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July 23, 2025
Cindy
Grass
I'm known for making things happen—fast, with strategy and heart. I cut through complexity, bring clarity, and guide teams through change. People trust me to lead with empathy and focus, always balancing people and performance to drive real outcomes.
New South Wales
Brand statement
Career Journey
Career Story
I’ve built a career by backing myself before I had all the answers, from pioneering maternity leave policies at Coca-Cola Australia to taking lateral business roles to better understand the people I support. A year-long assignment in the US broadened my global perspective, and I’ve since led large-scale change, including an acquisition with Accenture and the Rugby World Cup. with Coca-Cola, I’ve never been afraid to shift gears when it made sense, even when people thought I was “spying” in other departments! Now, I work with founders and CEOs as a fractional HR leader through The People Essence, helping them align people strategies with business goals. I bring strategic thinking, commercial awareness, and heart. I also mentor the next generation of leaders because I believe backing yourself, even before you're ready, is the start of something great.
Career Highlight
Career Goal
Experience
Experience 1
Experience 2
Experience 3
[ { "role": "Founder & Chief People Officer", "company": "The People Essence", "location": "Remote", "startYear": 2024, "startMonth": "5", "currentRole": true, "description": "- Created people strategies for companies like EDO, Fonto, Vegepod, and Count. - Developed actionable plans to align people and business priorities. - Enhanced leadership through structured learning pathways. - Led merger integrations, aligning teams & processes. - Provided executive coaching to sharpen leadership effectiveness." }, { "role": "Head of People & Culture, APAC / Strategic People Consultant", "company": "Fiftyfive5 (part of Accenture Song)", "endYear": 2024, "endMonth": "5", "location": "Remote", "startYear": 2022, "startMonth": "2", "currentRole": false, "description": "- Led a 220-employee workforce across APAC. - Managed post-acquisition integration with Accenture (2022). - Implemented Employment Hero & JobAdder ATS in 6 months. - Led salary benchmarking, aligning compensation with market standards. - Drove leadership alignment in a partnership-led model." }, { "role": "Chief People Officer / Chief HR & Talent Officer", "company": "GroupM Australia (Part of WPP AUNZ)", "endYear": 2021, "endMonth": "11", "location": "Australia", "startYear": 2017, "startMonth": "7", "currentRole": false, "description": "- Managed a team of 14 HR professionals for 860 employees. - Reduced turnover from 30% to 21% in 2 years. - Launched a High-Performance Leadership Agenda across 4 exec teams. - Enhanced DEI with initiatives for gender, cultural, generational inclusivity. - Revamped the Graduate Program, successfully hiring 24 grads." } ]
Career & Personal Growth
My career goal is...
I have established my own business as "The People Essence" and been working for 12 months in the fractional space. Therefore, I want to continue to have strategic impact to clients and build my client base. Enable flexibility for me and my clients I want to work in a way that supports both my own work-life balance and the evolving needs of modern businesses, where flexible leadership is increasingly valuable. Support leaders to build stronger cultures and teams I’m driven to partner with CEOs and leadership teams to create clarity, drive engagement, and solve people-related challenges that unlock growth.
My personal goal is...
Vision of Success
What success looks like to me..
In five years time, I want to be...
Pursuits
What I want to make or do...
I want to take on more...
Red Flags & Focus Areas
Stop me if I ever...
I want to take on less..
Contact Information
Phone
0448666279
Email
cindyg@thepeopleessence.com.au
LinkedIn Profile
CV
Work Preference
Prefered Working Location
Work Preference
WIP
Expertise & Skills
Primary Expertise
People & Culture
Secondary Expertise
Seniority Level
25 - 30 years
Key Skill
Impact
What type of impact are you interested in making?
Impact By Numbers
Flair
Beyond the Bio
Fun fact 1
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Fun fact 3
Learning
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