HR Leaders
Chris Rainey
Join host Chris Rainey on the HR Leaders Podcast, where he sits down with top Chief People Officers, CHROs, and leading HR experts to uncover the strategies, trends, and insights shaping the future of human resources. Each episode dives into best practices in people management, leadership challenges, and transformative HR innovations that impact both business success and society at large. Whether you're an HR professional or simply passionate about modern workplace strategies, this podcast delivers expert advice, real-world experiences, and the latest trends in HR, making it your go-to resource for all things human resources.
Episodes
Mentioned books
4 snips
Mar 19, 2026 • 43min
Why Most New HR Leaders Fail in Their First 90 Days
Sarah Stary, VP and Global Head of People & Organisation at Swisslog Healthcare, shares leadership lessons from steering global HR transformation. She focuses on standardizing onboarding and recruiting for big impact. She stresses listening, traveling, and building trust before acting. She also explores balancing global consistency with local nuance and preparing teams for AI and shared services.
Mar 17, 2026 • 40min
Why Continuous Learning Is the Only Way to Stay Relevant in 2026
Frederic Patitucci, Chief People & Culture Officer at Philip Morris International with 30+ years at the company, talks transformation from cigarettes to a multi-category, smoke-free business. He discusses codifying company values and embedding them into hiring and leadership. He explains mapping skills across tens of thousands of people and why continuous upskilling and learning agility are now essential.
11 snips
Mar 10, 2026 • 46min
How to Protect Culture During Rapid Growth
Andre Heinz, Chief People and Culture Officer at Celonis, is a seasoned HR leader who scaled people and culture through hypergrowth. He discusses protecting cultural DNA during rapid expansion. He covers building scalable systems while keeping startup agility. He talks about maintaining a high talent bar, thinking years ahead, and using AI and learning to future-proof people strategy.
13 snips
Feb 24, 2026 • 14min
How Much Can You Really Save with AI in HR?
Carlo Steenvoorden, EVP leading HR, analytics and AI at KPN, drives a shift from legacy HR systems to a conversational AI employee experience. He discusses choosing in-house AI, slashing query costs from euros to cents, rebuilding HR skills and renewing large parts of the team. He also covers embedding the assistant in Teams, hyper-personalized learning and when humans must stay in the loop.
21 snips
Feb 10, 2026 • 13min
The #1 Skills Mistake That Slows Big Companies Down
Ilja Bitterling, VP Skills Intelligence & Performance Management at Deutsche Telekom, builds skill-driven talent systems that link skills, learning, and mobility. He discusses shifting from fragmented skill inventories to embedded, decision-ready skills, starting small with high-impact pilots, connecting skills to personalized learning, and scaling a shared skill language across a global workforce.
9 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 15min
Why Skills Expire Every 3 Years in Tech (and What HR Must Do)
Vincent Lecerf, Executive VP of Human Resources at Orange, leads reskilling, DEI and AI adoption across large telecom and tech teams. He discusses treating community service as an operating model. He explains making DEI part of strategy and incentives. He warns skills expire every three years and describes urgent reskilling and inclusive leadership approaches.
32 snips
Jan 29, 2026 • 16min
How Airbus Decides What AI Should and Shouldn’t Do
Vincent Dupuis, VP HR Digital & AI at Airbus, drives ethical AI, data governance and upskilling in HR. He explains why augmentation, not replacement, is the real story of AI. He describes automating low-value tasks while protecting deep expertise and safety. He outlines embedding ethical governance, human-led training, and strong knowledge roots before granting AI access.
7 snips
Jan 21, 2026 • 15min
How to Build a Skills-Ready Workforce in 2026
Jayney Howson, SVP of Global Workforce Skills & Talent Readiness at ServiceNow, discusses innovative approaches to workforce development. She highlights the creation of an AI-powered 'University of You' that personalizes learning for employees and practitioners. Jayney explores the importance of embedding learning into daily work, democratizing training, and maintaining psychological safety in skill development. She emphasizes that with the right strategies, the future of work can become more human, allowing for greater creativity and connection.
25 snips
Jan 16, 2026 • 14min
Why AI Literacy Is Now a Business Skill Every Leader Needs
David Sperl, Head of HR for Advanced Visualization Solutions at GE HealthCare, shares insights on the crucial need for AI literacy in business. He emphasizes moving AI from theory to hands-on practice and discusses the importance of microlearning and communities of practice to drive adoption. David also highlights the need for leadership advocacy to normalize experimentation. Furthermore, he sheds light on the challenges of unlearning outdated habits and argues that the focus should be on creating exceptional user experiences to unlock AI's potential in HR.
17 snips
Jan 8, 2026 • 54min
How to Create a Neurodiversity-Friendly Workplace
Kristen A. Pressner, Global Head of People & Culture at Roche Diagnostics UK & Ireland, shares her insights on creating neurodiversity-friendly workplaces. She emphasizes that most organizations overlook potential because they design jobs for a single type of brain. Kristen discusses how interest and novelty drive engagement for many neurodivergent people, and highlights the crucial role of line managers in fostering an inclusive environment. Her approach reframes neurodiversity focusing on individual strengths, urging businesses to ask how each person works best.
