Cameron Pickett

From Entry-Level Recruiting to Full Talent Lifecycle Leadership

Pickett cut his teeth in early recruiting roles at Western States Caterpillar, starting with foundational responsibilities like resume review, interview coordination, and applicant tracking. Over eight years, his scope expanded dramatically. Unlike many TA leaders whose experience stays front-loaded in recruiting, Pickett had the opportunity to own nearly the full employee lifecycle: in addition to talent acquisition, he took on learning and development, training programs, and workforce planning initiatives, particularly in skilled trades, where talent shortages were already becoming acute.

“We couldn't just hire talent,” Pickett explains. “We had to build it.”

In practice, that meant launching apprenticeship programs, mentorship tracks, and paid education pathways for diesel technicians, welders, and mechanics, roles critical to the business but increasingly hard to fill. The work reinforced a belief that still anchors his approach: recruiting doesn't stop at hire, and retention, engagement, and development are inseparable from acquisition.

His success led to a promotion within the Caterpillar network and a two-year relocation to Hawaii, where he focused on corporate talent management across a geographically constrained market. With limited local talent, Pickett helped design rotational programs that brought skilled workers to the islands from across the U.S. and the Pacific, including Guam, Samoa, and Saipan.

Industry Shifts and a Growing Focus on HR Technology

After returning to the mainland, Pickett transitioned into food manufacturing, joining Lactalis, the world's largest dairy organization, where he oversaw North American talent management. It was during this period, particularly amid COVID, that his interest in HR technology and AI accelerated. Already experienced in implementing ATS platforms, LMS tools, and HRIS systems, he began exploring how automation and AI could meaningfully improve recruiter efficiency without sacrificing quality.

That curiosity carried into subsequent roles in tech and food production, including a stint at Biamp and later a post as Director of Talent Acquisition at Pacific Seafood, where he led large-scale HR tech modernization efforts. Across these organizations, Pickett became known for building integrated recruiting ecosystems, connecting ATS platforms, job board aggregators, CRM tools, and conversational AI to reduce administrative burden and give recruiters back time.

“The goal has always been the same,” he says. “Spend less time in systems and more time with people.”

Building Talent Density at Touchmark

Today, Pickett leads talent acquisition at Touchmark, a North American operator of luxury senior living communities serving high-net-worth residents. With roughly 4,000 employees across 25 locations, the model is highly decentralized, with HR managers at each site handling recruiting alongside broader responsibilities. Pickett's role focuses on talent density: identifying, developing, and hiring individuals capable of performing at a high level across multiple dimensions.

Over the past year, he has doubled down on AI-enabled recruiting infrastructure, recently signing a new agreement with Paradox to support automation, candidate engagement, and workflow optimization. He has also implemented tools like Joveo to improve visibility and efficiency across the hiring funnel. Beyond implementation, Pickett is an active voice in the TA technology space, speaking at industry events including RecFest and SHRM forums on topics such as AI agents, automation, and ethical adoption of emerging tools.

How AI Is Reshaping Recruiting

Pickett has watched the recruiting landscape evolve rapidly, particularly over the last year. “The quality of AI outputs has improved dramatically,” he says. “But that creates both opportunity and risk.”

On one hand, AI has made applying easier for candidates and streamlined sourcing, outreach, and screening for recruiters. On the other, it has introduced new challenges: resumes that look increasingly identical, interview integrity concerns, and the rise of real-time AI assistance for candidates during interviews. For Pickett, the solution isn't resistance, it's intentional adoption.

“AI isn't replacing recruiters,” he says. “Recruiters who know how to use AI are replacing those who don't.”

He emphasizes the importance of “trust but verify,” cautioning against over-reliance on AI-generated insights while acknowledging its power as a decision-support tool. As organizations move deeper into an AI-driven era, his advice to talent leaders is direct: don't stay on the sidelines. “There's risk either way,” he says. “But the greater risk is doing nothing.” He encourages TA leaders to experiment, pilot tools, attend conferences, and continuously educate themselves, all while keeping human judgment at the center of hiring decisions.

“Use AI to enhance your thinking, not replace it,” Pickett explains. “At the end of the day, hiring is still a human decision.”