AI in the Middle, Humans in the Lead: Inside a Lean, Analytics-Driven, Disaster-Tested HR Function

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 why she believes AI should sit in the middle of the process while humans stay in the lead.

The discussion explores practical lessons from AI experimentation, the complexities of compliance and cross-border data governance, and the evolution of HR into a leaner, analytics-driven function built for high-pressure environments.

Topics Discussed:

• How Leah’s early sales career shaped her people-first, business-first HR mindset

• The realities of HR inside a disaster restoration company

• Why AI is a tool, not a replacement, for human judgment

• Using automation to eliminate administrative load and free HR for higher-value work

• Building job architecture with AI support and cross-functional collaboration

• The importance of governance, privacy, and data protection across the US and Canada

• Bottom-up innovation: empowering employees to identify inefficiencies and lead projects

• The future HR skillset: tech fluency, analytics, business alignment, and change leadership

If you’re responsible for evolving your HR function into a more tech-fluent, analytics-aware, and business-aligned partner, this conversation gives you concrete ideas, questions to ask, and skills to prioritize with your team.

Additional Resources

• Cleary’s AI-powered HR Chatbot

• Future Proof HR Community

• Connect with Leah Pearson on LinkedIn