In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Carlo Steenvoorden, EVP HR People Services, Analytics & HR AI at KPN, to unpack how a 100+ year old telecom company is moving from legacy HR systems to a fully conversational AI powered employee experience.

Carlo explains why KPN made a bold decision to declare that the future of HR interactions is conversational, with systems pushed to the back end and one intelligent interface in front. He shares how reducing human led HR queries from €15–20 per case to cents per prompt unlocked both massive efficiency gains and a better employee experience.

Most importantly, he breaks down the real transformation behind the technology, from rebuilding HR team capabilities, to adopting product thinking, to deciding where AI belongs and where humans must stay firmly in the loop.

🎓 In this episode, Carlo discusses:

1. Why in-house AI development accelerated transformation
2. How hyper personalized learning replaces one size fits all training
3. How HR query costs dropped from €15–20 to cents per interaction
4. Why 25–35% of the HR team had to be renewed to move fast enough
5. How KPN shifted from legacy HR screens to a single conversational interface

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Ilja Bitterling, VP Skills Intelligence & Performance Management at Deutsche Telekom, to unpack how large organizations can finally make skills data usable, trusted, and decision ready.

Ilja explains why skills intelligence is not about inventories, but about creating a shared language that connects workforce decisions, performance outcomes, and future readiness. He breaks down how Deutsche Telekom moves from fragmented skill signals to clear, comparable insights leaders can actually act on.

Most importantly, he shares why performance management and skills cannot live apart anymore, and how organizations that connect them move faster, allocate talent better, and avoid betting the future on outdated role assumptions.

🎓 In this episode, Ilja discusses:

1. Why fragmented skill data slows workforce readiness
2. What it takes to make skills credible at enterprise scale
3. How shared skill language improves mobility and planning
4. Why skills intelligence must support decisions, not documentation
5. How Deutsche Telekom connects skills and performance, not just roles

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Vincent Lecerf, Executive Vice President, Human Resources at Orange, to unpack how purpose, diversity, and skills become real business levers inside a fast moving telecom and technology environment.

Vincent explains why serving communities is not brand marketing, it’s an operating model, from safer phones for children to digital education for seniors, and why HR must integrate DEI directly into strategy, governance, and incentives, not treat it as a side initiative.

Most importantly, he shares how skills expiration, inclusive leadership, and AI acceleration are forcing CHROs to rethink reskilling cycles, leadership accountability, and how change happens with people, not to them.

🎓 In this episode, Vincent discusses:

1. How diverse teams drive innovation and inclusive AI
2. How Orange embeds DEI directly into business strategy and incentives
3. How AI acceleration changes HR’s role from policy owner to skills architect
4. Why skills expire in three years, not decades, and what HR must do about it
5. Why community service and inclusion strengthen brand trust and performance

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Vincent Dupuis, Vice President HR Digital & AI at Airbus, to unpack how organizations should decide what to automate, what to augment, and what must be protected as AI reshapes work at scale.

Vincent explains why augmentation, not replacement, is the real story of AI at work, using powerful analogies to show how AI should extend human capability, not hollow it out. He breaks down how Airbus thinks about freeing people from low value tasks, while deliberately protecting deep expertise, critical thinking, and safety critical knowledge.

Most importantly, he shares why ethical governance, human in the loop learning, and robust knowledge roots are non negotiable in environments where quality, trust, and safety define success.

🎓 In this episode, Vincent discusses:

1. How automation should free time for higher value human work
2. Why augmentation beats replacement as the dominant AI model
3. How Airbus embeds ethical AI governance before access is granted
4. Why protecting deep expertise and critical thinking is essential for safety
5. How Airbus decides which work should be augmented, automated, or protected

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Jayney Howson, SVP Global Workforce Skills & Talent Readiness at ServiceNow , to unpack why “talent readiness” has become a burning platform for companies trying to keep pace with AI, platform adoption, and customer transformation. Jayney shares how ServiceNow builds skills for both its 28,000 employees and the millions of practitioners who power ServiceNow implementations inside the world’s largest enterprises, including 85% of the Fortune 500.

She explains how ServiceNow built ServiceNow University, an AI powered, hyper personalized learning platform designed around the concept of the “University of You”, where every learner’s journey adapts to their context, their role, their skills, and their career aspirations. Jayney breaks down why minimum viable duration, skills profiles, and embedded learning experiences are replacing traditional course catalogs, and why democratizing training (including making it free) unlocks capability at global scale.

Most importantly, she shares why transparency, trust, and psychological safety matter more than ever as skills shift, roles evolve, and automation changes the nature of work, and why, if we do this right, the future of work becomes more human, not less.

🎓 In this episode, Jayney discusses:

1. How to embed learning into the flow of work and the flow of career
2. Why democratizing training creates global talent pipelines at scale
3. How ServiceNow University personalizes learning through AI and skills data
4. Why learning must shift to minimum viable duration and assessment led experiences
5. Why talent readiness became a burning platform for ServiceNow internally and externally

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with David Sperl, Head of HR for Advanced Visualization Solutions at GE HealthCare, to unpack how HR earns real business credibility by shipping outcomes, not PowerPoints, inside a heavily regulated, science driven environment.

David explains why AI literacy must move from theory to hands-on practice, how microlearning and shared baseline tools help drive adoption, and why leadership advocacy is essential to scale change across technical, clinical, and commercial teams. He breaks down GE HealthCare’s four stages of AI adoption, how communities of practice create demand pull, and why unlearning outdated mental models is now harder than learning new ones.

Most importantly, he shares why user experience and friction removal are the real unlocks for AI in HR and business, and why the future of change isn’t “change management”, it’s change agility.

🎓 In this episode, David discusses:

1. What HR learns sitting inside a complex, regulated product lifecycle
2. Why HR must understand the product, customer, and clinical context
3. Why feedback loops beat annual talent cycles in innovation environments
4. How role clarity unlocks productivity across scientific and commercial teams
5. How to build talent systems that match the speed of innovation, not bureaucracy

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Kristen A. Pressner, Global Head of People & Culture at Roche, to unpack why neurodiversity may be the single biggest untapped advantage in the post-AI workplace.

Kristen explains why most organisations are sitting on “free upside”, talented people already inside the business who are not thriving because work was designed for one type of brain. She shares why only ~25% of employees feel psychologically safe, and why the line manager is the biggest determinant of whether neurodivergent employees thrive or merely survive.

Most importantly, she reframes neurodiversity away from labels and diagnoses, and toward practical, human questions, how do you work best, what gives you energy, and what conditions help you shine, and why asking those questions changes performance, engagement, and learning at scale.

🎓 In this episode, Kristen discusses:

1. Why creating brain-friendly environments is “free upside” in a post-AI world
2. Why interest, urgency, and novelty, not importance, drive action for many people
3. The role of line managers as the single biggest differentiator in employee thriving
4. Why neurodiversity is not about diagnosis, but about how brains process motivation, focus, and energy
5. How workplaces accidentally label potential as laziness when they misunderstand neurodivergent behavior

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Will Clive, Chief Human Resources Officer at LVT (LiveView Technologies), to unpack what it really takes to build high performing teams in fast growing, high pressure environments without burning people out or killing trust.

Will breaks down why clarity beats control, and why the job of a leader is not to micromanage talent, but to make the destination so clear that teams can figure out the path themselves. He shares how outcome clarity, values driven leadership behavior, and removing low performance quickly are foundational to building real performance cultures.

Most importantly, Will explains the hard trade offs leaders avoid, why keeping low performers quietly poisons teams, how recognizing and stretching top performers matters more than money alone, and why autonomy plus accountability is the only model that scales.

🎓 In this episode, Will discusses:

1. Why clarity of outcome matters more than controlling execution
2. The real cost of keeping low performers in high performance teams
3. How recognition, stretch roles, and responsibility outperform money alone
4. Why hiring for grit, learning ability, and hunger beats pedigree
5. How leaders scale by trusting teams and removing roadblocks, not micromanaging

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Michael Burgess, Chief People Officer at Amey, to unpack what it really takes to build credibility, influence, and impact in HR when you don’t start with privilege, pedigree, or permission.

Michael shares his journey from leaving school at 16 and working as a farm labourer, to becoming a CPO responsible for people, culture, safety, and operations at scale. Along the way, he explains why hard work consistently beats talent, and why enjoying the work itself is the most underrated driver of long-term performance.

Most importantly, he breaks down a deeply practical view of modern HR, why getting the basics right earns you the seat at the table, why listening without action destroys trust, and how widening the talent pool through second-chance hiring, apprenticeships, and prison-to-work pathways is not charity, but smart, future-ready leadership.

🎓 In this episode, Michael discusses:

1. Why listening without action trains employees to disengage
2. How getting the HR basics right earns trust and credibility at the top table
3. Why hard work and enjoyment of work outlast talent, ambition, and opportunity
4. Why HR fails when it overloads the business with initiatives instead of running a clear plan
5. How Amey builds real career pathways through apprenticeships and prison-to-work programs

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we sit down with Jason Bloomfield, Global Head of Talent Acquisition Transformation at Ericsson, to unpack how a 149-year-old company is rebuilding HR by putting people before technology.

Jason explains how a failed global HR tool rollout, what he openly calls the “tool of doom,” became the catalyst for a complete reset. Instead of adding more systems, Ericsson built a global feedback loop that turns employee sentiment into action, investment, and prioritised roadmaps.

Most importantly, Jason shares why five-year plans no longer work, why the shelf life of strategy is now six months, and how HR, TA, and change leaders must build change agility, skills intelligence, and authentic empathy to stay relevant in an AI-driven world.

🎓 In this episode, Jason discusses:

1. Why authentic empathy will separate leaders in the AI era
2. How a global feedback loop now drives roadmaps and prioritisation
3. Why Ericsson moved from technology-first to people-first HR design
4. How skills, AI, and internal mobility connect TA, learning, and retention
5. Why five-year strategies are obsolete and speed matters more than certainty

🙏‍ Thank you to our series partner - atlas copilot

Meet the AI-native adaptive learning platform that builds the course, teaches the skill, and proves the impact, while work is happening, not weeks later → https://www.atlascopilot.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.