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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