Future Proof HR

AI can help HR teams move faster, but Miranda Pokoy argues that it should never be the first answer to a broken process. In this Future Proof HR conversation, Miranda shares how her background in workforce planning, resource allocation, and HR infrastructure shaped her practical approach to building systems before adding technology. The episode centers on a simple question HR leaders face right no...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Jim sits down with Tammy Sergie, CHRO and Privacy Officer at Edgewood Health Network in Canada, to talk about what AI adoption looks like inside a healthcare environment facing funding pressure, staffing shortages, and constant change. Tammy explains why AI is not just a cost-control tool for healthcare teams. It can help people spend less time on re...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Nicole Dubois, Head of HR at Parallel ENT & Allergy , to talk about why human judgment still matters as AI becomes part of everyday HR work. Nicole brings an operator's lens to the conversation. Before moving into HR, she led a region with a $60 million P&L, then moved through executive search, talent acquisitio...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Katrina Ali, Head of Human Resources at Freebee , to talk about how HR can move from AI skepticism to practical action while keeping people at the center of the function. Katrina shares how her perspective shifted as AI moved from a tech conversation to a workplace conversation. After hearing questions from employees an...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Sarah Chandler, VP of HR at Hensley Beverage Company , to talk about what it takes to keep HR high touch as AI changes the way work gets done. Sarah shares why she sees HR as both a people function and a process function. For her, AI is not a replacement for the human side of HR. It is an efficiency expert that can help...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Jim Kanichirayil sits down with Laura Muir, Chief Human Resource Officer at Polaris Transport , to talk about building HR infrastructure in a highly competitive transportation environment with a lean team, limited budget, and growing operational demands. Laura shares how Polaris moved from a more informal, family-owned environment toward a more struc...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Bea Bouras, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Newity , to talk about what it takes to make AI part of daily HR work, not just a product or engineering initiative. Bea shares how Newity moved from early AI experimentation to a broader push for adoption across the workforce. She explains why leadership buy-in, c...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Jim Kanichirayil sits down with Chad Hartzell, VP of HR at Barletta Boats , to talk about what happens when an organization sees AI potential before it has a formal AI role, job description, or project plan. Chad shares how Barletta, part of the Winnebago Industries brand portfolio, approached an opportunistic AI hire by starting with values alignmen...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Jason Carson, VP of HR at Bad Boy Mowers , to talk about how AI is changing HR in manufacturing and what it takes to use new technology responsibly inside a fast-growing, operationally complex business. Jason shares how Bad Boy Mowers has approached AI and automation with a practical, people-first mindset. For his HR te...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Jim Kanichirayil speaks with Melissa Ganchev of Universal Nutrition about how AI modeling helped challenge one of the most common assumptions in a growing business: that scaling always means hiring more people. Universal Nutrition had reached a new growth milestone and was planning for more demand across its manufacturing operations. The initial plan...

In this episode of Future Proof HR, Jim Kanichirayil sits down with Robert St-Jacques, VP of People at Apera AI , to talk about what it takes for HR teams to scale AI without losing control. Robert shares a practical framework for thinking about AI governance in different stages of growth, with a focus on how HR leaders can move quickly without opening the door to unnecessary risk. The conversatio...

In this episode of Future Proof HR, Jim Kanichirayil sits down with Brita Ohlin, Chief People Officer at Consafe Logistics Group , to talk about what a practical AI rollout looks like inside a people-centric company. Brita shares how AI first gained traction through customer demand on the product side, then gradually became part of the company’s internal workflows as teams started using tools like...

In this episode of Future Proof HR, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Emily Frieze-Kemeny, Founder and CEO of Arose Group , to talk about why leadership feels more strained than ever and what leaders need to do differently as change becomes constant. Emily argues that the old model of treating change like a one-time initiative no longer works. Instead, leaders need a repeatable operating rhythm that...

Jim Kanichirayil sits down with Monte Erritt, Chief People Officer at Vermeer Southeast Sales & Svc. Inc, to talk about what early AI adoption looks like inside a business with 12 locations, roughly 330 employees, and a strongly frontline, customer-facing workforce. Rather than treating AI as a trend to watch from a distance, Monte explains why his team started seeing it as a real strategic is...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Jim Kanicharil sits down with Mike Danubio, Chief People and Culture Officer at Keches Law Group , to discuss how AI can support compensation strategy, employee communication, and retention without replacing the human judgment behind HR. Mike shares how his path from the Boston Red Sox to a growing regional law firm shaped the way he approached HR le...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, co-host and executive producer Jim Kanichariyil sits down with Andrew Kissinger, CFO and people leader at Clark Logic , to talk about how a 50-year-old organization is using AI to support people-centered growth. Andrew shares how Clark Logic has grown from roughly 70 people to about 230, while expanding across warehousing, logistics, real estate, and...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Laura McGann, Chief People Officer at Prosci , to talk about AI adoption, change management, and why HR has a central role to play in helping organizations build the capability to change. Laura explains why AI is not just another software rollout. Because the technology keeps evolving, and because it reshapes how people...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Amy Goldfinger, Chief People Officer at Slice , to talk about what HR can and cannot hand over to AI. Drawing from her experience across Walmart, Heidrick & Struggles, and Slice, Amy shares how the people function changes across scale, why startup HR requires sharper prioritization and speed, and why the fundamental...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, our co-host and executive producer Jim Kanichirayil sits down with Nathan Peirson, Chief People Officer at Onit , to talk about leading organizational transformation while building momentum around AI adoption. Drawing from his experience inside a PE-backed legal tech company, Nathan shares what it takes to scale a business, integrate teams, improve e...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, our co-host and executive producer Jim Kanichirayil sits down with Kirsten Faurot, Chief People Officer at Bombora , to talk about what it really takes to build AI adoption inside an organization without creating fear, confusion, or resistance. Drawing from Bombora’s experience as a tech-forward B2B marketing data company, Kirsten shares how her team...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Jim Kanichirayil, our co-host and executive producer, sits down with Katie Fionova, Head of Human Resources at Four Inc., to talk about what it takes to lead through uncertainty when multiple major changes are happening at once. Katie shares how her organization has been navigating public sector volatility, a PE-backed transformation, enterprise syst...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Terilyn Monroe, Chief People Officer at Guardant Health, to talk about what it takes for HR to operate like a business while still keeping people at the center. Terilyn shares how her team thinks about the employee experience end to end, from recruiting and leadership development to support, strategy, and workforce plan...

In this special live episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, recorded on the floor at Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, Thomas Kunjappu caught up with Jenn Congdon, a 30-plus year HR veteran and HR leader at M Financial Group , for a candid conversation about where AI is already delivering value for HR teams and where the function is headed next. M Financial Group is an insurance, reinsurance, and weal...

In this special live episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, recorded on the floor at Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, Thomas Kunjappu sat down with Laura Brittingham, SVP of People at Prove , for a candid conversation about what AI actually looks like in practice for a scaling HR team and what it means for the function's strategic future. Prove is a leading provider of identity verification and authe...

In this special live episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, recorded on the floor at Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Shawn McIntire, General Counsel at Pebl , for a quick but packed conversation about what AI governance actually looks like in practice at a global EOR company. Pebl provides employment outsourcing solutions that allow companies to hire talent internation...