One of the world’s largest banks is rewriting its playbook for talent. A decentralized model was slowing down decision-making, so HSBC brought talent acquisition and management together under one strategy. The shift is giving leaders a clearer view of skills across the enterprise, improving succession planning, and connecting employees to growth opportunities.

Noel Brown, Global Head of Enterprise Talent at HSBC, joins The New Talent Code to share how HSBC is using data not just to report, but to take action by surfacing hidden skills, mapping talent to business priorities, and piloting programs that create new career pathways.

In this episode you’ll also hear how:

- Data becomes powerful when translated into action, not just dashboards.

- Change management works best when employees and managers see immediate personal value.

- Emerging talent brings fresh skills and perspectives critical for adapting to AI-driven change.

Mark Condon, founder of QuantumWork Advisory (QWA), joins us on this episode of The New Talent Code to explore how HR can evolve in the age of AI.

We discuss why agility — not skills — should be the starting point for workforce transformation. AI agents are moving the conversation from the theoretical to the tangible applications of what HR can achieve with this growing technology.

Condon also shares QWA’s “5B model” (build, buy, borrow, bot, bundle) as a framework for shaping the workforce of the future. He highlights the critical need for HR leaders to step into a more strategic role — one that impacts every employee, not just the HR function.

Additional takeaways:

- Why HR should lead the charge on AI governance and partner with IT to manage emerging risks.

- The role of work design — breaking down tasks and redesigning roles — in making organizations more agile.

- How storytelling and transparency help overcome leadership hesitation and employee fears around AI.

- Why ROI from AI and workforce transformation can be far greater than cost savings alone, creating lasting value for both businesses and employees.

In this special episode of The New Talent Code, we take you inside Cultivate ’25, our annual talent summit where HR and industry thought leaders share research and advice about how we can all shape the future of work with AI.

From the debut of our fully autonomous AI interviewer to lessons on human-AI collaboration, decentralized leadership, and the business case for ongoing AI calibration—these were the moments that made us rethink what’s possible.

In this episode, we highlight:

How agentic AI is moving beyond chatbots to become a decision-making partner.

Why Bayer and Arcadis rebuilt job architecture to enable dynamic, skills-based teams.

What Deloitte and Fortive learned about refining AI for faster, better hires.

You can find the full sessions from Cultivate ‘25 available on demand: https://eightfold.ai/cultivate.

We’re closing out the second season of The New Talent Code with a look back at some of our favorite moments.

From making talent decisions using a skills-based approach to best practices for deploying new technologies and methods, this season was packed full of real-world advice from thought leaders, analysts, and organizations leading the way in adopting AI.

In this episode, we’re highlighting:

- The importance of embracing change with enthusiasm.

- Specific use cases for talent intelligence that organizations are using to succeed.

- And why HR is in a key role to facilitate the adoption of AI enterprise-wide.

HR needs AI-ready talent, with half of HR leaders now prioritizing the technology — nearly double what it was just three years ago.

Lead the change in becoming a high-functioning, cohesive HR team that aligns talent strategies to your overall business goals for the good of all.

Forrester Principal Analyst Betsy Summers joins The New Talent Code to share how you can achieve this AI-ready status. She also shares the latest in Forrester research and why HR has a critical role in every business success story right now.

In this episode, you’ll also learn:

- Why taking a skills-based approach to talent planning matters.

- How to embrace AI in the HR tech stack.

- And how HR can be the leading player in driving change.

Craig Leen, former Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and now a Partner at K&L Gates, joins The New Talent Code podcast to talk about AI and regulations in HR. Leen says that if we want to ensure long-term stability, responsible and ethical use of AI, we will eventually need federal guidance.

While HR leaders wait for federal laws, several cities and states, including Colorado, California, and New York City, have already taken proactive steps to enact laws governing AI.

Listen to our episode with Leen to hear more about:

- Why federal regulations could be critical to the successful deployment of AI in HR.

- The questions you should be asking AI vendors.

- And how governance could change responsibility roles with employers and AI vendors.

Earlier this year, Deloitte released its 2024 Global Human Capital Trends report focusing on the boundaryless world of work.

For HR leaders looking for an edge in workforce planning to support this new boundaryless world of work, AI is key.

Deloitte’s Christoph Gerhold, Partner and Offering Lead of Workforce and Organizational Transformation, joins The New Talent Code to dig into his insights from the report. He also offers a look ahead to the trends HR professionals should watch in the coming year.

Gerhold also talks about:

-What it will take to stay current with changing AI regulations.

-How employees ready to explore AI can get started with daily work use cases.

-And why human sustainability and microcultures are important trends to watch over the next year.

The HR industry is rushing to implement AI tools to streamline processes and create better employee and candidate experiences — but is this the right approach?

HR industry journalist Mark Feffer joins us on this week’s episode of The New Talent Code to share his perspective on what HR leaders and practitioners should consider when adopting AI in the workplace.

In the conversation, he covers:

- Why employees are right to be skeptical about this emerging technology.

- Where regulations are needed most.

- What workers need to do to become good students of AI.

MM Group was faced with a challenge: onboard 3,500 new colleagues across more than 20 sites and 11 countries. Their HR team had just decided to adopt AI and knew this was the perfect use case.

They got to work and successfully implemented talent intelligence on a global scale.

Eva Edelmueller, the Head of Group Talent Attraction and Talent Management with MM Group, joins us on the latest episode of The New Talent Code to talk about how starting with their minimum needs and building as they went was their recipe for success.

Eva also shares valuable insights on:

- How her team handles policies around their use of AI and practical advice on disclosures to candidates.

- What it took to gain managerial buy-in and successfully onboard them into the new system.

- And how MM Group cut hiring by 20 days and started finding more women for their roles.

Where do you begin as a biotech startup that needs to hire for highly technical roles at the height of a human health crisis? With talent intelligence, of course.

Just four years ago, Moderna functioned as a start-up, and now they’re a household name that has rapidly grown their staff. Using AI to hire faster and smarter helped them get there.

Amanda Sorrento, Senior Vice President, People Platform and Organizational Architecture at Moderna, joins us on the latest episode of The New Talent Code to talk about the organization’s impressive growth, how they managed it, and where they’re headed next.

You’ll also learn more about:

-How using talent intelligence gave Moderna a competitive edge at the perfect moment.

-What you need to do if you’re unsure of how AI can work for your organization.

-And how Moderna is defining — and redefining — success with AI.