Chris Mikulski, Head of Human Resources, America, H&M | Speaker

Chris Mikulski is Head of Human Resources for H&M, Region Americas, and an accomplished Retail executive with over 20 years of experience in the industry. He began his career with famed American retailer, Toys ”R” Us, where he spent his several years working in stores, learning about the foundational principles of the retail business and management. During his time in stores, he found his passion for connecting people with business success and made a bold decision to pursue a career path in Human Resources. Chris quickly discovered there was no pre-identified path to achieve this ambition, so he set off on a discovery journey to learn as much as he could about the profession from his network of mentors, leaders and advisors. His journey led him to grow through roles in Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partnering, Employee Relations, Total Rewards and Executive Leadership Chris ended his tenure with Toys “R” Us in 2018 and was then recruited to the iconic global fashion brand H&M, serving as the Head of Human Resources for the Americas Region since 2020. In his current responsibility, Chris leads a team of over 100 diverse HR professionals across Canada, USA, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador who are responsible for supporting 24,000 colleagues across the region. His accomplishments in his current role include leading multiple end-to-end business transformations, architecting a modern colleague experience strategy, increasing colleague retention and engagement, and embarking on the largest HR transformation in the company’s history. Chris also serves as an Executive Sponsor for H&M’s Voices of Internal Black Excellence (VIBE) employee resource group and is a published contributing author in the book “Staying in the Game: Leading and Learning with Agility for a Dynamic Future” by Pamela Meyer. In his personal life, Chris was born and raised in the Hudson Valley area of New York State and currently resides in New York City. He is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and uses his platform to advocate for the equality of all people.