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The Adaptability Imperative: Redesigning Work and Leading Through AI Disruption
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
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 creating a culture of adaptability at every level. His approach to HR as a profit center, not a cost center, challenges the entire function to think more like business operators than administrators.
Topics Discussed:
The “job elimination paradox”: How automation wiped out a role and opened the door to growth
Real-world playbook: Upskilling recruiters into higher-value work without fear-based messaging
Why HR needs to stop hiding behind “magic black box” thinking and understand how LLMs actually work
What happened when an intern’s AI research changed everything
Why adaptability—not experience—is the new hiring filter
A call for HR to lead AI transformation, not wait for permission
Rethinking HR as a profit center: Translating people work into business impact
Why continuous learning is now non-negotiable for every knowledge worker
Additional resources:
Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
Future Proof HR Community
Christopher Courneen on LinkedIn
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
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 creating a culture of adaptability at every level. His approach to HR as a profit center, not a cost center, challenges the entire function to think more like business operators than administrators.
Topics Discussed:
The “job elimination paradox”: How automation wiped out a role and opened the door to growth
Real-world playbook: Upskilling recruiters into higher-value work without fear-based messaging
Why HR needs to stop hiding behind “magic black box” thinking and understand how LLMs actually work
What happened when an intern’s AI research changed everything
Why adaptability—not experience—is the new hiring filter
A call for HR to lead AI transformation, not wait for permission
Rethinking HR as a profit center: Translating people work into business impact
Why continuous learning is now non-negotiable for every knowledge worker
Additional resources:
Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
Future Proof HR Community
Christopher Courneen on LinkedIn
About this episode
Transcript
About this episode
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 creating a culture of adaptability at every level. His approach to HR as a profit center, not a cost center, challenges the entire function to think more like business operators than administrators.
Topics Discussed:
The “job elimination paradox”: How automation wiped out a role and opened the door to growth
Real-world playbook: Upskilling recruiters into higher-value work without fear-based messaging
Why HR needs to stop hiding behind “magic black box” thinking and understand how LLMs actually work
What happened when an intern’s AI research changed everything
Why adaptability—not experience—is the new hiring filter
A call for HR to lead AI transformation, not wait for permission
Rethinking HR as a profit center: Translating people work into business impact
Why continuous learning is now non-negotiable for every knowledge worker
Additional resources:
Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot
Future Proof HR Community
Christopher Courneen on LinkedIn
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About the guest
About the guest
Christopher Courneen
Chris is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Human Resources at MS International, Inc., where he leads HR strategy, digital transformation, and organizational design across 60+ locations globally. With a professional background that spans operations, supply chain, and sales, Chris brings a deeply business-minded, outcomes-focused approach to HR where he bridges the gap between people strategy and enterprise performance. Recognized globally as one of the Top 100 HR Professionals, he has led award-winning HR teams through large-scale modernization efforts, integrating AI, agile design, and digital systems to build scalable, future-ready organizations. Chris is also a high-energy keynote speaker known for his bold yet practical insights on workforce transformation, HR innovation, and using technology to unlock business value.
Chris is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Human Resources at MS International, Inc., where he leads HR strategy, digital transformation, and organizational design across 60+ locations globally. With a professional background that spans operations, supply chain, and sales, Chris brings a deeply business-minded, outcomes-focused approach to HR where he bridges the gap between people strategy and enterprise performance. Recognized globally as one of the Top 100 HR Professionals, he has led award-winning HR teams through large-scale modernization efforts, integrating AI, agile design, and digital systems to build scalable, future-ready organizations. Chris is also a high-energy keynote speaker known for his bold yet practical insights on workforce transformation, HR innovation, and using technology to unlock business value.
Chris is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Human Resources at MS International, Inc., where he leads HR strategy, digital transformation, and organizational design across 60+ locations globally. With a professional background that spans operations, supply chain, and sales, Chris brings a deeply business-minded, outcomes-focused approach to HR where he bridges the gap between people strategy and enterprise performance. Recognized globally as one of the Top 100 HR Professionals, he has led award-winning HR teams through large-scale modernization efforts, integrating AI, agile design, and digital systems to build scalable, future-ready organizations. Chris is also a high-energy keynote speaker known for his bold yet practical insights on workforce transformation, HR innovation, and using technology to unlock business value.
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.