Seb Girard named senior vice president and chief people & belonging officer at Novant Health

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Sebastien “Seb” Girard will join Novant Health as senior vice president and chief people & belonging officer on April 29, overseeing the recruitment, development, engagement and retention of more than 40,000 team members in the Carolinas. As the leader of the system’s human resources function, his priorities will include positioning the people strategy to address the rapidly evolving current and future market needs, attracting the best talent and supporting team members as they create a healthier future for the communities they serve.

Girard, who has more than two decades of human resources experience and a track record of leading teams that thrive, was identified following an extensive national search.

“In today’s health care landscape, having a chief people officer who is highly collaborative and who anticipates and adapts to market changes is more important than ever,” said John Gizdic, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, Novant Health. “Seb’s background in workforce planning, talent acquisition and development, total rewards and innovative strategies will help ensure that we stay ahead of the curve in our work to recruit and invest in the best talent to serve our patients.”

Girard, a native of Montreal, Canada, most recently served as senior vice president and chief people officer for Centura Health, now becoming CommonSpirit Health’s Mountain region. His return to the Carolinas is a homecoming, as he previously served as senior vice president for workforce engagement and operations at Advocate Health Care (previously Atrium Health). Prior to that, he served as chief workforce officer at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas. Girard also spent nearly 15 years with Randstad, a Dutch-based global human resources consulting firm, in executive and operations roles in both the United States and Canada.

“I am humbled and thrilled to join Novant Health – an innovative, compassionate, diverse and people-focused organization,” Girard said. “I look forward to returning to the Carolinas to care for and support Novant Health’s team members while making a positive impact on the communities we serve, one person at a time.”

Girard earned his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management.