VP of Talent & Culture
Quigley-Simpson
HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES: SMALL-MIDSIZE COMPANY
Michele Boersma is a dynamic and results-oriented HR leader serving as the VP of talent & culture at Quigley-Simpson, an independent, female-owned agency renowned for solving modern marketing problems and driving brand growth. With 30 years of industry experience, she is recognized for her exceptional ability to build and sustain trusting relationships at all organizational levels, effectively influencing, teaching and supporting individuals to achieve peak performance. A native Californian with a passion for travel and a competitive spirit, she embraces challenges with a “watch me” determination, consistently striving for excellence and fostering high-performing teams.
Boersma’s leadership is characterized by transparency and a profound belief in open communication – “You don’t know what you don’t know.” This philosophy underpins her expertise in talent development, people strategy, employee relations, performance management and talent acquisition and retention. She excels at creating engaging cultures and is a talented public speaker, facilitator and Certified Gallup Strengths Coach. As the first in her family to achieve a college degree (a B.S. in business administration/HR), she champions education as “one of life’s greatest equalizers.”
In her 1.3 years at Quigley-Simpson, Boersma has spearheaded transformative initiatives that have yielded significant results. Over the past 12 months, her strategic focus on optimizing recruitment and staffing has resulted in substantial cost savings and talent enhancements. By integrating the HRIS system (ADP) with ADP Recruiter and bringing all recruitment in-house, she eliminated $117,000 in external recruiter fees. Further savings were achieved through an offshoring staffing model for entry-level and specialized roles, reducing payroll costs by up to 50-75% per hire while often securing talent with higher expertise.
These efficiency initiatives, including API integrations and the implementation of DAM, Figma and Smartsheets, have streamlined operations, enhancing productivity and contributing to a remarkable $1.2-million reduction in turnover costs.
