The Emotional Load of Today’s CPO (MPL Live Toronto): CPOs of Mejuri, 1Password, & TouchBistro

In this live episode of The Modern People Leader recorded in Toronto, the crew reflects on the evolving role of HR leaders amid rising AI pressure, shifting expectations, and increasing emotional load. They unpack real-time challenges around strategy clarity, leadership trust, and how people teams must adapt to stay effective in a rapidly changing world. Our guests for this episode:- Kate Railton, Chief People Officer @ Mejuri- Katya Laviolette, Chief People Officer @ 1Password- Jenny Do Forno, Chief People Officer @ TouchBistro----  Sponsor Links:🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl🔗 Explore the 2026 ​Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report🔗 Learn more about Intuit QuickBooks Payroll at QuickBooks.com/workforceMPL Links:🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.----  (06:00) Building with AI: Creating Tools Without Engineering Background(08:00) Internal Tools & Using AI to Solve Operational Problems(10:00) Framing the Conversation: State of HR & Growing Expectations(12:00) Poll Results Breakdown: Why HR Leaders Feel Split(14:00) Strategy Misalignment: The Real Organizational Problem(17:00) Communication Gaps & Repeating Strategy Effectively(18:00) The Emotional Load on HR Leaders Today(19:00) How the CPO Role Has Evolved Since COVID(21:00) Speed of Change & Constant Decision-Making Pressure(23:00) Balancing Short-Term vs Medium-Term Thinking in HR(25:00) Transparency, Trust & Decision-Making in Organizations(27:00) Managing Complexity in Large vs Growing Companies(29:00) The Future of Career Paths & Organizational Design(31:00) Challenges in Advising Employees on Career Growth(32:00) Misunderstandings About the CPO Role(34:00) Saying No & Avoiding the “Catch-All” HR Trap(35:00) HR Is Not the Therapist: Redefining Responsibilities(36:00) HumanOps vs PeopleOps: Where HR Should Focus(38:00) Aligning AI Strategy with Business Strategy(41:00) Practical Framework: Building Strategy with “So What?”(44:00) AI as a Business Driver vs Just a Tool(46:00) Enforcing AI Adoption & Organizational Expectations(47:00) Iterating Strategy Across Different Employee Groups(48:00) Q&A Begins: AI Replacing Roles & Team Structures(50:00) Headcount Strategy & Reimagining Roles with AI(52:00) Where AI Will Impact HR Most (TA, Learning, Compensation)(54:00) Task-Based Thinking vs Role-Based Thinking(55:00) Rebuilding Teams Around Work, Not Titles(56:00) Resistance to Change & Leadership Challenges(58:00) The End of Traditional Org Design Playbooks(59:00) Revenue Per Employee & New Success Metrics(01:01:00) Preparing for AI Mandates from Leadership(01:02:00) Managing Crisis Culture in HR Roles(01:04:00) Trust, Leadership, and Being Included Early