Kimberly-Clark Appoints Stacey Valy Panayiotou as Chief Human Resources Officer
Kimberly-Clark Corporation a global leader in personal care and consumer products, has announced a significant leadership appointment aimed at strengthening its people strategy for the future. Effective September 10, Stacey Valy Panayiotou will take on the role of Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), joining the company’s executive leadership team and reporting directly to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mike Hsu.
This transition follows the interim stewardship of Viviane Cury, who has been serving as acting CHRO. Cury will return to her previous role as Vice President, Talent Business Partner for North America, ensuring continuity within the human resources organization.
A Strategic Appointment at a Pivotal Moment
As CHRO, Panayiotou will oversee the entire spectrum of global human resources responsibilities, including talent recruitment and development, workforce performance management, labor relations, compensation structures, and employee benefits programs. Her appointment comes at a time when competition for talent is intense, workplace cultures are evolving rapidly, and organizations across industries are reimagining employee engagement.
CEO Mike Hsu underscored the importance of this move, describing Panayiotou as a leader capable of driving both cultural and business transformation.
“Stacey is a transformational leader with a track record of aligning people strategies with enterprise growth,” Hsu said. “Her commitment to building people-first cultures that are both high-performing and caring aligns directly with our company’s values. We are pleased to welcome Stacey to the team as we continue to execute our Powering Care strategy.”
The “Powering Care” strategy is Kimberly-Clark’s global framework for growth, designed to ensure operational excellence while reinforcing its purpose of providing care through everyday essentials. A strong HR leader is central to this mission, as success depends not only on innovation in products but also on nurturing a resilient, empowered workforce.
A Career Marked by Global Human Resources Leadership
Panayiotou arrives at Kimberly-Clark with more than 20 years of human resources leadership experience across several industries. Most recently, she served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Ball Corporation, a multinational packaging and aerospace company. In that role, she led global HR operations and introduced major initiatives, including the creation of Ball’s first enterprise-wide learning university, designed to scale talent capabilities across international markets.
Before her time at Ball, Panayiotou held senior HR leadership positions with wide-ranging responsibilities. At Graphic Packaging International, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, where she supported organizational transformation in a rapidly changing packaging sector.
Her longest tenure was with The Coca-Cola Company, where she spent 13 years in various roles. Among her positions there, she was Global Vice President and Head of Talent and Development and also Vice President of Human Resources for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. These roles required balancing complex cultural and regulatory environments, developing global talent pipelines, and supporting the company’s brand-driven growth agenda.
Her academic credentials also reflect a deep commitment to the field. Panayiotou earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Iowa and went on to complete two master’s degrees at Loyola University Chicago through its Institute of Human Resources & Industrial Relations.
Commitment to People and Purpose
Reflecting on her appointment, Panayiotou highlighted both Kimberly-Clark’s reputation and its values:
“I’m honored to join a company with such a rich legacy of delivering performance and care—care for consumers, customers, communities and, importantly, its people,” she said. “I look forward to working with the team to build on that strong foundation and further enhance the capabilities of Kimberly-Clark’s talented workforce around the world.”
Her words mirror the company’s broader philosophy that caring for people—both employees and consumers—is at the core of long-term business success. The emphasis on empathy and performance is particularly critical as global companies navigate challenges such as hybrid work models, technological change, and heightened employee expectations around inclusion and well-being.
Why This Appointment Matters
Leadership in human resources has taken on new weight in recent years. Organizations are no longer treating HR as a back-office support function but as a strategic partner that directly influences competitiveness and resilience. Kimberly-Clark, known for household brands such as Huggies, Kleenex, and Cottonelle, operates in more than 175 countries and employs tens of thousands worldwide.
For a company of this scale, the CHRO role is not only about policies and programs—it is about shaping the culture, ensuring fair and attractive workplaces, and aligning talent with growth ambitions. Panayiotou’s record of building learning systems, developing leaders, and managing complex international HR landscapes suggests she will be instrumental in steering Kimberly-Clark’s workforce strategy in the years ahead.
