No longer is succession planning a matter of tapping someone on the shoulder for that C-level opportunity and creating an heir apparent. Traditional "names in the boxes" replacement planning fails to strengthen the leadership bench over time and poses risks to financial and organizational success. Today, succession planning is a dynamic process that is focused on leadership teams collaborating to identify and develop talent needs for today and the future. Practices are extending into mid-and lower level management and organizations are increasingly focused on making talent decision more objective and data-based. In this session, we will discuss the transformation of succession planning and its competitive advantage to safeguard against risks to your organization.

Thom Solomon is the director – Talent Strategy & Engagement for Progress Energy, a Fortune 250 energy company headquartered in Raleigh with $10 billion in annual revenues. The company operates two utilities, Progress Energy Carolinas and Progress Energy Florida. 

Thom, a native of North Carolina, has more than 17 years of HR experience. Thom first joined Progress Energy in 2001 and served as an HR manager, first supporting the company’s natural gas subsidiary and later supporting the corporate and shared-services functions. In 2007, Thom served as the director of Talent Management for R.H. Donnelley, the third largest publisher of yellow pages and a provider of local search marketing solutions.  As director of Talent Management, Thom was responsible for the architecture of enterprise-wide solutions for performance management, succession planning and leadership assessments. In 2008, Thom returned to Progress Energy as director of Business Unit Relations leading the HR generalist function.  In December 2008, Thom’s role was expanded to include also include talent acquisition, talent development, long-range workforce strategy.

Thom is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism. Thom is a national member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) and holds his Professional Human Resources (PHR) certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).

Meeting Sponsor: TBA

Dessert Sponsor:  Gardens at Wynslow Park

Please be reminded that if you have prepaid for monthly programs with your membership renewal, you must still register for each program.

If you will not be able to attend a meeting you have registered for, be reminded that you may send a substitute in your place.

Registration for the meeting will be accepted until Friday, November 13 at 5pm.  If you need to cancel, email kfreeman@mclaurinparking.com  by Sunday, November 15 at 5 pm, to avoid being billed for a missed meeting.  Substitutions are welcome!

*** Note: If you prepay for this meeting using your credit card and cannot attend - please send a substitution as refunds are not available.

  Registration, Networking and Lunch Buffet start at 11:30 AM.  Chapter Business and Program begin at Noon.