Influential Women spotlights HR leader Gisela Torres

Influential Women highlighted Gisela (Bonilla) Torres, BSBA, MSHRM, for her two decades of HR leadership, legal-risk expertise and talent development work across multinational organizations. The profile points to her growing impact in employee relations, compliance and workforce strategy as HR becomes a more central business function.

Why it matters: - Gisela (Bonilla) Torres represents the growing role of human resources as a strategic business function, not just an administrative one. - Her work touches employee relations, compliance, workforce planning and leadership decisions across a multinational environment. - The profile underscores how HR leaders are being asked to balance business performance, legal risk and employee expectations at the same time.

What happened: - Influential Women showcased Gisela (Bonilla) Torres, BSBA, MSHRM, in a June 5, 2026 profile. - Torres serves as a Human Resources Manager at a global organization with locations in multiple countries, including the United States. - In that role, Torres supports about 250 employees on site while aligning people strategy with business objectives. - The profile is based in Nutley, New Jersey.

The details: - Torres has more than 20 years of experience in full-cycle HR strategy, workforce planning, employee relations and talent development. - Her background includes legal-risk-focused HR, compliance, union relations and grievance management. - Torres spent nearly 25 years with the State of New Jersey after pausing her education for family responsibilities. - Her public-sector work included training, onboarding, workforce support and employee development. - Torres earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in less than a year before moving into corporate HR at Quest Diagnostics. - At Quest Diagnostics, she supported employee relations, recruiting and HR business partnership initiatives. - Torres later became a District Human Resources Manager overseeing multiple locations during the COVID-19 pandemic. - She led a large HR team through that period and strengthened experience in EEOC compliance. - Torres recently earned a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from the University of Phoenix. - Her graduate studies focused on ethical leadership, workforce development and organizational strategy. - Torres has started doctoral studies. - She is fluent in English and proficient in Spanish. - Torres is a mother of four adult children and says her family remains a central motivation. - Her background includes growing up with limited financial resources, nearly leaving high school before graduation and drawing support from teachers who believed in her potential. - Torres credits her mother’s factory work and her father’s PhD with shaping her view of resilience and education. - She emphasizes integrity, fairness, respect, empathy and continuous growth in her leadership approach. - Torres also focuses on mentoring employees, developing leadership pipelines and creating growth opportunities inside her organization. - Her interests include civic engagement, civil rights and diversity initiatives. - More information is available through Torres’ Influential Women profile.

Between the lines: - Torres’ career path reflects a mix of public-sector experience, private-sector HR and advanced education that is common among senior HR leaders. - Her emphasis on fairness, trust and legal-risk awareness points to the pressure HR teams face as workplace expectations and compliance demands rise. - The profile frames personal adversity as part of her leadership identity, linking resilience and advocacy to her management style.

What’s next: - Torres is pursuing doctoral studies, signaling continued professional and academic advancement. - Her profile suggests she will keep focusing on mentoring, workforce development and leadership support inside multinational organizations. - The broader HR challenge she highlights is likely to remain the same: helping companies stay competitive while meeting employees’ expectations for transparency and strong leadership.

The bottom line: - Influential Women is positioning Torres as an example of the modern HR leader: operational, strategic and centered on people, compliance and culture.