File not found

Calabrio Announces Hire of Chief Human Resources Officer

What to know about the new chief human resources officer of Calabrio:

  • Calabrio, the Minneapolis-based, cloud-first software company focused on customer service and support, has announced the hire of its first-ever chief human resources officer — Kristin Gaarder
  • As chief human resources officer, Gaarder will, “…oversee human resources, including recruitment and talent retention, leadership development, benefits, employee relations, diversity, belonging and inclusion, and the many employee development programs offered by Calabrio.”
  • Gaarder previously served as the SVP of Human Resources & Corporate Services for Amplifon, the general manager and VP of Human Resources for Nilfisk High Pressure Washers, and several other roles
  • Calabrio was acquired by Thoma Bravo, a software and technology private investment firm based in San Francisco, in March 2021

The Quote: Kristin Gaarder, Chief Human Resources Officer of Calabrio

“Looking back on the experiences I’ve had at companies across multiple industries, I’ve found that the key to business success always comes down to one element: human connection. Whether with your employees, customers, prospects, or everything in-between, the path to growth lies with building and strengthening one-to-one connections. I’m excited to collaborate alongside Calabrio’s seasoned leadership team who also hold these same core values. We will work together to create meaningful experiences for employees, develop their talents, and continue to deliver to our customers the excellence they expect.”

For more information about Calabrio and Gaarder, read the release below.

circuit-subscribe-button-techmn

Minneapolis — August 23, 2021 — Calabrio, the customer experience intelligence company, has brought on Kristin Gaarder as its first chief human resources officer. This important addition to the executive team comes as Calabrio continues to strengthen operations in analytics-based customer service and workforce engagement management and builds a workforce highly dedicated to its own customer satisfaction. Named by the Star Tribune this year as a Top Workplace for the eighth year in a row, Calabrio will look to Gaarder to lead and evolve efforts to enable organizational growth.

“As human centricity becomes increasingly more important in the contact center industry, Calabrio is focused on providing our employees with a dynamic work experience so they can concentrate on flawlessly executing this for our customers,” said Tom Goodmanson, president and CEO of Calabrio. “Kristin’s experience and focus on people-first practices will be an asset to Calabrio as we continue to grow along with this ever-changing industry.”

In this role, Gaarder and her team will support more than 700 current employees as well as lead Calabrio’s expansion to a team of over 1000. She will oversee human resources, including recruitment and talent retention, leadership development, benefits, employee relations, diversity, belonging and inclusion, and the many employee development programs offered by Calabrio.

Gaarder has more than 20 years of experience marrying brand promises with human resource initiatives to better support an engaged employee population. Prior to joining Calabrio, Gaarder served as the SVP of Human Resources & Corporate Services for Amplifon. She was also the general manager and VP of Human Resources for Nilfisk High Pressure Washers. Gaarder is on the board of the HR Executive Forum and is recognized as a Top Woman Leader in Minnesota. Through these and other previous roles Gaarder witnessed first-hand and helped guide organizational transformation.

Gaarder commented, “Looking back on the experiences I’ve had at companies across multiple industries, I’ve found that the key to business success always comes down to one element: human connection. Whether with your employees, customers, prospects, or everything in-between, the path to growth lies with building and strengthening one-to-one connections. I’m excited to collaborate alongside Calabrio’s seasoned leadership team who also hold these same core values. We will work together to create meaningful experiences for employees, develop their talents, and continue to deliver to our customers the excellence they expect.”

Earlier this year, Calabrio’s growth trajectory charted new territory as the company became the fifth Minnesota-based technology unicorn when private equity firm, Thoma Bravo, acquired Calabrio from KKR. The acquisition is not only a testament to Calabrio’s growth but its strength and innovation as a global team over the past few years, values which continue to expand across the organization.

About Calabrio
Calabrio is the customer experience intelligence company that empowers organizations to enrich human interactions. The scalability of our cloud platform allows for quick deployment of remote work models—and it gives our customers precise control over both operating costs and customer satisfaction levels. Our AI-driven analytics tools make it easy for contact centers to uncover customer sentiment and share compelling insights with other parts of the organization. Customers choose Calabrio because we understand their needs and provide a best-in-class experience, from implementation to ongoing support. Find more at calabrio.com/ and follow @Calabrio on Twitter.

Alex Skjong
Alex oversees the content produced for BETA, Twin Cities Startup Week, and tech.mn. When he’s not writing or editing, there’s a good chance he’s enjoying a refreshing brew and explaining the merits of heavy metal (of which there are many).