WATERVILLE — IDEXX’s corporate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Giovani Twigge will speak about attracting and retaining talent from 7:15 to 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at Thomas College and Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce‘s January business breakfast in the Spann Student Commons Summit Room on Thomas College’s campus at 180 West River Road.

Twigge will discuss why traditional approaches to attracting and retaining are more likely to fail and what you should do instead.

Twigge joined IDEXX in August 2010 as chief human resources officer. He has more than 30 years of domestic and international HR experience.

Prior to IDEXX, Twigge held international HR leadership roles, supporting employee bases of up to 12,000 people, for multibillion-dollar company Abbott Laboratories. Over a period of 11 years, he progressed through roles ranging from regional HR director to divisional vice president of HR, focused on growth, change management and turnaround. This included the successful turnaround of Abbott’s $3.5B Diagnostics Division as well as the separation of the company’s US and international nutrition businesses into a newly formed $4B global division with 6,000 employees. At the regional level, Twigge provided HR leadership for multi-country areas under Abbott International, including its European operations comprised of 31 affiliates and 5,600 employees. During this time, he led a number of key initiatives ranging from reorganizations to talent-focused programs in Latin America, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East.

The cost of the business breakfast is $18 for members, or $25 at the door and for nonmembers. Breakfast is included with the reservation. To register, email mailto:[email protected] or call 873-3315.

The sponsors for the Business Breakfast are AT&T; People’s United Bank; Cross Employee Benefits; Nicholson, Michaud & Company; O’Donnell, Lee, McCowan & Phillips, LLC; print media sponsor Morning Sentinel, a division of MaineToday Media, Inc. and radio sponsor MIX107.9.