Kelsey Holthus, Chief Human Resources Officer at identity and payments security firm Entrust, is steering the company's AI transformation with a deliberate focus on human behavior and stakeholder engagement. In a July 2026 interview, she described her approach: treating AI adoption as a change management initiative rather than a technology rollout - a stance that matters as the 3,500-employee company, active in more than 150 countries, integrates its 2024 acquisition of identity verification startup Onfido.
"People are the greatest differentiator to any organization," Holthus said. She leads a global HR team of 70, spanning centers of excellence, HR business partners around the world, and a growing operations and technology group. Her work consistently applies a change-management lens to talent, culture, and leadership decisions.
Leading through M&A with a change management mindset
Entrust's acquisition of Onfido was its largest talent move in years. Holthus mobilized pulse surveys, employee resource groups, Q&A forums, and open feedback loops across the combined workforce. The goal was to preserve engagement and retention while blending two cultures. "I always encourage my teams to approach change through a change management mindset," she said. "Asking the right questions from the start, like 'why are we doing this?' and 'what's the business case?' will always set you up for success."
The role HR plays in business strategy
Holthus pushed back on the narrow view that HR is limited to event planning or vague culture-building. "HR has gone through an extensive evolution," she said. Covid-19 accelerated the shift, but behind the scenes HR had already been moving from policing personal conversations toward supporting whole health and work-life integration. She sees her job as helping people find what "makes them tick," because that directly improves business performance. Her go-to question: "When do you feel most alive at work?"
Why AI excites her - and what gives her pause
Holthus views AI as a catalyst for continuous improvement. "Used well, AI can give colleagues time back to focus on higher value work, build new skills, and take on roles that didn't exist before," she said. She believes intentional adoption can reshape jobs without leaving people behind.
Her caution centers on speed and trust. As AI agents join the workforce, organizations must define digital identity, access rights, and accountability for actions taken by non-human actors. "There's a lot of hype, and if organizations move too fast without the right guardrails, confidence can break down quickly," she warned. She advocates for a measured, principled rollout: invest in the right tools, clarify roles and permissions, and adopt AI in ways that are secure, responsible, and aligned with how the organization actually works.
This dual mindset mirrors the growing need for HR leaders to build AI fluency alongside trust and security frameworks. Resources like the AI Learning Path for CHROs are designed to help executives bridge that gap, and our ongoing AI for Human Resources coverage tracks how practitioners are applying these principles in real workplaces.
Why this matters for management
Holthus's playbook makes visible what many managers overlook: AI transformation is fundamentally a people challenge. Without deliberate change management - early stakeholder input, transparent communication, and safeguards around identity and data - even the most advanced tools can erode trust and backfire. For managers overseeing AI adoption, the takeaway is concrete: involve employees in shaping how AI enters their workflows, define what "responsible" means inside your team, and invest in the training that turns a technology push into a sustainable performance advantage.
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