The Gartner Talent Angle

As organizations continue to face fierce competition for talent, HR leaders have upheld internal mobility as a lever to retain talent – yet only half of employees are aware of the career opportunities in their organization. In this episode of the Talent Angle, Helen Tupper illustrates how championing “squiggly careers” can deliver on the promise of internal mobility by giving employees relevant and engaging opportunities. By intentionally empowering talent to apply their skills across a diverse set of experiences, HR leaders can create meaningful careers for individuals while also serving the needs of the organization. Helen Tupper is the co-founder and CEO of Amazing If, a company with an ambition to make careers better for everyone. Together with her business partner Sarah Ellis, she is the author of two Sunday Times bestsellers The Squiggly Career  and You Coach You. Their Squiggly Careers podcast is the UKs #1 careers podcast and their TEDx talk The best career path isn’t always a straight line has over 1.5m downloads. Helen also works as a Trustee for Working Families, a UK charity with a mission to support families and carers with their work and life commitments. Prior to Amazing If she held leadership roles for Microsoft, Virgin and BP and was awarded the FT & 30% Club’s Women in Leadership MBA Scholarship. She is mum to Henry and Madeleine and lives with her husband in Buckinghamshire. You can find her on Instagram @amazingif. Dion Love is a vice president of research and advisory services at Gartner. He’s a labor market expert, focusing on global labor market trends and what they mean for organizations’ talent and business strategies, as well as broader social and economic issues. In his work at Gartner, Dion advises clients on key aspects of talent acquisition, including talent acquisition function planning and management, talent needs definition and internal recruiting, employment branding and recruitment marketing, and talent sourcing and selection. He has co-authored more than 12 strategic research studies at Gartner. His work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and industry publications, as well as Gartner HR Leaders Monthly and Smarter With Gartner.

Inflation, supply chain risks and a tightening labor market are placing a squeeze on organizations, forcing leaders to make difficult tradeoffs. These macroeconomic conditions create challenges and opportunities for HR leaders to guide their organizations through an environment most leaders haven’t experienced before. Chris Scalia, Hershey CHRO, and Ceree Eberly, former Chief People Officer at the Coca-Cola Company, join the Talent Angle to share how HR leaders can thrive during periods of volatility. Drawing on their experiences as HR leaders, Chris Scalia and Ceree Eberly offer guidance for making tough decisions in an uncertain environment, outline approaches to making enterprise level changes amid disruption and provide tangible advice to help HR leaders model behaviors that make organizations excel. Chris Scalia is The Hershey Company’s Chief Human Resources Officer and leads Hershey’s human resources function with accountability for Workforce Planning, Listening and Analytics, Total Rewards, Inclusion, Equity, Diversity, Talent Management, HR Service Delivery, and Strategic Business Partnering.  Central to Hershey’s vision of becoming a snacking powerhouse are capabilities brought to life through outstanding talent.  An energized workforce and people-centric culture striving to make a positive impact in communities where we live and work is fundamental to how Hershey leads in the marketplace. Chris has held several leadership roles in legal and HR across the spectrum of manufacturing, labor relations, employment law, business partnering, and all of talent. Ceree Eberly serves as Chair for the CHRO Global Leadership Board, a network of HR executives working with Gartner to share best practices and influence cutting-edge thinking to guide the next generation of HR leaders. In March 2018, Ceree retired as SVP and Chief People Officer for Coca-Cola after 28 years with the company. She led significant improvements in Coca-Cola’s people and talent processes, leaving a lasting legacy at the organization Ceree is also a member of Women Corporate Directors global organization and has been involved with numerous Human Resources Global Leadership organizations. Ceree has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee, graduating with high honors. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

The significance of understanding employee physical and mental health and wellbeing has increased substantially in the hybrid world. Organizations are rethinking the importance of trust and autonomy in the employee experience to develop healthy, resilient and productive workforces for the long-term. Judith Wiese, chief people and sustainability officer at Siemens, joins the Talent Angle to discuss employee wellbeing and its implications for organizations. She highlights how Siemens’ commitment to wellbeing and empowerment drives positive talent outcomes and positions the organization for sustainable success. Judith Wiese has been a member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG since October 1, 2020. She is the Chief People and Sustainability Officer as well as Labor Director for Siemens AG. In addition, Judith is responsible for Global Business Services (GBS) at Siemens. Judith has more than two decades of international experience in various HR fields. From 2017 to 2020, she was Chief Human Resources Officer at DSM, a Dutch company specializing in health, nutrition, and sustainable living. Before that, she worked for the U.S. food company Mars Inc., most recently as Head of People & Organization. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

Women of color are one of the fastest-growing segments in the corporate workforce, yet often underrepresented in their teams, department or company. In “The First, The Few, The Only,” author and corporate inclusion leader Deepa Purushothaman offers a call to action for women of color to advocate for a new corporate environment where they feel belonging and acceptance.  On this episode of the Gartner Talent Angle, Deepa provides a roadmap for women of color to initiate change in the workplace, and outlines how organizations can ensure all of their employees are heard, respected and valued. Deepa Purushothaman is the co-founder of nFormation which provides brave, safe, new space for professional women of color and a Women and Public Policy Program Leader in Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to this, Deepa spent more than 20 years at Deloitte and was the first Indian American woman to become a partner in the company’s history. Deepa was also Deloitte’s national Women’s Initiative leader, the firm’s renowned program to recruit, retain, and advance women. Deepa has degrees from Wellesley College, Harvard Kennedy School, and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Deepa is an Aspen Fellow and speaks extensively on women and leadership. She has been featured at national conferences and in publications including Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Harvard Business Review. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

HR has proven its strategic value through the past few years of disruption, but now faces the challenge of driving organizations forward under heightened expectations. Gartner’s chief of HR research Peter Aykens returns to the Talent Angle to offer guidance as organizations continue to face economic volatility, tight labor markets and other competing priorities. Peter shares why sustaining employee performance, improving managers’ impact and evolving the HR function will be imperative for HR leaders in the year ahead. He offers a sneak peek of the emerging themes and insights from Gartner’s research teams and offers advice for HR leaders looking to make an impact in 2023. Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. He is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice to address clients’ key initiatives. Before his current role, he spent over 25 years at Gartner leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channels, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College; a master’s degree in international politics from Aberystwyth University (formerly known as the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth); and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Brown University. Jessica Knight is a Vice President of Research in the Gartner HR practice. She leads research teams to identify best practices and new opportunities to address HR executives’ most urgent challenges. Her areas of focus include employee experience, organizational culture, change management, and the future of work.

Since the pandemic, organizations have been operating in a new environment, with altered cultural norms and without established practices. In his book, “Competing In the New World of Work: How Radical Adaptability Separates the Best from the Rest,” Keith Ferrazzi offers his vision for successful organizations of the future. Keith joins the Gartner Talent Angle to share how some organizations are embracing these new realities and to outline the leadership practices he believes will define success in this new era of work. Keith Ferrazzi is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and renowned global thought leader in the future of work and leadership. As founder and chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight and its research institute Go Forward to Work, he works with some of the world’s most prominent organizations to maximize team performance and achieve extraordinary outcomes. Formerly, he was the chief marketing officer of Deloitte and Starwood Hotels. Keith is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of “Who’s Got Your Back,” “Never Eat Alone,” and “Leading Without Authority.” His 20-year history of coaching C-suite executive teams has made him an agent of transformation and among the world’s greatest and most sought-after coaches. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

GE’s Kevin Cox and Medtronic’s Carol Surface join the Talent Angle to discuss Chapter 2 of the Model of a World-Class CHRO. As members of Gartner’s CHRO Global Leadership Board, Carol and Kevin were both involved in creating the original Model of the World-Class CHRO in 2017. They join host Peter Aykens to discuss what’s changed in the recent update. They reflect on what originally inspired them to create the model, its legacy to date, and why it was due for a revision. In breaking down Chapter 2 of the model, Carol and Kevin share what’s remained the same for the chief HR officer (CHRO) role alongside what must be added to address today’s realities.   The CHRO Global Leadership Board, convened by Gartner, is composed of CHROs from the world’s top companies with deep expertise in HR, talent management and executive leadership.   Carol Surface was recently appointed chief people officer at Apple, a role she will start in March 2023. Since 2013, she has served as executive vice president and CHRO at Medtronic, a global healthcare technology leader with 95,000-plus employees. Previously, Carol was executive vice president and CHRO at Best Buy and held a series of human resources leadership roles at PepsiCo, including chief personnel officer for PepsiCo International. In 2020, Carol was elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR). She earned a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from Central Michigan University.   Kevin Cox is the CHRO for General Electric. Kevin leads GE’s global HR organization, including talent management, leadership development, total rewards and employee relations. Prior to GE, Kevin served as the CHRO at American Express for 14 years. Previously, he spent 16 years at PepsiCo and the Pepsi Bottling Group, where he held positions leading strategy, business development, technology and HR. In 2009, Kevin was elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR). He holds a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Marshall University.   Peter Aykens is chief of research in Gartner’s HR practice. He is responsible for defining research coverage within the practice and building and leading research teams addressing clients’ key initiatives. In prior roles at the firm, he spent over 25 years leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channel marketing, customer experience and product issues in financial services. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from St. Olaf College; an MSc. (Econ) degree in international politics from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth; and a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in political science from Brown University. 

A historic number of women left their jobs in 2021, resulting in their lowest workforce participation since 1988. Author and activist Reshma Saujani confronts the “big lie” of corporate feminism in her book Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It’s Different Than You Think), and she presents a bold plan to address the systemic biases impacting working women. On this episode of the Gartner Talent Angle, Reshma explains how the cost of inaction ⁠— for families, the economy, and women themselves ⁠— is too great to ignore. To fuel this urgency, she shares strategies to create lasting change. Reshma Saujani is a leading activist and the founder of Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms. She is the author of Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It’s Different Than You Think). Reshma has spent more than a decade building movements to fight for women and girls’ economic empowerment, working to close the gender gap in the tech sector, and most recently advocating for policies to support moms impacted by the pandemic. Reshma is also the author of the international bestseller Brave, Not Perfect, and her influential TED talk, “Teach girls, bravery not perfection,” has more than five million views globally. Reshma began her career as an attorney and Democratic organizer. In 2010, she surged onto the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress. Reshma lives in New York City with her husband, Nihal, their sons, Shaan and Sai, and their bulldog, Stanley. *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.

In 2023, organizations face historic challenges: a competitive talent landscape, an exhausted workforce, and pressure to control costs. HR leaders that can effectively navigate these terrains and unlock the full potential of their organization’s talent stand to gain a competitive edge. In this episode of the Talent Angle, Gartner’s Peter Aykens and Emily Rose McRae share 9 future of work trends that will shape HR in 2023, and offer practical guidance on how HR leaders can prepare accordingly. To access the full Future of Work Trends research, or register for a webinar hosted by Peter Aykens and Emily Rose McRae on February 15th, use the following link: gtnr.it/worktrends2023.   Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. He is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice to address clients’ key initiatives. Before his current role, he spent over 25 years at Gartner leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channels, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College; a master’s degree in international politics from Aberystwyth University (formerly known as the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth); and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Brown University.   Emily Rose McRae leads the Future of Work and Talent Analytics research teams in Gartner's HR Practice. While Ms. McRae works across all issues that can lead to the future of work, her core areas of focus include emerging technologies and their impact on work and the workforce, new employment models, market and demographic shifts, and workforce planning to anticipate and prepare for these changes. Prior to joining Gartner, Ms. McRae worked in management consulting and international development, providing data science support to U.S. Government loan programs and microfinance projects in Fiji and Tonga.   Dion Love is a vice president of research and advisory services at Gartner. He’s a labor market expert, focusing on global labor market trends and what they mean for organizations’ talent and business strategies, as well as broader social and economic issues. In his work at Gartner, Dion advises clients on key aspects of talent acquisition, including talent acquisition function planning and management, talent needs definition and internal recruiting, employment branding and recruitment marketing, and talent sourcing and selection. He has co-authored more than 12 strategic research studies at Gartner. His work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and industry publications, as well as Gartner HR Leaders Monthly and Smarter With Gartner.

On this episode of the Gartner Talent Angle, author and keynote speaker, Suneel Gupta explains why even some of the best ideas fail to take root. He shares how the lessons he gleaned from interviews with some of the most successful individuals in the world fueled his latest book, Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance On You. Suneel shares his own experience of learning from failure, and he explains why before you can convince others, you must first convince yourself. He argues that the greatest enemy to innovation is exhaustion, and leaders must take care of their energy as much as they take care of their time and their talent.   Suneel Gupta writes and speaks about the changing world of work, and how we succeed both externally and internally. He is the bestselling author of  "Backable", which is rooted in Suneel’s journey from the "Face of Failure" for the New York Times to the "New Face of Innovation" for the New York Stock Exchange. Suneel is the founding CEO of RISE, which partnered with then first Lady Michelle Obama to deliver low-cost healthcare services to people in need. RISE was named "App of the Year" by Apple and sold in a successful exit to One Medical. Suneel later ran for U.S. Congress and now serves on faculty at Harvard University and as an emissary for Gross National Happiness between the United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan. When a reporter once asked Suneel about his purpose, his response was to “find good people, and inspire them to do what inspires them.” *This episode is an excerpt taken from our 2022 interview.