directors Compensation Committee. 

Aparna was previously the Chief Human Capital Officer for Success Academy Charter Schools in New York City, reporting directly to the Founder and CEO. During her tenure she led a complete transformation of the human capital organization to enable the enterprise to scale and achieve its strategic objectives for the next decade. She interacted with the Board of Trustees and the NYC Schools Board on a monthly basis, worked closely with the Compensation Committee, interfaced with the Governance & Nominating Committee on CEO succession planning and key ELT hires, and led discussions with the Human Capital Sounding Board. 

Prior roles included Co-Head of Human Resources at Bridgewater Associates where Aparna was responsible for HR strategy and the transformation of the human resources function. She spent 14 years at General Electric progressing rapidly to roles of increasing leadership scope and responsibility every 18-24 months across multiple businesses and industries in the U.S. and internationally. 

Aparna started her HR career at AlliedSignal Aerospace (now Honeywell) on its Pathways leadership development program in Phoenix, Arizona. Aparna is currently a member of BoardProspects and the GLG Network, and is completing her certification as a Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Executive Coach.