CARMEL, Ind. -

After serving as vice president of litigation and employment counsel for KAR Auction Services, Lisa Price became executive vice president of human resources for the company in 2013.

That involved making the leap from a 14-year legal career to transforming “how the company and its business units look at, recruit, measure, develop and promote people,” KAR Global chairman and chief executive officer Jim Hallett said in a news release.

Now, Price is moving into the expanded role of chief people officer for the company, and she is the first to hold that title at KAR.

In the new role, Price will increase her focus on KAR’s company culture, its employer brand and its employees’ safety and security.

“She has championed people as a top priority for the company — from recruitment to retirement,” Hallett said.

He continued, “Lisa’s people-first drive will help define who we are and who we aspire to be as a company by fostering an environment of development and employee appreciation.”

Previously, Price’s role involved bringing human resources, payroll, benefits and compensation departments enterprise-wide into alignment with KAR’s strategic and operational goals.

Her expanded 360°-view of people and employees will involve leadership of KAR’s safety and security teams.

“I am proud to be part of a company with such a strong focus on its people, especially during a time of transformative innovation in our industry and at KAR Global,” Price said.

She continued, “The global workforce is more diverse, tech-driven and has high expectations of their employers. I am committed to building KAR Global into the kind of employer that attracts and retains top talent.” 

Price initially joined ADESA, a business unit of KAR, in 2005 as corporate counsel.

In that post, she was responsible for areas such as employment litigation, third-party liability, compliance risk management and advice and counseling.

KAR promoted her to vice president of litigation and employment counsel in 2007. In 2013, she leaped from a legal career to leading the enterprise HR function for KAR and its subsidiaries as executive vice president of human resources.

Before joining ADESA, Price was in private practice at Stewart & Irwin for six years, with a focus on employment law, litigation and compliance.