Biography

Dr. Hayles assists people and organizations in becoming more effective. He speaks, writes, and consults with a strong foundation in pluralism and diversity. He was also the 1996 Chair of the Board of Directors, American Society for Training and Development. Robert has served more than 100 clients in the private, public and civic sectors. They include: World Bank, Internal Revenue Service, Government of Colombia (S.A.), City of Austin, Canada Post Corporation, Stanford University, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hewlett Packard, Whirlpool, Abbott Labs, Allstate, Deluxe, Ford, Levis, and U BS.

Robert was formerly the Vice President, Human Resources and Diversity with Pillsbury, currently a Diageo Company. His line human resource responsibilities included the Tax, Treasury and Technology organizations. He also was responsible for leading diversity work worldwide for Diageo’s food businesses (e.g., Pillsbury, Green Giant, Haagen-Dazs, GrandMet Foods Europe).

Prior to the above position Robert was Director, Human Resources for the Pillsbury Technology Center. Before Joining Pillsbury/Diageo he was Manager, Valuing Differences, for Digital Equipment Corporation in Sales, Services, Marketing and International. He led strategies in all of the above roles to leverage diversity for productivity/ profitability by working across similarities and differences. Other previous positions include: Associate Professor of Engineering Administration at George Washington University; Director, Research and Human Resources at the Office of Naval Research; and Research Scientist at Battelle’s Human Affairs Research Center. Robert was the first behavioral scientist to manage the U.S. Department of Navy Technology Base with an annual budget of more than one billion dollars.

Robert has an undergraduate degree in the behavioral and physical sciences, a doctorate in psychology and postgraduate education in business. He brings a unique blend of technical, teaching and consulting expertise to address the challenges of diversity. Coauthor of The Diversity Directive: Why Some Initiatives Fail and What to Do About It, McGraw-Hill, 1997.

Contact Information

V. Robert Hayles
P.O. Box 969
Manzanita, Oregon 97130
Phone: (503) 368-3280
Fax: (503) 368-6285