Spotlight of the Month: Annegret Theis

Our Spotlight series is an opportunity to meet our team at HRchitect. Every month, we shine a spotlight on a member of our team for you to learn more about. Get to know all about Annegret Theis, Account Executive, in this month’s Spotlight.







Annegret Theis joined HRchitect’s growing and dynamic sales team in December of 2023 as an Account Executive for our UKG practice and has hit the ground running. With her background gained from her experience at UKG and Ceridian, Annegret is an innovative, customer-focused, and results-oriented leader with over 15 years of experience in SaaS and HCM industries, helping organizations in various industries increase efficiency and make proactive, strategic decisions by leveraging UKG Human Capital Management (HCM) and Workforce Management (WFM) solutions.







Hometown:   Marburg, Germany  



Alma mater: Gustav-Siewerth-Akademie in Weilheim, Germany



All-time favorite restaurant: Any authentic Italian restaurant.



Last book you read: I recently enjoyed reading the book All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers. Additionally, I enjoy reading the books written by author Freida McFadden.



I also re-read How to Win Friends and Influence People this year. This is a book that has certainly endured the test of time. The title is a bit misleading, but if you haven’t read it, this one is a MUST. If you have, you know the name of the book is more of an “attention grabber.” Carnegie’s teachings on kindness, understanding, genuine interest, and authentic connections are timeless.



What do you love to do outside of work? I love traveling, theatre, concerts, hiking, skiing, watching soccer, and gardening. We love being outside as a family. After many years of traveling the world outside of the US, the pandemic has shown our family just how beautiful the US is, and we have fallen in love with every national park we stepped foot into. I also have a fondness for theatre and music, and you will typically find our family enjoy a live performance of some sort on most weekends.



How did you find out about HRchitect, and what made you join the company?  Joining HRchitect truly felt like it was meant to be. I had a friend who knew that HRchitect was hiring an Account Executive to manage the relationship with UKG’s new teams, Account Executives (AEs), and Executive Relationship Managers (ERMs). I wasn’t even really looking for anything else, as I loved my UKG team. I still gave it a go, and after meeting with Jennifer Sorenson and Matt Lafata several times, I just knew that this role would be a perfect fit for me.



HRchitect’s leadership, the focus on people, and being empowered to do the right thing all strongly align with my values.



How has your background impacted your experience as an Account Executive?  Human Capital Management (HCM) has been my world for nearly 20 years. It’s astonishing to think about how much the industry has evolved over the last two decades. When I used to sell HCM many moons ago, most of the organizations we were selling to were doing things on paper or spreadsheets, and systems were disparate and disjointed; now, most organizations have a SaaS system in place. It is still taking people time to understand how to properly use and maximize their HCM technology investments and this is part of why I love helping people and organizations connect the dots and bring in HRchitect’s amazing consultants so we can elevate these workplaces to the next level to get the most out of their systems.



In your own words, what do you do at HRchitect?  The HCM world can feel like a bit of a maze, and the technology is constantly changing. Many Human Resources (HR) professionals feel burned out. My passion is to help HR and payroll leaders work more effortlessly by helping them unlock the power of their HCM and WFM investment by connecting them with our vastly experienced and highly talented consultants to overcome any challenges.



What’s a typical workday like for you?   I guess this is one of the exciting things about this role. No day looks like the other. While I have several planned client meetings or meetings with UKG to strategize and collaborate on how we can best assist UKG clients with our various end-to-end consulting needs, there is always the element of surprise, the fire drills, and the “could HRchitect come to the rescue” requests that keep me on my toes.



What is one of the clients you sold services to that you are proud to have helped and why? HRchitect is passionate about making life more effortless for our clients. There are a few clients that come to mind – like a client we assisted with last-minute adjustments to ensure they wouldn’t lose out on millions in Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) credits or another client whose implementation started going sideways until we came in and provided them with our Client-Side Support Services to ensure the success of their project.



A particularly memorable client was introduced through their ERM during a critical time of Open Enrollment, just as they were grappling with the loss of their Benefits Administrator. The company’s Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), who had dedicated years to caring for a family member, hadn’t taken a vacation in over ten years. She was on the cusp of embarking on her first-ever cruise, eagerly anticipating a well-deserved break to rejuvenate. Because of the timing, everything was down to the wire and was weighing on the client. Our amazing consulting and delivery team stepped in without hesitation and set up the client’s Open Enrollment (OE) session. This ensured not only a seamless benefits enrollment for the company but also a tranquil and restorative holiday for the CHRO.



What’s been one of your favorite destinations to travel to for work (client/partner conference/HRchitect event)?  While I am not a big Las Vegas person, my husband decided to make the drive to Nevada from Minnesota to meet me after a conference last year, and we camped right at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. That was spectacular.




Annegret and her family enjoying the Grand Canyon.




I enjoyed traveling to Florida a few months ago for the UKG Executive Summit, and in March, I had the chance to travel to Dallas/Ft Worth for an HRchitect Sales and Marketing team meeting. It was so wonderful to meet several of my remarkable team members in person for the first time.






Erica Niesse, Jennifer Sorenson, and Annegret at the UKG Executive Summit in Florida.






What motivates you to wake up and go to work every day? I am motivated by the people. First, the little (or not so little) people in my life, my family. Second, my amazing co-workers, and any chance I get to connect with my old teammates or a new person at UKG, and talking with clients and helping to solve their system issues. Lastly, I feel a sense of purpose and enjoy the opportunity to make a difference at HRchitect and improve our client’s workforce transformation. I love learning new things, broadening my perspective, and being challenged to grow and think outside the box.



Which employee perk that HRchitect offers do you enjoy the most? Why?  HRchitect values its people and has so many perks with the employee front and center, such as a very generous Parental Leave Program, half-day Summer Fridays, generous PTO, and many additional perks. Personally, the flexibility to work remotely from anywhere is invaluable to me. My father, who is 87 years old, lives on his own in Germany. The assurance that I can visit him whenever necessary, without compromising my professional responsibilities, is incredibly important to me and is a non-negotiable aspect of my life.




Learn more about Annegret on LinkedIn

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