Dominique Dickson
LOADING PORTFOLIO
CHIEF OF STAFF · PEOPLE STRATEGY · INCLUSION & EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
◦ NEW YORK CITY METRO AREA

Turning executive priorities into
measurable outcomes.

More than 15 years partnering with C-suite leaders at a global professional-services firm, owning a $400K budget and the strategy, governance, and scorecards behind firm-wide programs for more than 2,000 employees.

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Dominique Dickson, professional headshot
DD · NEW YORK
MBA · DREXEL
$0K
BUDGET OWNED
0+
EMPLOYEES REACHED
0+
EXECUTIVE SEARCHES
0+
YEARS
MBA · DREXEL UNIVERSITY
JURIS DOCTOR COURSEWORK · ST. JOHN'S LAW
ONCON TOP 100 DEI PROFESSIONAL · FINALIST 2025
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARD
POINT OF VIEW

Culture is not a program.
It is an operating system.

Belonging, retention, and engagement move when people strategy runs on the same discipline as the rest of the business: clear priorities, real governance, and a scorecard leadership actually reviews. That operating model sits behind every result on this page.

GOVERNANCE OVER GESTURES
THE WORK, MEASURED

The scorecard behind the culture work.

Every program below ran against defined priorities, governance, and a progress scorecard across a 2,000+ employee, multi-office population. These are the numbers that scorecard tracked.

ERG MEMBERSHIP
15% to nearly one third of employees
15%FROM 15%
INCLUSIVE JOB-DESCRIPTION SCREENING
0 to 100% of job descriptions screened
0%FROM NONE
STANDARDIZED INCLUSIVE HIRING
50% of requisitions within six months
0%IN 6 MONTHS
+11%
RETENTION, PROFESSIONALS OF COLOR
Advancing Professionals of Color leadership program for 80+ high-potential employees.
30 to 75
PEER-LEARNING PARTICIPATION
A 150% increase, using themes drawn from 2,000+ employee surveys.
3
NEW GLOBAL ERGs LAUNCHED
Communities for disability, veterans, and interfaith employees.
$400K budget owned
About 955 employees integrated post-acquisition
Global onboarding platform launched in the HRIS
ABOUT

The operator behind the executive decisions.

Fifteen-plus years at a global professional-services firm shaped how the work gets done. Partnering with C-suite leaders, serving as a Chief of Staff-style operator to a Co-President, and building the people programs that reach an entire firm. Every role has sat where executive strategy meets execution.

As a people leader at Heidrick & Struggles, ownership ran from a $400K budget and the global ERG strategy to the succession, onboarding, and equity work behind a 2,000+ employee population. The Advancing Professionals of Color program raised retention of professionals of color by 11%, and ERG membership grew from 15% to nearly one third of the firm.

Before the people work came search operations. Project-managing more than 100 CEO and board-director searches, coordinating up to 30 concurrent teams for a top-billing partner, and holding a 100% fill rate. Chief of Staff, People Strategy, and Inclusion and Employee Experience are the roles this record points toward next.

Dominique Dickson
Dominique Dickson
MBA · NEW YORK CITY METRO
HOW I OPERATE

Four lanes, one operating discipline.

The capabilities behind Chief of Staff, People Strategy, and Inclusion and Employee Experience work.

01
EXECUTIVE PARTNERSHIP

Chief of Staff to the people running the business.

Chief of Staff functions, C-suite and board partnership, governance and operating-model design, and the executive reporting that turns scattered updates into decisions. Sole operator to a Co-President, running his leadership-team cadence and the briefs leadership used to decide.

WHAT I OWN
Leadership-team cadence, executive briefs, governance design, board and executive reporting, strategic planning.
WHAT IT MOVES
Consolidated reporting across 7 product lines that had each reported separately, giving leadership one source for faster decisions.
02
PEOPLE & TALENT STRATEGY

The systems that raise retention and build pipelines.

Talent and leadership development, succession planning, onboarding and HRIS, workforce planning, and employee experience and engagement. Designed and launched a global onboarding platform in the HRIS, giving new hires a centralized dashboard and a consistent first-90-days experience.

WHAT I BUILD
Onboarding platforms, succession practices, leadership-development programs, data-informed people scorecards.
WHAT IT MOVES
Retention of professionals of color up 11%. Peer-learning participation up 150%, from 30 to 75 employees.
03
INCLUSION & EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

Belonging measured like any other business outcome.

Inclusion and belonging strategy, ERG strategy, equity audits, employee listening, and the culture and organizational-health work that raises retention. Built a multi-year strategy with priorities, governance, workstreams, executive accountability, and a scorecard tracking progress across the firm.

WHAT I OWN
Global ERG strategy, equity audits of promotion policy, inclusive-hiring standards, employee-listening programs.
WHAT IT MOVES
ERG membership from 15% to nearly a third. Inclusive screening of 100% of job descriptions, up from none.
04
ENTERPRISE EXECUTION

Strategy that survives contact with the whole firm.

Program and project management, strategy to execution, enterprise change management, and cross-functional leadership. Led the inclusion and belonging workstream for the integration of about 955 employees following an acquisition, and project-managed more than 100 executive searches with up to 30 concurrent teams.

WHAT I RUN
Multi-team programs, acquisition integration workstreams, change management, cross-functional delivery.
WHAT IT MOVES
100% fill rate across searches coordinated, about a three-month average time to fill, and about 75% repeat clients.
CAREER

More than 15 years across people strategy and executive operations.

2020 to 2026
Senior Manager, Inclusion and Belonging
HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES · GLOBAL EXECUTIVE SEARCH & LEADERSHIP ADVISORY
Built the firm's multi-year people and inclusion strategy: priorities, governance, workstreams, executive accountability, and a scorecard across a 2,000+ employee, multi-office population. Owned a $400K budget and the global ERG strategy, launching 3 ERGs and growing membership from 15% to nearly one third. Designed the Advancing Professionals of Color program for 80+ leaders, raising retention of professionals of color by 11%, launched a global onboarding platform in the HRIS, and led the inclusion workstream for the integration of about 955 employees following an acquisition.
$400K BUDGET
ERG 15% TO 33%
+11% RETENTION
2016 to 2020
Project Manager, Executive Search
HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES · GLOBAL EXECUTIVE SEARCH & LEADERSHIP ADVISORY
Project-managed 100+ CEO and board-director searches, coordinating up to 30 concurrent multidisciplinary teams as the project lead for a top-billing partner. Delivered a 100% fill rate across the searches coordinated, about a three-month average time to fill, and about 75% repeat clients. Operationalized a Stanford Rock Center diversity pledge into a board-slate standard that held search slates above 50% diverse.
100+ SEARCHES
30+ TEAMS
100% FILL RATE
2015 to 2016
Senior Executive Administrator
NET@WORK · TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS & MANAGED SERVICES
Served as the sole Chief of Staff-style partner to the Co-President, running his leadership-team cadence and turning department-head reporting into executive briefs that drove cross-functional follow-through across Operations, Professional Services, and People and Learning. Built a consolidated monthly report across 7 product lines that had reported separately in inconsistent formats, giving leadership one source of performance and forecast detail.
CHIEF OF STAFF
7 PRODUCT LINES
2014 to 2015
Director, Communications and Marketing
ABRAMS FENSTERMAN LLP · LAW FIRM
Rebuilt internal and external communications and brand strategy to lift cross-department engagement and market presence. Ran targeted media campaigns and secured speaking engagements that increased client acquisition.
BRAND STRATEGY
2009 to 2014
Knowledge Management Coordinator
BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT · GLOBAL ALTERNATIVE ASSET MANAGER
Built the firm's first global knowledge-management function, moving 50+ training materials onto a centralized SharePoint platform as a single reference of record. Standardized job descriptions for 125 employees and set performance-management standards for 5 corporate-operations executive assistants, supporting talent acquisition and succession planning.
50+ MATERIALS
125 EMPLOYEES
2006 to 2009
Earlier Career
UBS AG · NASSAU COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Provided executive and legal support for senior executives and board members within UBS Legal and Compliance. Earlier, served as a legal intern and assistant across family, criminal, and special-victims matters at the Nassau County District Attorney's Office and with solo practitioners.
LEGAL & COMPLIANCE
CREDENTIALS

Education and certifications.

GRADUATE
Master of Business Administration
Drexel University
PHILADELPHIA, PA · 2013 · ENTREPRENEURSHIP
UNDERGRADUATE
B.A. Criminal Justice, magna cum laude
Long Island University
GREENVALE, NY · 2007
LAW SCHOOL
Juris Doctor Coursework
Saint John's University School of Law
QUEENS, NY · 2007 TO 2008 · DEGREE NOT CONFERRED
TOOLSET
Systems and platforms
Workday Salesforce SharePoint HRIS MS Office G-Suite Box Slack
CERTIFICATIONS & HONORS
HEIDRICK BUSINESS ACADEMY CERTIFICATE ONCON TOP 100 DEI PROFESSIONAL · FINALIST 2025 ELEANOR ROOSEVELT WOMEN OF DISTINCTION AWARD · 2009
Heidrick & Struggles
Net@Work
Abrams Fensterman
Brookfield Asset Management
UBS
Drexel University
GET IN TOUCH

Let's build the next operating model.

Open to Chief of Staff, People Strategy, and Inclusion and Employee Experience roles. Based in the New York City Metro Area, open to relocation.

Email Dominique → LinkedIn