Jerilyn Iacovetto

Prior to Ankura, Jerilyn served in senior HR leadership roles at global manufacturing, logistics, and technology organizations. She has also served in board advisory roles and as an instructor of HR-related coursework at Duke University.

While at Ankura, Jerilyn has partnered with executive leadership, boards, and deal teams to assess, stabilize, and transform HR functions in complex transactions and operating environments. She is the author of several white papers on various HR topics addressing culture, talent management, and, most recently, artificial intelligence considerations in human resources. Additionally, she has contributed her expertise through board service and support.

Through her experience, she is able to leverage insights to address unique challenges and opportunities in human resource management.

Jerilyn’s representative engagements include:

Interim HR Leadership and HR Function Stand-Up (Multiple Industries and Ownership models)

• Served as interim HR leader for a PE-backed financial services spin-off managing over $188 billion in assets, standing up the entire HR function, including talent management processes, performance management, goal setting, employee engagement, organizational redesign, job hierarchies, success profiles, and compensation structure while engaging daily with the C-suite to ensure alignment and visibility.
• Led a year-long interim HR leadership engagement for a regional healthcare system with approximately 3,000 employees, evaluating the HR department structure and service model, filling critical leadership roles, driving culture initiatives, and navigating a complex labor environment with both union and non-union populations under stringent regulatory requirements.

Merger, Acquisition, and Transactional HR

• Led HR due diligence and integration efforts for buy-side and sell-side transactions, including carve-outs and spin-offs.
• Assessed people-related risk, HR operational readiness, and cost implications to inform deal decision-making.
• Designed day one readiness plans and post-close integration roadmaps covering payroll, benefits, compliance, talent, and HR systems.
• Supported leadership teams in standing up standalone HR functions for newly formed and PE-backed entities.

Culture and Engagement

• Led an enterprise-wide culture and engagement initiative for a Fortune 200 national retailer with over 150,000 employees and 16,000 locations, surveying the workforce and facilitating multiple leadership sessions to identify and prioritize initiatives driving measurable culture improvement.
• Advised executive leadership teams on culture stabilization and leadership alignment during mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, and rapid growth. Created success profiles to identify competencies and behaviors for critical roles aligned with strategic direction.

Performance Management and Talent Strategy

• Redesigned the performance management framework for a global supply chain and logistics organization with approximately 50,000 employees and over $12 billion in revenue, implementing cascading goals, a new performance system, and enterprise-wide manager training.
• Developed talent management and succession strategies for leadership and mission-critical roles. Designed workforce planning and analytics frameworks to support cost optimization and future-state planning.

Turnaround and Bankruptcy Wind-Down

• Served as HR leader for the nationwide wind-down of a battery manufacturer with over 4,000 employees during Chapter 11 proceedings, managing all HR aspects across multiple facilities with a unionized workforce.