Workforce Strategy · Transformation · Talent

Turning ambiguous business problems into workforce strategies that scale.

I'm an executive who builds the people, operating models, and AI-enabled systems that let large organizations move faster — without losing the trust of the teams doing the work.

Wendy Fashing
Based in Chicago, IL
Wendy Fashing
Senior Leader — Workforce Strategy & Transformation
01 — Executive Summary

Fifteen-plus years architecting enterprise change at scale.

From start-up RPO to one of the world's largest delivery networks, I've spent my career making complex workforce machinery simpler, faster, and more humane.

I lead workforce strategy for Amazon's Americas last-mile delivery operations — a multi-country portfolio of $130M+ in budget and 100,000+ annual hires across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.

What I do well: translate ambiguity into executable plans, align senior stakeholders behind a single transformation agenda, and embed AI and data into operating models that produce measurable efficiency gains.

I lead with high candor, build successor-ready talent, and have a consistent track record of internal promotion and bench strength across fast-scaling operations.

$130M+
Budget under management
15+
Years leading transformation
1.3M
Associates hired (career)
3
Countries: US, CA, LATAM
02 — Signature Achievements

The work I'm proudest of.

A short selection of the transformations that changed how the business operates — not a comprehensive list.

Transformation

Redesigned driver hiring on a 60-day timeline

Moved from a dual-pillar to a specialized model across the Americas — freeing 120 weekly hours for customer-facing work and driving a 25% operational efficiency gain.

Scale

1.3M associates hired, including 48,000 in a single week

Led U.S. workforce staffing across five delivery business lines through data-driven recruitment transformation — a record-setting volume executed with 95% performance through COVID-19 disruption.

Influence

Drove 95% participation in a $70M strategic partnership program

Managed the on-road perks portfolio supporting alliances with McDonald's, 7-Eleven, Starbucks, Instride, and Upward — exceeding the 80% participation target and strengthening Amazon's Fortune 500 partner relationships.

Commercial

Led $21M ATS rollout to 50% adoption — 3 months early

Owned post-implementation stabilization for a 3-year applicant tracking system rollout, hitting voluntary user adoption targets three months ahead of plan with built-in SLA, scalability, and global data-protection enforcement.

AI & Modernization

Deployed 12 AI-driven automation tools across hiring

Reduced manual reporting by 3,250 annual hours and reallocated 8 FTEs to higher-value workforce support — modernizing how a 100K+ hire/year operation runs.

Global Expansion

Launched Amazon driver hiring in Mexico & Brazil

Advised executive leadership on co-employment risk, regulatory compliance, and operational readiness — on-time launch within a two-month window across geographically dispersed teams.

03 — Experience

A career built across enterprise, RPO, and start-up environments.

The throughline: workforce strategy, operational transformation, and the systems that turn hiring into a business advantage.

Amazon
2019 — Present

Sr. Manager, Americas Workforce Strategy & Services

Last-Mile Delivery · US, Canada, LATAM

Lead Americas workforce strategy across a $130M+ portfolio and 3,700+ delivery businesses. Architected the dual-pillar to specialized hiring redesign, founded the first agile product team within staffing operations, and led the platform migration of safety-shoe and education programs to 100K+ drivers.

Cielo
2014 — 2019

Director of Client Services

RPO · Fortune 500 portfolio

Led transformation of recruitment operations for Fortune 500 clients, managing $10M+ RPO programs and 40+ matrixed recruitment professionals. Reduced application time from 14 days to 3, lifted applications 40%, and cut time-to-hire 25% on a flagship transportation account.

Accolo
2007 — 2014

Director of Client Management

RPO Start-Up · Chicago

Built end-to-end implementation of enterprise workforce solutions in a start-up environment. Designed customized service-delivery models, established standard work, and developed training programs that scaled across multiple client organizations.

CareerBuilder
2006 — 2007

Vertical Market Manager

Retail, Hospitality, Restaurant verticals

Built a scalable enablement curriculum that reduced new-hire ramp time by 60% and lifted vertical solution adoption by 45%. Delivered 120+ executive-level presentations on market transformation strategies.

04 — Leadership Philosophy

How I lead.

Three things I've come to believe after fifteen years of leading through change.

i.

Candor is a kindness.

People can't course-correct on feedback they don't get. I name what I see early, with respect — and I expect the same back. It's how trust gets built and how teams move faster under ambiguity.

ii.

Build the bench, not the hero.

The job isn't to be indispensable — it's to make the team unstoppable without you. I coach for successor-readiness, promote internally, and treat development as an operating priority, not a side project.

iii.

Strategy without operating muscle is decoration.

A great deck is the easy part. I focus on the executable layer: who owns what, how it's measured, and what the system looks like six months after launch when the energy fades.

05 — Currently

What I'm reading and listening to.

The inputs that are shaping how I think about leadership, transformation, and the future of work right now.

B

On the bookshelf

Reading
  • Multipliers
    Liz Wiseman · on leaders who amplify the intelligence of others
  • An Everyone Culture
    Kegan & Lahey · on building deliberately developmental organizations
  • The Advice Trap
    Michael Bungay Stanier · on leading with curiosity over expertise
  • Co-Intelligence
    Ethan Mollick · on living and working alongside AI
P

In my ears

Podcasts
  • WorkLife with Adam Grant
    Organizational psychology, sharper than most
  • The Leadership Podcast
    Jan Rutherford & Jim Vaselopulos · how leaders think, decide, and grow
  • Coaching for Leaders
    Dave Stachowiak · practical leadership conversations
  • SmartLess
    My guilty pleasure — because not everything has to be a learning moment
T

Thinking about

On my mind
  • Where AI redraws the line
    Which workforce roles fundamentally change in the next 24 months
  • Speed without burnout
    How fast-scaling teams hold pace without losing their best people
  • The new operating model
    What workforce strategy looks like when hiring is no longer the bottleneck
06 — AI in Practice

How I'm using AI in my own life.

I don't just lead AI adoption at work. Here's how I've folded these tools into how I run a household, plan, learn, and think.

  • i.

    The household co-pilot

    Weekly meal planning, grocery lists tied to what's actually in the fridge, family calendar triage, and travel itineraries that flex around real constraints — not just tourist defaults.

  • ii.

    Budgeting & financial planning with Copilot

    Copilot has become my personal CFO — tracking spend against goals, surfacing the patterns I'd otherwise miss, and turning long-term financial planning into a conversation rather than a spreadsheet I dread opening.

  • iii.

    Supporting a family business launch

    I used Claude to help my husband stand up his latest venture, Water Warriors Mokena — building the website end-to-end with embedded registration and waiver forms, plus Calendly integration so scheduling runs itself. AI turned what would've been a months-long project into a week.

  • iv.

    A second brain for big decisions

    I use AI to pressure-test thinking before high-stakes conversations — mapping the steel-man case for the other side, surfacing assumptions I'm carrying, and rehearsing tough feedback before I deliver it.

  • v.

    Learning faster, on my own terms

    Whether it's a deeper understanding of a new domain, parsing a dense article in 10 minutes I don't have, or building an executive-summary version of a book I haven't finished yet — AI shrinks the cost of curiosity.

  • vi.

    Personal writing & reflection

    From sharpening a recommendation letter for a former direct report to drafting a tough family email, AI is the editor I always wanted — one that pushes for clarity without rewriting my voice.

"The leaders who'll matter in the next decade won't be the ones who know the most about AI — they'll be the ones who've lived with it long enough to know exactly where it helps, where it gets in the way, and how to redesign work around it." — A working principle

Open to a conversation.

I'm always open to connecting and networking — especially around workforce strategy, transformation, and talent acquisition. Reach out anytime.