Caroline Stockdale is a proven leader in people strategy, human capital, and business communications, with a career spanning more than 25 years. Since 2019, she has led as the chief people and communications officer at First Solar in Tempe, Arizona. Reporting to the chief executive officer, she collaborates on operationalizing people strategies, driving innovation, and transforming organizational culture.
Prior to her work at First Solar, Ms. Stockdale founded First Perform and The Career Exchange in 2015 and served as chief executive officer, providing strategic people and performance solutions and products. She was the senior vice president and chief people officer at Accretive Health and implemented her innovative approach to performance management. Her professional expertise in this capacity was featured in “Reframing Performance Reviews for Greater Impact: An Interview with Accretive Health Chief People Officer, Caroline Stockdale.”
Ms. Stockdale’s career experience includes key leadership roles at Medtronic as senior vice president and chief human resources officer and with Warner Music Group as executive vice president of global human resources and business operations. At Warner Music, she led a significant transformation of outdated performance and talent management systems. Making significant strides as a leader early in her career, she was senior vice president of human resources at American Express Financial Advisors & Global Financial Services. Previously, she was the executive vice president and global human resources leader at GE Capital Aviation Services. She began her career in finance before transitioning to human resources at General Electric (GE). Reflectively, she notes that all her roles have had a truly global impact, as she was initially motivated by her desire to modernize and transform outdated management practices.
Educationally, Ms. Stockdale earned a Bachelor of Arts in political theories, institutions, and philosophy from the University of Sheffield in England in 1986. She is a British-qualified chartered accountant through the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and received Six Sigma training during her tenure at GE. Moreover, she is active in charitable organizations focused on women and children, and supports initiatives such as Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Also, since 2016, she has been a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council.
Ms. Stockdale believes growth is a continuous process and emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning. She values direct, growth-oriented feedback from her chief executive officer and seeks insights from others to grow self-awareness. She challenges traditional human resources practices, focusing on what truly brings value and benefit to the business and employees rather than following industry norms. She has been an outspoken critic of outdated employee practices and approaches to talent management and instead champions data-driven approaches that align with business objectives and give employees the information they need to grow.
One of Ms. Stockdale’s most memorable career moments came in the aftermath of 9/11 when she led crisis management at GE’s aviation leasing sector. That experience revealed the unpredictability of human behavior, and helped to shape her leadership perspective. Her greatest career achievement is seeing those she has mentored, especially women, grow and succeed. She takes pride in recognizing and empowering talented individuals who might otherwise go unnoticed, helping them gain visibility and secure impactful roles in their careers.
In recognition of her accomplishments, Ms. Stockdale has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the most Influential Women in Arizona in 2022 and 2024. She has won multiple awards for innovation in human resources and was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women in Arizona. She attributes her success to working with great people, a strong values-based leadership style, a passion for her work, the courage to speak the truth, and genuine compassion for others.
Away from work, Ms. Stockdale cherishes time with her family and finds joy in reading, hiking, cycling, gardening, cooking, and walking her dogs. She is also dedicated to nurturing new talent within her industry. Looking ahead, she plans to continue supporting First Solar’s expansion journey while inspiring emerging professionals. She will also continue to serve as an advisor to several businesses.