#55 Balancing AI & Human-Centric Leadership with Bertie Tonks

Advanced Executive Leadership

How do we balance AI integration with a human-centred organisational culture?
In this episode I’m joined by Bertie Tonks, Chief People Officer at Collinson and a 2023 HR Industry Influencer to explore this pivotal question.
We dive into the impact of AI on leadership, performance management, and workplace culture.
And Bertie shares how his lifelong passion for skateboarding shapes his leadership approach and offers insights into fostering high-performance teams in the digital age.
Tune in to learn how AI can transform work processes without compromising the human touch—and what leaders need to consider to thrive in this evolving landscape.
More about Bertie...
Bertie was awarded the prestigious HR’s Most Influential Practitioner Award 2023 by HR Magazine and in 2024 was inducted into the HR’s Most Influential Hall of Fame.
Bertie describes himself as a skateboarder, he believes this is what defines him as a person above all else. He is a skateboarder who just happens to do HR. He is currently the Chief People Officer for a company called Collinson, the global leader in Loyalty and Benefits for some of the world’s largest brands. He passionate about people and transforming the world of work and this is apparent in the lasting positive impact of everything he does.
He is determined to ensure generations working both now and the future get to benefit of working in more human centred organisations. Thriving on challenging conventional thinking and best practice, instead he favours experimentation, looking at traditional business challenges from a different perspective.
Bertie has spent most of his career operating as both an in-house expert and management consultant, creating strong links between people and strategy. He’s had two expatriate assignments in MENA and the Americas, with experience stretching across a range of industry sectors such as Media, Retail, Financial Services and even Oil & Gas where he would spend a lot of his time on platforms in the middle of the North Sea.
Outside of work, Bertie supports the Employers Initiative against Domestic, encouraging organisations to make a meaningful difference to survivors and perpetrators. He also supports various charities such as the Concrete Jungle Foundation, focused on building skateparks in troubled parts of the word, providing fun, safe access and a sense of belonging and purpose for young people.
He loves what he does and it shows in the way he works!