Laura Schmidt’s career spans more than 25 years. Her experience includes Sourcing, Recruiting, Workforce Management and Talent Acquisition as well as Benefits, Compensation, ER, Labor Relations, HRIS, HR Shared Services and HR Technology. Working in hospitality and entertainment, Laura has enjoyed increasing responsibilities in roles at Hyatt Hotels, SeaWorld, and most recently, Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) where she spent 18 years as an Executive prior to joining Riviera Advisors.
During her 20+ years of leading Recruiting, Laura excelled in high volume, complex, and fast paced environments and worked across multiple geo-locations throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. Her contributions to HGV specifically guided the company through major change and growth. During her tenure, the company grew from 3000 Team Members to 16,000+ and she played a central role in planning and managing through major transformations including a spin-off from Hilton, 2017 public offering (IPO), COVID-19 recovery and numerous large acquisitions and new property/market openings.
In addition to having a passion for leading her teams, Laura is recognized as a thought leader in Talent Acquisition technologies, recruitment marketing, and digital media. A sought-after speaker, she is credited with balancing the work of people resources, a powerful employer message, and innovative systems to acquire talent in tough markets and in high volumes. Her innovations have kept her at the forefront of talent acquisition and led industry standards for recruitment strategies in the digital age.
Laura holds certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Human Resource Certification Institute. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Heidelberg University in Tiffin OH and is based in Orlando, Florida, USA.
