Distrupt The Process, Not The People: Building Human-Centered HR with AI

In this episode, Thomas Kunjappu sits down with Heather Hiddleston, Chief Human Resources Officer at Athletic Brewing Company, to talk about how small HR teams can lead meaningful innovation with AI—without losing the human touch. With a background spanning Apple, Constellation Brands, and Stone Brewing, Heather shares how transparency, empowerment, and strategic experimentation are helping Athletic Brewing build a more modern, values-driven workplace.

Topics Discussed:

• Why HR should automate process work to refocus on people’s work

• What “nice-to-have” moments AI can finally make possible

• How to drive AI adoption across a diverse, distributed workforce

• Creating two-way conversations about AI with transparency

• Where compliance boundaries should (and shouldn’t) be drawn

• Reimagining HR structure: fewer silos, stronger generalists

• How small teams can level up with AI-powered L&D and workflows

• And more!

If you’re building people strategy with limited headcount—or wondering how to use AI without compromising your culture—this one’s for you.

Additional Resources:

• Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot