Vertex Pharmaceutical VP Global TA Grace Niwa

Grace reveals her unique perspective on elite talent shaped by her career as a Juilliard-trained pianist. From mastering the nuances of excellence in music to identifying top-tier talent in the corporate world, Grace shares how her deep understanding of what sets people apart fuels her approach to hiring and leadership. She dives into the strategic side of talent acquisition, explaining why businesses can't always hire "A-players," how to align hiring with company readiness, and the power of talent intelligence in predicting industry shifts. If you're ready to move beyond transactional recruiting and start thinking like a business leader, this episode will inspire you to elevate your approach to talent acquisition. 

 

Key Points From This Episode:

 

• Insight into Grace’s journey from classical pianist to talent leader.

• Learning from both excellence and mediocrity to recognize top talent.

• The balance of humility and ego in exceptional leaders.

• How ambition and self-awareness drive career growth.

• Reasons that companies need diverse talent, not just A-players.

• Aligning hiring with company readiness and strategic timing.

• Why talent teams must think beyond job descriptions.

• Using talent intelligence to predict industry shifts and hiring opportunities.

• Moving from order-taking to strategic talent acquisition.

• What goes into making the transition from recruiter to business leader.

• The role of workforce planning and finance in hiring strategy.

• Leveraging validated data to influence hiring decisions and market entry.

• Talent intelligence as the "magic sauce" for strategic hiring.

• Grace weighs in on JPMorgan Chase CEO’s viral remote work rant.

• Practical advice for talent pros looking to become true strategic partners!

 

Quotes:

 

“Exceptional talent has this great balance – between humbleness and ego. – You're saying, ‘Hey, I'm great,’ because you have to rally others to follow you, and then you have to have the humbleness to listen.” — Grace Niwa [0:07:07]

 

“In an organization, you're looking for team collaborators. You're looking for team leadership. You're not looking for that one rock star [who everybody just rallies around] because there's a danger in that.” — Grace Niwa [0:10:54]

 

“I see talent acquisition as a sales and marketing team. Before you start doing the selling, you’ve got to understand the market research.” — Grace Niwa [0:20:13]

 

“[Talent acquisition] is more than just filling recs.” — Grace Niwa [0:24:39]

 

“Surround yourself with people who are like-minded. There are a bunch of us out there who believe in this new