Dr. Michael Arena Chief Talent Officer, General Motors, Global

Michael Arena is the Chief Talent and Development Officer for General Motors Corporation. He is responsible for enterprise talent management, strategic workforce analytics, talent acquisition, executive development and global learning. Since joining General Motors, he has employed an evidence-based approach to driving organizational performance, leveraging such concepts as predictive analytics... read moreand network analysis to empirically determine talent needs across the pipeline. These approaches have been complemented with qualitative research methods such as design thinking to discover the effective nuances of local solutions. Prior to joining GM, Dr. Arena served as senior vice president of Leadership Development for Bank of America's Global Consumer and Small Business Banking group and spent two years as a visiting scientist within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, where he studied the intersection of human behavior, innovation and social connectivity. Additionally, he served as an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at Queens University in the McColl School of Business. His most recent research focuses on emergent innovation and complexity leadership within large organizations. Dr. Arena earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Dynamics from the Union Institute and University. He currently serves as board chair of the Plexus Institute, board member of the Innovation Institute and as a business council member for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).