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Distrupt The Process, Not The People: Building Human-Centered HR with AI
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
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:
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
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:
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
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:
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About the guest
About the guest
Heather Hiddleston
Heather Hiddleston is a dynamic human resources leader with over 10 years of experience driving HR excellence in the manufacturing sector. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Athletic Brewing Company, she spearheaded initiatives that scaled a fast-growing startup into the leading non-alcoholic beer brand in the United States. Her strategic focus on innovative organizational design, employee engagement, and mission-driven culture led to Athletic Brewing’s recognition on Forbes’ Best Startup Employers list for three consecutive years. Under her leadership, the company achieved industry-leading employee retention, fostering a high-performing, innovative, and values-aligned workforce.
Heather Hiddleston is a dynamic human resources leader with over 10 years of experience driving HR excellence in the manufacturing sector. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Athletic Brewing Company, she spearheaded initiatives that scaled a fast-growing startup into the leading non-alcoholic beer brand in the United States. Her strategic focus on innovative organizational design, employee engagement, and mission-driven culture led to Athletic Brewing’s recognition on Forbes’ Best Startup Employers list for three consecutive years. Under her leadership, the company achieved industry-leading employee retention, fostering a high-performing, innovative, and values-aligned workforce.
Heather Hiddleston is a dynamic human resources leader with over 10 years of experience driving HR excellence in the manufacturing sector. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Athletic Brewing Company, she spearheaded initiatives that scaled a fast-growing startup into the leading non-alcoholic beer brand in the United States. Her strategic focus on innovative organizational design, employee engagement, and mission-driven culture led to Athletic Brewing’s recognition on Forbes’ Best Startup Employers list for three consecutive years. Under her leadership, the company achieved industry-leading employee retention, fostering a high-performing, innovative, and values-aligned workforce.
The leading podcast for the future of HR
The leading podcast for the future of HR
The leading podcast for the future of HR
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.
The future of HR is being shaped by real operators doing the work.
If you’ve led change, navigated challenges, or learned valuable lessons in people operations, we’d love to hear your perspective.
Apply below to be considered as a guest on the show.