Areas of Expertise
Talent Strategy & Business Partnership
Partners with leadership teams to align hiring, employee development, engagement, and retention strategies with business goals.
Operational Excellence
Modernizes HR programs, processes, and systems to improve efficiency, scalability, and organizational effectiveness.
Workforce Transformation
Leads organizations through periods of growth and transition by aligning people, culture, and structure with business strategy.
Mergers & Acquisitions Leadership
Supports HR due diligence and post-merger integration efforts to ensure cultural alignment and capture deal value.
BEFORE GROWTH OPERATORS
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Fortra
- Chief People Officer
-
Spok
- Human Resources Director
-
Boulay
- Sr. HR Representative
ALMA MATER
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University of St. Thomas
- Master's Degree in HR & Change Leadership
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University of WI Eau Claire
- BA in Organizational Communication
Something You Should Know
I love scuba diving, and one of my most unforgettable experiences has been diving with sharks!
Joanna Leach is a collaborative, forward-thinking HR leader who helps organizations build modern talent strategies that support growth and operational performance. As Managing Director in the Human Resources Practice at Growth Operators, she partners with executive teams to align talent, culture, and organizational structure with business objectives.
With more than 20 years of Human Resources leadership experience, Joanna has guided scaling and transformation initiatives across small businesses and mid-sized global organizations. She brings significant experience supporting private equity-backed companies through periods of rapid growth, with a focus on culture alignment, operational excellence, and leadership effectiveness.
Joanna is known for balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution. Her work spans talent strategy, workforce transformation, and HR program modernization, helping organizations strengthen people systems, improve engagement and retention, and build scalable foundations that support long-term performance.
STRENGTHS
- Change Management
- Coaching & Advising
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Strategic Business Partner
- Team-Oriented
The talent at Growth Operators is exceptional. I value the opportunity to work alongside high-caliber, thoughtful professionals who are deeply committed to helping our clients succeed. There is a shared focus on bringing the right expertise, collaboration, and care to every engagement.
