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In April 2024, Entrust completed its acquisition of London-based AI identity verification firm Onfido.
For CHRO Kelsey Holthus, this meant integrating over 500 new employees, unifying processes, and integrating two separate organizational cultures to establish one strategic vision.
Holthus joins the HR Grapevine podcast to discuss efforts, including a global roadshow and culture fusion program, lifting the lid on how Entrust’s HR team are steering organizational and talent development to prepare the company for its next phase of growth.
Host: Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the HR Grapevine podcast. I'm your host, Benjamin Broomfield, Head of Content for HR Grapevine, and I'm joined today by Kelsey Holthus, Chief Human resources officer at Entrust, a global cyber security firm where she's focused on organization and talent development while continuing to evolve the Entrust culture for the company's next phase of growth. She's been with Entrust since 2008, first starting as an intern, and has steadily grown, with the company, ultimately being promoted to Chro in April 2024 right after a major acquisition. In this role, she's been a strong partner for growth in HR leadership across the business with deep expertise in organizational design and development, change management and compensation. Today, we're discussing her journey with a particular focus on her role since Entrust acquired Onfido. Having overseen the integration of five hundred new employees, one thousand two hundred customers and more than one hundred and thirty million dollars in revenue. It's been quite the journey. So a very warm welcome, Kelsey, and thank you for joining us on the podcast today.
Guest: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here and able to talk about not only my journey, but our journey with the Onfido acquisition and the new colleagues that have joined us just a little over eighteen months ago. So we're excited to talk through things today.
Host: Yeah, absolutely. Well, really looking forward to kind of getting stuck into the journey. Maybe you can first and foremost kick off by getting us up to speed with the last couple of years, obviously a huge amount of work has sort of gone in. But what would have kind of been some of the headlines over the last eighteen months?
Guest: Yeah. So as you mentioned, in April of 2024, we officially completed the acquisition of Onfido, joining the Entrust family. And it was really rooted in building a more comprehensive, identity centric security platform for us here at Entrust that spans onboarding, biometrics and fraud defense. So it really bolstered our identity, the identity portion of our business, but from the people side of things. And you mentioned this in in your introduction. Our Onfido acquisition had nearly five hundred colleagues that joined us, and as an organization with about three thousand one hundred colleagues, this was a very significant acquisition from a people standpoint for us. We've done some in the past, but it had been several years that we had done an acquisition of this employee magnitude. Right. There's all different reasons and strategies behind each of our acquisitions. But from a from a talent standpoint, this is a very big talent acquisition for us when we acquired Onfido in 2024. Since April of 2024 through 2025, we've been through what we would call our integration phase. So it's a it's a phased approach by design. It's not something that we do like a light switch. So there has been different components and aspects to that integration over the last twelve to eighteen months, most prominently in those first twelve months. And then kind of in the last the last six months as well. In January of 2025, we also sold our certificates business to Sectigo, which really was an indication of us doubling down on identity, cryptography and fraud prevention rather than our legacy certificate services. So that was a very material evolution for us as a business that was related also to the Onfido acquisition. In the middle of 2025, we announced that Todd Wilkinson, our current CEO, will be retiring at the end of our fiscal year, which is this March of 2026 and just a little less than sixty days here. We also announced at that time our internal succession of Tony Ball, who would be replacing Todd over. And we've been in that transition for the course of the last seven months. And that's interesting and notable from the Onfido acquisition standpoint, because Tony has been on our issuance and identity side of our business for his tenure here at the company, and most recently, he was the executive sponsor for the Onfido acquisition and spent the first twelve months working on that business and the integration in a lot of detail, even relocating himself to London. He's now since relocated back to the States as he prepares for his role as CEO, which will be official on April first of this, this coming April, I guess, of 2026. So lots going on that have happened that are interrelated and intertwined with the Onfido acquisition, I'd say. And then continuing to grow that business, both, um, into new markets, but also from a profitability standpoint, we're really excited about where we can take the business. Just this week, there was an announcement about a strategic partnership with Google aimed at advancing AI powered identity verification. So it continues to be a growth trajectory for us as a as a company on the business side. And then happy to dive into a little bit more details of what we've done in that time on the employee side here as we continue the conversation.
Host: Yeah, absolutely. Well, a huge amount achieved over the course of the last couple of years just rattled off so many things that it's yeah, we've got a lot to get through. And we'll definitely I think come on to obviously some of those almost leadership level challenges, the change management involved there, the the cultural shifts. But maybe kind of before we get into that, I think from certainly from a HR perspective, from an employee perspective, it's always interesting to hear about some of those sort of really core challenges that are practical level that you have to sort of work through going on this, this kind of journey. What what are some of those challenges been?
Guest: I'd say we avoided a lift and shift approach by design. So we want to make sure that we're being really intentional. Excuse me about areas where we should adapt or evolve or things that we want to do or not do with any acquisition as it relates then also to our, our, you know, Entrust team as well, things that we may want to start to pivot or do differently. So scale and pace is always a challenge. We want to make sure that we're being thoughtful about it. But you never really please everybody right. So even and then hindsight being 2020, you may think that you're doing the right thing to pace things through and then after the fact may say, oh, it would have helped us to go a little quicker there, or we should have, we maybe should have went a little too fast in that area. And it's hard to please everybody at all levels. So I think just in general, more scale and pace and sequencing can always be a challenge that you have to think through more. On the practical side, I would highlight and it probably comes as no surprise to people would be technology transitions. They're so near and dear to operationally how we work as colleagues, and they also are so part and parcel to the fabric of a company and how you the impact they have on how people communicate and ultimately drive culture. But that's one thing we've really seen a difference as we've worked through technology transitions. And so one very specific one I'll call out is that Onfido was a Google shop that utilized slack and had a very robust kind of startup communication style, with open chat forums across all of their five hundred colleagues that were very active and robust dialogue. Really, really cool. We're a Microsoft shop, we have teams and we were embarking. We have been embarking and growing in our usage and the culture we drive in terms of transparency and more ad hoc or informal communication and use of our teams. But that definitely catapulted us. The Onfido acquisition really kind of propelled us into a different utilization of teams because we made the conscious choice. Although we didn't adopt slack from a tech standpoint, we really adopted the use and tried to build an environment within teams where we can have open style forum conversations, and that was as a direct result of what we were learning and seeing with Onfido that we wanted to take the best of and model within our own organization. And that's been a challenge because on the fetal side, you know, they really had an affinity towards slack. So with any change management, moving to a different platform and using Microsoft Teams was a challenge for them. And then differently, but similarly so on the Entrust side, we had new use of tools and really trying to drive more transparent communications, more real time daily communications into a forum that is a new habit for many of our two thousand five hundred other colleagues that were just starting to utilize the platforms.
Host: That's it. Very useful. I think that's almost the perfect example of the kind of. Absolutely. I'm sure, an absolutely huge undertaking that took a lot of a lot of hours and a lot of work, but it's just one of those really important sort of challenges to work through. And again, I think what we're starting to hear, obviously, is, is a lot of those practical challenges, but then seeing how that's sort of shaped into impacting, you know, some of the cultural practices as well across the organization, which is where I want to go next, for sure. Obviously, again, there's been a huge amount of sort of work here across the leadership level in terms of being able to integrate, you know, two distinct organizational cultures and sort of bring them together and understand the right way to go to go about doing that. So how have you gone about that process and come out of the other side with really one strategic vision for the organization moving forward?
Guest: Yeah, I'd say from a leadership perspective, we really anchored in clarity of purpose. So from day one, making sure we had the leadership presence at multiple levels to be able to engage across with the on fetal leadership that joined the company to really drive kind of clear, clear, clear rationale of the purpose of the acquisition, the better together message of what we see as the future possibility for more of a rooted in the business case standpoint of why the technology coming together matters for us, and why it should be exciting and what success looks like. And so we really tried to ground all of our communications there. No surprise and really enabling our leadership teams to make sure that they could carry forward those discussions. I'd say, in addition to more leadership enablement and communication, culture specifically was not treated as something soft. It was positioned as a driver and a requirement for this to be successful from a performance and execution standpoint from day one. So we went in very hard with a onboarding plan that also included cultural connection programs, where we had cultural workshops with colleagues coming from both of the companies to bring together what made them successful and what success looks like. And so that we could better integrate. So we really tried not to take a like a parent company approach. This was not Onfido becomes part of Entrust. So they will adopt all of its ways, including their culture, not only from the sheer size of employees and colleagues joining us, but also the way in which their business was thriving. We knew that we wanted to. This helped to evolve and trust in a way that we wanted to make sure we got the best of both. So we really approached things from a programmatic approach, I guess, to culture in terms of the workshops and events that we would do to really try to make sure we were building those bridges and highlighting not only the differences, but also the similarities. And that was probably one of the key takeaways, I would say, in those first thirty days is that there were a lot more similarities than there were differences. And how do we help to emphasize and build on those? What we noticed is, even from a values standpoint, they had kind of punchier language around their values and adopted different language. But when you peeled back the onion, they were very similar as the values of trust. And so while there were different ways of communicating stylistically, the core of who we were and what makes us successful was very aligned, which we then wanted to keep building upon as we move forward in the integration. So it's a very measured approach in terms of communications and culture, planning, specific activities, which I can also get into as we talk about kind of the impact that those different strategies had on the acquisition overall, the integration, I should say.
Host: Definitely. I know maybe sort of one of those areas that's worth diving into is the global roadshow that you did just as an example of sort of that communications exercise and sort of really taking employees on that journey. And like you said, it's not sort of being a parent company takeover, but, you know, everyone coming together to sort of support the journey. So yeah, maybe you could talk a bit more about that roadshow and sort of any other examples of that culture fusion, and I guess potentially some of the feedback that you got from staff along the way as well.
Guest: Yeah, sure. I'd love to. The, you know, the roadshow you mentioned is something we did as part of our day one communications. So having our leadership teams in London, which is there, you know, Onfido core headquarters. And so we had this we made sure we did a day one launch in London. That road show was followed by other key employee population areas. So we went to Paris and to Lisbon to visit other colleague. Again, kind of high impact areas from a colleague standpoint. And we had our executive team go along with our my leader over colleague culture and engagement. Excuse me as I stumble over my words. And so they all went together to do this kind of celebratory road show and that it was rooted in a celebration. So we wanted to really land on that kind of purpose and positive messaging about the Better Together story. But we also did some very practical things at those road show. We did Onfido onboarding welcome kits, so we were able to do things which sound kind of minor, but they can be very helpful and important in the moment in terms of giving swag out for the new company and making sure that you feel like from an identity standpoint, you're part of something new. And also from more of that practicality speaking standpoint. We had our Onfido onboarding with Tech Access on day one, and that sounds very easy to say, but it's very, very difficult when you're in the midst of an acquisition. And from a technical standpoint, they are not yet in your environment from a firewall standpoint. And so we had to make external sites to have landing pages to be able to draw them in on day one, to be able to access things like benefits information, acronym lists and things that were very real to what it felt like to become an end trust employee. And so that was a big body of work that we stood up to have ready for these roadshows. That sounds like it's kind of trivial, but actually was very much done with intention to feel like you're already part of a day to day organization. We followed that up with more shared culture workshops by department, so I talked about a phased integration approach. Some of our teams more on the G&A functional side, integrated more quickly in those first six months. And as we went through those integrations, HR being one of those areas, finance, marketing and others, we then hosted shared culture workshops as part of the integration and the teams coming together, and that's where we really facilitated. How do we get the best of both? How do we learn more about each other? And then there's other teams that took a little bit longer by design on the product and go to market sales side of things, where we kept them intentionally a little bit separate for longer and then worked through those integrations at a later date. But those shared culture workshops really helped. And then the final piece I would talk about would be the Colleague Connection program. So this was also launched at the roadshows, and colleagues could then fill out a form to be paired up with a mentor or a buddy, a buddy system where there was a one to one connection that we could start building, from our Onfido colleagues to our Entrust colleagues in the same department, wherever possible, to really build those connections. And that that became one of a key learning we can get into here in a bit as well, is just the power of that one on one connection and building those relationships. And, you know, I know you talked about the impact and the feedback that we've had, which we can get into. But I would say the other key part of the roadshows and that first kind of three to six months was that we did pulse surveys. So we did a pulse survey for Onfido colleagues at the thirty day, ninety day and one hundred and eighty day mark and took the results by SGLT. So by our senior leadership team member, every function and department got their own results so that we could then, you know, make sure that we could make changes and respond to the feedback that we were hearing within our department, as well as at the enterprise level through listening sessions and transparent communications.
Host: Fantastic. There's so many sort of small and large success stories within all of what you've just sort of shared. And obviously, I know it always felt like kind of as straightforward as that perhaps in the moment, but again, sort of so many hallmarks of just a really successful cultural integration from that slightly more sort of slightly higher leadership level all the way down to some of the practical processes. You touched on a couple of points there, but I wonder if there's anything that you really kind of felt like you learned throughout the process, you know, over the last eighteen months, over the last couple of years that you'll be taking forward as, as to whether it is, you know, that point around sort of communication or otherwise. I know there's a couple of things that you mentioned there. What have you learned that you'll take forward?
Guest: Yeah, I'd say that direct access to leaders and to teams, the direct connection and the power of that. So the global roadshow gave people direct access to leaders, which helped build trust right away. But then it was that colleague connection program that really became the most effective tool. We launched with seventy five percent of the unfit rowers enrolled early on, and employees are still referencing it almost two years later about how it really helped them build that connection on a personal level to the company and getting to know people from an onboarding perspective. So that's one I'm definitely going to carry forward as something that we will utilize in the future. I'd say as I think about that, I'd say the other piece is it's not necessarily what we learned through this acquisition, but what I carry forward with me to every acquisition is, well, it's helpful to have a playbook. A playbook of things that have worked and things to make sure you're thinking through. And that's absolutely a best practice. I'd say every acquisition, every integration and colleagues themselves, everything is such a personal level. Both the why you're having that acquisition and how you want to integrate things as well as the people involved. And so you have to be able to build a plan. When you're thinking about an employee integration specifically, that is not a one size fits all. You need to really think deeply about the goals at hand, what you know about the colleagues on both sides, and the leaders on both sides to make sure you're building something that's successful. And then you need to iterate. You know, people are variables and you need to have a living plan, I think, to and be willing to acknowledge if things are not landing or going as well as you thought. And how do you keep listening and iterating to make sure that things are successful as opposed to, you know, staying the plan? If there's a playbook, if you will. And I think it's good to have a playbook and then iterate when it comes to people related things. So the final thing I would just say is that measurement builds credibility. So I'd say with this Onfido acquisition, we've done a lot of acquisitions and integrated many colleagues in my tenure here, and we learn every time. And although they're nuanced and different each time, as I was mentioning, there's also best practices we build in. And I'd say one of the biggest learnings and things we really doubled down on with Onfido, given its size and complexity, is building in more measurement systems with those surveys at the different pulse points and being able to read that back. It not only helps us iterate, but it also demonstrates trust and listening from a transparency standpoint. So it went even a lot further than we had maybe planned. So that was a key, learning that I'll be sure to incorporate into our kind of playbook, if you will, going forward.
Host: Absolutely. Yeah, I love that that concept of the living plan that you mentioned, something that's breathing, that's flexible, that changes. Obviously it has those sort of those firm roots. But yeah, just that adaptability I think for well really for any kind of change or transformation program, let alone something as major as, as this sort of kind of acquisition is, is absolutely something you need to have as a leadership team, as a HR team. So wonderful to hear all about that. I definitely wanted to touch by your touch on your own journey as well. At Entrust, obviously, you know, you kind of joined the company like I set out in the introduction those years ago as an intern, all the way through to the appointment of CRO, perhaps you could share a bit more sort of about your about your own story. It's rare that we, you know, kind of perhaps talk to a lady who's gone through that sort of full, that full journey. So what's that been like and what have you taken from that?
Guest: Yeah, I'd say it's was unexpected for myself as well. I never embarked on my career thinking I'd be with a company for, for such a long tenure. And have the been afforded such opportunity to grow and develop within it does feel, and I say this often here, both internally and externally. It does feel like I've worked for three or four companies in my tenure here, and that's because of the dynamic growth nature of Entrust. And I joined when we were a datacard group, and then Entrust Datacard and then Entrust. And you know that branding can be significant in terms of the hallmarks of how we've evolved as a company, but it truly has felt that way. And that's, you know, not by accident. And so it's been really rewarding to be able to be part of such a growth company and be able to grow myself from a career standpoint and from a development standpoint along with it. I did leave for a little bit and come back. I was gone for about eighteen months, almost two years, and then came back, which I also am thankful for, right? Being able to be afforded not only the opportunity internally, but we have a lot of what we call Boomerang colleagues here at Entrust, and we're proud of that because, you know, it's great to go get other experiences and be able to grow your career in different ways. There's absolutely value in that. And also, it's great to have long tenured and folks that come back. We love to have the right mix and being able to continue to evolve and trust. And so I'd say my own trajectory here is one that I carry forward to how I lead as the CRO. And it's really rooted in colleague development. But taking colleague development into your own hands, because I think it can be talked about in so many different ways. And really, we are the CEOs of our career and we own our career. And while we absolutely want to invest and provide opportunity for people from a formal development standpoint and having the career progression and development in-house here for colleagues, I think it's also recognizing how much you can grow and build your resume in terms of experiences and challenges and accomplishments in your day to day job, just by raising your hand and taking on more responsibility or, you know, requesting that hard project in a given year so that you can build your resume in ways that you didn't have otherwise. And we have that kind of all hands on deck culture here at entrust. That is really what's kept me energized and keeps me here. Right? It's that that caring and willingness to help each other while also wanting to win and grow. And so when you raise your hand, you're, you know, people will put you on a project, even if it's kind of outside of your core scope and you're able to grow and learn through doing and getting exposure to different things. That's been really, you know, something I haven't taken for granted, and I want to make sure we can continue to offer it to our colleagues. As the world continues to be more dynamic and more agile and require more growing skills. I think that there's just that, you know, the scale of that is going to increase, and it's my job to help make sure we're providing that to our colleagues.
Host: Wonderful. Well, Kelsey, a huge thank you again for taking us through, obviously, that long journey you've had, but also that especially the last couple of years, I think so much for people to take away, again, not just if they're leading an organization through an acquisition or through a merger, but also for just any sort of real transformation effort or just sort of day to day, all of those great practices about being able to engage with your employees, take them on that journey with you, that that really meaningful two way communication and how that that impacts your plans as an HR leader. So much to takeaway for our listeners. So very big. Thank you to you for joining us once again.
Guest: Thank you so much. It was great being here.
