Jessica Waagner

Background

About Jessica Waagner

I serve as a Senior HR Executive at Ingevity, a publicly traded global specialty materials company with approximately 1,500 employees operating across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.As a trusted advisor to executive leadership, I bring more than a decade of experience leading global human resources functions in complex, matrixed environments. I operate as a player-coach, balancing enterprise-level strategy with hands-on execution, to design and deliver high-impact people initiatives that directly align talent strategy with business performance.I partner closely with the CEO and executive team on enterprise workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, executive compensation, and leadership capability. My approach is pragmatic and data-informed, grounded in translating human capital strategy into measurable business outcomes. I have supported the organization through transformation, growth, and modernization initiatives, with a focus on driving performance, strengthening culture, and enabling sustainable scalability.I lead global compensation and HRIS strategy while serving as the HR Business Partner to the company’s largest business segment, Performance Materials. In this capacity, I align talent, rewards, and workforce planning with commercial objectives to support growth and operational excellence.I also design and deliver materials for the Board of Directors and Compensation Committee, translating complex people, pay, and performance data into clear, actionable insights that strengthen governance, support executive decision-making, and ensure alignment with business strategy and regulatory requirements.