Leah Fochuk

Leah Fochuk is a strategic HR leader with over a decade of experience shaping people strategy across high-growth startups, large enterprises and financial services. She has built HR functions from the ground up, led globally distributed teams and held senior roles at Symend, Trans Mountain and Avenue Living. As Director of People and Culture at The WealthCo. Group of Companies, she brings a distinctive balance of analytical rigour, strong business acumen and genuine human-centeredness to every challenge she encounters.

When I look back on my career, what has shaped me most is a willingness to step into opportunity, even when it meant figuring things out quickly as I went. That was especially true in a fractional HR consulting role, where I supported multiple organizations across different industries, each with its own unique challenges, cultures and levels of maturity. I quickly learned how to diagnose root causes, think strategically about solutions and communicate effectively with senior leaders. The role pushed me to rely on data and insight to get beneath the surface rather than defaulting to assumptions.

Later, I led the HR function of a high-growth tech startup, contributing to its growth from the ground up during a period of rapid scale. That experience taught me the importance of strong foundations. Without clear structures, processes and cultural anchors, sustaining growth becomes extremely difficult. We were hiring aggressively during COVID, building a globally distributed workforce where talent attraction and retention were critical. We navigated that period successfully with consistent practices and a strong cultural foundation, which is especially important in a remote environment where culture cannot simply be overtaken by proximity.

That balance between adaptability and intention is at the heart of how I approach work.

Designing for People and Performance Together

Employee experience and business outcomes are not competing priorities. When you design them intentionally, they reinforce each other.

It starts with understanding what the business wants to achieve and translating that into a people strategy and culture. The moments that matter most—onboarding, leadership, feedback and growth—directly shape how people experience the organization and, ultimately, how they perform.

HR can design strong frameworks, but employee experience is ultimately lived through leaders. A significant part of my role is equipping leaders to balance performance with genuine care for their people and holding them accountable for both.

At WealthCo, this has meant building consistent, structured touchpoints—and being willing to evolve them as the business needs it. During a period of organizational change, for example, our review process shifted to something lighter and more conversational. The structure stayed; the format adapted. That’s the point—structure creates stability, and when the ground feels solid, change doesn’t feel like chaos.

Transparency ties it all together. Being clear about the “why” builds trust – and trust is what allows both performance and experience to thrive.

Human-Centered and Analytically Grounded Approach

Effective leadership begins with establishing good relationships. It means remaining connected to what people experience, what matters to them and identifying points of friction. It is also how trust and credibility are built over time, which ultimately earns HR a meaningful seat at the table where strategic decisions are shaped.

I lead in a human-centred way and genuinely care about the employee experience across the entire lifecycle. When I receive feedback that I am not like other HR leaders, I take it as a compliment. Most often, it means I said something honest that people didn’t expect HR to say, or I pushed back on a process because it was creating friction instead of trust. Structure and process are critical to me, but never at the expense of empathy, adaptability and common sense.

“ Employee experience and business outcomes are not competing priorities. When you design them intentionally, they reinforce each other. “

I also bring a strong analytical and problem-solving lens. I like to step back, look at the bigger picture and rely on data to identify the real factor behind the issue rather than reacting to symptoms. I believe in balancing structure with flexibility, data with intuition and business priorities with a genuine focus on people.

The Importance of Transparency and Connection

I brought this approach while leading a consulting team whose business model was largely transactional. Consultants delivered strong results but often felt disconnected from the organization and each other. I saw an opportunity to create stronger connections and a shared sense of purpose.

We brought them closer to the business, shared more about strategy, involved them in planning and brought more transparency. We also created intentional opportunities for people to build relationships and strengthen team bonding.

The results were meaningful. Engagement increased, collaboration became more natural and consultants became invested in the organization’s success. Knowledge sharing also improved along with cross-team support and overall performance. To this day, it remains one of the best teams I’ve worked with.

It reinforced something important: when people understand where the organization is going and feel part of that journey, they show up differently. Sustaining this kind of culture, however, also requires carefully navigating the challenges shaping the field.

Challenges Affecting People and Culture Leaders

The most pressing challenges facing people and culture leaders today are AI-driven workforce transformation and leadership capability.

From my own experience piloting AI tools, I have seen firsthand that this is not simply an efficiency conversation; it is about rethinking how work gets done and where people add the most value. The leaders who handle this best will be strategic about where AI enters the working space and how they bring employees along. Leaders are responsible for providing tools, training and guidance that position AI as something that augments human contribution instead of replacing it. People will be freed to perform more meaningful work. The AI transformation can be sustainable if we prioritize the human side.

Leadership capability is an equally urgent challenge. Leaders today must navigate performance, change, well-being and transformation, often all at once. Strong leadership is a learned skill that requires ongoing investment. Organizations that prioritize leadership development see a direct return in engagement, performance and culture. Leaders who communicate clearly, remain transparent and bring people along will build resilient organizations. Organizations that embrace AI while doubling down on human-centered leadership will successfully stand out in the future.

Building Influence Early On

Reflecting on my own journey, I would prioritize confidence. Early in my career, I felt pressure to have all the answers and be certain before speaking. Over time, I learned that impact comes from asking the right questions and being comfortable with ambiguity. Looking back, I would encourage myself to build influence sooner, because strong relationships and a clear point of view matter.

That is the same guidance I would offer to emerging people and culture leaders. Do not underestimate the importance of credibility. It comes from understanding the business and building strong relationships. When the work directly influences business outcomes, it earns more influence. This is possible when you understand how the organization operates and its pressure points. Then you can bring relevant solutions that create real impact.

At the same time, create meaningful influence by listening, understanding what matters to people and building trust. Take a strong point of view, because HR has the most influence when shaping decisions, not just supporting them. The HR leaders who will matter most in the next decade aren’t the ones who simply execute what they are asked to do—they are the ones who understand the business well enough to challenge and reshape what’s being asked in the first place.