HR Exchange Talks - Reimagining Work in the Age of Generative AI

Charles Abramo currently serves as Vice President, Human Resources Business Partner Function for Delaware North. In this role, Mr. Abramo is responsible for leading Delaware North’s HR Business Partner organization, Employee Relations, HR Shared Services, HR Operations, HR M&A activity, HR communications, and HR Help Desk. Prior to this role, he has help HR Leadership roles with Whole Foods Market, Crate & Barrel, and Gap Inc. Active in his community, he has mentored students in HR programs, been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities, and previously sitting on the board of PASCO, a nonprofit organization focused on providing leadership and HR education to small businesses. Abramo has graduated from the Stagen Executive Leadership Academy and holds a M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a B.A. in Communications from Niagara University. He is active in many HR, Leadership, and Business communities.

Although originally from a very small island off a rather small island (Alderney part of the UK Channel Islands) over the last 20+ years, Adam has lived and worked on-the-ground in more than a half-dozen regions, including Europe, the Middle East, India, China, and the United States. He has served organizations by enabling business growth globally through the provision of collaborative and generative People & Talent innovation/development for companies and clients from startups to Fortune 500 multi-national organizations.

He has spent the last three years leading HR and talent for what is now a market leader in Applied AI - Behavox. It's a company with a highly skilled technology and data science community dedicated to delivering beyond cutting-edge innovation. It's a company whose unique software platform has been engineered to allow leading banks and financial houses globally to validly analyze vast amounts of communication data and reliably catch bad actors in terms of compliance matters. Adam believes in the ability of strategic, scientific and systematic people / talent practices to positively impact organizations and drive competitive advantage.

He also believes that we are on the cusp of a tsunami of change in terms of AI augmentation of human workforces and is developing the philosophies and models to generatively support this change and help organizations succeed in it. The innovation and impact of Adam's work has led to him being selected for multiple professional awards including as a Workforce USA HR Game Changer, a Chief Learning Officer USA Talent Trailblazer, and a PANGEO Remote Work Culture Manager of the year, too. He was also recognized by the USA Government as an ‘Alien of Extraordinary Ability’ and by the New Zealand Trade & Enterprise as a ‘Beachhead Advisor' for HR & Learning. He is an MBA, a SHPR, a GTML and is currently continuing his studies at Cambridge University UK further advancing People Analytics.

Heidi is an innovative and strategic people leader who partners with companies as a Chief People Officer. She provides executive leadership, advisory, coaching and mentorship to CEOs, Founders, Executive Directors, and HR leaders at all stages in their career journey. With over twenty years of experience in multiple industries, including the technology and not for profit sector, she is passionate about transforming the human resource’s function and demonstrating its strategic business value. Since 2007 she has founded an HR practice, built three HR departments for companies from the ground up and became the first HR Executive for three companies. Heidi’s energetic leadership and constant innovation have earned her several awards, including the 2022 WBN Businesswomen of the Year Award for Community Impact, the 2020 Alumni of the Year Award (Business) with Algonquin College, the inaugural nationally recognized 2018 Leadership Agency Award for Woman of Distinction, a 2017 Top 25 HR Professional, the 2012 Ottawa Business Journal/Ottawa Chamber of Commerce Forty Under 40 Award, and the 2012 CATA Information Technology Strategic HR Leadership Award. Heidi is a Certified Human Resources Executive, a Chartered Professional in Human Resources, a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional and a Certified Coach Practitioner. She is a dedicated volunteer and community builder who supports a variety of organizations including Algonquin College, Code Youth, Hire Immigrants Ottawa, Women in Communications & Technology, The WIT Network, Women In Leadership Foundation and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).