Crafting your way to a Chief People Officer role: insights from Tara Johnson, CPO at Hg
For ambitious HR professionals, the role of Chief People Officer (CPO) is often seen as the pinnacle of achievement. To reach this position in private equity, an industry renowned for high performance, relentless pace and demanding standards, is truly the highest level you can aspire to. In our work as recruiters, we are fortunate to engage with these exceptional individuals through executive search, often supporting private equity firms and their portfolio companies in building outstanding leadership teams. We recruit for them, sometimes recruit them and always benefit from the opportunity to network and exchange ideas about the HR topics that keep us relevant and informed. These conversations help us stay up to date with the challenges HR professionals face and the evolving needs of the market.
Tara Johnson is a fantastic example of the calibre of talent in our network. I was delighted to invite her into our studio for a deep dive into her career journey, candid advice for future HR leaders and honest reflections on stepping into the CPO role at Hg. Tara’s insights are invaluable; not just for those aiming for a Chief People Officer position, but for anyone who wants to build a meaningful, high-impact career in human resources. Her openness, strategic thinking and genuine passion for people make her a standout in our industry, and I am pleased to share her story and advice with you.
From psychology to private equity: the power of curiosity and connection
Tara’s journey began with a passion for psychology, which she channelled into a career spanning consulting at Deloitte, operational roles at Apollo and now strategic leadership role as CPO at Hg. She describes her early days at Apollo as “ten weeks, fast-paced, something new every day, the smartest people in the world.” Tara credits her career trajectory to a mix of luck, timing and effort, but emphasises that curiosity about people and business was the driving force.
Reflecting on her transition, Tara says, “It’s a bit of luck and a bit of timing and then also a lot of hard work and a lot of effort.” An early internship at Apollo exposed her to a fast-paced environment filled with brilliant minds, igniting her desire to make a lasting impact in private equity. She took the advice to gain further training, which led her to human capital consulting at Deloitte, working across industries including financial services, insurance, fashion, government and technology.
After two intense years in consulting, Tara was drawn back to private equity, motivated by the opportunity to build deep relationships and shape organisational culture over time. She highlights the importance of building relationships and “being deeply curious about the business and what everyone was there to achieve.” This hands-on approach is essential for anyone seeking to understand investment and value creation plans that drive private equity firms and their portfolio companies.
The evolution of HR: from generalist to business partner
Tara’s early career was shaped by starting in a small, generalist team, taking on everything from payroll to advising employees. “There was no job title called business partner at that stage. You had a very small team of committed professionals who just took on everything across the employee experience and lifecycle,” she explains. This breadth of experience laid the foundation for her transition into business partnering, an essential role within HR-mature organisations.
She emphasises the importance of staying in the room, listening, asking questions and connecting the dots, always tying business objectives to talent initiatives and people strategy. Running the internship programme at Apollo gave her exposure to different business lines and helped her understand the importance of curiosity and connecting commercial goals with people strategy.
Tara notes that the HR function has evolved significantly, with operational professionals now specialising in areas like reward, benefits and business partnering. Her journey from generalist to business partner demonstrates the value of broad experience and a willingness to get involved in every aspect of talent management and the employee experience. She also highlights how understanding headcount, timelines and succession planning are now central to HR roles in pe-backed portfolio companies.
Earning a seat at the table: delivering results and building trust
One of Tara’s most compelling insights is her framework for influence: “It really starts with delivering results and becoming a trusted person.” By understanding the business, asking the right questions and proactively solving problems, HR professionals can earn credibility and access to senior conversations with the leadership team and the wider C-suite, including the CFO and CEO.
Tara encourages balancing financial, cultural and operational perspectives to guide strategic decisions. She advises HR professionals to read what their stakeholders are reading, stay informed about industry trends and be proactive in finding solutions to business problems. “Read the things that you know the people you’re supporting are reading, and plug in to conversations that you hear about these articles,” she says.
She also speaks about the importance of understanding the priorities of senior stakeholders and being able to present multiple solutions, framing them in terms of trade-offs rather than just pros and cons. Tara’s approach is rooted in adding value, building trust and being included in key conversations by consistently delivering results. She highlights the need for business acumen and the ability to translate softer metrics into hard data, which is especially important in private equity firms and portfolio companies.
The CPO role: alignment, awareness and bravery
As Chief People Officer at Hg, Tara identifies three pillars of effective leadership:
- Alignment: maintaining razor-sharp focus on commercial goals and ensuring a talent strategy which support business strategy and value creation plans
- Awareness: staying attuned to what’s happening across teams, offices and portfolio companies, even as seniority increases and information becomes harder to access
- Bravery: having the courage to call out misalignments, even to the most senior leaders, and advocating for course corrections before small gaps become major issues
Tara describes her role as “so much fun” and speaks about the importance of alignment between commercial goals, talent priorities and the day-to-day realities of the business. She emphasises that awareness is crucial, especially as leaders become more senior and information becomes harder to access. Bravery, she says, is essential for calling out gaps in alignment and ensuring the business stays on track.
Her advice is clear: take alignment, awareness and bravery into every day of your role and you will succeed. Tara’s approach to HR leadership is both practical and inspiring, offering a roadmap for aspiring HR leaders and those seeking to make an impact in private equity.
The future of HR: data, AI and adaptability
With Hg at the forefront of software services investment, Tara is enthusiastic about the transformative impact of data-driven decisions and AI on human resources. She describes a workplace where “80 to 90% of employees regularly use AI tools to drive efficiency and scalability.” Her mantra: “AI will not take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI will.”
Tara urges HR professionals to experiment with AI in both personal and professional contexts, while remaining mindful of governance and compliance. She highlights the importance of tracking engagement with AI tools and encouraging employees to find ways to use technology in their daily work. Tara also speaks about the need to translate softer cultural metrics into hard data, especially when engaging with financially savvy stakeholders and board members in private equity firms.
She acknowledges that private equity tends to lag behind technology firms in adopting new technologies, but emphasises that change is coming. Tara’s advice is to embrace an augmented way of working, experiment with new tools and stay ahead of the curve.
Final thoughts: inspiration for the next generation
Tara’s journey is a testament to the power of curiosity, adaptability and courage in shaping a successful HR career. Her insights offer a roadmap for aspiring leaders: deliver results, build trust, stay curious and embrace technology. As Hg continues to thrive, Tara’s leadership sets a compelling example for the industry and for anyone seeking to make an impact in private equity, human resources and beyond.
If you are a CHRO, senior HR leader or an aspiring people leader in financial services or at PE firm, I would love to help. Reach out for practical insights on financial services recruitment, talent and HR strategy, leadership development and evidence-based decision-making. Whether you are scaling a portfolio company, shaping people strategy or building a top talent pipeline for your people function, I can share market trends, interview advice and more about our track record.
