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40 Under 40

The 40 Under 40 honors the rising stars making their mark on the workforce solutions ecosystem.

2021 40 Under 40

Alicia O’Brien

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As VP of innovation for WilsonHCG, Alicia O’Brien’s goal is to add value to client partnerships by providing forward-thinking ideas and solutions to ensure the company’s services are always one step ahead of the market.

A 12-year veteran of the industry, she began her career with an internship in talent acquisition and went on to join WilsonHCG as a recruiter, eventually enrolling into its leadership development program.

“There’s a lot of things that change about people dynamics and the talent industry,” she says. “With Wilson, we are trying to stay ahead of that curve so when people come to us as experts to talk through things, we are already thinking three to five years ahead, and that keeps it really exciting.”

Keeping the human element in recruiting as a central focus is what drives her.

Since becoming a senior leader, O’Brien has helped grow client revenue by 400%. She also doubled headcount across the innovation function and helped to expand WilsonHCG’s Technology Research Hub.

Recently, O’Brien and her team played a key role in Wilson-HCG’s recent expansion in the APAC region as well as the integration of Profile Search & Selection, acquired in 2020.

She also helped revamp WilsonHCG’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging solutions for clients. Her team advised those organizations on how to use the insights garnered from the scorecards to improve how diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are portrayed within their employment brands.