Switching gears: Navigating data, dollars, and human dynamics

In Switching gears: Navigating data, dollars, and human dynamics host Christine Robinson is joined by Kelly Deignan, Global Executive Management at EY.

In this episode, Kelly explores the real work of resource management: balancing data, dollars, and the human dynamics behind every decision. She reflects on credibility, influence, and listening, and why understanding the human side of the role, including the “big F word” –  feelings – is just as important as mastering the metrics.

With a career spanning recruiting, resource management and experience management, global account management, and now executive leadership, Kelly brings a rare perspective on how resourcing decisions shape both people and performance at scale.

Tune in to hear the full conversation or read some of the key talking points below.

“We’re matching people to experiences that shape their careers.”

One of the earliest and most defining moments in the conversation is Kelly’s framing of resource managers as career matchmakers.

Drawing on her background in recruiting, Kelly explains that resource management is built on familiar foundations. Both roles focus on understanding people – their strengths, aspirations, and what they want to gain from their careers – and then connecting them to the right opportunities at the right time.

“I found a lot of similarities between recruitment and resource management as internal staffing functions. It’s about understanding who’s good for what, what someone wants out of their career, and matching them to the right opportunities – career matchmakers, I would say.

But then there’s the operational side of a firm like EY, and being in a resource management role gave me exposure to how it directly impacts utilization, chargeable hours, and all the things that are extremely important to how a firm runs, operates, and makes money.” - Kelly Deignan

Christine reflects on how the people-first nature of the work has also shaped the language used to describe it. Across firms, she has heard resource management referred to in different ways, including talent match. At EY specifically, the function has been known as experience management.

Kelly explains that this shift in language was deliberate.

“The reason why EY made the pivot to experience management is they wanted to take that feeling of being a commodity as a resource, as an individual out of the mix and focus on the care of the experience of the individual.

No matter what you call it, it's this pivotal role in the firm that marries the talent aspect of caring about the people that work and execute for you and the success of your firm from an operational perspective.” - Kelly Deignan

Christine builds on this by reinforcing that when people-focused decisions are made with a clear view of their operational and financial impact, resource management takes on its true strategic weight – shaping careers, employee experience, and firm performance.

“You’re constantly pivoting between people and the numbers.”

A key discussion point is the constant duality of the role, and how dramatic those shifts in focus can be. Christine and Kelly describe resource management as a job defined by wearing multiple hats, with attention constantly moving between human conversations and commercial realities.

One moment, the focus is deeply personal – understanding someone’s circumstances, workload, or development goals. The next, it's commercial – looking at utilization, chargeable hours, and what the data is revealing about business performance. It's the yin and yang of the role.

“I felt like I was wearing two hats every single day. One conversation is about caring about what’s happening in someone’s individual life. The next conversation is about the bottom line.” - Kelly Deignan

“The big F word – feelings – shows up everywhere.”

Another standout moment in the episode is Kelly’s candid take on the emotional side of resource management, and what she calls the “big F word” – feelings.

Kelly explains that feelings often show up because resource management decisions are closely tied to people’s sense of progression and purpose at work. Decisions about assignments, timing, and exposure can shape confidence, momentum, and how individuals experience their careers, particularly early on.

“I always refer to it as the big F word – feelings. They come into play so much, especially when you’re talking about something as personal as someone’s career and the type of work they get exposure to.” - Kelly Deignan

Christine and Kelly then explore why listening becomes such a critical skill in this context. For Kelly, listening is not passive – it's how she gathers information she can use to problem solve and guide the conversation forward. 

“There’s also the responsibility of caring for a much larger population. Across EY’s 400,000 people, you have to be able to make thoughtful decisions that balance individual needs with the success of the business as a whole. So listening really helps to support that type of negotiation at an individual level, so everyone walks away feeling like they won." - Kelly Deignan

The challenge, as Kelly describes it, is holding both perspectives at once. Making people feel heard and understood, while still having the confidence to make decisions that support performance at scale.

“Resource management is the secret sauce.”

As the conversation turns to profitability and impact, Kelly delivers the bottom-line message.

“If you boil it down, resource management is responsible for chargeable hours and maximizing chargeability at a firm. Right there, you have a direct connection to a dollar amount coming into the firm from revenue recognition and production.” - Kelly Deignan

Kelly reinforces this as the message resource leaders often struggle to land with senior stakeholders. At its core, the role exists because it directly influences profitability.

“The resource management role wouldn’t exist if it didn’t contribute to profitability and bottom-line success. Resource management is the secret sauce.

Maybe in some places it’s not seen that way, but in my experience at EY, it’s a respected and valued function. Leadership takes it seriously, values the opinions coming from the function, and gives it a seat at the table. That, right there, reinforces the impact it has on profitability.” - Kelly Deignan

A recurring theme throughout the episode is credibility and how to build it. For Kelly, data is the entry point. When resource managers are struggling to be heard, her advice is clear – do not knock on closed doors empty-handed.

“If you get your hands on some data, that’s where the power of this role really starts to show. Knocking on the door with data in your hands allows you to tell your story and then parlay that into a bigger conversation.

Because beyond the data is where a mature resource management function really operates best. The data shows directionally how the business is performing, but the story behind the data is the real secret sauce.” - Kelly Deignan

Christine reinforces that data alone is not the destination – it's the starting point. The real value comes from translating data into insight that leaders can act on to protect margin, guide decisions, and manage risk.

This is where mature resource management functions operate best – beyond the spreadsheet, in the decisions and influence that follow.

Catch the full episode for more insights on navigating the human and commercial dynamics of resource management.