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Catalina Lopera

@catalinalopera

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People & Culture leader building global People Operations, comp & benefits, and high-performance remote-first cultures.

Portugal

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What I'm looking for

I seek a senior People role where I can build scalable global People Operations, shape organisational design, and embed a high-trust remote culture.

I’m a People & Culture leader with 10+ years building HR foundations and People Operations in fast-growing, values-led companies. I specialise in establishing core HR systems, recruitment, onboarding, contracts, policies and multi-country compliance from scratch in a way that scales.

I've led global benefits, total rewards, mobility and workplace strategy for fully remote, multi-country teams scaling from small to 300+ employees across Australia, the UK, the US, the Philippines and China. I partner closely with CEOs and C-suite to shape organisational design, workforce planning and leadership capability.

My work has driven double-digit OPEX savings through benefits and comp programme design, improved retention and sustained strong eNPS scores via engagement and wellbeing strategies, and introduced governance, automation and AI-enabled practices to create predictable operations.

I’m known for embedding values into everyday practices, supporting high-trust cultures through change and restructures, and delivering hands-on operational support across employee lifecycle, payroll alignment and multi-jurisdiction compliance.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Global Director of Workplace

Current

Who Gives A Crap

Jan 2021 - Present (5 years 5 months)

Led global workplace operations for a fully remote, multi-country organisation scaling from 15 to 300+ employees across APAC, EMEA, the US, and China. Owned end-to-end workplace, comp & benefits strategy delivery, partnering closely with Finance, Legal, People, and external vendors to ensure consistent, compliant, and employee-centred execution aligned with global standards.

Total Rewards Global Mobility Benefits Administration Workforce Planning Org Design Employee Lifecycle HR systems Stakeholder Management

Efficiency and Collaboration Manager

Who Gives A Crap

Sep 2019 - Feb 2021 (1 year 5 months)

Built foundational People Operations workflows and digital workplace tooling to enable global collaboration and scalable recruitment, onboarding and governance during rapid international growth.

Process Design HR Operations Onboarding Recruitment coordination Digital Workplaces Governance Knowledge Management Cross Functional Collaboration

Creative Project Manager

Who Gives A Crap

May 2017 - Aug 2019 (2 years 3 months)

Coordinated strategic projects and implemented operational structures for the Creative team to support scaling and global expansion readiness.

Project Management Operational Readiness Process Improvement Stakeholder Management Change Management

Programme Manager

Investible

Apr 2016 - Apr 2017 (1 year)

Consulted to early-stage startups on growth, operational planning and go-to-market readiness to improve investor readiness and scale-up execution.

Go To Market Strategy Stakeholder Engagement

Office and Marketing Manager

Mecone

Apr 2014 - Apr 2016 (2 years)

Managed office operations and marketing initiatives to support organizational efficiency and communications during a multi-year role.

Office Management Marketing Vendor Management Budget Management Event Planning

Social Strategy Lead

City of Sydney

Jan 2014 - Mar 2014 (2 months)

Led social strategy for City of Sydney projects, delivering targeted communications and engagement across civic initiatives.

Social Media Strategy Communication Public Engagement Content Planning Stakeholder Management

Senior School Manager

The Australian National University

Jul 2012 - Jul 2013 (1 year)

Managed the Cultural Enquiry program, overseeing operations, curriculum coordination and stakeholder engagement to support academic delivery.

Program Management Academic Administration Stakeholder Engagement Operational Management Event Coordination

Managing Director & Co-Founder

Melografías SAS

Jan 2008 - Dec 2011 (3 years 11 months)

Co-founded and led company operations, overseeing strategy, business development and management across functions for four years.

Leadership Business Development General Management Strategic Planning Operations Financial Management

International Relations Officer

Colombia-China Commerce & Integration Chamber

May 2006 - Dec 2006 (7 months)

Supported international relations initiatives to facilitate commerce and integration between Colombia and China through stakeholder engagement and program coordination.

International Relations Stakeholder Engagement Program Coordination Cross Cultural Communication Partnership Development