Company: Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Orlando, FL
Company Description: In November 2011, Marriott Vacations Worldwide was established as a leading public company with primary focus on vacation ownership. In 2012, we generated more than $1.6B in total revenue and our overall associate engagement was 82% when measured by Aon Hewitt, 2 percentage points higher than its “Best Employer” benchmark. Our nearly 10,000 associates serve more than 420,000 Owners and Members.
Nomination Category: Human Resources Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Human Resources Team of the Year

Nomination Title: MVW Global HR Leadership Team

Tell the story about what this nominated team achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

In November 2011, Marriott Vacations Worldwide (MVW) was established as an independent public company, focusing on vacation ownership experiences in the US, Caribbean, Europe and Asia.

MVW’s HR Leadership Team includes four vice presidents who report into the EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer. They are the:

• Vice President, HR Operations, North America and Luxury
• Vice President, HR Operations, Corporate, Europe and Asia
• Vice President, Organizational Capability
• Vice President, Global HR Services

Among this team’s many accomplishments during 2012 and early 2013, they led the delivery of new HR technology, a substantially more efficient HR organization and significant additional programs.

In early 2012, the leadership team developed a comprehensive business case to deliver annual savings of 25-30% over previous HR costs through new HR technology and a streamlined HR organization, an initiative known as HR Organizational Effectiveness (“HROE”).

The leaders managed a detailed HROE Request for Proposal (RFP) to selected technology/call center service providers and conducted in-depth reviews.

In spring 2012, they selected ADP as MVW’s HR technology/call center service provider, negotiating a five-year agreement.

Under this team’s leadership, 30 experts and consultants successfully developed new MVW HR technology in 7 months’ time (HRIS, time and labor management, talent acquisition, performance management and learning).

MVW’s HR Leadership Team simultaneously designed a new organizational structure that relies on regional expertise in North America (vs site-based), a new organizational model to support sales and marketing and the centralization of transactional HR functions.

This team oversaw talent acquisition for the new organization, leading assessments and filling and onboarding more than 80 new positions in five months’ time.

The team created a new HROE global services organization that provides centralized support for payroll, HRIS, work environment, compensation and benefits administration, and more.

To roll out HROE company-wide, the team oversaw comprehensive change management and the deployment of more than 250 training resources.

The team successfully deployed HROE in December 2012.
How is HROE doing?

• HROE has met the team’s financial and service objectives.
• The new technology delivers user-friendly tools and superior business analytics.
• The new organization delivers enhanced efficiency through centralized services.
• Regional HR expertise assures greater consistency in HR practices across the company.
• During MVW’s recent quarterly investor earnings calls, MVW executives discussed the company’s plan to deploy new processes and technology, delivering projected annual savings of $15-20 million. HROE represents a substantial percentage of the savings.

In addition to HROE, our HR Leadership Team also led or sponsored:

• 4th quarter 2012 health and welfare annual enrollment, holding the average cost increase to 5.2% vs a norm of 11-12%;
• 401(k) plan education, resulting in a 10 percentage point increase in participation during 2012;
• Nearly 425 wellness programs;
• New learning programs, including onboarding and Essential Skills for Managers (“ESM”), which earned high ratings for value among target audience participants (4.7 and 4.8, respectively, on a 5 point scale);
• MVW’s annual engagement survey, generating 92% participation. MVW’s overall engagement was 82%, 2 points higher than Aon Hewitt’s “Best Employer” benchmark;
• Diversity within MVW’s HR organization, completing 2012 with 24% minorities and 39% women.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:

Mike Yonker is the executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, and is responsible for the company’s human resources strategies, programs and performance. He also serves on the company's executive committee.

Mike’s most recent role was vice president, human resources supporting global operations for the organization. He began his career with Marriott International in 1983 as an assistant controller, and went on to serve in management responsibilities in both finance and human resources, including regional human resources leadership positions across multiple regions.

Mike has a bachelor's degree in marketing and business administration from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. and a Master of Business Administration in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz.