Culture Pop-19 Culture Pop-19

Who Drives Company Culture?

The Misconception About HR and Company Culture 

When most people think of company culture, they picture HR—diversity trainings, engagement surveys, onboarding programs, values printed on the walls. It’s easy to assume that culture is something HR defines, maintains, and owns. 

But that view is both outdated and limiting. 

In reality, HR doesn’t set company culture. They support it. They amplify what already exists. If the tone at the top is unclear, misaligned, or inconsistent, there’s nothing HR can do to patch over that disconnect. 

That’s why when a company struggles with internal alignment or team morale, replacing the head of HR won’t solve the problem—not unless the leadership team itself is part of the change. 

At Protis Global, we’ve had multiple conversations where clients want to “fix culture” by hiring a new HR executive. But before we talk search strategy, we always ask: What tone is your leadership team setting right now? 

If that question stumps them, it’s a sign the issue isn’t about HR. 

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Company Culture Starts at the Top 

Company culture is not a set of values in a handbook—it’s what people experience in the day-to-day. It’s how leaders behave when things go wrong. It’s what’s rewarded, tolerated, or ignored. 

It starts at the top, and it’s defined by action. 

If a CEO frequently skips one-on-ones or avoids giving feedback, that sets the tone—regardless of the values listed on the website. If a COO models transparency, accountability, and quick decision-making, those behaviors ripple across the organization. 

HR amplifies leadership—not the other way around. 

HR can reinforce a culture. They can scale it. They can help codify it into programs and processes. But they cannot fix what is fractured at the leadership level. 

Culture isn’t just words. It’s patterns. And people, especially top performers, can spot those patterns from a mile away. 

Why This Matters for Hiring Decisions 

This misunderstanding shows up most clearly during executive searches—especially when companies are hiring new HR leaders or People executives. There’s often an assumption that a great HR hire will create a strong culture. 

The reality? They can only succeed if they’re plugged into a leadership team with a clear, cohesive vision. 

This matters in two ways: 

  1. It affects who you hire. If your leadership team isn’t aligned on what you want your culture to be, no HR leader can unify the organization. You’ll end up with policies that feel disconnected from reality. That leads to disengagement, miscommunication, and higher turnover.
  2. It affects how you assess candidates. You’re not just hiring for experience. You’re hiring for alignment. The best HR leaders are those who understand their job is to reflect and reinforce the tone set at the top.

Look for candidates who talk about enabling leaders, not replacing them. Candidates who understand how to scale behavior through systems—not create systems as a workaround for leadership dysfunction. 

This same thinking applies across all senior hires. Whether it’s operations, sales, or finance—if that executive doesn’t resonate with the leadership tone, culture will crack under pressure. 

Creating a United Front Across Leadership 

Strong company culture doesn’t come from one person. It comes from leadership alignment. 

That means the CEO, COO, and other top decision-makers are consistent in how they lead, how they communicate, and how they hold people accountable. 

We worked with one beverage company where the CEO prioritized innovation while the COO emphasized structure and compliance. On paper, both sounded good. But in practice, the team felt whiplash. Depending on who was in the room, the expectations shifted. 

HR tried to balance both—but couldn’t. 

Eventually, leadership came together for a full-day alignment session to clarify not just their business strategy but also their leadership tone. Only then was HR able to design systems that reflected and reinforced the agreed-upon culture. 

That clarity changed everything. 

 Now when they interview executives, they look beyond skillset and ask: Does this person match the way we lead? It’s helped them reduce executive churn and strengthen cultural continuity—even as the team grows. 

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Questions to Ask HR Execs in Interviews 

If you’re hiring for an HR or People executive and want someone who will amplify your culture—not clash with it—ask sharper questions. 

Here are a few we use with clients: 

  • “How do you see your role in shaping vs. supporting company culture?”

This reveals whether they view themselves as top-down enforcers or cross-functional enablers. 

  • “How would you amplify the tone of our current leadership team?”

This checks for listening skills, nuance, and a collaborative mindset. 

  • “Where do you draw the line between culture-setting and policy-setting?”

Great HR leaders know when to codify values—and when to let leadership lead. 

You can also explore how they’ve handled misalignment in the past. For example: 

“Tell me about a time when a company’s stated values didn’t match leadership behavior. How did you handle it?” 

Answers here will separate surface-level operators from true culture stewards. 

For a deeper dive into how HR and leadership can work in tandem to shape a strong internal culture, Harvard Business Review’s guide to shaping culture is a strong resource for executives looking to build intentional habits at scale. 

“Culture isn’t built in the HR department—it’s built in the behaviors of leadership and echoed by HR.” 

Final Thought 

If your company culture feels misaligned, don’t start by rewriting the HR playbook. Start by asking: What are we modeling at the top? Because culture doesn’t trickle down from a deck. It flows out from every decision leaders make—especially the hard ones. 

Our Impact

In 1995, our founders embarked on a journey that would disrupt the status quo of the executive recruiting industry. We have been transforming companies and lives ever since.

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9,395

First Round Interviews

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3,000+

Total Placements

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Diversity Placements

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$700M

Economic Impact

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Brent Albertson

CEO, Zing Zang LLC

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“ Our experience with Protis Global has been very positive. They have strong multi-industry CPG experience and understand our business model and standards. They know the difference between an “A-player” and a “B-player” in several functions, and the honesty around that standard helps us move faster. Mike and team set up a great process, especially in early canvassing and vetting that helps our leaders engage at the right time and make decisions fast. ”

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Colin Nolan

Executive Vice President, Mark Anthony Brewing Inc.

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“Protis Global’s approach to talent acquisition is marked by diligence, transparency, and a genuine dedication to client satisfaction. Their strategic insights and personalized service have made a substantial impact on our organization, ensuring that we always have the best professionals driving our initiatives forward. The team at Protis Global demonstrates a keen ability to identify individuals who not only possess the requisite skills but also align seamlessly with our company culture.”

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Hilal Tabsh

Chief Revenue Officer, Glass House Brands

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“Over the last 10+ years my experience with Michael Bitar and the Protis Global team has been exceptional across multiple industries. Michael and his team work to get to the true needs of my hiring plan and partner with us throughout the process. They understand our business, company culture, what success looks like, and then propose candidates that will produce results while also fitting into our team dynamic. Overall it’s a great team and experience and I would recommend to anyone looking to hire top-notch quality candidates reach out to Protis Global and Michael Bitar.”

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Peter Iglesias

Chief Executive Officer, Bespoken Spirits

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“I highly recommend Protis Global as a top-notch recruiting agency. I have had the pleasure of working with them for the past 15 years, both as a candidate and employer in the Spirits and Wine industry. In my 25 years of experience, I have found Protis Global to be the most efficient and effective recruiting agency I have ever dealt with. Protis Global has consistently come through for me in the clutch, providing exceptional professionalism and execution in job searches and placements. Their dedication to finding the right fit for both candidates and employers sets them apart from other agencies. I have always been impressed by their ability to understand the needs of both parties and successfully connect them in a timely manner.”

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Soley Van Lokeren

SVP, People

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“I have been in the field of human resources for over thirty years, in executive level roles both in-house and in outsourced positions. Michael Bitar is my favorite talent acquisition professional with which I have ever worked. He cares deeply about building a relationship with his clients, learning their business, culture, challenges, and truly understanding the needs of a role requisition. His approach is mirrored by the rest of the Protis team, who are courteous, thorough, and who make you feel like you are their only client. Protis successfully delivered hires for our Chief Commercial Officer role and for three key challenging roles (in both Marketing and Sales). They are simply – the best!”

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Brian Kuz

Chief Sales Officer

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“Protis is unique in their go-to-market strategy in that they not only find the right candidate for the role, but they find the right opportunity and company for the candidate. Protis Global looks for people who are ready to make a change...I will continue to recommend Protis Global as one of the best placement agencies in the World, as I have worked on every continent and have dealt with the big executive placement firms and the boutique ones. Protis shines above all, and as long as I am hiring, I will continue to go to Protis Global first, if not exclusively.”

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Chris Hall

CEO, poppi

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“Partnering with Protis Global has been a game-changer for poppi. They understood our vision and the unique challenges we faced as a rapidly growing brand. Their expertise in executive search helped us find the right leaders who not only fit our culture but also brought the skills and passion needed to drive accelerated growth. The Protis Global team actively took our feedback and adapted the search so that we could focus on what we do best – creating innovative, healthy beverages that our customers love. They’ve truly become an extension of our team, and we couldn’t imagine achieving our success without the team members they helped us to bring aboard.”

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Chad Palma

President of Sales, Spindrift

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“Michael Bitar and the Protis team have been such a pleasure to work with over the years. Not only do they do amazing work with recruiting but we have also developed a partnership between our two companies. Michael and his team provide a crucial role in reviewing my hiring needs at the beginning of each year. Once the review is complete, Michael begins searching for quality candidates that fit the role and culture for Spindrift. He and his team do an outstanding job of finding the right candidates for the position in need. I highly recommend Michael and the Protis team for your hiring needs.”

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John Sacksteder

President, Mark Anthony Brewing Inc

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“From the start, the relationship with Protis Global was different than other recruiting firms.  The team had a deeper level of commitment and desire to learn about our business than I had experienced with other firms. Our company was experiencing a time of exponential growth and our staffing needs were complex. We needed very experienced people across every possible function in the Operation and Supply Chain Teams and we needed them in a hurry. The Protis Global Team mobilized quickly and established a methodology to identify strong candidates and work them through the interview process in a professional and timely manner. Their grit, determination, understanding our needs and culture, sense of urgency and drive to exceed our expectations set them apart from the pack.”

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Thomas Frisch

Chief People Officer at IJW Whiskey

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“The team worked quickly and efficiently to find a unique position.”

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Kim Nguyen

VP of Supply Chain at Lallemand

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Everyone involved was extremely helpful - Gary, Michael, Ben - thank you!! The team didn't only search for candidates based on the job description, but also the qualities that I look for in candidates. 

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Shashank Gaur

VP of Product Technology & Innovation

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The interview process was smooth and extremely professional. Ben and team represented me as much as they represented the company. 

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Regional Business Manager - Foodservice

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Consistent communication, updates, and detailed knowledge of the client. The whole experience was top notch!

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Supply Chain Manager

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Very simplistic process finding the right role for the right candidate...keep up the great work! 

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Don Stohrer Jr.

CEO, Arla Foods USA

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“We’ve been a Protis Global client for eight years, and during this time have always appreciated the thoroughness of the recruitment process, as the candidates brought to us have been well-vetted, not only from a competency perspective, but more importantly from a [cultural] fit dynamic. Mike and the team have always been highly engaged to ensure they bring us candidates that match our culture. That’s been critical to the success of the candidates that have landed here by way of our relationship with Protis.”

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