Hi, I’m Donna Galatas, CEO and Vice Empress of The Galatas Group. I’m going to tell you something that most people don’t know about me…..When I was in college, one of my professors was a handwriting analyst. One day in class, she took anonymous samples of everybody’s handwriting and went around the room giving insights into our personalities. When she got to my sample, she said, “This person is an old soul!” At first, I wasn’t too happy with that, but when she explained that it didn’t mean I was old, just that I have wisdom and grace, I said, “Okay, I can live with that!” But I would have to add that I’m an old soul with new ideas!
I have an ability to stay calm under pressure and to diffuse tense situations, which really helped me when I worked with stressed out students as a university administrator in San Francisco, and later with employees and business owners when I started working in private industries all over the country. My kids used to get upset with me when I didn’t run to the principal to defend them when they got into scraps, like some of the other moms. But now that they’re grown, they’ve become independent and strong young women. Finally, they appreciate the structure I provided as I guided them through those tough growing pains. I think the same holds true for my team and my clients.
I’m not interested in running your business and doing everything for you—I want you to learn the “how” and “why” of things so you can feel capable of handling any employee situation. My colleagues describe me as soothing, down-to-earth and fun to hang out with. My customers know I stand behind my principles of honesty and integrity.
I don’t preach, I listen, I explain and help you find creative solutions. I promise to bring all these qualities to our partnership. We’re here to help you navigate the gray areas of your HR landscape.
Hi, I’m Jackie Torres, COO and Vice Empress of The Galatas Group. Everyone I know describes me as “creative.” If I had to describe myself in one word it would be “transformational.” I say this because I remember eating lunch on an island in the Caribbean talking with an entrepreneur with a dream. She had the desire to build her own business but did not have the business savvy to make her dream a reality in a creative and timely manner. Within just a few weeks, with me as her business tour guide, she had a business plan, a human resource management strategy and a business location. Throughout my entire career I have steered many individuals, small business owners and entrepreneurs to think BIG – have BIG vision, create BIG impact with BIG results.
My clients appreciate that I transform myself into one of the key people on their team during a project and I deliver creative solutions that are transformational to their business. I bring that same philosophy to my personal life as I encourage my family to strive for excellence and dream BIG.
Having traveled all over the world has also given me the opportunity to gain vast cultural knowledge, capture the essence of business in those cultures and learn that simplicity, honesty and integrity goes a long way.
I am proud to say that I will continue my journey of inspiring clients and those around me to get excited and become fully engaged in the process of learning, discovering, improving and formulating their business potential through people.
Hi, I’m Suma Sreedharan, Extern and Human Resources Princess at The Galatas Group. Although the work I do here at The Galatas Group is serious business, I take great pride in delivering exceptional value while having TONS of FUN along the way.
How have I become an HR Princess? It’s been quite an amazing journey. Throughout my accounting career, I became intrigued with the HR world. Within my day-to-day responsibilities, I was able to hone some HR skills as I managed my team, facilitated training and engaged in developmental activities. This revelation prompted me to pursue a career in HR. Drastic you may say! Although it seems drastic, both accounting and HR impact people, processes, and the bottom line.
Those close to me know that I would walk through fire for them, and I give this same level of fierce dedication to this new world. In addition, I bring with me five and a half years of professional accounting experience ranging from audit for a big four firm to financial reporting for a publicly held company. I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in the state of Texas and working towards my Professional Human Resources (PHR) certification.
My skills and experiences in the accounting world are invaluable differentiators in my new role. They allow me to understand the various needs of an organization, offer up a different point of view, and leverage the interdisciplinary skills needed to implement change.
My excitement for this career transition is surpassed only by my excitement for starting this transition here at The Galatas Group.
