Gartner Expert

Alexander Kirss

Sr Principal, Research

Alexander Kirss leads the CHRO effectiveness research team in Gartner's HR Practice. His team helps CHROs operate more effectively as strategic business leaders versus simply leading the HR function by identifying key internal and external trends that affect employees, communicating their importance to the CEO, board of directors and other executive leaders, and adapting the organization's talent and business strategies.

Mr. Kirss is also an expert in geopolitics, international security and political economy. He helps Gartner clients identify and respond to a variety of political and social trends and risks in a unified as opposed to ad hoc fashion. He further covers a range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability issue areas.

Previous experience

Prior to joining Gartner, Mr. Kirss worked in federal consulting. In this role he helped U.S. government clients identify and mitigate capability shortfalls across a number of operational areas in the defense and intelligence sectors. He holds a PhD in political science from George Washington University, where his research focused on how businesses can proactively identify and manage geopolitical risk.

Professional background

Booz Allen Hamilton

Senior Consultant

MBO Partners

Independent Consultant

Areas of coverage

CHRO Effectiveness

Education

B.A., Political Science and Sociology, Williams College

M.A., International Relations, University of Chicago

Ph.D., Political Science, George Washington University

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