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about
Melanie giles

engineer. negotiator. HR leader.

35 years in manufacturing.

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Workforce strategy built on operational experience

melanie giles

Melanie Giles brings a rare combination to manufacturing leaders: an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, hands-on experience running paper machine operations, and 35 years rising through HR and Labor Relations leadership roles at International Paper — one of the world's largest manufacturers. 

 

She served as chief spokesperson in local contract negotiations and arbitration cases, and played a key strategy role on the team behind master labor agreement negotiations covering more than 10,000 employees across 5+ unions, contributing to $130 million in cost avoidance over a single agreement term.  She has led HR for regions spanning 59 facilities and 7,000+ employees, guided workforce integration through mergers and divestitures, and built data-driven talent strategies that measurably improved recruiting, retention, and cost performance.

 

The Giles Group brings that same rigor to manufacturing leaders navigating labor strategy, workforce planning, and operational change. 

 

"I've always been a problem solver.  Over 35 years at International Paper, that instinct found its home in labor and people issues - the hardest, most human problems a business faces.  I've also always believed that a good solution should be provable, not just plausible - I measure outcomes with real data. When I retired in January 2026, I quickly realized I am not finished.  There is real satisfaction in walking into a hard situation and negotiating a solution that meets the business's goals and respects what the employees need, and then being able to point to the data that proves it.

That's the work I want to keep doing."

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credentials & experience

  • 35 years, International Paper - HR, Labor Relations, Talent Acquisition and Operations

  • HR leadership across 59 facilities / 15 States and 22 mills / 7,000+ employees

  • Global M&A integration experience

  • Built and led the Global Labor Relations Center of Excellence (NA, EMEA, Brazil, LATAM, and China)

  • Led due diligence and data analytics for pension strategy resulting in $650 million favorable outcome over a ten-year period. 

  • Global Talent Acquisition transformation senior manager delivering 78% increase in applicants, 20% increase in application completion, and 15% reduction in tie to fill through process and technology improvements

  • Talent management, succession planning, career mapping and employee engagement expertise

  • Safety Leadership experience at local and corporate level

  • Bachelor of Engineering, Vanderbilt University - Magna Cum Laude, Tau Beta Pi

  • Labor Arbitration Advocacy Course, Labor Arbitration Services

  • Market Based Value Creation, Emory University Continuing Education

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