Making HR Matter

What CEOs Want and How to Deliver It
Available In

Soft Cover

Kindle

Making HR Matter
By David Alsop and Ted Forbes

Is your HR team clearly impacting your company’s profitability? Do you want to derive more economic value from your people strategy?

Every executive recognizes that people are vital to their company’s success, but that recognition is all too often an abstraction for both the C-team and HR leadership. CEOs may see HR more as a cost center than as a function that can add economic value. Additionally, HR professionals may perceive their responsibilities as mostly limited to recruiting, benefits, compensation, and compliance, rather than contributing to the vitality and growth of their company.

Making HR Matter offers a powerful new framework that helps C-level executives and CHROs alike develop an HR function that contributes to their company’s bottom line. HR professionals learn how to start with the business model and build out from there, using the four essentials of RelevantHR to become an indispensable team that’s fluent in the language of management, finance, and business.

Authors David Alsop and Ted Forbes, career HR leaders with proven track records at companies like Kraft-Heinz, Ultradent, Capital One, United Airlines, Backcountry.com, and Cotopaxi, show HR professionals exactly how to position themselves as value-adding partners in business. As accomplished CHROs, they show C-suite executives exactly what to look for in an HR function that creates economic value.

Making HR Matter
Available In

Soft Cover

Kindle

Publication date:
June 2, 2026
Language:
English
Print length:
180
ISBN-13:
979-8-90177-003-0

It’s a masterclass in the selfless, high-stakes work of HR—shaping culture, embracing the mission, and unlocking performance through people. It shows how, when done right, HR can be one of the most purposeful callings in business.

Grace Zuncic,

Managing Director, Manna Tree; Former Chief People and Culture Officer, Chobani

Making HR Matter is a must-read manifesto for the future of Human Resources. With bold clarity and deep business insight, the authors redefine HR’s role from a reactive administrative function to a forward-­leaning force of strategic impact.

Dirk Jeffs,

CEO, Ultradent Products, Inc.

Making HR Matter stands out as a must-read book because it’s not theoretical—it’s forged from lived experience, the kind that drives performance, learning, and culture together.

Howard Friedman,

CEO, Utz Brands; Former President and CEO, Post Consumer Brands; Former EVP and President, Kraft Heinz Meat and Dairy

David Alsop

David Alsop is a seasoned HR executive, working in companies like Kraft Foods, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, and Ultradent Products, Inc. Currently, he serves as CHRO at Ultradent Products, Inc. He partners with leaders to drive business results while elevating the human experience at work. He is also a keynote speaker and consultant.

Ted Forbes

Ted Forbes is a consultant and coach to the leadership teams of high-growth companies. Previously, he served as the first head of people for Cotopaxi, a “B” corporation focused on doing good and alleviating poverty. He has also held executive-level roles at Backcountry LLC, United Airlines, the University of Virginia, and Capital One.