C-Suite Conversation: Siisi Adu-Gyamfi - Partner, Granite Street Partners

Why HR Must Stop Sitting on the Sidelines

Recently we sat down with Siisi Adu-Gyamfi—born and raised in Ghana, the MIT-educated engineer, former sales and marketing executive, and now a private equity leader—delivers a clear message to HR professionals everywhere: you are core to the business, whether you claim that power or not.

With experience across nearly every major function in corporate America, Adu-Gyamfi has seen firsthand how organizations succeed—and fail. He argues that businesses depend on what he calls a “triumvirate of success”: HR, Finance, and Sales & Marketing. Finance monitors business performance. Sales and marketing drive revenue. But HR? HR fuels the one resource that makes every strategy possible: people.

Yet too many HR leaders, he says, see themselves as background players—focused only on internal operations, disconnected from executive decision-making, and hesitant to claim influence. “If HR doesn’t have the ear of the CEO, that’s a mistake,” Adu-Gyamfi emphasizes. Culture transformation, talent strategy, and employee motivation all flow through HR. In fact, when he joined Eaton to help a new CEO reshape the company, the first person he aligned with was the head of HR. “You can’t change culture without HR,” he says. “You just can’t.”

His message is both practical and inspiring. HR must step forward, communicate confidently, and root themselves in competence, credibility, and core values. He stresses the importance of mentorship and building community—areas where HR should lead boldly. “You cannot win if you stay in the background.”

For HR professionals navigating modern corporate challenges, Adu-Gyamfi’s advice is direct: You are important. Act like it. Because without motivated and supported employees, no business—no matter how strong its strategy—is built to last.