BARBARA ALLUSHUSKI:
 
BARBARA ALLUSHUSKI




 
 
 
 
 
Managing Principal and Worldwide Partner, William M. Mercer Inc. in Detroit. Allushuski leads operations for the Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh offices. Additionally, she manages several of Mercer’s largest automotive relationships and assures that the appropriate resources are allocated to all Mercer clients. In her first five years at Mercer, she doubled the office’s annual billings. She has more than 25 years of experience in various executive and managerial positions in all aspects of corporate human resources, including executive compensation, employee benefits, organizational development, labor relations and talent management. She was named to “Who’s Who of Metro Detroit” by Crain’s Detroit Business. Allushuski graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Ohio University. Additionally, she completed the Wharton School of Business Executive Development Program. Allushuski is also active in the American Heart Association having served as chairperson of the 2005 Go Red for Women annual event. She is a board member of the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance Club, and serves on the athletic committee of the Detroit Athletic Club. She is a past board member of Wayne/Westland YWCA, Michigan Metro Girl Scouts, American Society of Employers, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michiga, Henry Ford Health System (Fairlane), and SelectCare, Inc.


WHERE BORN: "Davenport, Iowa."

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: "My parents. I grew up with four brothers and three sisters and my parents really taught me to be the best I could be and not to do anything at half speed. From providing me with a good solid spiritual and moral foundation to giving me the opportunity to go to college and graduate and introducing me to my love of sports, they gave me everything I needed to be successful in the business world. Secondly, I had an economics professor in college that really gave me a passion for economics and my major."

LAST BOOK READ: "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins; and for fun, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne."

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: "Very high energy. I can be intense, I have a strong sense of urgency, sense of humor, and I’m pretty sensitive, caring and strong."

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: "I’m in the human resources consulting business, so in my opinion, the business is really moving toward managing human capital challenges with more integrated human resources solutions. So we’re looking at holistic approaches such as a total rewards strategy or concept. In my field, it’s no longer a silo approach to human resources, with health care spend, compensation or incentive designs; rather it’s about a company’s total human capital spend, and looking at human resources in a more holistic way. Our business needs to sell more integrated business solutions instead of just reducing a health care spend, for example. We’re trying to understand a company’s strategy and what they’re trying to accomplish and aligning that with human capital strategy."

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: "My BlackBerry. In the consulting world, it allows me to be accessible to my clients 24/7, and that’s important. I’m highly service-oriented."

FAVORITE PLACE: "Sitting on the end of my dock with my feet dangling in the water at Big Wolf Lake in the Irish Hills."

FAVORITE HOBBY: "Competitive tennis. I play on two tennis teams."

FAVORITE FOOD: "Seafood."

MY HIDDEN TALENT: "I make jewelry."

HOW I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED: "As someone who made a difference. I always try to make things better than the way I found them. I try to practice that in everything I do, and that really makes a difference. I also want to be remembered as a great leader by motivating employees, and making things better leads to that."

Grant Thornton Website At the annual awards reception in April 2009, one Leader & Innovator from the previous 12 months will be selected as the Grant Thornton Leader & Innovator of the Year.