For Donovan Malloy (BS ’11, MBA ’19), human resources is much more than just a job.
“For me, it’s really about human connection throughout this work,” he says. “We all have to pitch in to be able to make a business successful, but if we can do that in a way that honors who we are individually and then what we can do collectively, that’s how we succeed.”
It’s a philosophy that’s taken him far in his career. After graduating with a degree in consumer science from UW–Madison, Donovan began his HR work in full at Nielsen. While there, he pursued an MBA through WSB’s evening program, and quickly landed an HR business manager role at Microsoft after graduation.
“Coming out of business school, the job was almost like a capstone,” he says. “It took everything that I had done in HR and really put it all into one role, and it was a great test of my readiness. So far, I’ve been able to be successful at Microsoft and really grow there.”
Now a senior human resources consultant, Donovan’s work includes building systems to foster deeper connections among the company’s many teams. He’s also been a champion—both at Nielsen and Microsoft—of recruiting and bringing more diverse talent into HR.
“We can be a representation of what we need to see within a broader business,” he says.