Describe Your Role at V-Soft

I’m the HR Director and have been with V-Soft since January 2021. Since my arrival, I had an opportunity to meet a lot of our employees, understand their needs, and how HR can provide strategic and tactical support and services to our V-Soft family.

Historically, Human Resources (HR) has been viewed as administrative support. However, in the last 15 years, that trend has changed. In our current business environment, HR is viewed as a strategic business partner and has a “seat at the table.” During my interview process with V-Soft, I was happy to learn that is exactly how V-Soft views HR and its impact.

My role is to ensure that the HR team is providing not only tactical and day-to-day support, but also to identify opportunities where HR can improve current processes, identify new efficiencies, build on existing HR technologies, and ultimately equip our employees and leadership to excel. What I enjoy about my role is to analyze our current HR processes and identify opportunities for improvement that will have a positive impact. Those opportunities include improving benefits experience, introducing new learning and development tools, and improving our onboarding processes.

I’m very excited about partnering the HR team with other key stakeholders to introduce new tools, processes and initiatives that will serve our employees and their HR needs.

What is Something You're Proud to Have Accomplished at V-Soft and/or Your Professional Career?

Igor with V-Soft COO, Keith Giffney, accepting the 2021 Best Places to Work in Kentucky Award.

While I have been privileged to be part of many exciting, challenging and interesting HR-related projects, I will say that I specifically enjoy projects related to talent management and organizational development. While serving as a Training Institute Director for SCS, I’ve provided HR project leadership for the implementation of performance management system for the entire organization. The implementation resulted in increased compliance, management/employee engagement, reporting capabilities, competency assessment data, ability to understand development gaps, and opportunities for building on existing and acquiring new skills.

I’m excited about our partnership with Cornerstone and opportunity to lead a similar project for V-Soft that will include not only Performance Management, but a brand-new Learning Management System (LMS) that will have a positive impact on learning and development of all V-Soft employees and leadership. I really see this as a “game changer” for our V-Soft family and overall future success of the organization.

Any Interesting Stories in Your Line of Work? 

While there are many interesting stories in my line of work, I will never forget my experience while recruiting military candidates. Several years ago, one of the recruiting objectives was to increase the number of our new hires who have military backgrounds. Considering our geographical location, I recommended a partnership with the Ft. Knox Career Center.

Shortly after reaching out to them, I learned about the job fair events and engagement opportunities. During my first visit to Ft. Knox, I proceeded to the front gate entrance without checking in with the visitor's office. Shortly after my arrival, I was questioned about the visitor pass, purpose of my visit, etc. Military police pulled me over and explained the entry process. After speaking with them, I’ve learned that prior to attempting to enter Ft. Knox, all visitors must complete a “mini background check” before they are issued a pass. 

While it was interesting to learn about military entry procedures, it was even more interesting and cool to meet soldiers and military personnel who are interested in civilian employment opportunities. It was quite rewarding to learn about their experiences, leadership qualities, technical expertise, values, and how their skills can be applied in business settings. While recruiting can be challenging, it can be rewarding when you're helping individuals who sacrificed so much for our safety and freedom.

What Do You Enjoy Doing in Your Free Time?

Igor enjoying some coffee and the view in Bolzano, Italy.

I must say, I really enjoy being outdoors. My favorite local spots are Beckley Creek Park and Bernheim Forest. I also enjoy visiting Nolin Lake, where we have our family lake house. During summertime, being out in nature and water is quite relaxing and fun for me. I also enjoy home improvement projects, using power tools, and yard work. In addition, I enjoy travelling, discovering new places, and learning about other cultures.

What’s a Fun Fact About Yourself?

I was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. I moved to the US when I was a  sophomore in high school. For the last 25+ years, Louisville has been my home. However, I do enjoy visiting my family overseas. My father lives in Slovenia and when we visit, it makes it fun and convenient to visit nearby countries such as Italy, Croatia, Austria and Germany.

What is Your Favorite Thing to Do in Louisville?

Igor with his wife, Tara, in Rosemary Beach, Florida.

Besides being outdoors and visiting local parks, I enjoy attending outdoor events such as the Kentucky Derby, “Waterfront Wednesdays,” listening to local bands, and visiting local wineries. A lot of fun festivals and events are taking place right across the river in Indiana in Jeffersonville and New Albany, and I enjoy visiting them when time allows. I do believe Louisville is one the best kept secrets in the Mid-West due its friendly people, cost of living, and overall look and feel of the Bluegrass State!