The Talent Blueprint

This episode features an interview with Alan Winters, Chief People Officer and Chief Diversity Officer at Teleperformance, and your host, Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery.  Alan is a senior-level executive with over 25 years of experience. He serves leading global Fortune 500 corporations representing four diverse industries. At the Teleperformance Group, he’s responsible for People, Process and Culture, as well as HR, Learning and Development, Processes, Shared Services, Compliance, Privacy and Security.

Alan discusses the need for a “50-50 mindset” regarding career development, the importance of trust between managers and team members, the differentiator brands need when standing out to candidates on the job hunt, and integrating emotional intelligence into the workplace. 

About Teleperformance:

Teleperformance provides digitally integrated business services. They’re a worldwide leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management. Teleperformance connects big and respected brands with their customers by providing customer care, technical support, customer acquisition, digital solutions, analytics, back-office, and other specialized services to ensure consistently positive customer interactions.

They are a global leader in solution design, business optimization strategies, front-office customer support, and back-office services like finance, accounting, collections, and tech support.  With more than four decades of deep, industry-specific expertise an

Quote:

“Now, not everyone's gonna be successful, and not everyone is cut out for every job, obviously. But that gets back to that relationship with your manager to help that person progress, or the Jump program I spoke about earlier. And how is that integrated or changing with the strategy of the company? So it's those types of programs that have to be integrated. Because what you don't wanna do is someone just going externally and getting another degree, and that puts them out in the market, so to speak, for someone now to poach them. Where I would prefer to have those in those programs internally and then grow that person into a bigger role, if that's what they want to do.” - Alan Winters 

–

TimeStamps

**(02:54) - The evolution of Alan’s role  

**(08:16) - The Employee Engagement Suite 

**(15:04) - Talent acquisition in a turbulent economy 

**(22:07) - Enabling upward mobility through internal programs 

**(26:48) - Alan’s thoughts on the future of talent acquisition

Sponsor

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry-leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

Links

Connect with Alan on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Becky Cantieri, CPO at Momentive, and your host, Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery. Becky joined Momentive in 2011 and, as the Chief People Officer, drives the company's candidate and employee experience. Previously, she spent over 11 years at Yahoo in various HR leadership roles.

Becky discusses tackling challenges with resilience, how to maintain transparency after a company goes public, and why empathy is integral to a work-from-home culture. 

About Momentive:

Momentive provides Software-as-a-Service solutions that help businesses turn stakeholder feedback into action in the United States and internationally. It offers survey software products under the SurveyMonkey brand that enable customers to listen and take action on stakeholder feedback; GetFeedback CX platform, which enables companies to leverage in-the-moment customer feedback to engage and retain their customers.

Momentive aims to help companies reshape their customer experience and product. They help industry leaders get tangible results and make decisions with an AI-powered platform. This platform is built with 20 years of experience with data from real questions and responses. Their three product brands are Momentive, GetFeedback, and SurveyMonkey.

Quote:

“Naturally, we are a survey platform, and we use [that] not only to measure employee engagement but to ask our employees’ opinion on everything from how they are doing in the early days of the pandemic to how we structure our benefits, perks, et cetera when we are working within a more constrained financial envelope for the year. So on a wide range of topics, we ask for their opinion, listen to what’s most important to them, what they value, [and] where they’re willing to accept trade-offs given the challenges that the business may be having.” Becky Cantieri from Momentive 

–

TimeStamps

**(02:03) - An introduction to Momentive 

**(06:30) - The challenges of going public 

**(08:55) - The biggest lessons learned through listening 

**(16:05) - Post-pandemic innovation 

**(18:49) - Curiosity as the key 

**(23:30) - Hopes for the future of transparency 

Sponsor

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry-leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

Links

Connect with Becky on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Mark Smith, Head of Talent Acquisition at The Kraft Heinz Company, and your host Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery. Mark has been a Talent Leader for more than 20 years and has worked for a variety of world-class organizations. Before Kraft Heinz, Mark was Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition at SC Johnson. Here he implemented a new TA delivery model, which included establishing an employer brand team, executive hiring, and a focus on the candidate experience through one process and technology.

Mark discusses how he turned his employer brand around, leveraging leadership to drive change, and how to harness authenticity. 

About The Kraft Heinz Company:

The Kraft Heinz Company is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands and global sales of approximately $25 billion. We’re a globally trusted producer of high-quality, great-tasting, and nutritious foods for over 150 years. While Kraft Heinz is co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh, our brands are truly global, with products produced and marketed in over 40 countries. These beloved products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, infant and nutrition products, and numerous other grocery products in a portfolio of more than 200 legacy and emerging brands.

Quote:

“Keeping the TA organization closer to not just offer accepted and then next role and you kind of stay over here in your lane, was to try and bring the organization a bit closer to the onboarding, and it gives us more skin in the game. And especially when it comes to things like employer branding and integrity of that, in terms of what we are selling to candidates, it has to be truly authentic. So to have ownership in that swim lane, you can't hide from that. And what I mean by that is I would never want recruiters in any of my teams to sell something that wasn't accurate. And that gives us more ownership and credibility, I feel.” - Mark Smith from The Kraft Heinz Company

–

TimeStamps

**(04:11) - The start of Mark's journey 

**(12:02) - How Mark measures success

**(16:46) - Biggest challenges 

**(24:18) - Lessons on mindset 

**(28:36) - Recipes for success 

**(32:22) - Hopes for the future

Sponsor

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

Links

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Suzan Moro-Wade, EVP and CHRO at Xerox, and your host Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery. Suzan works in partnership with senior leadership to drive a human capital strategy that facilitates the company’s transformation, future growth and success. Specifically, she is focused on instilling best practices around organization capability, diversity and inclusion, talent management, learning, total rewards and the work environment.

Suzan discusses how she measures success in acquiring talent, creating a safe space for employees, and the critical role ERGs are playing at Xerox to promote diversity and inclusion. 

About Xerox:

For more than 100 years, Xerox has continually redefined the workplace experience. Harnessing our leadership position in office and production print technology, we’ve expanded into software and services to sustainably power today’s workforce. From the office to industrial environments, our differentiated business solutions and financial services are designed to make everyday work better for clients — no matter where that work is being done. Today, Xerox scientists and engineers are continuing our legacy of innovation with disruptive technologies in digital transformation, augmented reality, robotic process automation, additive manufacturing, the Industrial Internet of Things, and cleantech.

Quote:

“But I will say, one of the things that is a real differentiator for us is our approach to how we engage people before they join. And that is, we offer access to various diverse talent to meet and speak to, to learn about the company and the culture, before someone comes in the door. The culture piece, the culture fit, and the culture complement are so important. And so we offer candidates the ability to speak with like peers before they join, so they can get a sense of the culture.” - Suzan Morno-Wade from Xerox

–

TimeStamps

**(05:51) - How does Suzan measure success?

**(10:41) - What differentiates Xerox’s hiring practices?

**(12:51) - ERGs and company culture 

**(19:20) - Xerox gives back to the community

**(24:28) - Soft skills to the front 

Sponsor

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry-leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

Links

Connect with Suzan on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Stephen Lochhead, Senior Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition at Expedia Group, and your host Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery. Stephen has worked for some of the world’s most successful businesses and helped them rethink the conventional ways in which a broad talent agenda can have the best impact. His spike is bringing the outside in and taking a creative approach to disrupt the status quo.

Stephen discusses how to unlock purpose and potential in your workforce, hiring for success and creating continuity in hiring programs, and how a strategic planning framework can help you achieve your goals.

About Expedia Group:

Expedia Group powers travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers.

“I honestly believe that purpose-driven organizations perform better, and there’s a very simple reason behind that. Purpose-driven organizations really campaign hard around unlocking employees’ discretionary effort, and they do that in a number of ways. Sometimes the best way they do that is completely unique to them, so it becomes unrepeatable to other organizations. But typically it’s around why is it that your world of work matters, and how is it that you connect with that on a day-to-day basis.” Stephen Lochhead, Expedia Group

–

TimeStamps

*(02:13) - The scope of Stephen’s role at Expedia Group 

*(09:55) - Elevating the recruiter experience by having talent champions

*(13:39) - Ways that skill-based employee development helps you retain talent 

*(17:23) - Unlocking purpose and potential in your workforce

*(20:53) - Why you need to treat your talent like you treat your customers

*(27:12) - Creating continuity in hiring programs

*(36:51) - Strategic planning framework that helps you achieve your goals

Sponsor

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

Links

Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Deeanne King, the Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at T-Mobile, and your host Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery. Deeanne brings more than 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles across multiple functions from her time at Sprint. Most recently she served as Sprint’s Chief Human Resources Officer, where she was a strong advocate for employee learning and development and was credited for transforming the company culture into a vibrant place to work.

Deeanne discusses how mergers and acquisitions impact culture, being more human-centric in how you think about data, and the importance of internal mobility.

---

About T-Mobile:

T-Mobile is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile’s customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Washington, T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Sprint.

---

“What we decided we wanted to do was to really take the best attributes of both companies and be proud of both our history that brought us to where we were, understand who each company was right now, but also think about who it is we aspire to be.” -  Deeanne King

---

TimeStamps:

*(01:31) - The scope of Deeanne’s role at T-Mobile

*(06:25) - How mergers and acquisitions impact culture

*(10:45) - What makes a winning post-merger culture?

*(12:05) - The importance of internal mobility.

*(15:40) - Being more human-centric in how you think about data

*(17:20) - Creating a dedicated employee experience team

*(21:53) - Why flexibility is important for the new workforce

*(23:28) - How technology and data playing a massive role in Talent Acquisition

---

Sponsor:

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

---

Links:

Connect with Deeanne on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Elin Thomasian VP, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at UKG, and your host Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery. Previously, she held Global Head of Talent Acquisition positions at Workday, Prudential Financial, Moody’s Corporation, Purdue Pharma, and Goldman Sachs.

Elin discusses the importance of a skills-based recruiting strategy, turning your data into intelligent insight, and why career development should be a key element of your employee value proposition.

---

About UGK:

UKG is a leading provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions for all people. At UKG, our purpose is people. As strong believers in the power of culture and belonging as the secret to success, we champion great workplaces and build lifelong partnerships with our customers to show what’s possible when businesses invest in their people. Born from a historic merger that created one of the world’s leading HCM cloud companies, our Life-work Technology approach to HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions for all people helps more than 70,000 organizations around the globe and across every industry anticipate and adapt to their employees’ needs beyond just work.

---

“So it's really important when you tie the employee value proposition to: you're not just coming here to do a great job in the role that we're hiring you for, but we're hiring you to be the workforce of the future. And our promise to you is that we will develop your skills to get there.” - Elin Thomasian

---

Episode TimeStamps:

*(01:31) - The scope of Elin’s role at UKG

*(02:59) - Integrating processes, systems, and technology

*(05:12) - Strategic Workforce Planning with Analytics & Technology

*(07:03) - Understanding your funnel metrics

*(09:24) - Turning your data into intelligent insight

*(13:20) - Career development should be a key element of you employee value proposition

*(15:01) - Focusing on HR technology for employees and customers

*(19:46) - Exploring talent intelligence platforms

*(22:55) - Building a new job architecture

---

Sponsor:

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

---

Links:

Connect with Elin on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Christopher Shryock, SVP & Chief People Officer at Sam’s Club and your host Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery. Christopher is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources across Sam’s Club, including identifying, attracting, developing, and rewarding talent, as well as building a diverse and inclusive organization for 100,000 associates across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. 

Christopher discusses the importance of creating a great employee value proposition, why the most important KPI is how satisfied your customers are, and ways to grow by advancing investments in tech and in product, with member and associate tools.

---

About Sam's Club:

Sam’s Club is a warehouse club with 597 locations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Sam’s Club is a division of Walmart and is a membership warehouse club, with $74 billion in net revenue and 600 locations, offering its members quality products at exceptional value that is unmatched by traditional retail. Every year they promote approximately 20,000 associates to jobs with more responsibility and higher pay, and offer associate benefits like paid parental leave for full-time associates, additional support for adoptive families, 401(k) savings, health/dental/vision plans, associate stock purchase plans, associate discounts and more.

---

“We're much more conscious and we're much more cognizant of hiring people that are member obsessed. One, because that's better for our members, but two, because those people tend to stay with us longer and they tend to perform better.” - Christopher Shryock

---

Episode TimeStamps

*(01:31) - Creating a great employee value proposition

*(04:56) - The components of building for leadership profiles

*(07:57) - The most important KPI that drives business

*(09:34) - Why the employee NPS score is the ultimate measure of employee happiness

*(13:20) - How to manage and how to reward talent

*(15:08) - Integrating DE&I into talent practices and the way you run your business

*(19:41) - Ways to grow by advancing investments in tech and in product

*(21:58) - The importance of putting people in positions where they can find their own purpose

*(23:43) - The impact of flexibility in the work place 

---

Sponsor

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

---

Links

Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

This episode features an interview with Maren Waggoner from Walmart, and your host Sultan Saidov, Co-Founder and President at Beamery. Maren has 15+ years of progressive experience in HR as a business partner as well as center of excellence leadership roles in Fortune 100 companies across technology, entertainment, and omni-channel retail industries. She provides HR support, frameworks, tools, and processes to unlock and accelerate business strategy and transformation.

Maren discusses the importance of the synchronicity between talent and business, measuring success through data, and how to automate selection while keeping the human in human resources.

---

About Walmart:

Sixty years ago, Sam Walton started a single mom-and-pop shop and transformed it into the world’s biggest retailer. Since those founding days, one thing has remained consistent: our commitment to helping our customers save money so they can live better. Walmart is reinventing the shopping experience and their associates are at the heart of it. Walmart has opened thousands of stores in the U.S. and expanded internationally. Through innovation, they’re creating a seamless experience to let customers shop anytime and anywhere online and in stores. They are creating opportunities and bringing value to customers and communities around the globe. Walmart operates approximately 10,500 stores and clubs under 46 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. They employ 2.3 million associates around the world, and nearly 1.6 million in the U.S. alone.

---

“I think that the key is, it has to start with the business strategy, cause there really isn't a separate talent strategy in absence of a business strategy.” -  Maren Waggoner

---

Episode TimeStamps:

*(01:31) - The scope of Maren’s role at Walmart

*(02:39) - The synchronicity between talent and business 

*(05:06) - Measuring success through data

*(07:31) - Important retention strategies 

*(09:46) - Scaling a sucessful pilot project

*(12:18) - How to automate selection while still staying personal

*(15:01) - The digital employee experience

*(19:38) - Knowing your talent to fill the job

*(21:14) - Why upskilling and reskilling have become essential tools 

---

Sponsor

The Talent Blueprint is brought to you by Beamery. Beamery's Talent Lifecycle Management Platform makes it possible for companies to deliver more human talent experiences and unlock the skills and potential of their global workforce using industry leading AI. Learn more at beamery.com.

---

Links

Connect with Maren on LinkedIn

Connect with Sultan on LinkedIn

Join your host, Sultan Saidov, Co-founder of Beamery,  as we take a behind-the-scenes look at how the world’s top talent innovators and visionaries are creating incredible talent experiences, moving the needle on DE&I, and attracting, engaging and retaining world-class talent.

Season Two includes expert insights from guests such as Maren Waggoner from Walmart, Christopher Shryock from Sam’s Club, and many more business and talent leaders. You’ll learn from HR and TA executives, who understand the value of creating a talent-first culture. So tap the follow button and join us on your favorite podcast platform. Welcome to "The Talent Blueprint," your guide to building a talent-first company.