Jeremy Bushaw
Jeremy Bushaw
VP Global Talent Acquisition, Informatica
Jeremy Bushaw didn’t begin his career with a plan to lead global talent acquisition — he simply said yes to an unexpected opportunity.
After graduating from Colorado State University with a business degree, Bushaw assumed he’d end up in sales. Instead, through a referral, he landed a role at a healthcare software company called TriZetto — working the front desk as a receptionist while figuring out his next move.
A month in, the Head of HR, Maureen Brennan, noticed something in him.
She invited him to join the HR team, and that decision set his career on an entirely new trajectory. Under her mentorship, Bushaw rotated through multiple HR functions, earning promotions roughly every 18 months. Still, something felt missing. He enjoyed working with people but wanted a faster pace and more external interaction.
Recruiting turned out to be the answer.
He describes falling in love with talent acquisition almost immediately — drawn to the energy, the human connection, and the challenge of aligning people’s strengths with business needs. With a strong analytical mindset (and a background that included a minor in mathematics), Bushaw quickly began looking for ways to make recruiting more data-driven and strategic.
His career later expanded beyond HR when he stepped into Chief of Staff roles, helping lead integration work during acquisitions at both TriZetto and later Informatica. Those experiences gave him a rare business-side perspective — one that would shape his leadership style when he returned to talent acquisition.
When Brennan once again recruited him — this time to lead Talent Acquisition at Informatica — Bushaw took on the largest team of his career: a global recruiting organization of about 50 people.
Over the next decade, he helped guide Informatica through major transformation, including its shift from an on-premise to a cloud-based business model, an IPO, and large-scale hiring growth. During that time, his team filled roughly 11,000 roles, reduced time-to-fill from the mid-50-day range to about 35 days, and improved female representation across the company.
More importantly, he helped reposition talent acquisition as a true strategic partner to the business.
What Energizes Him Most
Right now, Bushaw is most energized by the transformation happening in talent acquisition through technology — especially generative AI.He sees enormous opportunity to remove administrative burdens from recruiters’ plates so they can focus on what truly matters: assessing talent, advising hiring managers, and building meaningful relationships with candidates.
From drafting outreach messages to summarizing interviews, AI can accelerate repetitive tasks that once slowed teams down. But Bushaw is clear about one thing — technology should enhance recruiters, not replace them.
“Humans still want to talk to humans,” he emphasizes.
For him, the future of recruiting lies in blending smart automation with sharper human judgment. Freeing up recruiter time doesn’t reduce their value — it increases their impact where it counts most.
How Talent Leadership Is Evolving
Bushaw believes the past year has been one of the most complex periods talent leaders have faced in a long time.
While excitement around AI is high, he’s also seen firsthand the challenges — especially around privacy, compliance, and the risks tied to using new technologies in hiring, one of the most sensitive areas of any organization.
He also notes a growing shift in how candidates present themselves. With AI tools making it easier than ever to tailor resumes, traditional signals are becoming less reliable. As a result, the recruiter’s role in live assessment, behavioral evaluation, and nuanced judgment is becoming even more critical.
Technology can speed up processes, but it cannot replace the intuition, empathy, and discernment required to make strong hiring decisions.
In Bushaw’s view, the best talent leaders today are those who embrace innovation while doubling down on the human skills that machines can’t replicate.
Jeremy’s Advice for 2026
After years of economic swings, hiring surges, and layoffs, Bushaw believes talent leaders need to return to the fundamentals — especially when it comes to candidate experience.
“The market’s been chaotic,” he says. “But candidates are still people going through big life decisions.”
His advice is simple but powerful: treat candidates with fairness, transparency, and respect. Communicate clearly. Set realistic expectations. Make the process feel human, not transactional.
In times of uncertainty, how companies treat people leaves a lasting impression — not just on candidates, but on the broader employer brand.
For Bushaw, the future of talent leadership isn’t just about speed or efficiency. It’s about restoring trust in the hiring process and ensuring that, no matter how advanced technology becomes, humanity remains at the center of recruiting.
