Northern Trust

Alex Taylor serves as a chief human resources officer at Northern Trust. With a career of more than twenty years, including leadership positions at Bank of America, she has worked with companies during its expansion, restructuring and evolving employee expectations. Her journey reflects a long-standing interest in how people build careers inside a large institution and how leaders create opportunities for them to succeed. 

Looking beyond the Next Role

People think of career growth in terms of promotion. But in reality, it comes along with taking on unfamiliar responsibilities, different parts of a business and new challenges. Over the years Taylor has worked with employees navigating those decisions and has seen how often growth comes from unexpected directions.

That perspective is visible in her support of programs designed to expose employees to different parts of the business and encourage learning beyond a single role. The goal is not simply to fill positions. It is to help people build the experiences that allow them to grow over time. 

Understanding Change from the Employee’s Perspective

Business change is often described through strategy, growth plans or organizational announcements. Employees experience it differently.

A new manager, a different team structure or changing expectations can have a much greater impact on someone’s daily work than the broader business rationale behind it.

Taylor’s career has placed her close to those moments. At Bank of America, Taylor's responsibilities extended across multiple business units, placing her close to both leadership priorities and workforce concerns. The role required balancing business needs with the realities facing employees, particularly during periods of transition and organizational challenge. 

Preparing People before Opportunity Arrives

Some of the most important work in HR happens long before a leadership position becomes available.

Future leaders are rarely developed overnight. They develop through long assignments, new responsibilities and opportunities that push them beyond their comfort.

Taylor has consistently emphasized learning and growth throughout her career. Her public reflections often return to the value of curiosity, continuous learning and embracing opportunities that may not fit a predetermined plan. That mindset aligns with the long-term nature of leadership development, where potential must be recognized before it becomes obvious.

Making Global Organization Feel Personal

Northern Trust's workforce of 23,000 people stretches across 20 countries with different time zones. In such large organizations, one of the ongoing challenges is to make employees feel connected to the business and to each other. 

Taylor’s role sits close to that challenge. Policies and programs can provide the framework, but employees tend to judge an organisation based on how it felt to work in. Their impressions are shaped by everyday experiences, the opportunities they get and the confidence that they have in leadership. Helping strengthen those connections across a global workforce remains an important part of Taylor's work.

The responsibilities of a CHRO extend far beyond basic HR programs. They involve helping organizations think about what comes next. Taylor’s career reflects that balance between long-term business priorities and individual growth.