Scientific Games Corporation announced the hiring of Shawn Williams, a veteran of technology startups and information technology firms, as the company’s new chief human resources officer, reporting directly to CEO Kevin Sheehan.
In his new role, Williams will be responsible for developing and executing Scientific Games’ global human resource strategy in support of the company’s long-term business strategies. His specific focus areas will be talent management, change management, organizational and performance management, training and development, compensation, succession planning and culture.
“Shawn brings over two decades of experience and proven success driving performance and results in global organizations in the technology sector, with a focus on HR, operations, corporate strategy and business transformation,” said Sheehan. “Our shared passion for entrepreneurship and organizational development will serve us well as we continue to grow our business, hire and develop the best people, and drive a high-performance culture.”
Williams joins Scientific Games after serving in a number of high-level executive roles. Most recently, he was co-founder of Defi LLC, a consulting firm for technology start-ups providing business strategy, operations, marketing, investment capital, and financial management expertise.
Before that, as chief administration officer for LeECO Holdings North America. Williams led HR, information technology, and real estate, growing the company from 75 employees to more than 1,500 and launching exclusive deals with AT&T, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Amazon.
Earlier, as chief administration officer with Samsung Electronics America, Williams led business operations for the $38 billion electronics and telecommunications business, driving a complete revitalization of the HR function to establish a new culture of collaboration and performance.
And during his 12-year career with Hewlett Packard, Williams held roles of increasing responsibility, ending his tenure as chief operations and people officer for enterprise services. He led a global team for the $28 billion, 160,000-employee IT service business, implementing a worldwide labor model that tripled margins and a new variable compensation program that fostered growth.
