Career Journeys in Human Resources: Juliana Luque

Thanks for reading! This series is designed to shine a spotlight on Human Resources professionals and highlight their career journeys and learnings so far. Today, we're joined by Juliana Luque. If you'd like to be next, please reach out to a TTC Community Manager.

Introduce yourself in one sentence:

I'm Juliana Luque, a senior HR and organizational development leader with 18+ years proving that culture and people strategy show up on the P&L. My work has spanned EY, AXA Colpatria, and RBC. Today I advise through Good Works Consulting, serve as a subject matter expert for Emeritus, delivering executive leadership education in partnership with top 20 global universities, and build The No-Mad Life Project for globally mobile professionals navigating identity and belonging. Based in Hamburg, working hybrid, and usually a few time zones ahead.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juluc/ 

Can you walk us through the key milestones in your career in the HR space? What were some pivotal moments or decisions that shaped your journey?

My career has been less a straight line than a series of intentional rebuilds. I began in Colombia as a management consultant at EY before helping AXA Colpatria launch its internal consulting division from the ground up. We secured three clients within four months, an experience that taught me more about resilience and adaptability than any classroom could.

The defining pivot came when I moved abroad to pursue my MBA. I stepped into a newly created role within RBC's technology division, where I built its change management capability and supported technology strategy integration. At the same time, I joined the University of Toronto as a researcher, studying gender equity and workplace discrimination. That combination of hands-on transformation work and academic research grounded my approach to HR in evidence rather than opinion.

Since then, I have delivered executive education and led People Strategy, HR transformation, and DEI advisory work through Good Works Consulting. Each international move required me to rebuild my credibility and professional network from the ground up. Every time, I emerged with greater resilience, sharper judgment, and a clearer understanding of the value I bring.

In this rapidly evolving industry, what strategies or practices have you adopted to continuously enhance your skills and stay ahead of the curve? Do you have any resources or learning methods you'd recommend to others?

I approach my own development the same way I would design a leadership program for a client: intentionally, evidence-based, and subject to continuous review. I return to executive education regularly. These programs have provided frameworks that I continue to apply. However, the most valuable learning happens at the intersection of academic research and practitioner reality. This is why I stay deeply engaged with organizational psychology and behavioral science rather than relying solely on emerging HR trends.

I am also a committed reader, and my book club challenges me to explore ideas beyond my usual areas of expertise. My guiding principle is simple: do not just consume knowledge; test it. A framework only creates value if it can withstand the complexity of real teams, real behaviors, and real organizational challenges. If it does not translate into meaningful change, it remains theory. My focus is always on what drives measurable outcomes.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your career in HR, especially when you were actively seeking work? How did you overcome it, and what advice would you offer to others facing similar hurdles?

The most challenging period has been rebuilding my professional identity in a new market while navigating a job search. It required translating 18 years of global impact into a narrative that a new market could quickly understand and recognize. It has been a humbling experience. You move from being the person leaders trust with complex challenges to repeatedly explaining why your experience and perspective matter.

What helped me move forward was approaching the search itself as a consulting project: defining clear metrics, conducting weekly reviews, and being honest about what was and was not working. My advice to anyone facing a similar transition is this: do not allow a slow market to make you question your value. Your positioning may need refinement, and your network may need rebuilding, but the substance of what you bring remains unchanged. Protect your confidence as you would any critical business asset, because it is one.

The HR Consulting world can be fast-paced and demanding. How do you strike a balance between your professional commitments and personal life? Are there specific routines or rituals you follow?

I am intentional about creating rituals rather than pursuing a fixed idea of balance. Balance suggests a static state, and my life has rarely been static. Instead, I focus on practices that help me remain grounded, curious, and effective through constant change.

My mornings begin slowly, usually with hot water, followed by coffee and time away from my phone. That quiet hour helps regulate my nervous system and prepares me for whatever the day requires. Continuous learning is also non-negotiable for me. Whether through reading, podcasts, writing, or metacognition exercises, I deliberately seek perspectives beyond HR because the best insights often come from outside my immediate field.

I also make time to travel whenever possible. Exploring museums, botanical gardens, or simply walking through a new city without an agenda allows me to observe, reflect, and reconnect with curiosity. These experiences are not indulgences; they are part of how I maintain the capacity to lead, think, and make sound judgments.

A career built on judgment, empathy, and presence requires a person behind it who is genuinely rested, open-minded, and engaged with the world. For me, personal sustainability is not separate from professional effectiveness; it is what makes it possible.

As someone involved in HR, you've likely witnessed various technology and trend shifts. Which technologies or trends do you believe have had the most significant impact on the industry, and how have they influenced your role?

AI, without question, will shape the future of work, but not in the way most headlines suggest. The technology itself is often the easier part. The real challenge is the behavioral change required to use it effectively and responsibly.

I have seen organizations introduce powerful tools and achieve disappointing results because they underestimated the human side of transformation. Successful adoption requires more than implementation. It requires trust, transparency, and intentional skill-building so people feel equipped and confident in new ways of working.

I believe AI should help HR move beyond administrative complexity and create more space for the work that requires human judgment: coaching and training leaders, navigating conflict, shaping culture, and having difficult conversations. The technology that transforms an organization is rarely the technology itself. The real difference comes from whether people believe it is designed to enable them, not replace them.

For those entering the HR space or those looking to pivot within it, what's the one piece of practical advice you'd give to help them thrive, especially if they are actively job-seeking?

Be specific about the value you create, not just the roles you have held. Statements like “I improved retention” are difficult to evaluate on their own. Explaining how you redesigned onboarding and reduced first-year attrition by 20% demonstrates the impact, the approach, and the outcome.

If you are actively searching, treat rejection as market feedback, not as a reflection of your worth. Often, decisions are influenced by factors that have little to do with your capability or potential. Build genuine relationships before you need them. HR is a small and connected community, and the way you show up for others creates a reputation that travels.

For women and professionals from underrepresented backgrounds, my advice is not to wait until you feel completely ready before raising your hand. Confidence is often built through action, not before it. My leadership philosophy has always been grounded in three principles: people, behavior, and results, in that order. Lead with genuine care for people, hold yourself accountable for outcomes, and the results and opportunities tend to follow.