Up Close & Personal
with
Ed Loya
How do you balance your work and personal life? For me, it’s a matter of prioritization. With a wife and four young kids it’s important that I balance my priorities between work and home life—and when I am not my family makes it known!
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Chef/restaurant owner.
How does your Latino heritage inform your approach to work? First and foremost, I want to be known as a leader and a professional who delivers on his commitments. Being raised in a Hispanic household has instilled in me a drive and work ethic.
What three words describe you? Father, friend, leader.
From a start as a entry-level college recruiter for Dell in 1992 to Ed Loya’s current role as the vice president of human resources for corporate services, Loya has consistently made meeting the needs of the company a top priority. His tenacity has seen him in various roles at Dell: human resources generalist, senior human resources manager, director of human resources, executive director human resources, and then, finally, his current position as vice president of human resources for corporate services. He supports the human resources needs of facilities, finance, and IT departments among others and works closely with Dell’s CFO to ensure the organization’s greatest asset, its team, is consistently healthy.
1. Managing the Life Cycle
Loya describes his role as vice president of human resources for corporate services as “managing the life cycle of an employee at the company.” He has developed and implemented processes and solutions to support the needs of a company that has more than 108,000 employees around the world. Loya is responsible for making sure team members are the best fit for the position and receive the tools and support they need to succeed from the day they enter Dell until the day they leave. According to Dell, their mission is to “build enduring relationships with team members everywhere.”
2. Going Global
One of Loya’s proudest accomplishments during his years at Dell has been his role in establishing call centers and factories around the world. Loya managed multiple new international start-up sites in locations such as Panama, El Salvador, Canada, and India. In the early and mid ’90s, Dell massively expanded its product line. Loya was directly involved with worldwide expansion of factories as Dell introduced the world to its desktop and eventually its laptop computers. Loya helped leadership navigate workforce solutions and increase efficiency in models.
3. Attracting and keeping Talent
Loya’s years of experience and expertise in human resources have led to Dell’s implementation of a new style of developing talent at the technology company. Dell’s two-year Leadership Development Program (LDP) is an accelerated program with four six-month rotational assignments that strengthen entry-level undergraduates’ leadership skills and business competence. According to Loya, the new structure is unique to Dell. Loya has also implemented the Global Audit and Transformation (GAT) within the finance department. “GAT is an industry-leadership development organization that produces future Dell leaders by providing accelerated development opportunities through a diverse range of rotational assignments across different areas of business,” Loya says. GAT is geared for any high-performing candidate, who seeks to accelerate their development early in his or her career. Both initiatives have helped Dell attract top talent and give them the tools they need to launch a long-term career at Dell.
4. Paying It Forward
One of Loya’s guiding forces in life has been his commitment to volunteering within the Hispanic community. Within Dell, Loya is cochair of Adelante, an employee resource group focused on the Hispanic community. Under his leadership, the focus of Adelante was recrafted and the group has raised philanthropic dollars that have gone to support a number of organizations such as San Juan Diego Catholic High School and River City Youth. Loya sponsors the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and is on the board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute working with such members as Congressman Rubén Hinojosa. Through both initiatives, Loya seeks to bridge a gap between corporate America and promising young Hispanic Americans. “At the end of the day the kind of activity that I’m involved in can actually helps and adds benefit to the lives of others,” Loya says. Loya is also a member of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility’s Corporate Executive Forum. During his tenure he has seen the group grow from 30 to 150 members.
