ACI Worldwide Strengthens HRBP Capabilities to Support a More Consistent Global HR Model
About ACI
A business that outgrew its HR model
Moving beyond reactive HR support
While HR support was available across the organization, ACI needed consistent leadership engagement around performance, talent, and workforce planning decisions.
Praveena Nathawat, CHRO at ACI, explained that the gap was structural.
“We recognized the need for a scalable HRBP model with defined ownership, stronger alignment to business leaders, and a more consistent employee and manager experience.”
Leaders often engaged with multiple HR contacts depending on geography or topic. ACI sought to streamline these interactions to a consistent, predictable touchpoint.
ACI’s response was to redesign its HR operating model and how HR partnered with the business, giving every people leader—regardless of level—a dedicated HR partner. The goal was to ensure that leaders across the entire organization had an aligned approach to talent management with a single point of accountability for how teams were hired, developed, and led.
“This new way of partnering would position HR to drive a high-performing culture, improve the employee experience and retention, and provide stronger thought partnership to managers, helping them make more informed and robust decisions around people, org designs, and culture,” said Praveena.
But changing the model was only half the equation. Delivering on it required HRBPs who could operate in an entirely different way.
Choosing a program that could move at ACI’s speed
ACI was moving fast. The operating model was already changing, and the team needed to build capability without pausing the work. That urgency shaped how Praveena evaluated options. ACI partnered with AIHR to help HRBPs build the strategic and consultative capabilities needed to make the new operating model a success.
Developing HRBPs who could influence decisions
ACI wanted HR partners who could serve as trusted advisors to leaders, bring greater structure to talent discussions, and support well-informed people decisions.
“The key to the success of the model was investment in the skills and capabilities of our HRBPs. Without the investment, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the value we hoped to achieve through the model change,” said Praveena.
To support the new operating model, HRBPs focused on strengthening consultative, data-informed, and strategic partnering capabilities.
“We don’t want to go into solving the problem immediately. We need to be better listeners, ask the right questions, and truly understand the problem,” said Karla Ravizee, Director HR Business Partner at ACI.
“We did not have time to lose. We needed an agile program that could shift based on our needs and be delivered directly to our team,” said Praveena.
Global reach mattered, too. With HRBPs spread across multiple regions, ACI needed a provider who understood that different markets operate differently. And the format had to do more than deliver content. It had to help participants apply what they were learning inside real business conversations.
ACI selected AIHR’s Boot Camp because it met all the criteria—self-paced learning that fit around the demands of the business, anchored by live group sessions that kept the team accountable and connected.
“We wanted our HRBPs to take the methodologies and frameworks and use them to influence decisions in meetings with managers,” said Karla.
The self-paced structure enabled ACI’s HRBPs to build strategic capabilities without stepping away from day-to-day business support. During live sessions, they had the space to discuss challenges and share insights, which strengthened collaboration and established a common way of working across the entire HR function.
The capstone projects brought all of these elements together. Instead of working through hypothetical HR scenarios, participants applied new frameworks and used data to interrogate assumptions, structure the problem, and build a case for action to solve real challenges ACI was navigating.
Because the content was accessible across different experience levels, ACI was able to put their global HRBP team through the program together rather than separating learning by seniority.
“It gave us a common experience that brought the team closer together. The content was very well structured in a way that could reach HR professionals at different levels in their careers. Someone who was more junior could follow it and learn from it, and so would someone more senior,” said Karla.
Ensuring learning would stick
Praveena and Karla knew capability building would only create real change if HRBPs had the support to actively apply what they learned inside the business. Rather than treating the program as a standalone training initiative, they built internal accountability around it. They shared regular learning reminders and practical time management tips and encouraged HRBPs to integrate learning into their own schedules and business conversations.
“We really put the onus on the team to find a way that works best for them within their schedule,” said Karla.
Praveena and Karla also deliberately avoided “crash course” learning.
“We didn’t want anyone to try to fit it all within a week. It should be a paced learning experience with a targeted deadline. so that it would stick,” said Karla. That way, they could ensure that HRBPs applied their knowledge more thoughtfully in real situations.
“The key to the success of the model was investment in the skills and capabilities of our HRBPs. Without the investment, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the value we hoped to achieve through the model change.”
Praveena Nathawat CHRO at ACI
HRBPs as true consultative business partners
As HRBPs applied what they learned, they began engaging leaders earlier and more consistently in workforce, talent, and organizational discussions. This created more opportunities for structured dialogue, broader perspectives, and stronger collaboration between HR and business leaders.
From facilitating HR processes to improving decision quality
One of the most visible changes was the way managers began preparing for performance and talent discussions. Managers and leaders increasingly benefited from structured conversations that encouraged thoughtful discussion of performance, development, and talent decisions. Now, with the help of their HR partners, they’ve begun taking time to think more critically about performance evidence or promotion criteria.
“Our BPs now listen to understand what the true problem is and also provide insights and resources to support the business in executing initiatives,” said Karla.
As a result, leaders now approach talent decisions with greater structure and clarity. HRBPs proactively prep them for conversations on performance, succession, and workforce planning, driving predictable, repeatable outcomes across every team.
“We’ve received feedback from several managers and leaders about how HRBPs have become more valuable to them due to their ability to understand the organizational challenges and business plans, and to advise and consult on how to better manage talent and teams to deliver their goals,” said Praveena.
Instead of relying on HR primarily to facilitate sessions, leaders increasingly began working with HRBPs as thought partners to improve decision-making. The shift is visible in specific conversations.
“Several leaders have shared examples of HRBPs helping them step back, ask different questions, and approach organizational and talent challenges with greater structure and clarity,” said Praveena.
“Others have described the value of working with HRBPs who understand their business priorities and can provide more informed guidance on workforce and hiring decisions.”
Setting the foundation for a more strategic HR function
For ACI, closing the HRBP capability gap was the starting point. It created the foundation for a more strategic HR function.
“The model is working very effectively at this point. And I think it will be even more effective as all the HR partners get more comfortable with their new capabilities,” said Karla.
HRBPs now spend more time helping leaders identify talent strengths and gaps, and collaborating more closely with talent acquisition and compensation teams to achieve greater alignment in workforce decisions.
ACI is also expanding its measurement approach to better understand how leaders experience the new HRBP model and to gather feedback that will help continuously improve the function. To track progress with data-backed evidence, ACI is enhancing its feedback mechanisms to measure how effectively HRBPs support leaders and drive the goals of the new operating model.
“When our HR team understands the business agenda, applies consultative skills, and leverages data to inform solutions, they are better positioned to support leaders and help advance business priorities,” said Praveena.
As ACI continues maturing its HRBP model, the organization remains focused on building a globally consistent approach to people leadership and strengthening the strategic partnership between HR and the business.
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