People Systems Leader

Adam Treitler

People Systems • Analytics • Human-Centered AI

Designing HR technology ecosystems that connect human data to real commercial outcomes—without losing the humanity in the process.

About

Adam Treitler builds HR technology ecosystems that actually work—for people and for the business.

Over the past decade, Adam has led the design, implementation, and optimization of complex HR technology stacks across industries including media, technology, retail, hospitality, and professional services. His work spans core HR, talent acquisition, workforce management, analytics, service delivery, and emerging AI capabilities.

Currently, Adam serves as Director, Head of HR Systems, Operations & Analytics at Related Companies, where he leads the evolution of the organization's people "central nervous system." His mandate centers on building durable operational foundations that enable insight, innovation, and scale—while improving day-to-day experiences for employees, managers, and HR partners alike.

Previously, Adam held senior leadership roles at Pandora Jewelry, where he supported over 11,000 North American employees and advised global HR leaders across EMEA, APAC, and LATAM. There, he oversaw a ~$20M HR technology portfolio, delivered multi-million-dollar cost savings through vendor rationalization, and embedded analytics into decision-making across HR, Retail, Finance, and Operations.

Earlier in his career, Adam worked at Twitter (X) and ViacomCBS (Paramount), where he led workforce system transitions, global talent technology rollouts, analytics pipelines, and process automation initiatives. Across these environments, he developed a reputation for translating ambiguity into structure—connecting systems, data, and process design into coherent operating models that leadership teams could actually run.

Philosophy

Adam's work sits at the intersection of architecture, analytics, and experience.

He believes HR technology is not about tools—it's about systems behavior:

  • How data moves
  • How decisions are made
  • How friction accumulates
  • How trust is earned or lost

Rather than chasing features or novelty, Adam focuses on:

Data Foundations

Standardizing the bedrock that everything else builds upon

Observable Systems

Designing for transparency and measurable outcomes

Service Reliability

Improving delivery consistency and reducing SLAs

Human-Centered AI

Ensuring AI augments human judgment instead of replacing it

"How do we connect human data to real commercial impact—without losing the humanity in the process?"

Approach to AI

Adam is particularly focused on AI as infrastructure, not spectacle.

He studied early AI/ML concepts during his undergraduate education and has since deepened that foundation through MIT coursework in Big Data and Human-Computer Interaction, alongside extensive hands-on experimentation and applied GenAI certifications.

In Practice

  • Evaluating AI vendors with a systems and ethics lens
  • Piloting agentic and automation workflows inside HR operations
  • Running lightweight experiments and A/B tests
  • Designing governance models that balance innovation, risk, and trust

Using AI to improve coordination, reduce cognitive load, and surface insights that enable better human decisions.

Areas of Expertise

HR Systems Architecture

Operating models that scale

People Analytics

Workforce metrics & insights

Talent Acquisition Tech

End-to-end recruiting systems

HR Service Delivery

SLAs & operational excellence

AI-Enabled HR Ops

Automation with humanity

Data Governance

Integration & quality design

Vendor Strategy

Cost optimization & rationalization

Human-Centered Design

Enterprise systems with empathy

Platform Experience

SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, Oracle, UKG/UltiPro, Avature, iCIMS, SmartRecruiters, ServiceNow, and numerous integration and automation layers

Background

A Non-Linear Path

Adam's career did not begin in HR technology—it began in poetry, film, and creative production.

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College with concentrations in business and scientific ethics, Adam entered the workforce through media and entertainment. While working at Viacom, he became known for quietly solving operational problems others ignored—automating repetitive work, creating templates, and sharing solutions peer-to-peer. That curiosity-driven problem solving eventually pulled him into analytics, systems, and operations.

His career includes deliberate lateral moves and calculated risks—including stepping back in title to pursue learning opportunities, navigating organizational disruption during layoffs, and briefly consulting before finding long-term alignment in retail HR transformation.

Across every chapter, one pattern holds: Adam follows interesting problems, not linear paths.

Education

Sarah Lawrence College

Bachelor of Arts, Liberal Arts & Sciences

2011–2014 | GPA: 3.8

Concentrations: Business (Media & Entertainment), Scientific Ethics (AI/ML, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Genetic Engineering)

Selected Certifications

  • MIT — Driving Innovation with Generative AI
  • MIT xPro — Data Science & Big Data Analytics
  • MIT CSAIL — Human-Computer Interaction for UX Design
  • Microsoft — Data Science & AI Fundamentals
  • SmartRecruiters Administrator Certification
  • SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting (SFX) Certification
  • Avature Advanced, Admin, and SME Certifications

Full list available on LinkedIn

Beyond Work

Outside of work, Adam is a published poet and creative writer, a cat dad, an advocate for equity, accessibility, and ethical technology, and a lifelong learner drawn to interdisciplinary thinking.

These perspectives deeply inform his professional work—shaping how he approaches leadership, systems design, and the future of work.

Let's Connect

Interested in discussing HR technology strategy, people analytics, or human-centered AI? I'd welcome the conversation.

Based in the New York City Metropolitan Area