When the 2028 Summer Olympics arrive in Los Angeles, the world will witness athletic excellence on the grandest stage. But behind every medal-winning performance will be a workforce of thousands of people who made it possible. From volunteer coordinators to operations directors to timekeepers, the entire organization must be built from scratch, with a hard deadline … and the world watching.
Tami Majer, chief people officer of LA28, and Jill Wiltfong, chief marketing officer at Korn Ferry, are leading this talent initiative. Their insights reveal principles that extend beyond the Olympic arena, offering HR leaders touchpoints for high-stakes talent execution in any industry.
‘Not a job for life, but the job of a lifetime’
The key to a talent strategy for a time-bound, high-visibility project like the Olympics is the employee value proposition itself. “At the end of the day, the fundamental difference is that while this isn’t a job for life, it’s the job of a lifetime, which changes everything about how you approach talent strategy,” explains Wiltfong. Her team at Korn Ferry is serving as the official talent and organizational consulting partner for LA28.
The LA28 HR staff focuses on packaging the employee value proposition in a way that makes people understand not just what they’ll do, but why it matters. Then they dig into individual strengths, ensuring each person lands in a role where they can thrive under Olympic-grade pressure.
Because there’s a finite timeline, the HR leadership team also thinks steps ahead about how employees can continue their careers after the event wraps. “It’s important to help workers find what comes after for them post-Games,” says Wiltfong. “We’re focused on the entire talent ecosystem, from hiring to tackling what is next, all compressed into a timeline where the world is watching, and there’s little room for error.”
Balancing speed and quality at scale
The LA28 team currently has people on the ground in Los Angeles building teams today, with plans to scale to approximately 5,000 employees over the next year and a half.
When hiring at this velocity under intense pressure, how do HR teams ensure quality doesn’t suffer? According to Wiltfong, the balance comes from understanding people’s strengths and getting them into the right roles from the start. “When you do that well, speed and quality actually work together,” she notes.
What competencies become non-negotiable? “You need people who can adapt quickly, who can thrive in intensity, who can be world-class in their own way even if they’re not world-class athletes,” Wiltfong explains.
Org design with a sunset date
LA28 represents a unique organizational design challenge of building an entire company from the ground up with a predetermined end date. This clean-slate approach offers lessons for traditional organizations struggling with legacy structures.
“At LA28, we have a unique responsibility to communicate both the incredible honor of joining this once-in-a-lifetime journey and be upfront about the unique challenges that come with delivering the largest sporting event in the world,” says Majer. “We seek out individuals who are passionate about making history and are comfortable with the organization coming to an end after the Games.”
While the Games entail a highly specialized set of circumstances, traditional HR teams can be equally intentional about defining and communicating mission and values during hiring to attract talent that is aligned, engaged and purpose-driven.
Accelerating culture formation
With mere months to create a culture strong enough to sustain 5,000 people through intense pressure, every interaction matters. Majer’s strategy focuses on reinforcing a culture where the team learns from collective challenges and works to find solutions together.
This approach builds what Majer describes as “a tight-knit workforce united by shared purpose, pride in the mission and the energy to perform under pressure.” Rather than relying on time to develop organically, LA28 deliberately constructs cultural touchpoints that bond the team around their shared endeavor.
LA28 brought in Korn Ferry as a strategic partner rather than hiring multiple vendors for different talent needs. “There’s a reason this is a partnership and not a sponsorship,” Wiltfong emphasizes. “That difference matters when you’re trying to build an operation this complex at scale.”
For HR teams, this peek behind the curtain reveals a narrative beyond sports. “Many times, the focus is solely on the athletes. While obviously incredibly important, this partnership also allows the people behind the athletes to shine,” says Wiltfong.
The translatable talent playbook
Not every organization has a closing ceremony, but many face similar execution demands. So, what transfers from the LA28 playbook to traditional organizations?
Any HR team benefits from clear leadership standards, trust and well-defined expectations, supported by systems that keep teams aligned. These factors matter as much for a fast-growing company adding thousands of employees in a short time as for an established organization navigating large-scale change.
Majer identifies several core principles. “At LA28, the urgency comes from knowing the world is watching us and that we have an end date,” she says. “That said, every organization has its own stage, whether that’s customers, communities or stakeholders. While the project is unique, the fundamentals translate across any organization.”
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