Alan R. May
Vice President, Human Resources
Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Alan May is the vice president of Human Resources for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. He was named to the position in June 2010. In this role, he is responsible for successful execution of human resources initiatives to drive business performance and to create and sustain a premier work environment for employees. He also provides direction on employee and organizational policies, strategies, and processes throughout the BDS enterprise.
May most recently served as vice president of Strategy, Compensation and Benefits for The Boeing Company. In this capacity, he directed Human Resources (HR) strategy, compensation at all organizational levels, and health and pension benefits for the company.
Prior to joining Boeing, May served as Chief Talent and Human Resources Officer for Cerberus Capital Management, a leading private equity firm based in New York invested in companies representing over $45 billion in revenue and 250,000 employees globally. At Cerberus, May established an HR function for the firm and played an integral role in attracting top talent to private equity while leading the HR function in all due diligence and business integration efforts.
Previously, May held a number of senior Human Resources and Business Integration roles over a 15-year career at PepsiCo, culminating with an assignment as senior vice president, Human Resources, for the rapidly growing Quaker, Tropicana, and Gatorade division based in Chicago. At PepsiCo, he also served as senior vice president, Business Integration, at PepsiCo Beverages and Foods (PBF). His focus in this role was in business restructuring and productivity improvement. Earlier in his PepsiCo career, May also served as senior vice president and chief personnel officer for Frito-Lay International. This complex assignment involved HR leadership for an organization of over 60,000 employees in more than 40 countries. May's PepsiCo career also included five years as a Field HR generalist at Taco Bell in Irvine, Calif., and four years in both Field and Corporate HR assignments at Frito-Lay North America in Plano, Texas.
Prior to PepsiCo, May held HR and General Management roles at Caterpillar and TRW. He progressed through a number of HR generalist roles over nine years at TRW, across industries as diverse as automotive components, aerospace, satellite systems and commercial information systems. At TRW, May established personnel practices, compensation programs and employee benefits plans for a start-up division of the company, while putting together 10 acquisitions over three years. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted into a General Management assignment to lead this same business unit.
May began his professional career at Caterpillar as a labor relations analyst in Peoria, Ill., in 1982. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in labor and industrial relations from the University of Illinois.
May serves as a Trustee of the Ravinia Festival and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, and serves as a Director at Casa Central, the Midwest's largest Hispanic social services agency. He also is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Human Resources Policy Association and the University of Illinois Foundation.