Niki Armstrong on bringing sustainability in tech and fostering Legal & HR synergy

As HR leaders transition into more strategic roles, their responsibilities are increasingly focused on ESG initiatives, aligning the people agenda with business goals and sustainability. However, the rise of AI-based technologies introduces new concerns, particularly around cyber threats, data privacy, and ethical AI governance. This makes it imperative for HR leaders to collaborate closely with legal and compliance teams. But how can this synergy be achieved?

Niki Armstrong, Chief Administrative and Legal Officer at Pure Storage, shared insights on this synergy, and integrating DEI, ESG, & sustainable talent strategies to drive meaningful impact.

Niki, a former litigator, oversees global administrative functions, including legal, compliance, corporate governance, privacy, ESG, and the People function. She is a strong supporter of integrating the legal and HR functions to improve employee experience, ensure legal compliance, and align with core values. This collaboration enables the company to address issues proactively and create a people-centric approach throughout the entire employment lifecycle. She explained, “By bringing together employee relations, employment law, and HR functions, we can ensure our practices and processes are not only people-centric and great from an experience standpoint, but also legally sound. And overseeing both the legal and HR functions allows us to hear directly from employees while also staying ahead of any legal or policy changes that might be coming down the pipeline. We can assess how those changes will impact our workforce and get insights from employees. So, we make a real effort to both listen and share information, ensuring it’s not just a one-way street where decisions are made."

Building the Legal, Compliance, and HR Synergy

Speaking on the collaboration between legal & HR departments, Niki explained, “My employment law team works closely with my HR team. I also oversee ESG, and when you consider the 'social' aspect of ESG, it naturally ties into our DEI initiatives, which are a strong partnership between HR and our DEI group. We also have corporate philanthropy, which focuses on employee engagement, workforce development, and environmental efforts. Our Pure Good Foundation, which falls under legal, collaborates closely with our employee engagement team. So, there are a lot of natural synergies. Believe it or not, I have a Head of Legal Ops and a Head of HR Ops, and the two of them work closely together—constantly thinking through how one team’s actions might impact the other. They explore opportunities to collaborate, whether it’s aligning processes or even consolidating tools and technology. Instead of using separate systems, can we combine technology? Can we streamline tools? And as HR develops policies or processes, legal ensures they align with compliance requirements, our code of conduct, and other governance frameworks. Another example is workforce planning, which falls under HR. If we need to establish operations in a new region or country, who handles that? My legal team. So, they work hand in hand to navigate these challenges together.”

While Niki shared her thoughts on the intersection of compliance and HR, and key global nuances. We also focused on the rising concerns brought about by tech disruption. 

Combating Tech Threats 

Technology today poses significant threats, Niki outlined the importance of combating these threats saying, “There are definitely tools with synergies that both HR and legal teams can use like an applicant tracking system, where the legal team needs to ensure privacy and data protection compliance. Some other tools like compliance training or learning and development platforms—present opportunities to integrate technology, and need to be careful with. There should also be careful reliance on AI-backed tools.

“I always remind our teams globally—don’t put confidential information into AI tools because once it’s in, we can’t take it back,” added Niki. 

She also emphasised training employees for using these technologies and avoiding emerging threats. 

Tech & Sustainability 

On the question of sustainability in technology and operations, Niki underlined, “It’s so important to bring sustainability to the forefront of technology. It's not about just ticking boxes or green labeling; it's about integrating sustainability holistically across the entire supply chain. Think about it from a total cost of ownership perspective. What is the cost of power? What is the cost of cooling? How much space does it take up? What kind of e-waste will it produce? These are all crucial factors to consider early on. At the end of the day, it's not just about doing good for our customers but also for the environment.”

“When we talk about sustainability, we focus heavily on our technology. Our technology is truly second to none—it requires less power, less cooling, less water, and produces less e-waste and fewer emissions. Sustainability has been part of our DNA since day one, long before it became a trending topic.”

She highlighted, “One major issue today is that AI generates massive amounts of data, and that data needs to be stored. Take a place like Singapore—where does all that data go? Where are the data centers? There’s only a finite amount of space, so how do we ensure long-term sustainability? We can actually help governments meet their net-zero commitments—many of which are set for 2030 or 2035—by reducing space requirements. With our technology, there’s no disruptive upgrading, no downtime, and lower costs for cooling and energy emissions. You’re not stuck with old hard disks generating unnecessary waste. Our approach to sustainability is deeply embedded in our technology, and when you combine that with our social impact and governance efforts—like ensuring ethical supply chains, compliance with global labour regulations, and combating human trafficking—it all ties back to our ESG strategy.”

One of the biggest challenges with traditional data centers is the sheer amount of e-waste they generate. And honestly, there aren’t a lot of places to put that waste. Space is limited, so the focus should be on doing more with less. By creating an all-flash data center, we can help governments and businesses meet sustainability goals while reducing their environmental footprint.

When people talk about sustainable tech, they tend to focus on individual devices rather than the bigger picture, like data centers.

To push this conversation, Niki says, “A lot of companies focus on getting the cheapest option that meets today’s technical specs. But are they solving for the future? They need to consider the total cost of ownership—because over time, that "cheaper" option might actually cost more due to power consumption, cooling needs, and emissions. We need to integrate sustainability into procurement decisions. Why aren’t governments requiring sustainability as part of their procurement criteria? Why isn’t there a weighted evaluation—something like 50% cost, 40% sustainability, and 10% for other factors? Those are just example numbers, but the point is, sustainability should be a priority, not an afterthought. People need to think beyond short-term costs and instead consider the broader impact of their choices.”

Product-agnostic—governments should be thinking about sustainability in procurement, period. If we want to future-proof our world and reduce emissions, we have to be thinking long-term.”

Speaking on DEI.. 

Niki is a strong advocate of sustainability and DEI, and she explained that, "over time, a standalone role like ‘Chief Sustainability Officer’ often gets rolled into someone else’s portfolio because there may not be enough room for a dedicated C-suite role." Therefore, having a ‘Head of ESG’ and ‘Chief Diversity Officer’ ensures that DEI initiatives drive social impact efforts too, contributing to overarching ESG strategy.

We have several pillars. It’s not just about talent attraction—how we bring in diverse talent—but equally important, how we retain and develop them, and how we track promotions and career growth within the company. So, we look at data and metrics to see how that’s happening, whether for women or underrepresented groups.

Highlighting some DEI initiatives, she said, “Pure Equality, a DEI initiative, under which we have our ERGs—Employee Resource Groups. We currently have eight: Early-in-Career, Women at Pure, Veterans, Pride, and Able, which focuses on both physical and mental disabilities. Then, what used to be one broader group has now split into three: Black employees, API (Asian and Pacific Islanders), and Latina. These ERGs serve as incredible resources—not just for employees who identify with those groups but also for allies. They act as conduits back to the business, providing insights and education on how we can better recruit, attract, retain, and develop talent. Plus, there are leadership opportunities within these ERGs, allowing members to work with executive sponsors—typically senior leaders—which gives them more exposure at higher levels of the company. It’s a great professional development opportunity. Our ERG chapters exist globally.”