Alicia DeFreitas appointed Global Head of People & Culture

BRUSSELS, 1 November 2023: BDO has announced the appointment of Alicia DeFreitas as Global Head of People and Culture, effective 1 November 2023.  With a strong track record of leadership and innovation combined with a people-first approach, DeFreitas will drive people and culture initiatives throughout the organisation and lead BDO’s talent agenda globally.

DeFreitas brings more than two decades of experience, most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer at BDO in Canada.  This year, under her leadership, the firm was recognised among ‘Canada’s Top 100 Employers’ and also received the Canadian HR Reporter’s ‘Innovative HR Teams of 2023’ and ‘5-Star Rewards and Recognition’ awards.

As a nominee of the ‘Women in Search of Excellence Awards 2022’ and a participant in BDO’s Harvard Business School Executive Leadership Programme, DeFreitas is committed to the development of an organisational culture where talent thrives, and everyone feels valued and inspired.

Pat Kramer, BDO’s Chief Executive Officer said: “I’m delighted to welcome Alicia to our global team to steer the strategic direction of our talent agenda and help to deliver an exceptional people experience throughout the organisation.  With Alicia at the talent helm, I am confident that BDO will continue to be an employer of choice.”


Commenting on her appointment, DeFreitas adds:

“BDO is a people-centred, international organisation operating in a challenging and rapidly evolving global economy.  With innovation and collaboration, our focus will be to develop and empower our people to continually strive for excellence in all we do.”

Alicia is based in Canada and will report to Pat Kramer, Global CEO.