Talent Centric
Career profile
BRETT McCOY
Get to know your peers in the Catalyst career
profile series. This issue, we talk to Brett McCoy,
our Head of Employer Branding and Attraction for
the Americas. Based in Charlotte, NC, Brett tells
us about landing a job on a blockbuster Star Wars
film, and his predictions for the future of work.
Tell us about
your role:
I oversee employer branding
and media strategy for our
US clients.
How did you find
yourself in talent
acquisition?
I was recruited out of the
B2B and B2C space to join
Lowe’s Home Improvement
and build out their employer
brand and recruitment
marketing function. The
opportunity came at a
time when I was tired of
selling people widgets and
felt marketing jobs and
branding company culture
was exactly what I needed.
Describe a typical
day at work.
My day bounces from high-
level talent strategy and
alexandermannsolutions.com
40
CV IN BRIEF:
Alexander Mann Solutions,
Head of Employer Branding
and Attraction – Americas,
Feb 2017-present
Lowe’s Home
Improvement,
Global Head of Employer
Branding and Recruitment
Marketing, 2016-2017
Myjive,
Engagement Director,
2010 -2016
Citizen,
Head of Brand and
Marketing Strategy,
2008 - 2010
brand culture thinking to
very tactical, in the weeds,
media management and
project management.
What is the most
rewarding aspect
of your job?
The first half of my career
was spent convincing people
to buy things they didn’t
need. Now, I help companies
position themselves to
be more human and help
people find and get the best
job for their skills.
Your top career
moment to date?
I was fortunate early in my
career to work with Lucas
Art on the launch of Star
Wars: Episode III – Revenge
of the Sith. The boy in me
was thrilled and the bar was
set high early on.
Do you have any
predictions for the
future of work?
I expect more companies
will allow for ultimate
flexibility in the workplace,
allowing people to work
from wherever they want,
whenever they want.
I would not be shocked
to see smaller corporate
headquarters and more
distributed regional ‘shared
workspaces’.
What’s your best
piece of career
advice?
Learn everything you can
not only about your specific
career field, but also about
those parallel to it.
Bounce around. Be
hungry. Fail, learn from
it and evolve. Try new
things. Get scared before
you get comfortable. And
never go slow to go fast
– that’s corporate talk.
Go fast, but do so without
being reckless.
What advice
would you give to
your younger self?
Fail more often. Do not stick
around longer than needed
out of loyalty.