One year ago, Liam Weston joined Novanta as Chief Human Resources Officer with a clear mandate: help build the talent capabilities needed to support the company’s next chapter of growth.
Now, after a year of listening, learning, and leading transformation, Liam reflects on what he found, what has changed, and what comes next.
Building the Future, Not Preserving the Past
For Liam, the opportunity was never simply about leading an HR function. It was about helping build the foundation required to support a growing, increasingly complex global business.
Our ambition, combined with a leadership team committed to candid conversations, teamwork, and continuous improvement, made the opportunity stand out for Liam. Rather than protecting legacy ways of working, he found a shared willingness to challenge assumptions and build for the future.
That alignment created the conditions for him to drive meaningful change.
Listening First
Before making changes, Liam spent his first months listening.
Conversations with business leaders, HR leaders, and external benchmarks revealed a common theme: Talented people were working hard, but too much energy was spent on administrative work instead of helping the business attract, develop, and retain talent.
The findings reinforced three priorities:
- Modernize the HR operating model.
- Strengthen manager capability.
- Leverage technology and AI to create greater scale and efficiency.
The goal was not simply to improve HR. It was to create more capacity for the work that helps employees grow and businesses perform.
Building the Right Team
One of the accomplishments Liam is most proud of is the evolution of the HR leadership team.
Over the past year, we have strengthened talent partnerships with business leaders, expanded expertise within centers of excellence, and invested in HR Operations capabilities. The focus has been on ensuring employees and leaders have access to experienced professionals who can help solve business challenges, develop talent, and support growth.
Just as importantly, the team has created clearer development pathways for HR employees while ensuring the business receives the expertise it needs.
Strong teams build strong organizations, and building the right team has been central to Liam’s work.
Staying Focused in a Changing World
Like many organizations, we have navigated significant external disruption over the past year. Global economic shifts, geopolitical uncertainty, evolving trade environments, and changing business priorities have required rapid adaptation.
Those realities reinforced an important lesson: Success depends on maintaining focus on a small number of critical priorities, even when unexpected challenges arise.
The organizations that create lasting impact are not the ones that do everything. They are the ones that consistently execute the few things that matter most.
Looking Ahead
When Liam looks ahead two years, he sees three important shifts taking shape.
1. Managers will increasingly own the employee experience through coaching, development, recognition, performance conversations, and engagement.
2. Technology, Workday, and AI will continue reducing transactional work, allowing HR teams to focus more deeply on leadership development, career growth, and strategic business challenges.
3. We will continue strengthening our ability to attract, develop, and grow exceptional talent across the organization.
The objective is not to make HR more visible. It is to ensure the right support exists where it creates the greatest value.
Leadership Shaped by Life
Outside of work, Liam credits much of his leadership philosophy to his family.
Experiences as a spouse, parent, and caregiver have reinforced lessons that apply equally in business: Listen carefully, focus on the impact others experience rather than your own intentions, and take a long-term view of growth and development.
Organizations, like people, rarely develop on a predictable timeline. Progress requires patience, resilience, and a willingness to keep moving forward.
The Best Work Is Still Ahead
Year one for CHRO Liam Weston was about understanding the business, building capability, and creating momentum.
The work ahead is about helping talented people do meaningful work, grow their careers, and contribute to something larger than themselves.
Because at Novanta, talent is not separate from business success.
It is business success.