Andrew Bartlow
CHRO & PE Operating Partner
Altamont Capital Partners
Episode 58
Beyond HR Basics: Cultivating the Strategic Mindset of Tomorrow's Leaders
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleSeptember 9, 2025 · 11:29
Thesis
“HR leaders must continuously and intentionally grow their foundational skills across all HR disciplines, learn to operate strategically, and adapt to changing business demands to effectively guide organizations, especially in environments where productivity and efficiency are paramount.”
Show notes
Episode Summary
What does it take to go from entry-level HR roles to leading the function at the C-suite level—and beyond? In this episode of Built by People, host Dave D’Angelo sits down with Andrew Bartlow, a veteran HR executive with over 30 years of experience, including leadership roles at GE, Pepsi, and Wells Fargo. Now an advisor, author, and mentor, Andrew shares his journey from startup HR lead at age 22 to CHRO of a public company, and how each role shaped his approach to strategic people leadership.
Andrew offers candid insights into career-defining moments—like surviving the dot-com bust, navigating a merger during the mortgage crisis, and taking a company public. He also shares his framework for building a broad HR foundation, why discomfort is a key ingredient in career growth, and how he's now helping today’s HR leaders thrive in a post-growth-at-all-costs era.
Whether you're an HR leader planning your next move or a founder looking to build people-first teams, this episode is packed with actionable wisdom and hard-earned perspective.
Key Timestamps
[00:52] – Andrew’s 30+ year career journey and early formative experiences
[03:08] – Career highlights and the importance of high-caliber training vs. startup grit
[04:23] – Navigating the Wachovia-Wells Fargo merger and surviving the 2007 crisis
[06:49] – How Andrew prepared to become a CHRO and advice for aspiring HR leaders
[08:14] – The legacy Andrew hopes to leave by mentoring the next generation of HR professionals
[09:49] – Final advice: how to intentionally grow and push your learning edge
Takeaways
Build a broad foundation to prepare for executive roles by gaining experience across key HR functions
Stretch yourself early by working in both structured organizations and resource-constrained startups
Learn through discomfort—growth often happens when you’re out of your comfort zone
Lead strategically by truly understanding business needs—not just using HR buzzwords
Support the next wave by mentoring and sharing real-world leadership lessons with others
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What you'll take away
- 1Seek diverse experiences: work at 'academy organizations' for best practices and take risks at startups to learn 'what fast felt like' and 'figure it out on the fly'.
- 2Build a broad base of HR experience (the 'pyramid' image) across various functions (HRBP, talent acquisition, total rewards, talent management) to effectively prepare for a CHRO role.
- 3In difficult career situations or downturns, persevere and contribute where you are, as this can lead to unexpected opportunities for growth and influence.
- 4Continuously and intentionally grow your skills through on-the-job challenges, formal learning, and self-study, actively pushing beyond your comfort zone ('learning edge').
- 5HR leaders must practically understand what 'being really deeply connected to the business' and 'being strategic really means', particularly in today's environment focused on productivity and efficiency.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Challenges the conventional wisdom that one career path (e.g., big corporate or startup) is superior, instead advocating for a dual approach that combines structured learning with high-growth, ambiguous environments for holistic development.
In Andrew's words
“I think I would recommend both of those things, you know, work somewhere where they know what good looks like and you can learn from people and also work somewhere without a, without a safety net. Where you have to figure it out on the fly.”
Offers dual advice for early career development, combining structured learning with high-growth, experiential challenges.
“I've done every element of this job at greater scale than you'll need it. The only thing I haven't done is officially taken that, that top job in the standalone role.”
Illustrates a strategic approach to proving readiness for a CHRO role by accumulating comprehensive, scaled experience.
“My purpose now and for the past few years is to help other HR leaders grow their career, build more confidence, strengthen their confidence.”
Clearly states his current mission to mentor and empower the next generation of HR executives.
“And so many HR leaders don't know how to operate that way. And so I, I'm trying to help other HR leaders. Understand what being really deeply connected to the business looks like, what being strategic really means.”
Highlights a common gap in HR leadership skills and his efforts to bridge it by teaching strategic business integration.
“Don't just stay put and stick it out, like actively look for those opportunities to stretch yourself.”
Emphasizes proactive self-development and seeking discomfort as a critical driver for continuous learning and growth.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Employees' number one concern is covering monthly expenses, highlighting a need for solutions like employer networks for financial well-being.
- •Many HR leaders lack practical understanding of what it means to be 'deeply connected to the business' and 'strategic', particularly in current economic climates.
- •HR leaders who developed in 'growth at all costs' environments struggle with the shift to prioritizing productivity and efficiency.
- •Company acquisitions can create significant cultural and functional friction for HR, necessitating strategic change management to integrate different approaches.
- •Aspiring CHROs often face stalled career progression in large, traditional organizations with transactional HR models, requiring strategic career planning to gain diverse experience.
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Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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