Chief People & Culture Officer Beth Price on leading through change, putting people first, and why the best transformations happen from the inside out.
When Beth Price thinks about success, her definition looks nothing like it did a decade ago. Back then, as a corporate attorney at First Advantage, success meant closing deals and navigating complex legal terrain. Today, as the company’s Chief People & Culture Officer, it’s about something far more nuanced. “Success for me is aligning our people strategy with our business strategy so that culture becomes a true performance enabler.”
It’s a shift that perfectly captures what’s happened at First Advantage over the past year. When the global Human Resources (HR) technology company acquired its largest competitor, Sterling, in October 2024, it could have been just another corporate integration story. Instead, it became something rarer: a masterclass in intentional culture-building.
From Lawyer to People Leader
Price’s journey to the C-suite wasn’t traditional, but it makes perfect sense in hindsight. After more than 20 years with First Advantage — including five vastly different roles — she’d built something invaluable: deep institutional knowledge paired with genuine care for people.
“I’ve had the opportunity to do very different things, and that has ensured I was never bored,” she says. Her legal background, particularly in corporate governance, employee relations, and mergers and acquisitions, gave her a unique perspective on what makes integrations succeed or fail. When leadership asked if she’d be interested in moving to HR, her response was immediate: “Absolutely. I had loved the people aspect of my legal career.”
The timing couldn’t have been better. Taking the helm of People & Culture just as the Sterling acquisition kicked off meant Price could apply everything she learned about organizational change to one of the most critical challenges: blending two strong company cultures into something even stronger.
People, Not Human Resources
One of Price’s first moves was deceptively simple but symbolically powerful: changing the department name from Human Resources to People & Culture. “We really wanted to focus on our people and our culture,” she explains. “People are not interchangeable. They are the heart of innovation, growth, and our strategy.”
It wasn’t just a department rebrand — it was a philosophy shift that would guide everything from daily operations to major strategic decisions. When you’re managing the integration of two companies with a total of about 10,000 employees across 19 countries, that distinction matters.
Building Values That Actually Mean Something
Rather than impose values from either legacy company, Price and her team did something bold: they asked employees for feedback. Extensively.
The process involved global focus groups, surveys, coffee chats, and town halls where employees from both First Advantage and Sterling could share what mattered most to them. “We took time to really look at what was resonating with our employees and where we wanted to go as a company moving forward,” Price says.
What emerged were five values that felt authentic because they came directly from the people living them every day:
Authenticity – Be honest, be human, be real
Curiosity – Ask questions, explore boldly
Integrity – Always do the right thing
Teamwork – Win together and grow together
Customer-Inspired – Start with the customer and build with purpose
The process revealed something encouraging: despite coming from different organizations, people wanted remarkably similar things. “We were more alike than we thought,” Price notes. “It allowed employees from both legacy organizations to sit in focus groups together and understand one another.”
Communication Without the Corporate Speak
Managing a major integration while keeping people engaged requires dropping the typical corporate playbook. Price started coffee chats to meet with employees in smaller groups. The company implemented periodic pulse surveys to check in on employee sentiment around the integration — their latest achieved an 85% participation rate with an overall favorability rating of 78%.
“You almost can’t over-communicate with employees during an integration,” Price learned. “This is a hard time, and we recognize that.” The approach worked. Based on the surveys, employees are engaged and optimistic about the future.
Making Employee Experience Real
First Advantage created a dedicated employee experience team focused on four areas that matter to team members: wellbeing, recognition, connection, and volunteerism. The results speak for themselves.
A recent fitness challenge had hundreds of active participants logging millions of steps while raising thousands of dollars for charity. Employees shared photos from their daily walks, creating virtual connections from mountain ranges in Canada to countryside scenes in England and landscapes in India.
Other initiatives include six employee impact groups created to build an instant community for remote workers, and the FA Cares program, connecting people with local volunteer opportunities. Price herself has participated multiple times in Sleep in Heavenly Peace events, building beds for children in need.
Growing People While Growing Careers
Professional development at First Advantage reflects the same thoughtful approach as employee experience. The SOAR program gives new managers comprehensive leadership training, including personality assessments and regional employment law knowledge. The Mentorship Advantage Program has grown dramatically, with recent cohorts including 144 mentees and mentors.
“Career development is a two-way street,” Price explains. “There’s responsibility on the employee as well as the employer. You have to be a lifelong learner with a growth mindset, but also have company resources and programs to support it.”
Price’s own career exemplifies this philosophy. Her transition from Legal to People & Culture — particularly during a major acquisition — shows what’s possible when organizations truly foster internal growth.
Remote but Connected
As a global company, First Advantage embraced remote work not as a pandemic response but as a strategic advantage. “While we do have multiple offices across the globe, we’re largely a remote company,” Price explains, noting how this flexibility appeals to people with diverse needs and lifestyles.
But remote doesn’t mean disconnected. The company invests heavily in bringing people together through virtual events, regional meetups, and global initiatives that showcase the diversity and talent of their workforce.
The Technology Edge
First Advantage operates at the cutting edge of HR technology, conducting 190+ million background screens annually and maintaining 900+ million records in proprietary databases. The company serves 80,000 organizations worldwide with employment screening, digital identity solutions, and verification services powered by AI.
“We’re really focused on empowering our people with the skills they need to be a future-ready workforce,” Price says, “and it will be a focus for our employees — getting them savvy in the AI world and making it part of their day-to-day lives.” For professionals looking to work with emerging technology while making meaningful impact, it’s a compelling combination.
What Success Actually Looks Like
A year after the Sterling acquisition, the results validate Price’s approach to bringing two powerhouses together. Employee engagement surveys show remarkable participation rates. The values rollout has been met with enthusiasm. People are excited about the company’s direction.
“Success is a team sport,” Price reflects. “One of the most powerful insights from our values assessment was how deeply teamwork resonated. There’s no way we could get where we are today without teamwork. I want to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for the People & Culture team, whose dedication and collaboration have been instrumental while integrating two companies.”
Why This Matters
Price’s story matters because it shows what’s possible when companies genuinely put people first — not as a buzzword, but as a business strategy. When you create conditions for people to do their best work, when leadership is strong and values-driven, when decisions embed culture rather than compromise it — that’s when transformations succeed.
For professionals considering their next move, First Advantage offers something increasingly rare: a place where career growth is actively supported, where remote flexibility doesn’t mean career isolation, and where the work genuinely helps other organizations hire smarter and onboard faster.
“If you come here, you will have a rewarding career,” Price promises. “You’ll access cutting-edge technology and have great leadership. The people, your team, and your leaders will be great mentors and partners.”
As someone who’s built a 20-year career while raising a family at the same company, Price embodies the possibility she’s describing. Sometimes the best transformations happen when you take care of people first and trust that everything else will follow.
Interested in joining First Advantage? Learn more about career opportunities at fadv.com/careers.
