What's been said about how I build

Three years ago we were growing into a new phase of the business and as CEO, I knew it was time to build out human resources. Panagiota joined HexClad as our first People hire and built the entire function while we scaled through our fastest years, three straight on the Inc. 5000 and into a global brand. Honestly, calling her an HR leader undersells what she did. She operated like a builder and one of our sharpest business minds: she designed our org and leveling structure, stood up the infrastructure to hire and operate across six countries, ran our executive searches, and helped build the systems that let us scale without breaking. But what I valued most wasn't any single project. When something was genuinely hard or sensitive, she was a person I trusted and just as telling, the team trusted her. People across the company went to her because they knew she'd be straight with them and look out for both them and the business. She partnered across every function, brought real judgment to the calls that mattered most, and understood the business as well as anyone on my leadership team.Panagiota was a significant part of scaling HexClad to where it is today, and I have no doubt she'll keep making that kind of impact in whatever she takes on next. Any founder building something fast would be lucky to have her in the room. I recommend her without reservation.

I managed Panagiota directly at HexClad and worked alongside her before that. From both seats, what stood out was how she operated, less like a typical HR leader and more like someone building the business. She came in as our first People hire and built the function from scratch, but the work extended into the systems running underneath the company: leveling, org structure, the operating infrastructure that helped us scale internationally.

The intersection of People, IT, and Admin is a tricky one in a fast-growing company, and she was a steady, thoughtful partner through it. She brought structure where there wasn't any, asked good questions early, and could be trusted with the hard, sensitive calls. She earned that trust across her own team, and the functions she partnered with.

Panagiota is a strong operator and a builder, and I'd recommend her to any company looking for someone to bring real infrastructure to a scaling business. 

I worked with Panagiota for over three years and found her to be one of the most effective HR leaders I've encountered.
She built a lot of the operating infrastructure to include the hiring frameworks, supported regional incentive structure development, and compensation work that helped us put teams in place across multiple countries.
She brings a strong sense of urgency, translates complexity into clear priorities, and delivers strategic advice that actually lands at the executive level. What sets her apart is her ability to do all of this while building genuine trust across the organisation — without noise or drama. Any company looking to scale at pace and with rigour would be well served by Panagiota.

There are HR leaders who manage process, and then there are people like Panagiota who make the entire organization better just by being in it.

In the time we’ve worked together at HexClad, I’ve watched her operate at a level I genuinely haven’t seen before from HR. She’s equal parts coach, thought partner, and administrator, and she moves between those modes almost invisibly depending on what the moment calls for. That range is rare and it’s something that fast-growing DTC brands need but almost never have.

What stands out most is how she approaches people leadership not as a function to manage, but as a discipline to practice and model to others. She’s helped shape how we hire, how we build teams, and how we think about culture as something you actively construct rather than passively hope for. More than once, she’s been the person I turned to when I needed a genuine thought partner on something hard, and she always showed up with clarity, candor, and real investment in getting it right.

Panagiota is the kind of VP of HR that a growing company desperately needs and would be lucky to have.

Panagiota is the Serena Williams of HR.

I’ve had the immense privilege of working with Panagiota and learning from her for the past 5 months. She’s completely upgraded the way I think about and operate my eCommerce business.

Before meeting Panagiota, I was blindly operating my business with no direction and just trying to do my best to lead my company to success. I didn’t have a well defined mission, I didn’t have any OKRs or core values to lean on, and I didn’t have a system to manage my team within. Operating my business felt clunky because I lacked organizational and HR experience.

After working with Panagiota for a short period of time, I am now crystal clear on what our mission is and how to achieve it. I feel more aligned with my team than I ever have before and we are all energized by the clarity!

If you’re feeling like your systems, culture, and people are not firing off like you know they can, I wholeheartedly recommend hiring Panagiota and drawing from her deep well of HR wisdom. It will be one of the best investments you’ll make for your company.

And to top it all off, she’s a hoot to work with! While she’s firm and will give it to you straight, she’s also an absolute joy to work with. During your sessions, you’ll be laughing as much as you’re having breakthrough moments!

Panagiota played a crucial role in turning my career around at Common Thread Collective.

When I first started working there, I was struggling to adapt to a new structure and dealing with communication issues within my team. I felt like I was on the brink of failure, but that all changed when I had a meeting with my teammates, Panagiota and my manager.

Panagiota immediately defused the tense situation, stating "We're not here because we want to see you go. We're here because we believe in you and we want to see if we can work this out." And work it out we did, thanks to Panagiota's excellent facilitation and guidance. She encouraged me to keep in touch with her regarding my progress and development, and her support played a huge role in my growth as a top-performing client service professional at the agency.

I cannot recommend Panagiota enough for her expertise in culture creation, human-centric human resources, leadership development, and training. She truly saved my career.

Working with Panagiota is like no other. Her level of care for not only the work she does, but the people around her, is unmatched!

I had the privilege of working with Panagiota for 4 lovely years. I saw first-hand her ability to develop and foster a workplace culture from scratch. With Panagiota’s leadership, her specially curated team managed to make the fast-paced world of an agency feel intentionally structured and ensure employees weren’t just another spoke on the very big wheel. In one of many examples, she streamlined a program called “Surprise & Delight” that gave management a monthly budget to treat their direct reports… just because. These small gestures, along with a roadmap for success added up to a more exciting and innovative culture than I can put into words. That is just the tip of the iceberg of the care she cultured.

She nurtures and inspires those around her. She doesn't wait to be called on either. If she sees someone who needs help, a pick-me-up, or a little extra care, she acts! That's a special gift very few have.

On top of all that, she’s got her shit on lock. I’ve never met a more organized person. From A-Z and beyond, Panagiota can develop an internal process to keep your organization running smoothly. I was lucky enough to have Panagiota work with me while I was navigating what work-life for a solopreneur looked like for a new mom. She stepped into the hodgepodge of the half-planned process I created for my client workload and turned it into something that was actually manageable, and scalable when the time comes for my business. She saved me time and allowed me the space away from my clients to spend with my new baby girl.

I’m honored and grateful to call her my friend!

One of the most inspiring leaders I have met. Panagiota leads with courage and compassion. She is a true advocate for the people she leads. One of her superpowers is seeking to understand.

She embodies what "clear is kind" means and the power of "checking for understanding." She is masterful at leading big company initiatives and identifying new terrain in the realm of employee satisfaction, retention, and growth.

She was my boss, coach, advocator, and cheerleader. My skills for leading a team and connecting with people have only heightened under her leadership. Her unique ability to problem solve, use unconventional methods to create something amazing is inspirational and unforgettable.

Above all she is a dreamer. She not only has vision, but she is a BOSS at execution and being the entrepreneur of her own life. I have watched her grow professionally and personally. Today she is a VP and Partner at CTC because of the hard work, determination, and confidence that makes her a great leader. I am proud to be her collegue and friend.  

From the time that I worked with Panagiota at CTC, She has always been one of the most hardworking, observant, and dedicated professionals in her craft. She has stayed connected as a friend and professional adversary, lending my business partner and I her expertise that has helped us build and grow processes from the ground up. By using Asana, Panagiota has helped us grow the roots of our business in a very translatable system that can be handed down to new hires with ease. Her level and attention to detail when it comes to management and organization is simple, streamlined, and easy to adapt. Her deep sense of understanding others perspectives and situations, has led to incredible work environments and cultures that continually create opportunity and comfortability in the work place

I owe Panagiota a lot of thanks and gratitude for helping us find our structural footing, and allowing us to adopt a simple and repeatable system that still works for us a few years down the line.

I am so happy to write this recommendation because I couldn't say better things about my working experience with Panagiota, and I in fact owe her for many of the current processes that had become implemented in my own company today. When I first met her back at Common Thread Collective, she instilled the importance of structure and process that makes companies and their cultures thrive, and it was her knowledge on using workflows like Asana and others that allowed our teams to flourish. Beyond that, she always leads by example with candor and kindness, and is always willing to go above the bar to ensure growth both internally and externally.

Most recently, Panagiota consulted for my production company OOPH Productions and helped setup several internal processes and project management tools that have made all the difference in the world and allowed our workflow to thrive. Any company would be more than lucky to have someone as skilled, diligent, and thoughtful as Panagiota on their team, and she would make a major contribution to any workplace she is a part of.

I met Panagiota to discuss how Hooky Wellness could make an impact at her workplace and from that first interaction, we clicked.

Panagiota is a strategic leader whom understands that the best business practices support both people and profit. The combination of her educational background, professional experience, and passion for people creates an invaluable perspective. She asks the types of questions that help me focus on our offerings and she always finds encouraging ways to remind me of my truth as I’m growing my business.

She’s been a trusted sounding board and someone I can call for a honest conversation. I’d recommend Panagiota and her services to any organization looking to increase effectiveness and impact!

The impact Panagiota has had not just on me, but on countless other human beings is paramount. Her devotion to people in the workplace can be felt immediately and it comes backed with immense intelligence, experience, education, and ongoing research. The things I have learned from Panagiota span way beyond 'typical' HR into change management, effective meetings, and communicating with a level of understanding for human psychology and motivation. I hope dearly to work with Panagiota again and I'm forever grateful that our paths crossed.