AGCO’s Ivory Harris on the path to CHRO

As organizations raise the bar for people and performance, the CHRO’s remit now includes shaping how leaders learn, decide and execute. AGCO’s Chief Human Resources Officer Ivory Harris reflects on the experiences that forged her approach, combining a servant-leader mindset with high standards and a bias for progress. In this interview, she distills practical guidance for aspiring CHROs: broaden your view across functions and geographies, seek commercial exposure and favor consistency over intensity to sustain performance. She also shows how authenticity and trust shorten time to impact.

Ivory Harris is SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer, for AGCO. Ms. Harris is responsible for leading the development and execution of high-impact talent strategies that deliver winning outcomes for AGCO’s employees and stakeholders. Ms. Harris is based in Duluth, GA, U.S.

Tell me about yourself. What two or three inflection points got you to where you are today? Could you highlight the stops along the way and the moments that shaped how you lead now?

I consider myself a servant leader. But, born in Sparta, Illinois, and raised in Texas, I’m also a natural born fighter. In my chosen profession, I use this DNA to fight for change, make progress and have impact.

One inflection point that stands out to me is receiving grace from my leader when I once made a big mistake at work. I received a “whisper” to check my data, but I was too busy and distracted to hear it. Then, thanks to karma, the mistake became very public. It was a pretty big deal, at the time, one of the largest changes to this division in company history. By my own standards, I expected to be fired. Instead, my boss at the time talked me through how I made the mistake, asked what I had learned, and gave me a chance to redeem myself. Up until that point, I had always been seen as a high performer.

It was a paradigm shift for me and changed my leadership style. Afterward, my boss did doublecheck me for a while, but I also became more attuned to details and did not want to let him down. No one was more focused on quality than me, and that sits with me even today. I set a high bar, balanced by humanity and grace. People respond better to being trusted, being held “able” and accountable, forgiven when they make mistakes, and supported to grow. Very few times in my career have I had to pivot to a more disciplinary posture to drive performance.

A second inflection point that stands out was living in another country, driving a change initiative. During this time, I probably learned more about myself than I contributed to that role. However, I am certain that without this experience I would not have the emotional intelligence, confidence, humility or global dexterity to successfully do the job I have today. This was a gift from one of the most influential leaders I have had, and I am grateful for her forethought and investment in me daily. This not only strengthened my leadership muscle but enhanced my understanding and valuation of transformative learning experiences and the ability to be a credible, empathetic advisor, and partner on a global scale.

A final inflection point to share was the level of preparation for success the CEO built into my onboarding plan during my first year as CHRO at AGCO. He was not only committed to the contributions I would make to AGCO but, as I was transitioning from my former employer, BASF, he also asked me to leave my work in the best state possible. He advised that how you end is just as important as how you start. I knew from this first discussion that I had made the right decision in choosing AGCO.

Before I officially began the role, he proactively built out a 100-day plan of critical insights, targets and relationships for me to prioritize. Additionally, he organized a year-long development and delivery plan to cover areas I had not had previous experience in but that were critical in my new role, identified projects I could work on to build my organizational knowledge and network, and scheduled bi-weekly meetings for the first three months to stay connected on my transition and to address challenges and provide advice. When I encountered an inevitable barrier and wanted to “prove my worth,” he coached me to be vulnerable, advising that asking for help was a sign of self-awareness, not weakness. This was transformative for me.

In retrospect, I believe this encouragement and preparation gave me the confidence to adapt quickly, connect deeply, and lead boldly in a new environment. It also made me more confident, resilient, and prepared in the face of obstacles. And it gave me the courage to be a student in the biggest job of my career. The key message I took from this was the power of an extraordinary start and the multiplier effect this can have when applied at scale. I want this experience to be the norm at AGCO.

What experiences, professional or personal (even those that seem unrelated like participating in a high school or college sports team), have been surprisingly helpful in your role or shaped your vision of leadership, and how do you apply those lessons?

When I was younger, growing up in Texas, I was surrounded by a large family of hard workers. I had a farmer grandfather, educator grandmother, and mom and aunts specializing in medicine or entrepreneurship. Outside of my family, I was exposed to the work of local historical giants like Barbara Jordan. From this rich legacy, I learned the value and power of perseverance, claiming space, intellectual rigor, and being of service.

My career journey reflects a conviction grounded in humility, evolving identity and a willingness to embrace new experiences. The convergence of my upbringing has shaped my clear purpose: to create environments where people can harness their unique perspectives and insights. Where they can not only contribute, but also feel seen, achieve personal goals, and enable others to do the same. Where they can feel the excitement of being a lifelong learner, the motivation and growth that comes from striving, and the resilience to rest, reset, recharge and come back stronger.

I am energized by the shared sense of purpose and achievement that comes from working together toward something bigger, such as feeding the world. Who would not want to be a part of this team or have this company as your partner?

If you were advising early- or mid-career leaders who want to become CHROs, what experiences would you seek out again? Would you stay in HR or rotate cross-functionally, and why?

I had the privilege of developing in companies where diverse experiences allowed me to touch almost every area of the business, work in different geographies and lead and learn all HR functional areas. It is hard to quantify how impactful this has been in crafting my ability to feel knowledgeable across an array of topics and, more importantly, to connect with nearly everyone and feel grounded in those connections. If I could rewrite my story, it would include a rotation that not only supports the business, but leads it, providing direct commercial experience. Not only do I believe this will make you an even stronger CHRO, but it could also make you more competitive to become CEO.

Whether promoted internally or hired from outside, what distinct strengths does each path bring to the CHRO role? For an external arrival, what helps shorten time to impact?

Internal promotion can provide speed of acceptance, culture navigation/agility, organizational awareness/wisdom and network support, all of which are critical for the journey that a CHRO engages in the short and long term.

External promotion can provide the needed objectivity, status quo challenge, best practices from other industries, change agility, and refreshed insights that are sometimes missing with an internal successor. It will be critical to build followership, quickly establish connections with key stakeholders (that is, senior leadership team, board of directors, and change agents across the organization), and cultivate/stabilize those relationships by being a trusted advisor across business and people topics/strategies, balancing transparency with discretion and delivering results. External hires must quickly adapt and build trust. That is where authenticity matters most: people connect with leaders who are real, who listen, and who show up with courage and humility.