d-mars.com Top 30 Influential Women of Houston
Tamla Oates-Forney
Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer, Waste Management Houston Master’s in Human Resources Development Program; a member of i4CP’s CHRO board, and a founding advisory board member of Black Women on Boards. Prior to Waste Management, Mrs. OatesForney was a 20-year veteran of General Electric (NYSE: GE) where she progressed through a series of human resources leadership roles of increasing levels of responsibility and impact in organization & talent development, diversity and inclusion, organizational transformation, and emerging markets. She received the Chairman Award for her efforts as the HR leader for GE Africa. Mrs. Oates Forney is a highly influential and accomplished businesswoman and has been awarded numerous honors including: The Network Journal’s 25 Influential Black Women in Business, Savoy’s 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America, the Larry V. Green Advocate of the Year Award by the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Corporate Achievement Award from the Houston Chapter of NBMBAA.
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ince December 2018, Tamla Oates-Forney has served as Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer of Waste Management Inc. (NYSE: WM). She drives an innovative, people-first strategy focused on making the company of nearly 50,000 employees an employer of choice and a great place to work. Reporting directly to the CEO, Mrs. Oates-Forney uses her significant human resources expertise to oversee people operations, employee relations, labor relations, HR technology and information systems, total rewards, culture, leadership development and total talent management. She also actively works with WM’s board of 114
Top 30 Influential Women of Houston 2021
She is a recognized thought leader and has been featured by the New York Times, CNBC, Fox News, Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine and directors, specifically on the Management HR Magazine just to name a few. Development & Compensation Committee. Mrs. Oates-Forney holds a Bachelor of Additionally, she is the innovator and Science in Business Administration from operational architect behind some of WM’s the University of North Carolina, Chapel award-winning signature programs like Hill and is a member of the Delta Sigma Share the GreenSM – a Diversity Supplier Theta Sorority, Inc. She is also a notable Program; Innovative Employment Pathways philanthropist and investor in women and - a purpose-driven employment program girls of color. for the overlooked and underserved populations; and Your Tomorrow - a debtTamla Oates-Forney free education benefit for employees and Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer their dependents. Waste Management Mrs. Oates-Forney is an Independent Director for Summit Materials and a member of their Human Capital and Compensation Committee. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the University of
800 Capitol St. Suite 3000 Houston, TX 77002 (713) 328-7940 wm.com www.tofifoundation.org
