Since December 2018, Tamla Oates-Forney has served as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer of Waste Management Inc. (NYSE: WM). She drives an innovative, people-first strategy focused on making the company of nearly 50,000 employees an employer of choice and a great place to work.
Reporting directly to the CEO, Mrs. Oates-Forney uses her significant human resources expertise to oversee people operations, employee relations, labor relations, HR technology and information systems, total rewards, culture, leadership development and total talent management. She also actively works with WM’s board of directors, specifically on the Management Development & Compensation Committee. Additionally, she is the innovator and operational architect behind some of WM’s award-winning signature programs like Share the Green℠ – a Diversity Supplier Program; Innovative Employment Pathways – a purpose-driven employment program for the overlooked and underserved populations; and Your Tomorrow – a debt-free education benefit for employees and their dependents.
Mrs. Oates-Forney is an Independent Director for Summit Materials and a member of their Human Capital and Compensation Committee. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Houston Master’s in Human Resources Development Program; a member of i4CP’s CHRO board, and a founding advisory board member of Black Women on Boards.
Prior to Waste Management, Mrs. Oates-Forney was a 20-year veteran of General Electric (NYSE: GE) where she progressed through a series of human resources leadership roles of increasing levels of responsibility and impact in organization & talent development, diversity and inclusion, organizational transformation, and emerging markets. She received the Chairman Award for her efforts as the HR leader for GE Africa.
Mrs. Oates Forney is a highly influential and accomplished businesswoman and has been awarded numerous honors including: The Network Journal’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business, Savoy’s 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America, the Larry V. Green Advocate of the Year Award by the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Corporate Achievement Award from the Houston Chapter of NBMBAA.
She is a recognized thought leader and has been featured by the New York Times, CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine and HR Magazine just to name a few.
Mrs. Oates-Forney holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is also a notable philanthropist and investor in women and girls of color.
Tamla Oates-Forney
Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer
Waste Management
800 Capitol St.
Suite 3000
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 328-7940
wm.com
