Heather Oxley

Heather Oxley

Chief Human Resources Officer, Perficient

Heather Oxley’s path into HR leadership is anything but traditional—one shaped by technology, transformation, and a deep understanding of the human side of change.

Heather began her career in consulting, working on large-scale systems implementations during the early 2000s. Her work spanned major ERP platforms such as SAP and Oracle, where she initially focused on systems and process design. Over time, however, she gravitated toward the human change element behind those systems—how people adapt, adopt, and ultimately succeed when technology is introduced.

That shift became even more pronounced as she worked extensively with electronic health records and healthcare practitioners. It was there that Heather saw firsthand that no matter how advanced the technology, success ultimately depends on people. That insight—true then and even more relevant now in an AI-driven world—became foundational to her leadership philosophy.

The pivotal transition into a formal HR role came when Heather’s children were born. Seeking greater flexibility and the ability to work remotely, she leaned fully into HR, beginning a deliberate leadership trajectory. Over the next decade, she built her career in human resources with a strong strategic lens, ultimately leading her to her first Chief Human Resources Officer role—and now her second.

What Energizes Her Most

What energizes Heather most is the intersection of talent strategy and business strategy.

She is deeply motivated by understanding where a business is headed, identifying the strengths of the current leadership team, and pinpointing the gaps that need to be filled to support future growth. For Heather, talent is never separate from strategy—it is the strategy.

When working with executive candidates, she positions herself as an assessor on both sides of the equation. She evaluates not only what the organization needs, but also what the role offers the candidate. Her goal is to determine whether the individual and the opportunity truly complete one another. When those puzzle pieces align, she finds the work both intellectually and professionally rewarding.

How Recruiting Is Changing

Operating at the intersection of HR and technology, Heather has a front-row seat to disruption—and she views AI’s impact in layers.

At the individual level, AI helps HR professionals do more with limited resources. From writing communications and policies to synthesizing large volumes of employee feedback and improving sourcing efforts, AI augments everyday work that has historically stretched HR teams thin.

At the process level, Heather notes that despite modern HRIS platforms, much of the employee lifecycle remains highly manual. AI presents an opportunity to “agentify” these workflows—reducing friction, increasing speed, and allowing HR teams to focus on higher-impact work.

At the leadership level, AI enables organizations to rationalize vast amounts of data across systems, providing leaders with a clearer, more real-time understanding of how their organizations are truly functioning.

For Heather, AI isn’t about replacing HR—it’s about expanding what HR can accomplish in an environment where resources are constrained but expectations continue to rise.

Heather’s Advice for 2026

As organizations move into 2026, Heather believes the defining theme will be speed over perfection.

This is the year that will separate breakout companies—and breakout leaders—from the rest. Innovation is inherently messy, and waiting for perfect solutions only slows progress. Heather encourages leaders to remove fear from experimentation and lean into learning by doing.

The ability to move quickly, test new ideas, and extract value from emerging tools—even when the path forward isn’t perfectly clear—will define success in the years ahead.

That willingness to embrace change, combined with Heather’s rare blend of technology expertise, human-centered leadership, and strategic vision, is what makes her impact so significant—and why she stands out as a deserving member of the Talent 100.