Turnarounds, Integrations, and Other Successes... From a Proven Leader.
To understand the history of OSI, you need to know the story of our founder, Jim Lawler. With nearly three decades of experience in top HR roles at some of the world's leading companies, he has earned a reputation for business and financial acumen - and for developing practical, real-world solutions to business challenges in a broad range of countries and types of businesses. These qualities and values are reflected in each of the custom solutions we deliver.
Unique Experience in Large, International Organizations. Jim developed his core executive and business skills at PepsiCo, where he held positions including VP of HR for PepsiCola Europe/SubSahara Africa, and VP of HR for Frito Lay. His subsequent experience included senior positions with global market leaders in the high technology manufacturing and retail fields. With the British firm Rexam PLC, he held the position of SVP HR for their flexible electronic circuitry components and digital imaging media business. He then joined Royal Ahold and served as EVP of Human Resources of Giant Foods, and as Chief HR Officer for Ahold USA. He later took on the role of Chief HR Officer for the Amsterdam-based parent company, Royal Ahold, providing global HR leadership for the $40B, 200,000-employee international retailer, where he played a key role in helping the company implement the strategy that reestablished its sound financial and business position.
Real-World Lessons in Navigating Major Change. Jim has a deep practical understanding of the dynamics of organizational design, change management, effective situational leadership, and strategy implementation — and the critical leverage points that companies must address to achieve success. From integration of newly acquired companies to divestitures to organizational restructurings, and from re-staffing of executive teams to redesign of performance management and reward systems, he’s helped organizations successfully navigate their way through the most difficult transitions.
When Jim was planning the next chapter in his career, he thought about the type of support he’d found most useful. “I was disappointed by the ‘cookie cutter’ approach that some consulting firms utilized,” he explains, “and the limited value that was added when it came to dealing with the realities of implementation. I felt that companies needed, and deserved, a closer partnership.” With a clear sense of the values he wanted to deliver, he has carefully developed a consulting practice capable of taking on complex challenges and creating solutions that take into account best practices, but that are also customized for each client. Today those values and capabilities are at the heart of every OSI client engagement.
Jim holds a BA in Economics with honors from the University of Georgia, and has completed graduate level marketing and finance coursework at several universities. He is a member of the Human Resources Planning Society, the Society for Human Resources Management, and the Potomac Officers Club.