Guest Bio

I’ve spent the better part of 20 years in human capital, building, scaling, and evolving how organizations think about talent. What I’ve learned is this: HR is not just a support function; it’s the command center that coordinates every strategic move. When done well, it aligns people and purpose in a way that fuels growth, culture, and innovation.

Today, I serve as the SVP of HR Managed Services at LEAD3R, a consulting and executive search firm focused on the full spectrum of human capital strategy. My work lives at the intersection of leadership, systems, and culture: helping companies design sustainable growth through their people.

Before joining LEAD3R, I led People & Culture at HUDDL3 Group, LEAD3R’s parent company and home to a portfolio of human capital-focused businesses. I was also Managing Director of PTS Advance, where I helped transform the organization into the largest technical talent provider for the US petrochemical sector.

Whether I was leading M&A integration, redesigning recruitment strategies, or building high-performance teams, one principle has always guided me: align talent with strategy, and everything else follows.

That conviction was forged early in my career when I helped scale a staffing firm from start-up to global. A journey that culminated in a successful private equity exit. It was more than a growth story; it was a crash course in operational thinking, leadership under pressure, and realizing that people strategy is business strategy.

What drives me? Curiosity. I’ve spent years trying to articulate its power: how asking better questions can change the outcome of a meeting, a decision, or even an entire career. Curiosity helps us see through the Talent Mirage: the trap of chasing quick fixes instead of investing in lasting capability, culture, and leadership.

I’m here to challenge the outdated view of HR as the “fun police” or compliance-only function. I believe in a reimagined HR: one that sees the whole system, decodes macro trends, and serves as a strategic enabler for the entire business.

Whether it’s navigating complex transformations, cultivating diverse and multigenerational workforces, or guiding leaders through uncertain terrain, I bring a global lens, commercial mindset, and people-first philosophy to every table I sit at.

I invite you to connect if you’re ready to explore ‘what’s next’ for your organization.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Introduction to the Future of Teamwork

00:11 Meet the Team: Dr. Alicia McCraw and David Bumby

00:58 The Podcast Journey and Its Impact

01:44 Defining Core Values for the Future of Teamwork

03:23 Exploring the Importance of Values in Decision Making

05:17 Challenges and Insights in Podcast Production

06:18 Curiosity and Human-Centric Approach

08:13 Values in Action: Real-Life Examples

13:03 Crafting and Testing Core Values

22:26 Prioritizing Values During a Crisis

24:26 Identifying Core Values

25:26 Balancing Team Improvement and Individual Growth

26:27 Emphasizing Team Systems Over Individual Fixes