Susan Youngblood

Biography

Susan Youngblood is an operating advisor and technology Chief Human Resources Officer and Artificial Intelligence (AI) advisor who has launched, transformed and acquired companies. Her combination of technical savvy and human capital management expertise positions her to advise boards and leaders on preparing for the AI-enabled workplace.

With a career spanning Fortune 50 companies, private equity-backed ventures, and startups, Susan has been a catalyst for business transformation, guiding organizations through critical inflection points, including digital transformation, M&A, global scaling, and preparing workforces for emerging technologies and AI implementation.

Susan architected the human capital strategy for the launch of the AI software firm Ascendion, where she was the Chief People Officer. Earlier, she worked with Blackstone to prepare for the $27B sale of fintech Refinitiv to LSEG and led integration planning. At IBM she successfully managed eight global acquisitions and integrations totaling $1B Enterprise Value. Susan's strategic approach to workforce management has consistently delivered multi-million-dollar savings, evidence of her approach to driving high ROI.

Susan serves on the Board of Directors for Cornell University’s ILR School, is an advisor for an agentic AI startup, and is an angel investor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Vassar College and a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR) degree from Cornell University, where she was also the assistant coach of the women’s tennis team.