Heather Oxley
Chief People Officer
GlobalLogic
Episode 135
Strategic HR Redefined: How Continuous Learning Empowers Global Teams in the AI Era
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJune 23, 2025 · 14:38
Thesis
“Effective HR leadership is rooted in continuous learning, embracing diverse experiences, and acting as a strategic business partner who understands financials, aligns with organizational goals, and empowers a global team.”
Show notes
Navigating a Dynamic HR Career with Heather Oxley from Global Logic
In this episode of the Built by People Podcast, the host welcomes Heather, the Chief People Officer at Global Logic. Heather shares her diverse career journey, transitioning from a background in chemistry and zoology, to consulting, and eventually HR leadership.
She discusses how her curiosity and willingness to take on new challenges have shaped her professional path. Heather elaborates on her approach to managing HR on a global scale, leveraging AI to drive innovation and efficiency, and developing a compelling employee value proposition.
She also shares insights on collaborating with Global Logic's parent company, Hitachi, and offers parting advice on becoming a true partner in HR by understanding financials, strategic goals, and building trust within the organization.
00:00 Introduction and Career Journey
01:50 Transition to HR and Leadership Roles
04:07 Global HR Strategy and Cultural Nuances
05:43 Leveraging AI for Innovation and Efficiency
08:09 Implementing a New Employee Value Proposition
10:45 Collaboration with Hitachi
12:30 Parting Advice for HR Professionals
14:30 Conclusion and Farewell
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What you'll take away
- 1Embrace curiosity, continuous learning, and diverse opportunities to build a comprehensive HR skill set vital for strategic leadership.
- 2Implement global HR frameworks with local customization to manage cultural nuances and empower teams effectively at scale.
- 3Leverage AI for augmentation and productivity gains, focusing on enabling employees to do more meaningful work rather than job displacement.
- 4Develop an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) through an employee-centric approach that reflects both current identity and future commitments, using it as a brand campaign and an internal programming framework.
- 5For HR professionals to be true business partners, they must understand organizational financials, align with strategic goals, and actively build trust by delivering impactful results.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Heather suggests that AI adoption within an organization should primarily focus on 'augmentation' and 'productivity gains' to enable 'more meaningful work' for employees, rather than leading to 'reductions in force,' challenging the common fear of AI causing job losses.
In Heather's words
“So if I think about my career, it's really been shaped by curiosity, continuously learning, and saying yes to things, even if I didn't know where they were gonna take me.”
This highlights the guest's foundational philosophy for career development and adaptability.
“HR is really a strategic function now. It's no longer a back-office function. So, you know, understanding the business, understanding enough HR, and putting the power of those two together makes it really fun.”
This quote defines the modern, strategic role of HR and emphasizes business acumen.
“You have to think about allowing people to make the right decision as close to people as possible.”
This emphasizes the importance of empowerment and localized decision-making in large organizations.
“Rather than replace roles, we think about this as augmentation. We think about this as productivity gains in the realm of an individual being able to do more meaningful work.”
This outlines GlobalLogic's optimistic and employee-centric approach to integrating AI into the workforce.
“We use that EVP today not only as a brand campaign, but also as a framework to test all of our programming that we do for our employees.”
This illustrates the practical and strategic application of an Employee Value Proposition beyond just marketing.
“Don't be seen as a barrier, seen as an elevator. Do it with poise. Do it with professionalism, and you will succeed.”
This powerful advice encourages HR leaders to be enablers of growth and success within their organizations.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations with global operations struggle to balance consistent leadership frameworks with the need for local cultural customization.
- •Employees harbor concerns about job security and the impact of AI on their roles, requiring careful management of change and communication.
- •Companies undergoing rapid growth and acquisitions (e.g., $500M to $2B, then acquired by a larger entity) face challenges in maintaining a distinct company identity and relevant Employee Value Proposition.
- •Integrating support services (HR, IT, finance) between an acquired company and its parent organization to realize synergy effectively.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Your career has been shaped by curiosity, continuously learning, and saying yes
Exploring Your Career Journey
Global Logic operates in 23 countries with over 33,000 people
How HR at Global Logic is global in scope
Software development is one of the industries that will be disrupted by generative AI
WSJD.com: Leveraging AI in the Software Development Industry
Global Logic recently implemented a new employee value proposition
Employee Value Proposition at Global Logic
Global Logic has been fortunate to join the Hitachi family
Working together as a Hitachi company
Heather, what parting advice would you like to share with our community
A High-Performance HR Professional's Last Words
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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