Q&A with Kate Warman, Talent Acquisition leader
From building in-house AI job posting tools to navigating the complexities of global outsourcing, Kate Warman's experience brings a systems-focused, practical lens to what it takes to modernize TA. With a prior global remit covering 26 countries and 11 languages, her experience offers valuable insight for TA leaders operating in an era of constrained budgets, rapid technological change, and organizational upheaval.
Kate, you’ve worked in TA for a number of years and led functions across multiple regions. Can you give us an overview of your experience?
I've led talent acquisition operations, at one point overseeing 26 countries and 11 languages in my remit. At the peak in my prior company, we made around 8,000 hires a year; later, it was closer to 5,000. My remit covered everything from ATS and CRM implementations to workforce strategy and shared services. Around half of the 300 recruiters sat in shared service centers in Romania, Argentina, and the Philippines, which I oversaw. A big part of my prior focus was modernizing TA by shifting repeatable tasks into shared services and freeing up recruiters for higher-value work.
You talk about modernizing TA. What does that actually mean in practice?
For me, modernization requires looking at three core pillars in tandem:
- Workforce strategy (who does the work and where)
- Process simplification (how the work gets done)
- Technology and AI (what enables the work to evolve)
Too often, organizations focus on just one of these. But if you really want to evolve as a TA function, you have to consider all three holistically.
How do you approach AI adoption, especially in a way that gets recruiters and stakeholders on board?
When we started exploring AI a few years ago, there was curiosity, but also fear. In my past company, people were worried about what it meant for their roles. And when the solution wasn’t ‘pixel perfect,’ adoption suffered. The key is to focus on solving real business problems. Where are the friction points for candidates, hiring managers, or recruiters? Start there, and be intentional.
Can you share an example of where you've used AI to improve the recruitment process?
We built an internal job posting generator powered by generative AI. It starts with the organization's official org design documents, integrates our brand tone of voice, and outputs consistent, engaging postings in nine languages. It cut our posting time by 80% and gave recruiters something they could use in intake meetings – a solid 80% starting point that they could tailor further. It helped drive consistency, reduced duplication, and sped up time-to-market.
You’ve also worked extensively across cultures. How has that influenced your leadership approach?
I’ve worked in 35 countries. That’s both the greatest joy and biggest complexity of my job. I try to be really mindful of local context – regulatory differences, language nuance, cultural expectations. For example, certain states in the US require pay transparency in job ads, while others don’t. You have to design systems and communications that are adaptable but still scalable.
How do you bring the business along when rolling out new tools or processes?
Change enablement is huge. It's important to always identify early adopters, people who are curious, engaged, and maybe even helped design the solution. They become ambassadors who share their success stories with others. Also using real data and quotes from hiring managers or candidates to show impact. That storytelling piece is just as critical as the tech itself.
You mentioned that TA metrics are evolving. What are you seeing change?
Historically, I've looked at time-to-hire and cost-per-hire. But recently, there's been an inflection point. Increasingly, the question is: how did this hire impact the business? What value did they add? AI is enabling us to look at TA more holistically, connecting it to things like internal mobility and even alumni engagement. That integration of data across the employee lifecycle is where I think the real strategic impact lies.
What broader trends do you see in TA?
There’s no doubt that cost pressures are driving change. And recruiters are absolutely affected. We’re seeing more outsourcing and consolidation of functions. I think this is a signal to TA leaders that we need to stay curious, meet the market where it’s going, and continue learning. It’s about being proactive, not reactive.
What advice would you give to other TA leaders trying to stay resilient and relevant in this market?
Embrace curiosity. The world is changing fast – tools, business models, expectations. And there's untapped value in things you already have, like your internal candidate database. Use it. Nurture it. Your next best hire may already be there. And keep looking forward. This is a moment for reinvention, not just survival.
