Elaine joined a start-up company in March 2007 and on July 2, 2007, this local, Houston-based renewable energy company was acquired by the largest utility provider in Lisbon, Portugal. The company was also experiencing rapid growth in the U.S. at the time of the acquisition. The acquisition was exciting news; especially during a time of growth! During a Town Hall meeting, employees were told they would be driving the Ferrari and no longer the KIA. “This acquisition was the Portuguese company’s first footprint in the U.S. and we all learned to work with a new vision and purpose. For the Portuguese and Spanish companies – there was a lot to learn about employment and labor law in the U.S. – such as, we have employment offers not employment contracts,” Carrasco said.
Elaine Carrasco, Senior Project / Global HR Management Executive
Shortly after the acquisition, Elaine was offered a 3-year expatriate assignment in Madrid, Spain where the renewable energy division’s headquarters was located. As a change champion between the European and U.S. platforms, she was able to leverage her team player-manager-coach-mentor-leader roles. With her being a visionary and having the ability to think outside-the-box, she strategically and operationally developed plans that continued to improve existing programs and policies and proactively developed new processes that aligned with the parent company in Lisbon, Portugal.
“One of many cultural norms for the Europeans to learn was the mentality that time is money in the U.S. In Europe, U.S. employees learned that from 1-3 pm, employees generally had a relaxed lunch. It was not ideal to schedule meetings or conference calls during lunch time in Spain.”
During her work abroad and a grand desire to make a positive impact – new designs, processes and systems were implemented for uniformity, such as a global talent management system, Hay Group methodology was used in crafting revised and new job descriptions, a compensation model was designed and approved, a high-potential program became practice, a tuition reimbursement policy was implemented, and she constructed a global mobility model for expatriates and inpats.
“Successful execution of these transformational projects was the key to my success in my role as an expatriate.” These accomplishments were to name a few that greatly demonstrated her positive, can-do attitude and acceptance of cultural differences as an innovative strategist. She thrived in this global environment transforming leadership and making a tremendous impact to people and culture.
Elaine, well versed in Human Resources Management to include employment and labor law in the U.S., collaboratively shared her knowledge and understanding with executives in Europe. I am proud that I was able to build strong global, cross-functional partnerships with leaders and professionals in Europe and to be able to connect these individuals with peers in the U.S.” She promoted a Learning Series, held in-person and virtually. European and U.S. colleagues presented updates and briefings on their specific work areas. These connections fostered friendships, consensus and buy-in for new practices to come.
Watch full video interview below.
Contact Elaine Carrasco via LinkedIn or her Career WebFolio.
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