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ELEVATE EPISODE 01. TAMMY NIENABER

Purpose-Driven Leadership & Navigating Change in Franchising

 

Elevate Podcast on Mobile

 

 

S1 EP 10. AMANDA DOWNEY

Leadership, Growth, and The Human Side of Talent

 

Elevate Podcast Cover

IN THIS EPISODE.

How do you lead and grow a 10,000+ person organization while keeping people at the center?

In this episode of Elevate, Mihae Ahn and Amanda Downey dive into leadership, growth, and the human side of talent.

Amanda shares lessons learned from leading OSL Retail Services through rapid expansion and change. She also discusses empowering teams, fostering communication, navigating COVID-19, and embracing AI to enhance, not replace, the human connection in recruiting.

A thoughtful conversation on how curiosity, innovation, and empathy can help leaders build thriving, people-first organizations.

TOPICS COVERED

👋     Introduction and Background
🏢     Leadership at OSL Retail Services
💪     Empowering Teams and Driving Performance
💬     Communication and Culture at Scale
😷     Navigating COVID-19 and Change
🤖     The Role of AI in Talent Management
💡       Leadership Lessons and Learnings

Amanda Downey

MEET THE GUEST.

Amanda Downey

Director of Talent Acquisition, Onboarding, & Lifecycle  |  OSL Retail Services

Amanda Porowski-Downey is the Talent Acquisition Director at OSL Retail Services, where she leads a high-performing team of recruitment and lifecycle professionals across North America. She oversees full-cycle recruitment, onboarding, and talent management for a diverse portfolio of clients, using data-driven strategies to optimize the candidate experience and elevate the organization’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP).

Amanda is known for her innovative, people-first approach to talent acquisition. Her leadership earned her team the 2025 OnCon Top 50 Talent Acquisition Team Award, and she was recently featured on Great Place to Work's webinar "Adapting with AI – Upskilling for the Future."

THE SPARK NOTES.

  • AI can help streamline talent management processes.
  • Automation allows teams to focus on meaningful candidate interactions.
  • Technology can assist in standardizing communication tasks.
  • Engaging candidates meaningfully is crucial for successful recruitment.
  • Understanding candidates' needs leads to better job placements. 
  • Coaching candidates is essential for their career success.
  • AI can reduce the burden of day-to-day administrative tasks.
  • The future of recruitment will be shaped by technological advancements.
  • Meaningful engagements can lead to better hiring outcomes.
  • Investing in technology is key to improving talent management.

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