Monika Fahlbusch: Workplace Change Agent
An inventive industry leader in human resource management, Monika Fahlbusch has been recognized as an innovator in the utilization of technology in radically transforming work environments by improving employee engagement, collaboration, retention and the performance management experience.
Fahlbusch is the senior vice president and chief people and administrative officer at BMC Software, Inc., a $2 billion digital software solutions company that, among other things, provides cloud, mainframe and mobile IT management services for businesses. A part of the executive team of the Houston-based company, she is responsible for human resources, facilities, employee communication and community relations.
A member of Saint Mary’s class of 1990, Fahlbusch said she was honored to address this year’s graduate students. “Whether it’s at the undergraduate or graduate level, the benefits students receive from attending Saint Mary’s—a strong liberal arts education and a solid grounding in the importance of investing in your community—offer them so many opportunities in the world,” said Fahlbusch.
Additionally, she said she wants to remind graduates that their success will involve more than what they’ve learned in the classroom. “Over the course of my career, I have learned both how much the attitude with which I approach each job matters, and how rewarding giving back to others is.” She added, “As graduates enter or return to the workforce, they have enormous control over how satisfying their own career will be. A great education combined with the habit of giving to others and the right attitude can be a recipe for phenomenal success. More than two decades since I graduated from Saint Mary’s, I am sometimes surprised by how much fun I still have at work.”
Prior to joining BMC, Fahlbusch was the senior vice president of global employee success at Salesforce, where she helped the company rank seventh in Fortune's Great Place to Work list – up from a ranking of 52 at the start of her tenure in 2011. Under her leadership, the company’s HR team launched innovative employee and leadership programs, built a hiring engine to grow from $2 billion to $4 billion in three years, and used data and analytics to increase employee engagement and reduce turnover.
Her 24-year administration career includes leadership positions in human resources, communication and information technology at Old Navy, PeopleSoft and ABM Industries. Fahlbusch is also a highly rated and well regarded speaker at industry conferences including Dreamforce, ASPIRE Executive Summit, Great Place to Work Conference, ICAN Women's Leadership Conference and Milken Global Conference.
Fahlbusch holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration and economics from Saint Mary’s. She has also served as an advisory board member for the College’s School of Economics and Business Administration.