Deane Ilukowicz, CPO at TPI Composites

Episode notes

Steady in the Storm: TPI’s CPO on Leading HR Through Chapter 11 with Transparency and Trust Summary When your company files Chapter 11, HR becomes the steady hand the business needs. Deane Ilukowicz, Chief People Officer at TPI Composites—the world’s largest industrial manufacturer of wind turbine blades—shares how she’s guided a nearly 10,000-person, global workforce through restructuring with clarity and care. From saying “I don’t know” the right way to co-owning tough conversations with leaders, Deane breaks down the practices that build trust under intense uncertainty. She explains why protecting your HR team’s emotional health is non-negotiable, how resilience and psychological safety actually show up day to day, and why “policies as guardrails” beats rigid rulebooks. Deane also offers a simple, repeatable framework for continuous performance feedback and closes with a charge to every HR pro: be a business leader first. Expect concrete guidance on communicating when you can’t share everything, keeping operations running while showing empathy, and earning—then keeping—your strategic seat at the table.