McGraw-Hill Appoints Diane Adams as Chief Human Resources Officer

NEW YORK, NY, October 25, 2016 – McGraw-Hill today announced that Diane Adams will join the company as its Chief Human Resources Officer, effective October 31, reporting to David Levin, President and CEO. Adams, who brings more than 20 years of experience leading companies through periods of transition and high growth, most recently served as Chief People Officer at Qlik Technologies, where she oversaw the company’s global human resources function and developed transformational change programs in the areas of communications, total rewards, talent development and talent acquisition to support the business intelligence software company’s growth plans.

Adams appointment comes as McGraw-Hill moves further in its transition from a publisher to a learning science company that delivers personalized experiences to help improve results for students, educators and professionals.

“Diane joins us at a pivotal point in our journey,” said Levin. “Amidst a sea change across our industry, McGraw-Hill is differentiating itself as a learning science organization, and I see Human Resources at the core of this endeavor. Diane’s leadership and deep experience in organizational design, change management and building engaging workplace cultures will prove invaluable as we continue to develop our people, culture and organization globally to fulfil our demanding vision.” 

“McGraw-Hill Education’s vision is to unlock the potential of each learner,” said Adams. “My passion also lies in unlocking the potential of individuals and enabling people to live extraordinary lives, both professionally and personally, and I am thrilled to be joining McGraw-Hill during such an exciting time.”

Prior to joining Qlik, Adams served as Executive Vice president, Culture and Talent at Allscripts (NASDAQ:MDRX), during a three-year period in which the company grew from $548 million in revenue and 2,400 employees to $1.4 billion in revenue and more than 7,000 employees. Before working with Allscripts, Adams served in a variety of human resources leadership positions at Cisco Systems, (NASDAQ:CSCO) over a 14-year span. During her tenure there, the company grew from $2.2 billion in revenue and approximately 4,000 employees to $36 billion in revenue and more than 65,000 employees. Adams’ team supported employees in 152 countries and led 130 acquisitions.

An accomplished leader in transforming company cultures and author of More than Casual Fridays and Free Coffee: Building a Business Culture that Works for Everyone, Adams is an innovative, global expert in culture and talent development, with a strong record working with growing technology companies. She is a past recipient of the “Women in Leadership” award for making an impact in business and the community within the North Carolina Research Triangle Park. Caring deeply about giving back, she serves on a number of boards that include the International Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Board, where she is a recipient of the “Living and Giving” award. She also serves on the North Carolina Communities in School Board, the nation’s leading community-based organization helping kids be successful in school and in life.

Adams holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she recently served on the UNC Board of Visitors.