Avaya has announced a significant leadership change with the appointment of Kamilah Thomas as the new Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer (CPO). Thomas will be operating from Avaya’s corporate headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey, and will report directly to CEO Alan Masarek.
“Kamilah’s extensive experience in transforming organizations and building inclusive cultures is the right fit for Avaya. Her leadership will be instrumental in advancing Avaya’s efforts as we accelerate the evolution of our workplace into a more dynamic environment where every employee can thrive,” said Alan Masarek, CEO of Avaya.
Bringing over two decades of expertise in global human resources and organizational transformation, Thomas will oversee Avaya's global HR operations and spearhead the company's cultural evolution as part of its Destination Place to Work initiative. Her responsibilities include leading Avaya's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) initiatives and managing the Avaya United employee resource groups to foster an inclusive and equitable workplace culture.
Previously, Thomas was the Senior Vice President of People and Workplace Experience at Roku, where she significantly expanded the workforce by 56% and contributed to the company's profitable growth. Prior to Roku, she was the Chief People Officer at Dow Jones & Company, playing a crucial role in the company's transition to a digital-first approach and supporting over 7,000 employees in 50 markets. At A+E Networks, she co-headed the People & Culture department, managed a CEO transition, and led HR transformations for more than 2,000 employees.
Thomas also holds board positions at MasterCraft Boat Holdings, where she serves on the Compensation & Corporate Governance and Nominating committees.
In other business news, Avaya has announced its acquisition of Edify, a no-code, cloud-native platform that unifies contact centers, unified communications, and real-time communications.
