"It's not culture fit, it's culture add." — Jacqueline Welch
Jacqueline Welch became EVP and CHRO of The New York Times just as a pandemic, civil unrest, and political upheaval converged. In this episode, she tells host Ani Huang how that collision shaped her leadership — and shares the moment a grieving employee in a restroom led her to rewrite a company's bereavement policy on the spot. "It's not culture fit, it's culture add," she says, describing how she weighs hires against the health of a team.
Welch also redefines resilience away from burnout and toward staying anchored to an objective despite setbacks. She opens up about being an introvert with a decades-long journaling habit, a strict sleep routine, and a hard-won lesson from her Andersen Consulting days: once you say something, you can't take it back. What's the line between speaking up and staying quiet? Welch has spent a career finding it.
Jacqueline M. Welch is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of The New York Times, where she leads talent acquisition, career development, compensation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion for the organization. She joined the Times in January 2021 from Freddie Mac, where she served as SVP, CHRO, and Chief Diversity Officer. Earlier in her career, Welch held senior HR roles at Turner Broadcasting System, WestRock, Accenture, and Willis Towers Watson. She holds a B.A. in English from Syracuse University and an M.S. in Human Resources Management from The New School.
(00:00) The biggest surprise of a CHRO career: pandemic, civil unrest, and political upheaval all at once
(03:39) A defining moment: rewriting a bereavement policy after witnessing a colleague's grief
(07:13) Redefining strategic influence: being "duty bound and morally obligated" to speak up
(11:05) Culture add, not culture fit: a hiring decision that tested her convictions
(13:40) What resilience really means — and what it isn't
(19:44) Finding grounding as an introvert: journaling, sleep architecture, and life without loneliness
(24:48) The lesson she hopes outlasts her: "watch what you say"
Lessons from the Field is a podcast from the CHRO Association, the only independent community built for Chief Human Resource Officers. Hosted by Ani Huang, each episode sits down with today's leading CHROs and business leaders to unpack the defining moments, hard-won decisions, and career-shaping experiences behind their leadership. The series draws on the same lived experience and peer insight that make the CHRO Association a trusted resource for the leaders that boards and CEOs rely on — bringing that wisdom directly to listeners navigating their own HR careers. It's a show about how great leadership is actually built: in the boardroom, in a hallway conversation, and in the moments no one else sees. Where Policy Meets Practice.
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com
CHRO Association website: https://www.chro.org
