Kristen Weirick is a developer of people and teams. For 20+ years she has partnered with company leadership across varying industries as a talent expert, to define and implement strategies that leverage talent resources to drive growth initiatives and create an enviable culture where all talent can thrive.
Currently, she is Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Alcon, the global leader in eye care, dedicated to helping people see brilliantly. Alcon has more than 23,000 associates globally and a 70-year heritage in surgical and vision care. Kristen defines and delivers global strategies to ensure Alcon has the best talent at all levels. Similarly, she partners with leaders and associates across the organization to create a diverse and inclusive environment that fosters innovation and drives performance.
Prior to Alcon, Kristen held the role of Global Head of Talent Acquisition and Chief Diversity Officer at United Airlines where she delivered holistic strategies that attracted, assessed, hired, engaged and developed the best talent to make United a leader in the airline industry and to propel them to further growth. With more than 90,000 employees globally, Kristen ensured United focused on mirroring the customer base it serves while creating an inclusive environment, supporting workforce development and increasing overall representation.
Before joining United Airlines, Kristen held the role of Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition and Diversity & Inclusion at AbbVie, a research-driven biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world’s most complex and critical conditions. In this global role she led talent acquisition and development, executive recruitment, employer branding, diversity recruiting and the development and implementation of assessment and selection methodologies. She is focused on creating an organization that delivers long-term, sustainable performance and attracts and retains the best talent in the marketplace. Under Kristen’s leadership, AbbVie moved up more than 20 places on DiversityInc’s Top 50 list, was ranked in the top 10 on Working Mother Magazine’s Best Employer list and was ranked #6 of the Top 25 Workplaces in the World by the Great Place to Work Institute. When she is not in the office, Kristen can be found training for distance swimming and running events and traveling the globe with her family. Kristen, her husband and their three dogs split their time between their homes in Fort Worth, Texas and Southwest Michigan.
