Michael Monahan

Michael (Mike) Monahan is the national managing principal for People & Culture at Grant Thornton LLP and a member of the firm’s Senior Leadership Team. He also currently serves as the principal-in-charge for the Northeast Human Capital Services practice and the assistant managing principal for People & Culture in the Northeast. He has more than 25 years of experience as a leader in the human resources community and in relation to the evolving arena of human capital management.

Over the course of Mike’s nearly 30 years as an HR executive, legal counsel and trusted adviser to boards and executive teams alike, he has specifically served as the leader of the HR function on the corporate-side during 4 pivotal moments in recent human history. During the tradgedy of September 11th, 2001, Monahan served as the CHRO & Legal Counsel for a large complex not-for-profit organization and its more than 300 related entities located in Brooklyn, NY, less than 2 miles from Ground Zero. Monahan served as the CHRO & General Counsel for a large complex not-for-profit organization and its more than 150 related entities during the SARS Epidemic and Swine Flu. Through the fallout of Super Storm Sandy, Monahan served as the SVP, CAO & Labor Counsel for a large NYC based health care related entity, which was impacted during the storm, while personally living in the flood zone. Currently, as the world is facing the Covid-19 Global Pandemic, Monahan serves as the National Managing Principal of People & Culture for Grant Thornton. He began this role on January 1, 2020 after leading the Northeast Human Capital Consulting Practice for 6 ½ years.

In addition to his technical experience and leadership roles, Monahan has experience providing advice, guidance and support to companies around the world on complex human resources and human capital strategy issues. His experience includes prior service as a chief human resources officer, chief administrative officer, general counsel, labor counsel and as a consultant. He has provided guidance to senior leadership teams and boards relative to the entire spectrum of human resources matters and issues across the employee life cycle.

Monahan has been a featured speaker on topics associated with the leading-edge thinking for human resources for nearly 30 years, including: compensation and benefits administration and design; diversity and inclusion program development; succession planning; board strategies and governance; human resources issues related to mergers and acquisitions; culture assessments and development; corporate transformation’s impact on people; the people implications of robotics and artificial intelligence; and the integration of human resources technology platforms into the human resources function.

Monahan has served as a member of and strategic adviser to various boards over the course of his career and currently serves on the executive committee of a Boys Hope Girls Hope of NY, a not-for-profit board focused on the education and development of inner-city youth in Brooklyn, New York – where he grew up.