Larry Solomon, CEO, Solomon People Solutions

During my tenure as executive vice president of human resources at Dr Pepper Snapple, I worked with CEO Larry Young who recognized the strategic importance of a strong partnership between executive leadership and human resources. The impact of this belief in the strategic importance of people is evident in our successful transformation from a subsidiary of Cadbury-Schweppes to the impressive publicly traded company it is today. Together, we were able to engage 20,000 employees in numerous countries and diverse cultures, align them behind the right priorities, and efficiently and effectively build skill-sets critical to company success.