Elevating Talent Acquisition: Gen AI Tools and Techniques for Recruiting Excellence

As enterprises rapidly pivot to incorporate Generative AI (Gen AI) into their operations, they face significant knowledge gaps regarding its integration and application in specific business contexts.

Vijay will guide attendees through the nuances of integrating Gen AI in business, outlining an essential blueprint for developing Gen AI talent that aligns with business functions.

His discussion will also focus on the current trends and burgeoning opportunities in Gen AI. Vijay will also highlight the emerging skills and roles essential in the Gen AI arena, addressing how this technology is influencing various business sectors, including HR. His insights aim to provide a deeper, more nuanced understanding of Gen AI’s transformative role in shaping the future of business.

Mike Theilmann was appointed Albertsons Companies EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer in August 2019. A progressive, employee experience-driven leader, Mike has amassed a wealth of experience in human resources over his nearly 30-year career with Diageo, PepsiCo, Yum and JC Penney.

Mike began his career as a pension actuary and moving into human resources with Diageo. Upon joining PepsiCo he worked in the Taco Bell and Pizza Hut divisions in HR roles. In 1997 Yum became a public company providing Mike the opportunity to be involved with a world-class board of directors through an IPO. At Yum he served in senior human resources positions including VP of People Services, VP of Human Resources for its Europe operations and SVP Chief People Officer for the international business. Mike also served as Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer of J.C. Penney from 2005 to 2009 where he partnered with the executive team to accelerate growth through highly-engaged associates with a customer-centric focus. He was promoted to group executive vice president, where he led store operations, supply chain management, human resources and property development. Prior to joining Albertsons Companies Mike was the Global Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles’ Human Resources practice.

From 2013 to 2017 Mike led a venture fund focused on seed stage investments in technology-driven companies. He serves on the boards Fountain and Catapult Health and is an advisor to SemperVirens venture fund. Mike has had successful exits from Bypass Mobile (sold to FiServ) and Leapyear (sold to Snowflake). Mike also serves on the boards of the NextUp and the Retail Advisory Board at Wharton Business School.

Mike holds a bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College and a master’s in physics from the University of Nebraska.

John is a recruiting subject matter expert with 20 years of Talent Acquisition experience across several industries within startups to Fortune 100 companies.

Joining in 2021 and reporting to the CHRO, John leads the Talent Acquisition function for Albertsons, LLC and is responsible for a recruiting engine that delivers over 150,000 annualized hires. John has designed and implemented several supporting sub-functions, including onshore/offshore TA Operations, Talent Attraction, and Digital Enablement, each of which help drive delivery of Albertsons’ hyperfocus on candidate experience, branding, speed and quality.

Prior to Albertsons, John led the recruiting function for G6 Hospitality, parent company for Motel 6 and Studio 6 hotels. In addition to improving recruiting metrics and an ATS implementation, John built the company’s highly successful Military Recruiting Program, “Operation Fresh Start” which helped transitioning service members and their family fight both unemployment and underemployment

At Catapult Health, John led both the HR and Recruiting functions for a rapidly growing startup in the healthcare industry. John was able to fuel the continued growth of the company by working closely with Senior Leadership, Sales and Operations as Catapult expanded its footprint in to additional states.

John’s career started at JCPenney. With his first ten years working as a store operator, John was able to continue to drive positive P&L impact from an HR and hiring perspective when he transitioned into Recruiter and HR Generalist roles within the company.

A New Englander at heart, John grew up in Maine and graduated from the University of Maine. Now living in Dallas, TX, he enjoys taking full advantage of having a spouse who is a travel agent and enjoys traveling with his wife and two boys.