Deb Howcroft

Deb Howcroft has extensive experience in organizational development, people advisory, and executive consulting. Deb currently holds the position of Vice President of Organization Development and Corporate People Advisory at BlueScope, where they work closely with the Board, CEO, and Executive Leadership team to determine the appropriate organizational models and structures. Deb also provides support to the Executive Leadership team in dealing with people activities and focuses on executive leadership and talent development.

Before joining BlueScope, Deb operated their own consulting firm, Deb Howcroft Consulting, where they served as an Executive People Advisor. In this role, they provided expertise and consulting services to CEOs and Chief People Officers (CPOs) in various industries. Deb worked with organizations such as Aware Super, Officeworks, Amalgamotion, and EY, assisting with people strategy development, cultural transformations, leadership development, recruitment of key executive roles, and organizational restructures.

Deb also served as the Chief People Officer (interim) at Colonial First State, where they assumed the responsibilities of the Chief People Officer for the buyer, KKR, during the divestment of Colonial First State from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Deb was responsible for developing the remuneration framework, policy, and governance and partnered with the incoming CEO to recruit the executive team.

Prior to their role at Colonial First State, Deb worked at Commonwealth Bank, where they held the position of Executive General Manager (EGM) in multiple roles. As the EGM of Organizational Development, they delivered business-oriented solutions in areas such as organization design, change management, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), leadership and talent development, and learning and talent management. Deb also collaborated with the Executive Leadership team and Board on talent and succession plans and developed digital solutions for learning. In their role as EGM of HR Strategy and Transformation, they focused on driving strategic HR initiatives within the organization.

Deb's career also includes serving as an Executive People Advisor at their own consulting firm prior to founding Deb Howcroft Consulting. During this time, they worked with organizations such as Origin Energy, Coles, Paypal, RailCorp, and Telstra, providing expertise and consulting services in people strategy development, cultural transformations, leadership development, recruitment of key executive roles, and organizational restructures. Deb also facilitated executive team effectiveness sessions.

Early in their career, Deb held the position of Global Director of Organizational Capability & People Strategy at Vodafone Group Pty Ltd, where they successfully led cultural change programs across 17 operating companies and oversaw integration and outsourcing activities in the technology space. Deb established change management frameworks to support effective change management within the organization.

Prior to their role at Vodafone Group Pty Ltd, Deb served as the Chief People and Brand Officer at Vodafone Australia.

Overall, Deb Howcroft has a diverse background in human resources, organizational development, and executive consulting, with a focus on driving transformation, strategic planning, and leadership development.

Deb Howcroft obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Economics and Politics from the University of Sydney, where they studied from 1988 to 1992.