Neela Seenandan

The Co-CEO & Managing Partner at Hanold Associates

Neela is the co-CEO and Managing Partner at Hanold Associates and leads the firm’s HR Advisory Practice. Neela provides interim executive advisory services in senior-level Dearborn Partners, Save the Children US and The New York Times. Hanold Associates has a broad client roster across multiple industries including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Tom Brady and TB12, Under Armor, American Airlines, Moderna, Prada, Tiffany & Co, Patagonia, Electronic Arts, Zoom, McDonalds, Live Entertainment and Fanatics.

She joined the firm from Nielsen, where she served as SVP of Human Resources for the North America Consumer business. As a member of the executive team, Neela was responsible for driving the strategic talent agenda focused on designing a more effective client service model, this included talent acquisition, compensation, talent management and Diversity & Inclusion.

Prior to Nielsen, Neela had a progressive career within Aon Corporation. Neela was asked to join Aon by the CEO who was a former leader at McKinsey & Co. Upon joining in 2006, she served as its VP of Executive Talent Acquisition and Development. Her focus was global business and talent alignment and supporting the change process as the company moved to three lines of business. In 2007, she became VP, Global Head of Human Resources for Aon Re Global. After the acquisition of Benfield in 2008, Neela ran the global HR integration of the newly formed Aon Benfield. Neela was also asked to lead the HR integration of Aon and Hewitt Associates and become the Chief Human Resources Officer for the integrated business, Aon Hewitt.

Prior to Aon, Neela worked for McKinsey & Company where she ran talent acquisition and professional development for North America and the business technology office. (Now known as McKinsey Digital). Neela also worked closely with the senior leadership team in the financial services and insurance practice and in the last two years at McKinsey focused on executive development and partner and director performance coaching.

Born in London, England, to parents who originate from British Guyana, Neela attended the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne studying English Literature and Religion. She started her career in executive search with Michael Page. She spent a number of years working in the UK, and throughout Central and Eastern Europe, living in Prague, Czech Republic for 5 years before moving to the US.

She’s active with her family (4 sons and a puppy) and a strong supporter of numerous charities, including The Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, Bernie’s Book Bank, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, Save the Children and NFL Fight for a Cause.

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