Michael S. Newman, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CCP, CBP, CELS, CPLP

Chief Operating Officer and Partner

Mike is the Chief Operating Officer, and Partner, at Axis HR Solutions. Mike provides outsourced or fractional HR services and also collaborates with buyers and sellers in domestic and cross-border M&A transactions to preserve and optimize deal value by providing human resources, human capital, and cultural pre- deal due diligence services and post-transaction integration solutions.

Mike has over twenty-seven years of progressive Human Resources and Organizational Development experience with a diverse set of skills across multiple HR/OD disciplines. He has overseen executive level strategic full life- cycle human resources support to executives, managers, and employees of all levels in international manufacturing, software development, energy sector and logistics environments. Most recently, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer for an international energy consulting/engineering/manufacturing company and managed implementing all aspects of the HR function and strategy. Additionally, Mike is a certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) facilitator for individual and team workshops.

Mike’s M&A expertise is in Human Resources due diligence and HR/Human Capital M&A post-integration. Mike has over twenty-five years of M&A experience on both the buyer, and seller, sides of the transaction. Mike’s M&A experience encompasses both cross-border and domestic HR due diligence and human resources/human capital post-integration of middle market targets. Collaborating with all stakeholders in the M&A process has provided Mike with the ability to execute collaborative, and highly impactful, HR integration strategies that maximize overall deal value while simultaneously ensuring that the human capital side of the M&A process executes effectively, efficiently, and compliantly.

Mike earned his PhD in Organizational Management from Mountain State University and his MBA and BBA with concentrations in Human Resources Management from Southeastern University. He currently holds certifications in: Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-
SCP), Certified Benefits Professional (CBP), Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), Certified Employment Law Specialist (CELS), Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Champion.

Mike sits on the Board of Directors for Geo Energy Resources, Bluegrass M&A Professionals (BLUEMAP), and the American Council on Adult and Technical Education and is a Board Advisor for Bank of America, Schlesinger Group, and the Gerson Lehrman Group.