Episode 22 | Part One: Melissa Swift, North American Transformation Leader at Mercer and Author of Work Here Now

This week, Kathleen is joined by Melissa Swift. Melissa currently leads Transformation Solutions in North America for Mercer, one of the largest human resources consulting firms in the world. She’s also the author of the new book, Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace. In part one, Melissa shares how she was inspired to help companies transform, the difference between a transformational and a transactional leader, and why every leader should try to learn improv. About Melissa Swift: Melissa leads Transformation Solutions for Mercer US and Canada. She is responsible for the firm’s efforts in the areas of workforce transformation, HR transformation, diversity equity and inclusion, and workforce analytics. Throughout her career, Swift has pioneered techniques to reshape organizations for digital and workforce transformation, leading breakthrough projects across industries ranging from manufacturing to professional services to biotech to consumer goods. Swift has helped build businesses in the ESG transformation space, including launching the Sustainability Services and Cleantech practices at Deloitte, and conducting two landmark carbon credit derivatives trades at Deutsche Bank. Swift is a recognized thought leader on the subject of the future of work in the pandemic era. She has been quoted on the subject in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Economist, The Washington Post, Axios, and more. She earned her B.A. from Harvard University and her MBA from Columbia Business School. Swift lives in New York City with her daughter and her husband.