Kara Jones

Kara Jones is a seasoned HR executive with over 15 years of experience across Employee Relations, HR Business Partnership, Organizational Strategy, and HR Operations. She has built her career in large, complex organizations and is widely recognized for her strategic mindset, ability to lead through transformation, and commitment to cultivating inclusive, high-performing cultures.

Kara currently serves as Head of Business HR at Wolt, based in Helsinki, Finland. In this role, she leads a global team of Functional People Partners supporting the Operations & Quality, Marketing, Merchant, New Verticals, and Commercial teams. Her work impacts more than 13,000 employees across 30 countries, driving both short- and long-term people strategies. She focuses on scaling people and culture initiatives that grow with the business, while enabling leaders to deliver high-impact, human-centered growth.

Previously, Kara was Director, HR Business Partner at DoorDash, where she led the people strategy for the rapidly scaling go-to-market organization. She spearheaded initiatives in organizational design, DEI, talent planning, and compensation, while also developing and managing a team of HRBPs.

Kara began her HR career at Macy’s Inc., where she held a series of senior HR leadership roles over more than a decade, including Director of Employee & Labor Relations, Director of HR Policy, and Director, Corporate HR. There, she led national teams supporting over 75,000 employees, developed post-COVID workplace policies, and implemented proactive, data-driven strategies to manage complex employee relations issues. She also served as a diversity liaison between Macy’s and the City of Chicago, launching initiatives focused on violence prevention and increasing career access in underserved communities.

Kara holds a Master of Education in Human Resource Development from Xavier University, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of St. Francis, and a PHR certification from the HR Certification Institute. A proud Chicago native, she was named one of DoorDash’s Top Women Leaders in 2023 and is an alum of the McKinsey Leadership Academy and the Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) Career Advancement Program.

Fun fact: Kara has traveled to six continents and is currently planning her long-awaited trip to Antarctica—her final one to complete the set.