Bertrand Dussert has joined AT&T as Vice President, Talent Acquisition, and if corporate America’s talent wars needed a seasoned general, they just found one. AT&T has appointed Dussert as Vice President, Talent Acquisition, bringing to the organisation one of the most accomplished talent acquisition leaders in the global HR and recruitment industry.
He steps in fresh from Staples, where he wore two hats simultaneously without dropping either. At Staples, Dussert led enterprise-wide talent acquisition strategies for one of the largest workplace solutions companies in North America, while also serving as the HR leadership team’s point person for generative and agentic AI initiatives, helping evaluate and deploy emerging AI capabilities across HR functions. In 2026, that combination, large-scale hiring instincts plus genuine AI fluency, is less a bonus and more a baseline requirement for anyone walking into a role like this.
In his new role at AT&T, Dussert will lead talent acquisition strategy and execution for the telecommunications giant, supporting workforce planning, leadership hiring, recruitment transformation, talent intelligence, and the integration of advanced technologies to strengthen hiring outcomes across the enterprise. His appointment comes as organisations increasingly leverage AI, analytics, and workforce insights to address evolving talent demands and business transformation priorities.
With more than 25 years of experience spanning talent acquisition, workforce planning, HR transformation, executive recruitment, shared services, and human capital technology, Dussert has built a track record leading large-scale global talent organisations across telecommunications, healthcare, logistics, financial services, technology, and consulting.
Before Staples, he served as Vice President, Talent Acquisition at Tenet Healthcare, leading executive hiring and enterprise talent acquisition for a workforce exceeding 100,000 employees across hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide. Prior to that, he held the position of Senior Vice President, Talent Acquisition at XPO Logistics, overseeing worldwide recruitment operations for one of the largest transportation and logistics organisations globally. He also spent more than five years with Oracle as Vice President, Human Capital Transformation, advising many of the world’s largest organisations on HR transformation, workforce strategy, and the future of work. His earlier stints include senior roles at American Express leading Global Recruitment Operations and Workforce Planning, and at UBS directing recruitment across multiple business functions.
Read More – Lajja M. Appointed Executive Vice President Human Resources Religare Enterprises Limited
AT&T is making a deliberate bet. Dussert’s appointment underscores AT&T’s continued focus on attracting world-class talent and leveraging innovation, technology, and data-driven talent strategies to support business growth and workforce transformation.
With fibre rollouts, 5G expansion, and AI integration reshaping what telecom talent even looks like, Dussert arrives at exactly the right moment, carrying exactly the right toolkit.
