Steve Hayes
Throughout the first 15 years of his Human Resources career, Steve served in HR leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Amoco/BP, Frito-Lay/PepsiCo, MagneTek, Russell Corporation and as Chief Human Resources Officer at ClientLogic, a 17,000-employee global services company. Those experiences blessed Steve in building a reputation for helping organizations acquire, develop and retain leaders. Additionally, they gave Steve deep insights into both the day-to-day and longer-term challenges facing organizations — and more importantly, the impact that having the right individuals in leadership positions can have on an organization’s overall performance and culture.
In 2000, through God’s grace, Steve founded The Human Capital Group, a Retained Executive Search and Leadership Advisory firm with a Purpose: To Find, Strengthen and Grow transformational leaders that deliver lasting results. Driven by a Mission: “To Serve” (Galatians 5:13 & Matthew 20:28), The Human Capital Group redefined the traditional executive search and leadership consulting processes to deliver faster results (Speed) and greater impact (Quality) at a lower cost (Value) — in short, value without compromise. The Human Capital Group was blessed to successfully complete 1,200+ retained executive searches for a variety of global clients across multiple industries.
In late 2019, again through God’s grace, Gallagher (a global, 50,000+ employee publicly traded Fortune 500 organization), approached and eventually acquired The Human Capital Group which resulted in the creation of Gallagher Executive Search and Leadership Advisors (GESLA). Five+ years later, in early 2025, GESLA was acquired by BuffkinBaker, a globally respected retained firm that, post-acquisition, is honored to be recognized by Hunt Scanlon as one of The Top 25 Search Firms in the world.
In light of a heart scare / surgery in the fall of 2021 and a cancer diagnosis / surgery in the fall of 2024, Steve felt compelled to shift into a “lower gear” to cherish the gift of every day more intentionally. Although he no longer leads a team, manages a P&L or serves Executive Search clients directly, Steve is excited and grateful to be blessed to transition into an Advisory role to support and serve the BuffkinBaker team. This also frees him up to be available to serve (Galatians 5:13 & Matthew 20:28)…and to love…to “serve in love”…thereby equipping leaders for lasting impact through his executive coaching firm, ServeInLove.com
In summary, Steve brings over 35+ years of experience in human resources, executive search and leadership consulting serving the industrial, manufacturing, refining, private equity, technology, healthcare, consumer goods, education, nonprofit and faith-based industries. In addition to helping organizations find top-tier executive talent, Steve is a sought-after CEO Mentor and Executive Coach to leaders facing a myriad of organizational and cultural challenges and opportunities as they seek to develop, strengthen and grow future leaders.
Board Experience:
Steve currently serves on the Board of Directors for the following faith-based and mission-minded organizations: C12 Forum; GraceWorks; Best Christian Workplaces; The Pastoral Council for Holy Family Catholic Church; and The Upward Twist.
Education & Family:
A graduate of Louisiana State University, Steve and his wife of 38 years, Adrienne, live in Brentwood, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. They are blessed with five adult children and seven grandchildren…and are active members of Holy Family Catholic Church. The foundational Guiding Principle that unites the Hayes family is: F.A.M.I.L.Y. (Forget About Me, I Love You!)