Joanne Rodgers, CHRO of New York Life, joined us on The Modern People Leader to share how her 30-year journey at the company led her from securities regulation to the C-suite.

We talked about the DNA of New York Life’s culture, how they’re rolling out AI tools company-wide, and why HR must lead the charge in this era of transformation.

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(06:51) Joanne’s Career Journey: From Securities Regulator to CHRO

(09:43) Career Hub and Recognizing Hidden Potential in Employees

(11:46) What is New York Life? Products, Distribution, and Secret Sauce

(12:53) Innovation at a 180-Year-Old Company

(14:25) Culture at New York Life: Relationship-Centric and Supportive

(16:31) Formal & Informal Structures That Fuel Career Growth

(19:10) Empowering Your Growth: The Ecosystem (Performance, AI, Career Hub, Leadership)

(22:13) Real-World Use of Eightfold AI for Internal Mobility

(24:19) Why Skills Visibility Drove the AI-Powered Career Hub

(26:42) Metrics of Success and Anecdotal Wins from Gig Projects

(28:40) Younger Talent, AI Anxiety, and Supporting New Grads

(30:53) AI Tools, Mindset Shift & Connor Grennan’s Influence

(33:44) Organizational AI Readiness and Excitement

(34:54) Governance, Training, and AI Adoption at Sale

(37:48) ELT Buy-In: How Senior Leadership Went All-In on AI

(41:50) Net New Skills, AI Champions, and Future-Proofing with Career Hub

(44:04) The HR Role in AI Transformation

(46:24) 2025 Priorities: Empowering Growth as a Fully-Integrated Ecosystem

(47:58) AI Coaching for Leadership Development

(50:28) Advice to HR Leaders on Starting Their AI Journey

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