Wendy Person, McKinsey & Co’s director of global HR people operations and external worker COE, has come full circle. Initially a corporate labor and employment attorney, her path veered when she realized external talent should be treated as talent — not a commodity. Person then focused on the staffing and contingent workforce management space. And the rest is history.

“In a competitive work world, people want new ways to work, and companies have to be able to provide that,” Person says, adding that good program leaders know that from a global perspective, one size doesn’t necessarily fit all. Person sees each talent pool as its own distinct category, and developing talent strategies to match role types creates a better overall program.

Throughout her 25-year career, Person has worked for some of the world’s most prominent corporations, including Coca-Cola and AOL Time Warner. In her different roles, she has always paid attention to the risks while providing solutions and simultaneously saving money. In 2019, her innovative ideas caught the eye of McKinsey & Co., which asked her to join their team and set up a talent approach to external labor.

Looking forward, Person envisions a modern workforce and talent approach that pioneers new processes and strategies she expects to soon become commonplace. Today, in her HR role, she applies legal knowledge every day, referring to her career as “a beautiful journey of serendipity.”