Future Proof HR

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Shari Chernack, Chief People Officer at Isaacson Miller and an ICF-certified executive coach, to unpack what it now takes for HR to operate as true business athletes in the age of AI. Drawing on experience across Fortune 100, PE, and VC-backed environments, Shari talks about how the CHRO role has shifted from administra...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Nicole Dessain, Founder of The  Talent Imperative  and curator of the HR Hackathon Alliance, to talk about what it really means for HR to co-create AI-ready, truly human workplaces. Nicole shares how a CEO survey calling CHROs the least AI-savvy in the C-suite sparked her own 30-day AI learning challenge, and...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Leah Pearson, Senior Director of Human Resources at First Onsite Property Restoration , to unpack what it really takes to run HR inside a disaster-response organization. Leah shares how her sales background shaped her business-first approach, how she built a culture where employees raise their hands to drive change, and...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Divya Devakran, Director of Human Resources at EVS Engineering , to trace her path from “accidental” HR to building a company GPT. Divya shares how she built EVS’s HR function from the ground up, why she started a passion project to create an AI-powered policy and coaching bot for her organization, and how she is thinki...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Alim Dhanji, CHRO at TD SYNNEX , whose career spans HR, finance, M&A, and even serving as President of Adidas Canada. From leading through supply chain crises to running startups and now driving an AI-first HR transformation, Alim shares how curiosity, simplicity, and critical thinking have shaped his leadership acr...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Omar Alhadi, Senior HR Director at  Adobe Population Health(APH) , a rapidly scaling, multi-state healthcare provider redefining how proactive, human-centered care is delivered. From leading HR as a one-person operation to shaping a strategic function that bridges AI, culture, and clinical innovation, Omar shares h...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Spandana Suddapalli, Head of People at Vidmob , whose career bridges analytics, leadership, and culture building across global tech and high-growth startups. Known for her ability to combine human insight with data-driven decision-making, Spandana unpacks what it really takes to build an HR function that’s both strategi...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Ester Gramegna, Head of Human Resources at Aventum Group , a global leader in reinsurance that’s reimagining what modern HR looks like in an AI-driven workplace. Ester brings a global and deeply human perspective to digital transformation, showing how HR can balance analytics, automation, and empathy to guide organizati...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Ken Moses, Chief People Officer at Cascade Environmental , whose career spans both high-tech and heavy industry. Known for his experimental mindset and willingness to challenge convention, Ken has turned curiosity into a leadership philosophy; one that’s redefining what HR can look like in an AI-driven world. From testi...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR Podcast , Thomas Kunjappu, CEO of Cleary, sits down with Sabrina Sdao, Chief Growth Officer at Thursday Strategy and former corporate strategist at Deloitte, to discuss how organizations can thrive in the age of AI through adaptability and human-centered growth. With over a decade of experience advising companies on transformation, Sabrina shares how adaptabi...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR Podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Gene Hallenbeck, Vice President of Human Resources at Dennis & Co Auto Group and longtime HR educator, to unpack how HR evolved from paperwork to partnership. With over four decades of experience from rotary phones and filing cabinets to AI-driven analytics, Gene has seen HR transform from an administrative function...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Lauren Tropeano, Chief People Officer at Docebo , a global AI-first learning platform supporting HR and L&D teams worldwide. Lauren is helping shape what it means to be an AI-first organization—from rethinking learning and development to weaving AI literacy into every level of the employee experience. Lauren shares...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Camille Wright, Director of Human Resources at American Health Marketplace , a fully remote health insurance marketing agency navigating hypergrowth and heavy seasonality. Camille leads HR transformation across a distributed workforce while driving one of the boldest AI adoptions in HR. Introducing automation that accel...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Shanda Mihali , Chief Human Resources Officer at Axiom Healthcare Services , a long-term health and assisted living organization serving communities across the U.S. Shanda brings a frontline perspective to HR transformation in one of the most compliance-driven industries, where the pressure to adopt AI collides with lim...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Stephanie Leal, Director of HR Learning and Development at  Mission North . Stephanie is leading a company-wide initiative to build AI fluency, not just within HR but across client-facing teams serving some of the most innovative tech brands. What began with a simple usage survey has evolved into a structured...

Episode Summary: In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu breaks down the largest study ever conducted on ChatGPT usage — covering over 1.5 million messages from 130,000 users . What does this mean for HR leaders? From demographics to global adoption, from workplace use cases to compliance and upskilling, Thomas shares seven actionable takeaways that every HR leader needs to know to stay ahead in the AI-p...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Diana Valler, Chief Human Resource Officer at TravelBrands. Diana’s journey is a masterclass in crisis leadership; she joined the company post-acquisition and mid-pandemic, tasked with building an entire HR function from scratch in the hard-hit travel industry. With no systems in place, she faced the ultimate "trial by...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Bernard Coleman III, SVP of People at Swing Education, whose career spans presidential campaigns, DEI leadership, and people operations in high-growth tech. Bernard brings a pragmatic and systems-oriented perspective on how HR can lead the charge in building AI fluency across organizations without panic, chaos, or gimmi...

In this episode of the Future Proof HR Podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Anne Bosse, HR Director at Einstein Moving Company, who runs the people function as a team of one supporting over 300 employees. Anne shares candid insights on the unseen burdens HR carries, the balancing act between compliance and culture, and how she’s navigating the promises and pitfalls of AI without losing the huma...

In this episode of Future Proof HR Podcast, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Preston Lewis, SVP, Communications and Consultant at Segal Benz, to explore the widening gap in how HR teams approach AI adoption. Some are leaning in with strategy, structure, and reskilling. Others are holding back, risking inefficiency, wasted resources, and talent loss. With over 25 years advising some of the world’s mo...

In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Marni Helfand, General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer at The Planet Group, to unpack what happens when legal risk, recruiting automation, and executive fear collide. From her rare position at the intersection of HR and employment law, Marni explains why the biggest risk isn’t using AI—it’s not using it. She walks through her team’s real-wo...

In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Christopher Courneen, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at MSI, to explore how HR leaders can turn job elimination into career acceleration by embracing AI, upskilling, and redefining the role of HR. Chris shares how MSI eliminated layers of work without laying off employees. Transforming recruiter roles, redesigning onboarding, and creat...

In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Sue Newman, Senior Director of HR at ATW, to explore how HR leaders can transform AI anxiety into an organizational opportunity while supporting a multigenerational workforce through technological change.  With over 20 years of HR experience spanning engineering organizations, public sector, and corporate transformations, Sue oversees both HR te...

In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Courtney LaTurner, Senior Director, People Operations & HR Business Partner at SecurityScorecard, to explore how HR professionals can overcome AI anxiety and leverage automation to become more strategic business partners. From navigating startup acquisitions to private equity spinoffs, Courtney shares her journey of building agile HR functions th...

In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Donna Beasley, Vice President of Human Resources at Alumus, to talk about how HR can stay relevant, build trust with executives, and thoughtfully embrace AI without losing the human touch. With decades of experience leading HR strategy across government, healthcare, and the private sector, Donna shares how her “3 Cs” framework- Customer Service, Comp...