CIPD

As business priorities shift, skills shortages intensify and technology changes the nature of work, organisations need a clearer view of the skills and capabilities they have — and how to deploy them where they can create the greatest impact. But how can learning professionals support the building of new capability at pace and scale, when many organisations still struggle to see what skills exist in the workforce, to what level of expertise, or to move that capability to where it's needed most? 

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month's guests – Shona Marshall, Founder of The ASM Difference; Laurell Hector, Managing Director at McManus HRD; and Andrew Jacobs, Learning Strategist and Founder of Llarn Learning – as they explore L&D's role in supporting the shift to becoming a skills-based organisation. 

In this episode, our panel explores: 

• Why L&D is critical to enabling skills-based transformation, by responding to business priorities and driving the performance they require 
• How skills intelligence, taxonomies and internal marketplaces can inform smarter, workforce planning, internal mobility and learning investment. 
• What must change in how learning is designed and delivered – moving away from linear, one-off training programmes towards continuous, skills-led development that keeps pace with changing skills landscape. 

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Your next listen: 

CIPD Podcast 231: The journey to a skills-based organisation 

CIPD Podcast 207: HR’s next top operating model 

HR People Pod – Episode 48: Leadership reflections | Skills visibility | Workload creep 

More from this episode: 

Guide – Skills matching: Using and deploying people’s skills effectively in the workplace 

Analysis – How L&D can create value: Focussing on skills development 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HR People Pod – Ep 53: Progression conversations | ERA 2025: Probation | Relationship building

What's the real cost when organisations avoid honest career progression conversations? As the qualifying period for unfair dismissal drops from two years to six months under the Employment Rights Act 2025, how ready are managers to really make probation periods count? And with managers stretched thinner than ever, has building real relationships with their people become an afterthought?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Cheryl Samuels, co-founder of #InclusiveHR; Vilma Nikolaidou, Director of People and Culture at the British Film Institute; and Marc Weedon, Executive Coach, HR Consultant and Owner of excelHR.

Recorded: 10 July 2026

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Additional resources:

Tracking law changes: Employment Rights Act 2025

Guidance: Effectively managing probation

Your next listen:

CIPD Podcast 226: Closing skill gaps from within: the case for internal mobility

HR People Pod – Ep 39: Rewriting the rules on workplace conflict – with David Liddle

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What does courageous leadership really look like when the pressure is on? How can leaders move beyond assumptions and opaque messaging to create genuine clarity? And why is humility one of the most important pillars of good leadership?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by author, leadership coach and founder of Courageous Leadership Consultancy, Diana Osagie, to explore how leaders can transform thinking, build better organisational habits and create the clarity and confidence to have the conversations that matter.

Recorded: 10 June 2026

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Additional resources:

Article: Diana Osagie on the foundations of courageous leadership (People Management)

Explore more from Diana Osagie on courageous and empowered leadership

Your next listen:

CIPD Podcast 214: Success starts small – Building sustainable workplace habits

HR People Pod – Ep 44: Crisis leadership | Impact of employee benefits | Friction-maxxing at work

HR People Pod – Ep 37: Leading under pressure – with Professor Kevin Fong

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For decades, jobs have helped organisations structure work, allocate responsibilities and make decisions about people. But as business priorities shift, skills shortages intensify and technology changes the nature of work, organisations need a clearer view of the skills and capabilities they have — and how to deploy them where they can create the greatest impact. 

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Simone Carroll, CHRO and Director; Stephen Findlay, Head of Organisational Development at Skills Development Scotland; and Alex Boulting, Global OD & HR Transformation Leader at Ebbnflow – as they explore what it means to become a skills-based organisation.  

In this episode, our panel explores: 

•What it means to become a skills-based organisation, and how skills can complement rather than replace traditional job and role structures 

•How people professionals can identify current and future skills needs, connect skills to business impact, and rethink recruitment, workforce planning, performance and development 

•Why skills-based transformation is not just an HR project, but a people strategy requiring co-creation, trust, cultural change and the right use of skills data and technology 

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Your next listen:

CIPD Podcast 207: HR’s next top operating model

HR People Pod – Episode 48: Leadership reflections | Skills visibility | Workload creep

More from this episode:

Guide – Skills matching: Using and deploying people’s skills effectively in the workplace

Analysis – How L&D can create value: Focussing on skills development

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As agentic AI moves beyond being a tool and starts to act with greater autonomy, how should organisations think about trust, oversight and accountability? If entry-level roles are changing — or even shrinking — what does that mean for young people trying to take their first step into work, and for employers hoping to build future capability? And which pivotal career moments can change how HR professionals think about their work, their leadership and their impact?

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza, is joined by Jo Carlin, Chief People Officer at Effective Energy Group, and Andy Stephenson, Director at Dove Nest Group. 

Recorded: 11 June 2026 

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Additional resources:

Case studies: AI in the workplace

https://www.cipd.org/en/topics/artificial-intelligence-workplace/

Guide: How people professionals can develop, deploy, and use AU in an ethical, legal and sustainable way

https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/guides/people-professionals-ai-use/

Skills for the future: Why investment in early talent is crucial for workforce success

https://www.cipd.org/en/views-and-insights/thought-leadership/insight/investment-early-talent/

Your next listen:

CIPD Podcast 228: The missing first rung: Are we sleepwalking into a talent crisis?

https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/podcasts/missing-first-rung-are-we-sleeping-into-a-talent-crisis/

CIPD Podcast 229: From AI experimentation to AI maturity

https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/podcasts/from-ai-experimentation-to-ai-maturity/

HR People Pod - Ep 43: Inside Davos - AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey

https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/podcasts/hr-people-pod/#:~:text=on%20benefits%202026-,HR%20People%20Pod%20%E2%80%93%20Ep%2043%3A%20Inside%20Davos%20%E2%80%93%20AI%2C%20work%20and%20the%20future%20of%20identity%20%2D%20with%20Allyn%20Bailey,-Duration%3A%2000%3A34

HR Coffee Time with Fay Wallis - Episode 155

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zi4ib2ER6g

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It’s National Volunteers’ Week from the 1st to the 7th of June. The impact of volunteering on creating pathways and enhancing career opportunities both into and within the workplace is well known. But what about the benefits and rewards for those who offer their time as voluntary mentors? Plus, a recent People Management Magazine article suggests that only 15% of non-managers find the prospect of becoming a line manager appealing, so how do we prepare the next generation of professionals to embrace line manager roles and the challenges that come with that? Finally, with the CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook Report Spring 2026 demonstrating that 58% of employers are prioritising cost challenges above growth, how can organisations strike the right balance between controlling costs now and protecting their ability to expand and remain competitive in the future?

In this special fiftieth episode of the HR People Pod, we welcome back guest host, Leah De Silva, Senior Programme Manager for the CIPD Trust. Joining her in the studio are Emma Jayne, Chief People Officer at KYN and Elaine Grell, Chief People Officer (EMEA) at Ogilvy.

Recorded: 30th May 2026

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Explore more from this episode:

• National Volunteer’s Week
• Volunteer opportunities - CIPD Trust
• Impact and guidance - CIPD Trust
• Most employees say becoming a manager is not appealing, survey reveals
• Labour Market Outlook | CIPD

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Financial wellbeing is often treated as a personal challenge, but money worries can have a direct impact on performance, absence, engagement and retention. More concerningly, just 15 per cent of UK organisations have a formal financial wellbeing policy or strategy, according to the CIPD’s latest Reward Survey 2026, supported by Everywhen. So, what role should people professionals play in supporting employees’ financial wellbeing?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Mona Parikh, Associate Director, Reward at Coventry University; Charlie Goodman, Client Director at Everywhen; and Charles Cotton, Senior Policy and Practice Adviser, Pay, Reward and Performance – as they explore why financial wellbeing is not an ‘add-on’, but a strategic workforce challenge.

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More from this episode:

• Report: Reward Survey: Focus on Benefits 2026
• Guide: Employee financial wellbeing
• Website: Money Helper

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As organisations face growing pressure to perform, how can HR move beyond operational excellence to become a true driver of business performance? What does it take to put employee empowerment at the heart of the workplace and give people the trust and clarity to act with confidence? And with the pace of change only accelerating, how can the profession build the mindset needed for genuine change readiness?

In this special International HR Day episode, CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Asha Musoni, Chief People and Transformation Officer at the CBI, and Mark Pavlika, Chief People and Purpose Officer at Bicycle London.

Recorded: 15 May 2026

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Explore more from this episode:

CIPD Members: Change management tools

AI in the workplace: Case studies

Creating People Advantage Survey 2026

Your next listen:

HR People Pod – Ep43: Inside Davos – AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey

CIPD Podcast – Episode 229: From AI experimentation to AI maturity

CIPD Podcast – Episode 223: Beyond learning - Mobilising L&D for organisational change

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do senior HR leaders wish they had known before stepping into a CPO or HRD role? How can organisations move beyond vague talk of “future skills” and build a practical view of workforce capability? And when employees increasingly work beyond their formal remit, is that simply the reality of modern work — or a sign of workload creep? 

CIPD Director of Profession David D’Souza is joined by Adese Okojie, HR leader and founder of Black Women in HR (BWHR), Kevin Green, Chief People Officer at FirstGroup, and Matt Elliott, Chief People Officer at Bank of Ireland. 

Recorded: 01 May 2026 

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Explore more from this episode: 

• CIPD/Omni Report: Resourcing and Talent Planning 

• Creating People Advantage Survey 2025 

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As use of artificial intelligence moves beyond experimentation, are organisations starting to see real value – or struggling to turn promise into impact? As AI experimentation gives way to scaled adoption, the pressure is on to achieve tangible returns while managing new risks for people, jobs and organisational culture.

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month’s guests – Graeme Burns, AI People and Communications Leader at Nationwide Building Society; Ben Redshaw, Director and Founder at Orchard Tree Consulting; and Hayfa Mohdzaini, Senior Policy and Practice Adviser - Technology at CIPD – as they explore what AI maturity looks like in practice, where organisations are getting stuck and the critical role people professionals play in embedding AI responsibly and effectively.

In this episode, we explore: 

• What AI maturity means in practice and the common components of AI maturity 
• How can organisations realistically and meaningfully assess their current level of AI maturity 
• What role can people professionals play in helping build the culture, capabilities and organisational readiness needed to scale AI effectively. 

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More from this episode:

Explore content supported by the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme

Guide: How people professionals can develop, deploy and use AI in an ethical, legal and sustainable way

HR People Pod - Ep43: Inside Davos - AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.