Tell me about your current job. What
are your main areas of responsibility?
BP: I had been thinking of founding my own firm for a few years.
Just prior to doing so, I was the senior VP of People Resources
for Delta Hotels and Resorts. When Delta was sold to Marriott
International, the timing was right, and I opened WJ Pallett &
Associates. We work with companies in various sectors, which
is really quite interesting. While they are all different, their HR
issues are usually the same. Currently, we have proposals out with
a couple of organizations in the airline industry as well as a tour-ism
association. We have also started a program with the CGLCC,
Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce, for which we are man-aging
a youth entrepreneurship program.
What do you love about your job?
BP: The work is quite varied, which is what I most enjoy. I also
love the ability to help companies make a difference. It’s always
been a part of my goal, whether in the corporate or not-for-profit
world. HR can make a difference, if it so chooses, by helping the
business perform. And that gets into the whole issue of whether
you are a strategic partner or simply transactional. We sometimes
complain we’re not in the C-Suite; but to get there, we need to
demonstrate we are strategic, we can make a difference and we are
truly a business partner.
hr career path
“I DO BELIEVE THAT IF
HR CAN DEMONSTRATE
ITS STRATEGIC VALUE
TO BUSINESS AND BE
INNOVATIVE, IT WILL
BECOME A CENTRAL
POINT OF BUSINESS.”
– BILL PALLETT
40 ❚ FEBRUARY 2019 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL