More Depth
About Sharon

Career, awards and achievements

Sharon Looney has extensive and international experience in transformational change leadership, organisational development, employee engagement and empowerment.

She sees HR as the strategic accelerant of change, responsible for designing and delivering the people aspects of any successful business transformation. She developed the concept of the ‘HR Golden Triangle’ as a model for successful delivery: a popular topic for presentations and media interviews.

Sharon is currently Chief HR Officer at CoreHR. As a member of the executive board of this private equity backed software company, she holds an important leadership role in steering the company through significant transformation and growth. Sharon is helping the CEO and investor build a high value company, building a people strategy in line with business objectives.

Sharon is also a relied upon advisor for a number of organisations who call on her vast experience in a consultative and advisory capacity to help them ignite and deliver change.

  • Dean Forbes
    “Sharon perfectly balances her strategic outlook with a human touch. That means we can truly leverage the value created every day by our people. Our company today is a world away from the one I joined a couple years back. We’re more collaborative, we work smarter, and we all know our role in contributing to business objectives.”
    Dean Forbes
    CEO, CoreHR
  • Thierry Couillaud
    I’ve had the pleasure and benefit of experiencing first hand the value which Sharon’s work delivers to organisational growth and value creation. Her leadership on complex restructuring projects , formation of highly impactful talent and performance enablement strategies across multiple geographies, multiple cultural diversities and multiple hierarchical scopes makes her a unique HR leader. The positive impacts of Sharon’s thought leadership can be directly linked with positive business consequences. Her projects have on many occasions be described at board level as monumental in effecting and accelerating organisational change. Her contributions to HR thought leadership have deservedly received the highest recognitions at a global level.
    Thierry Couillaud
    Vice President HR & Communication Brake Business Unit, Hitachi Automotive Systems Group
  • Brian Martin
    My engagements with Sharon as a Consulting HR strategist, span across a number of years in cases of highly complex transformation and restructuring projects. I required a level of HR expertise which did not exist internally. I relied heavily on Sharon as my ‘navigator’ in defining the HR strategies in situations of high impact to our people and our teams. She has a unique talent, which proves and amplifies the immeasurable value of HR with the right leader in the HR seat.
    Brian Martin
    Former CEO Shanakiel and Mater Hospitals, Cork
  • Steve Rowley
    Sharon joined us to lead the people strategy and company through an unprecedented transformation. Her professional leadership and alignment of the people strategy with overall organisational intent were instrumental in preparation for scale and the evolution of a modern software company She achieved monumental change and transformation for our business with relentless enthusiasm, energy and credibility. Her experience, professional capabilities and personality meant she had a visible positive impact across the entire executive team and our board from the very first day she joined our team.
    Steve Rowley
    Chairman of the Board – CoreHR

Chief Human Resources Officer, CoreHR

Reporting directly to the company’s CEO and board, led the company’s cultural transformation to a people-centric organisation. Implemented high impact people engagement strategies through bespoke models and frameworks. Delivered unprecedented business evolutions and outcomes in the areas of leadership development, cultural realignment and HR business process automation; supporting the company’s drive for rapid, customer-focused growth.

International HR Director, Macom Technologies

Designed a best-practice HR service delivery program and delivered across multiple geographies. Formulated, led and executed strategic HR transformation projects including M&A led integrations of significantly diverse cultures.

Global HR Change Management Director, Delphi

Led the implementation of a strategic HR-led change initiative spanning 32 countries (150,000 employees and 700 HR professionals). The project was the ‘springboard’ for HR transformation delivering enterprise-wide benefits in HR service delivery and human capital optimisation.

Global Director, Career & Talent Management, FCI

Global enterprise-wide responsibility (30 countries) for people empowerment and engagement strategy. Implementation of tools and processes for detection, evaluation and development of top-tier talent, in alignment with succession strategies. Leader of internal executive coaching and mentoring program for high impact performance outcomes. Position based in Versailles, France.

Site HR Director, FCI

Project managed major restructuring project (wind-down of several European manufacturing operations). Award-winning project management of large-scale restructuring with positive employee transition outcomes.

Chief Human Resources Officer, CoreHR

Chief Human Resources Officer, CoreHR: reporting directly to the company’s CEO and board, led the company’s cultural transformation to a people-centric organisation. Implemented high impact people engagement strategies through bespoke models and frameworks. Delivered unprecedented business evolutions and outcomes in the areas of leadership development, cultural realignment and HR business process automation; supporting the company’s drive for rapid, customer-focused growth.

International HR Director, Macom Technologies

Designed a best-practice HR service delivery program and delivered across multiple geographies. Formulated, led and executed strategic HR transformation projects including M&A led integrations of significantly diverse cultures.

Global HR Change Management Director, Delphi

Led the implementation of a strategic HR-led change initiative spanning 32 countries (150,000 employees and 700 HR professionals). The project was the ‘springboard’ for HR transformation delivering enterprise-wide benefits in HR service delivery and human capital optimisation.

Global Director, Career & Talent Management, FCI

Led the implementation of a strategic HR-led change initiative spanning 32 countries (150,000 employees and 700 HR professionals). The project was the ‘springboard’ for HR transformation delivering enterprise-wide benefits in HR service delivery and human capital optimisation.

Site HR Director, FCI

Project managed major restructuring project (wind-down of several European manufacturing operations). Award-winning project management of large-scale restructuring with positive employee transition outcomes.

Awards

Irish HR Champion Award, 2020
Employee Wellbeing Strategy
(CoreHR awarded under Sharon’s strategic leadership)

CHRO of the Year Award
Global HRD Congress, 2019

Irish HR Champion Award, 2019
Employer Branding (CoreHR awarded under
Sharon’s strategic leadership)

IITD
(Irish Institute of Training & Development)
National Training Awards Winner 2008

Finalist – CIPD Ireland (Excellence in HR
Leadership Awards) – 2019

Sharon – Presented Top 50 HR Tech Minds Award, World HRD Congress 2018
With Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, World Renowned Business Educator and Coach

Sharon’s life isn’t all work!

Living near Cork with the lush green landscapes of glorious Ireland all around her, Sharon loves to grab her pack and escape to the hills or trek the wild Irish coastline. She also has a keen interest in culture, heritage and diversity and has travelled extensively both for work and pleasure. Sharon is an animal welfare volunteer with many of her local rescue and refuge centres, where she can be found knee-deep in cleaning animal bedding, feeding and socialising with the animals. She also cares for the homeless working occasionally on behalf of the Street Children of India charity, and more locally by fundraising on behalf of centralised meal centres around Cork. Sharon also provides professional support on HR related topics to a variety of voluntary and sporting organisations.

Sharon has worked in 21 countries to transform businesses, including in Ireland, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Czech Republic, Brazil, North America, Korea, Japan, China, India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico and Honduras.

How can Sharon help you?

Subscribe for latest updates

Stay up to date with my latest blog, news and speaking engagements