Louise Bijesse

Louise Bijesse is a talent strategist, HR leader, entrepreneur, and lifelong advocate for a people-first business. She’s the founder and CEO of UpTalent Consulting & Search, a boutique firm based in the Asheville area that helps companies across the country hire better, lead stronger, and grow smarter through executive search, strategic recruiting, and fractional HR support. Her career began in the kitchen as a chef and entrepreneur, evolved into corporate talent leadership at Fortune 100 companies, and now centers on helping growing organizations build strong, people-first teams. A wife, mom of five adult children (including triplets), sea turtle advocate, and former stand-up comic, Louise brings humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom to every stage.

Louise Bijesse

(828) 450-4197

Louise.Bijesse@UpTalentConsulting.com

linkedin.com/in/bijesse

Speaker Presentation Summary

  • From Chef to CEO: Reinvention, Resilience & the Realities of Leadership
    A personal and powerful keynote about breaking norms, building a business, and leading with courage and care.

  • How to Build a Talent Pipeline That Actually Works
    From succession planning to proactive recruiting—strategies to stay ahead in a competitive hiring market.

  • Building People-First Teams That Actually Perform
    Why empathy, clarity, and structure are the secret weapons of modern talent strategy.

  • Women, Work & the Long Game
    An honest, motivating look at leading, parenting, and growing through every season of life and work, with candid lessons from a woman who rose through male-dominated industries with grit, humor, and grace.

  • Beyond the Resume: What Great Hiring Really Looks Like
    Insights from a career in recruiting and what top performers and strong partners do differently. Cut through the fluff and learn what actually works when you’re hiring high-impact people.
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UpTalent Consulting & Search: Expertise and Peace of Mind

Through her firm, Louise Bijesse and team provide tailored support for Talent Acquisition in 2-month, 6-month, and 9-month packages, focusing on problem-solving, market intelligence, process improvement, employer branding, and leadership development. Partner with her to begin optimizing your HR and TA departments. It’s an investment in lasting ROI.

Louise had me hooked from our very first call with some of the most strategic insights I’ve ever heard in this kind of conversation. UpTalent is outstanding at what it does.

Senior Vice President, Marketing
Hospitality Organization