Debbie Peterson
Senior Vice President of People and Culture, MetroStar
Unifying MetroStar’s people leaders, recruiters and people operations teams to enhance the company’s people experience has been Debbie Peterson’s biggest recent achievement.
The company made tremendous investments in its recruiting and retention strategies and programs, allowing MetroStar to successfully grow its headcount by 25% in the first quarter, maintain an overall 33% growth rate this year and reduce turnover by 10% year over year.
“Debbie is more than just an HR executive; she’s a growth catalyst,” said Ali Reza Manouchehri, CEO of MetroStar. “With her tenacity and curiosity, she has positioned MetroStar to soar to new heights, enabling us to expand by over 500 employees in a short span. Her dynamism extends beyond numbers, as she has also masterfully orchestrated a harmonious blend of HR, recruiting, culture and marketing talents. Under her visionary leadership, our culture thrives, our people flourish, and our mission resonates more than ever.”
Why Watch
This year, Peterson’s team is focused on adopting a more robust people analytics strategy that strengthens how MetroStar designs an intentional and inclusive employee experience. The team is also responsibly embracing advances in enterprise data integration and AI to align people to the company’s vision and mission.
Concurrently, the team is working on building thoughtful programs around personal growth and leadership development that maximize MetroStar’s unique culture and position its people to succeed in the next chapter of the company’s growth story.
“It is an exciting time to be in HR, and I feel fortunate to work with an organization that embraces a human-centric culture,” Peterson said. “MetroStar exemplifies how powerful an organization can become when HR is positioned as a strategic partner.”