La-Z-Boy Names Chief HR Officer

January 8, 2015  by in Executive Changes, Industry   

She begins her post Feb. 2 and will report to Kurt Darrow, chairman, president and CEO.

In her new position, Runyon will provide leadership and oversight for talent management, employee engagement, workforce development and compensation and benefits.

"We are delighted Barbara is joining the senior management team of La-Z-Boy,” Darrow said. “She is a high-caliber individual who brings a wealth of experience in all facets of Human Resources to La-Z-Boy. I am confident she will make a significant contribution to the company as we enter the next chapter. With vast experience across many Human Resources disciplines, her leadership acumen will play an important role as we maximize our growth strategies moving forward."

Runyon joins the company from PepsiCo/The Pepsi Bottling Group where she spent 14 years in various human resources positions of increasing responsibility. 

Most recently, she served as senior director of human resources for the company's Midwest region. In that role, she was responsible for establishing strategies for the region's 5,500-person workforce, including employee engagement, talent management, labor and employee relations, safety and cultural initiatives. Her accomplishments included a significant increase in talent development, improvement in organizational health through enhanced engagement, and creating strong business partnerships. Prior to that, she served as the human resources manager for Prestolite Wire Corp. in Southfield, Mich.   

"I look forward to joining La-Z-Boy at such a pivotal time in the company's history,” Runyon said. “With a solid growth strategy in place coupled with the move to a new global headquarters and the change associated with that, I envision significant opportunity to help shape the corporation as it moves into a new and exciting chapter.”