Tara Shelley

Commander
DISC Type : D

Vice President, People & Operations at Zaelab

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Overview

Tara is the VP of People & Operations at Zaelab, a global people leader with over 13 years of experience in tech consulting and SaaS. She specializes in workforce strategy and scaling global teams, holding an SHRM-SCP certification. Colleagues often describe her as professional, persistent, and positive.

Outside of her professional life, Tara is a lover of technology, data, and her dog. She has a special passion for Halloween, enjoying the creativity and fun of dressing up in costumes for the holiday each year, a tradition she has cherished since childhood.

Unique fact: Tara has been recognized as one of the "Top HR Leaders in Canadian Tech. "

Personality Overview

Impact-Driven

Very Quick

Candid & Clear

More than the product, they care about the effectiveness of the product.  They are not focused on building rapport and relationships. They respond well to strong and respectful communication.

Topics They Care About

Scaling Global Teams
Leads People & Operations for a global B2B consultancy with staff across North America, South America, and Europe, focusing on supporting growth and scale.
People-First Culture
Her stated focus is on building people-first organizations with the structure and clarity needed for high performance, a theme also highlighted in her Zaelab biography.
Organizational Effectiveness
She leads workforce strategy and organizational effectiveness, partnering with executive leadership on design, planning, and operating priorities to support scale and change.

Media Appearances

Tara has no verified media appearances

Work History

6-2025
Vice President, People & Operations at Zaelab
4-2024
Vice President, People & Operations (Acquired by Zaelab) at TMG
10-2023 - 2-2024
Senior People Partner Manager at Brex
4-2023
Fractional HR Executive & Leadership Advisor at Penelope Partners
3-2022
CPOHQ Member at Knoetic | CPOHQ

Education

Human Resources and Labour Relations from Athabasca University
Criminology from Ontario Tech University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 16 Location : Toronto, Ontario, Canada Job Level : Senior Designation : Vice President, People & Operations at Zaelab
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Insights For Selling To Tara

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use phrases like ‘it’s your decision’, ‘strategic impact’ etc.
  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing objective proof points without becoming too analytical
  • When negotiating terms, help them build an impression that they are the ones calling the shots

DONT's

  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Don’t take too much time in sending them information if they ask for any
  • Don’t be in a rush to invite them for a social meet and greet

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Tara is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Tara

  • If they decide not to go ahead, they will say no without hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Tara move?

  • They can take decisions very fast if you manage to convince them.
  • Can Tara take some risk or not?

  • The risks don’t matter much to them.

You And Tara

Personality Compatibility


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