About Ivonne
Workplace Strategist, Speaker and Survivalist
Ivonne Furneaux is an HR and communications executive and the founder of empower Up Consulting. She has spent her career leading communications, employee experience, organizational change and culture strategy inside some of the world’s biggest brands across healthcare, retail, manufacturing and real estate. For more than two decades, she has partnered with CEOs and advised C-suite leaders on enterprise communications, change management and employee engagement.
Leadership roles at companies across industries including Target, UnitedHealth Group, Anywhere Real Estate, WeightWatchers, SSAB, OfficeMax, Redbox and more
Ivonne is a corporate survivalist, teaching others how to navigate the chaos. She understands the REAL employee experience and builds culture that works in practice, not theory. She helps organizations—and the people in them—thrive through change and unleash their full potential by exposing the invisible forces that fuel disengagement and disconnection.
In 2025, Ivonne co-founded the North Star Speaker Collective with a mission to elevate women’s voices and help organizations find clarity in the midst of chaos.
Founded emPowerUp Consulting to help organizations lead through change and build better culture and connection.
Ivonne is a first-gen American, proud Gen X-er, mediocre hip hop dancer, self-proclaimed foodie and former military brat who lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her family and a black cat.
“I love to work with clients, connect with audiences, speak truths that go unsaid and challenge assumptions… with humor along the way.”
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