LeTonya Shaw
Former HR Leader Helping Professionals Navigate Change & Growth
Studied at University of South Carolina
Works at Exit to Excel
Successful clients at
Available Wednesday at 6:00 PM UTC
I am currently accepting a limited number of new coaching clients. My regular coaching availability is generally Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, with additional availability on Fridays. If you do not see a time that works for you, feel free to reach out and I will do my best to accommodate when possible.
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
LeTonya's Offerings
Custom hourly · $250/hr
Get help with AI Fundamentals, AI Strategy, and .
LeTonya’s Leadership Coaching Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Experience level: Director
LeTonya has helped clients get into these companies:
I bring more than 25 years of HR leadership, employee relations, labor relations, and talent experience across major organizations including Cognizant, Barclays, Merck, Honeywell, and Warner Music Group. Throughout my career, I have coached managers, advised senior leaders, supported leadership transitions, and helped professionals navigate complex workplace challenges including organizational change, performance issues, restructurings, communication gaps, stakeholder management, conflict resolution, inclusion, and high-stakes employee situations. My leadership coaching is grounded in real-world business experience. I help managers, emerging leaders, and senior professionals strengthen their communication, executive presence, decision-making, confidence, and ability to lead through change. As a Black woman who has led HR, employee relations, and labor relations work inside complex corporate environments, I also bring a grounded perspective on inclusive leadership, workplace equity, visibility, and the realities underrepresented professionals often navigate while advancing their careers. Because I have sat inside the rooms where talent, leadership, and workforce decisions are made, I help clients understand how they are being perceived, where they may be under-positioned, and how to lead with greater clarity, credibility, and impact.
LeTonya can help with:
AI Fundamentals
AI Strategy
Change Management
Coaching and Mentoring
Conflict Resolution
Diversity and Inclusion
Emotional Intelligence
Ethical Leadership
Problem Solving
About LeTonya
I help experienced professionals and emerging leaders make smarter career moves, strengthen their leadership presence, and navigate layoffs, pivots, promotions, and senior-level job searches with clarity, confidence, and strategy. My perspective is different because I have sat on both sides of the table. For more than 25 years, I led HR, employee relations, labor relations, and talent work inside major organizations including Cognizant, Barclays, Merck, Honeywell, and Warner Music Group. I have supported hiring decisions, reorganizations, workforce reductions, leadership transitions, manager coaching, executive advisory work, and high-stakes employee situations. I know how companies think, how leaders are evaluated, how decisions get made, and why talented professionals often get overlooked or under-positioned. I have also personally experienced four layoffs. That combination is why I founded Exit to Excel. I help mid-career and senior professionals stop guessing their way through career decisions and start moving with a stronger strategy. My coaching blends HR insider perspective, leadership advisory experience, practical career strategy, and AI-powered tools to help clients clarify their value, strengthen their executive presence, prepare for interviews, navigate workplace challenges, lead with more confidence, and pursue roles that align with their experience and goals. My clients are often accomplished professionals, managers, and leaders who have strong experience but are struggling to communicate their value, position themselves for advancement, lead through change, or adjust to how work and hiring have changed. I help them move from scattered and reactive to focused, confident, and ready to play to win.
Why do I coach?
I coach because I know what it feels like to be highly qualified and still feel uncertain about what comes next. After spending years in HR leadership helping organizations, leaders, and employees navigate complex workplace decisions, I experienced layoffs myself. Four times. So I understand the emotional, financial, and professional weight that comes with career transition. I also know how easy it is for talented people to start questioning their value when the real issue is often not their capability, but their strategy, positioning, confidence, or leadership support. I believe experienced professionals and leaders deserve better than generic career advice. They deserve someone who can help them understand how hiring and workplace decisions really work, translate their experience into clear market value, lead with more confidence, and move forward with a plan that matches the level of contribution they are ready to make. Coaching allows me to combine everything I have learned as an HR executive, layoff survivor, leadership advisor, strategist, and founder into work that helps people regain clarity, rebuild confidence, and make smarter career and leadership moves.
Work Experience
Founder/CEO
Exit to Excel
March 2025 - Present
Exit to Excel is a career strategy and leadership coaching company that helps experienced professionals, teams, and organizations navigate career transitions, layoffs, pivots, and advancement with clarity, confidence, and practical strategy. Founded by LeTonya D. Shaw, a former Fortune 500 HR executive and four-time layoff survivor, Exit to Excel combines HR insider perspective, leadership advisory experience, and AI-powered tools to help professionals compete smarter and organizations better support people through change. The company supports mid-career and senior professionals with career strategy, interview preparation, résumé and LinkedIn positioning, leadership development, and personalized roadmaps designed to help them communicate their value, pursue aligned opportunities, and move forward with confidence. Exit to Excel also partners with organizations through workshops, live trainings, and career transition support designed to help employees build career resilience, strengthen leadership readiness, and navigate change more effectively.
Director, Labor Relations for the Americas
Cognizant
January 2023 - October 2024
Interviewer
Served as strategic HR advisor during unprecedented organizational transformation, partnering with C-suite to navigate complex labor and workforce challenges across North America. • Developed and deployed enterprise-wide labor relations framework adopted across 15+ accounts; created risk assessment tools that proactively identified and neutralized labor activity spread. • Led cross-functional response to a work stoppage affecting 112+ employees, maintaining 95% operational continuity through rigorous stakeholder alignment and real-time decision support. • Designed and facilitated change management and leadership training for 40+ business leaders and HR partners across multiple business units. • Actively integrated AI analytics tools to synthesize complex workforce data and accelerate reporting, enabling faster and more accurate strategic decisions. • Selected for McKinsey Accelerated Management Program for high-potential leaders based on demonstrated leadership excellence.
HR Lead, Digital Business Operations – North America
Cognizant
February 2020 - December 2022
Interviewer
Strategic HRBP and subject matter expert for BPO Practice, advising executive leadership on HR strategy, M&A integration, and talent management across diverse business units (healthcare, financial services, insurance, communications, technology, media). ► Led integration and retention strategy for 1,700+ rebadged and newly acquired personnel across multiple acquisitions and accounts—achieved 95%+ retention of critical talent through structured onboarding, engagement initiatives, and career path clarity; recognized as Healthcare Digital Operations Support Function Leader of the Year (2019, 2020). ► Managed separation and transition of 800+ rebadged employees during first 18 months—coordinated offshoring and automation initiatives, managed client chargebacks, and maintained positive employee relations and business continuity throughout organizational restructuring. ► Built and scaled HR team from 3 to 6 direct reports—hired HR manager, integrated payroll and HRIS functions, and developed team capability to support acquisition integration across healthcare and other business units; received Emerging Leader Global HR Award (2019) for demonstrated leadership excellence. ► Served as trusted advisor to M&A and rebadge team—provided HR guidance and led employee engagement activities (townhalls, 1:1s, communications) for accounts beyond direct responsibility; drove consistency in integration practices across multiple BPO client accounts.
HR Lead, Digital Business Operations – Healthcare, North America
Cognizant
March 2017 - October 2020
Interviewer
Led HR operations for 1,400+ associates across multiple sites; managed team of 6 HR professionals. Scope expanded from one key account to all NA Healthcare operations within first year. • Orchestrated integration of ~1,700 rebadged and newly acquired employees across multiple M&A transactions with zero operational disruption and full cultural alignment. • Co-led dissolution of content moderation business affecting 2,000+ employees; executed transitions with compassion, compliance, and operational precision. • Managed ~830 associate workplan transitions including international repatriations and $1M+ in client chargebacks. • Recognized: Healthcare Digital Operations Support Function Leader of the Year (2019 & 2020); Cognizant Emerging Leader Global HR Award (2019); selected for PROPEL high-potential women's leadership program.
Director of HR
Sutherland
May 2011 - January 2017
Interviewer
Director of HR — US Operations & Sales, spearheading people strategy and organizational transformation for ~830 employees across 5 Sutherland sites (blended on-site and remote workforce). Partnered with executive leadership on talent acquisition, employee relations, change management, organizational design, and compensation. ► Transformed organizational culture in environment marked by significant employee grievances and low morale—developed and implemented comprehensive employee relations strategy that established consistent HR practices, created positive workplace culture, and reduced grievances by 23%; improvements recognized by company president (2012, 2016). ► Decreased employee turnover by 7.4% through implementation of innovative onboarding and engagement programs—built retention channels for high-performing talent, addressed root causes of attrition, and maintained organizational stability during period of significant organizational change. ► Established consistent management practices and employee-centric HR processes—developed manager toolkits, implemented performance management framework, and coached leadership on employee relations; transformed perception of HR department from administrative function to strategic business partner. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Acquisition Integration and +3 skills
Independent Contractor
International Coach Limited
January 2011 - April 2011
Interviewer
HR Generalist (Independent Contractor) — provided HR consulting on international employment law and workforce planning to support staffing strategy for new site launch; leveraged expertise in international employment regulations to ensure compliant hiring practices across multiple jurisdictions. Interviewed candidates for key roles and coordinated onboarding.
Learning and Development
Warner Music Group
June 2009 - November 2010
Interviewer
Director, Learning and Development — spearheaded design and implementation of succession planning process adopted across all corporate functions (HR, Finance, Facilities) for ~20 senior leadership roles. Partnered with VP of HR to build enterprise-wide talent review framework driving organizational capability and strategic talent alignment. ► Developed and implemented organizational change management initiatives including DiSC®, New Leader Assimilation, and corporate mission/vision alignment activities—strengthened leadership effectiveness and cultural alignment across executive team. ► Designed comprehensive performance review training program and materials—provided frameworks adopted across HR, Finance, and other corporate functions; ensured consistent talent evaluation and development practices. ► Co-led corporate-wide Senior Talent review process with HR senior leadership—developed assessment criteria, facilitation processes, and succession planning tools to support strategic talent decisions for high-potential leaders. ► Served on enterprise Taleo implementation team—contributed to system design and workflow configuration for talent management and learning & development functions; created training materials and change management strategy to support user adoption and system effectiveness. ► Provided internal HR consulting on organizational development and change management strategies—supported legal, communications, and other corporate functions with HR counsel on organizational effectiveness. Organizational Learning, Organizational Development and +3 skills
LeTonya was also given offers to work at
Honeywell
Barclays
Merck
Education
Cornell College
Advanced Labor Relations Negotiating a Collective Bargaining Agreement Certificate, Labor and Industrial Relations
2023 - 2023
Union Negotiations, Communication and +2 skills
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Bachelor's Degree, English
University of South Carolina
Master of Human Resources, Human Resources
During graduate school, I worked in the university career office, supporting students and early-career professionals with mock interviews, interview preparation, résumé feedback, and career readiness. That experience gave me an early foundation in career coaching and reinforced my belief that strong preparation, clear positioning, and confident communication can change someone’s career trajectory.
5 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
LeTonya has helped clients get into these companies: