2022 Highlights for International CHRO Communities

As we enter a new year, CHROs reflect upon a period of uncertainty, underpinned by a milieu of cascading health, economic and geopolitical crises. During this period, CHROs within the European and Australian regions came together at Evanta gatherings – both virtual and in person – to discuss a myriad of issues, ranging from employee experience to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

In 2022, CHROs from Evanta’s UK, Nordic and Australian communities attended two Executive Summits, four Inner Circle Dinners, and thirteen virtual gatherings, sharing their stories, exchanging ideas and making new connections. Here is some of what they had to say about the community gatherings:

An extremely valuable [Inner Circle Dinner] including both thought leadership on key topics, as well as an enjoyable social and networking element. The right people were in the room to ensure effective sharing.”

– Andrea Wareham
Chief People Officer, Pret A Manger

The quality and level of participants was spot on. Discussion was very insightful and helpful.”

– Gina Jardine
CHRO, CRH

Fabulous to connect with peers new and known in an extremely safe and great space.”

– Helen Moore
Group People Director, Which?

CHRO Top Priorities 

Insights collated from our Leadership Perspective Surveys helped to shape the agendas and influence key discussion topics throughout our sessions in 2022.

Our international CHRO community members' top priorities were:

• Employee Experience & Organisational Culture
• Recruitment/Onboarding/Retention Strategies
• Workforce Strategy & Design
• Current & Future Leadership
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Highly-Rated Presentations

Over the year, CHROs from Evanta’s UK, Nordic and Australian communities came together at two Executive Summits. Here are some of the most popular sessions:

Keynote: A Future World of Work – What Happens Next?
In this session, Christine Armstrong discussed the challenges HR leaders face in bringing the workforce together and instilling a sense of unity in their organisations. Armstrong outlined how CHROs can keep employees enthused with new ways of working, whilst also ensuring that productivity remains a top priority, navigating the costs of flexible working and remaining pragmatic as people leaders.

Keynote: Why CHROs Make Great CEOs?
Sarah Derry, CEO Pacific at Accor Asia Pacific, spoke about her incredible career journey from a leader within talent and culture to the CEO role. Derry outlined why having an in-depth understanding of people and culture was such a valuable experience for her new role, and why people – before strategy – are key to success in the modern business world.

Keynote: The Great Reshuffle and Taking a Skills-First Approach
Adam Gregory, Senior Director, APAC Talent Solutions at LinkedIn, delivered this keynote on how HR leaders can upskill their current workforces to account for talent shortages and keep up with emerging digital skills. Gregory outlined how CHROs can use data to shape talent acquisition, recruiting and retention, and improve employee engagement. Gregory discussed how CHROs can adopt a skills-based approach and cultivate a company culture that fosters a sense of belonging and fulfilment amongst employees. 

Keynote: Purpose and Culture at Virgin Atlantic
In this session – moderated by Debbie Alder of the Department for Work & Pensions – Estelle Hollingsworth, Chief People Officer, and Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer discussed how Virgin Atlantic have approached the issue of purpose and culture in the wake of the ‘Great Resignation.’ Hollingsworth and Koster examined how CHROs can effectively connect an increasingly disconnected workforce by aligning core values and fostering a culture of belonging and loyalty among their employees.
 

Highly-Rated Town Hall Gatherings

Evanta also hosted a number of virtual gatherings for our International CHRO communities. Here are a handful of the most popular sessions:

UK & Ireland CHRO Virtual Town Hall: Creating Fulfilling Experiences That Amplify Resilience
In this Town Hall, Meghan Stettler, Director, O.C. Tanner, discussed the topic of creating fulfilling experiences that amplify resilience, alongside Harvey Francis, EVP & CHRO, Skanska UK, Nikki Humphrey, Chief People Officer, Virgin Group, and Jennifer Tippin, Group Chief People & Transformation Officer, NatWest Group. Stettler, Francis, Humphrey and Tippin offered insightful strategies for how HR leaders can efficiently build and execute new employee experience strategies whilst battling existing challenges. 

Nordic CHRO Virtual Town Hall: Diversifying Your HR Strategy
In this Town Hall, Rachel Mantell, CHRO MS & Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Nets, discussed the topic of diversifying HR strategy alongside Elaine Becraft, SVP, People and Culture, Siemens Healthineers, and Elise Hauge Larsen, EVP, Chief People & Communications Officer, Lundbeck. Mantell, Becraft and Larsen discussed the importance of having diverse leaders in enabling new employees to feel a greater connection, as well as how ideas coming from people of different backgrounds can lead to incredible innovation.

Nordic CHRO Virtual Town Hall: Evolving Employee Experience and Creating Value for Your Business Through Pervasive Intelligence
In this session, Mark Brinkler, Director of HR Transformation at Oracle, discussed how HR leaders can take a more holistic approach to workforce strategy – keeping employee experience at the centre of HR strategy whilst also developing their HR capability to co-lead business in a new way. Brinkler joined a number of CHROs to discuss how AI, machine learning and predictive insights can transform employee experience and add value to business discussions.
 

Most Popular Content

Here is a sample of what international CHROs in Evanta communities were reading and listening to this year.

• Top 10 Trends for CHROs in 2022. In this blog about our annual Leadership Perspective Survey, we looked at where CHROs were focusing their attention and budget and found 10 trends.
• 2022 CHRO Leadership Perspectives. This infographic highlighted what 450 CHROs said were their most important priorities in 2022.
• Top 3 Areas of Focus for CHROs in 2022. This blog to kick off the year focused on three key themes for CHROs.
• Top 3 Goals & Challenges for CHROs in 2022. Here, we take a closer look at CHROs’ top goals and challenges for 2022, based on Leadership Perspective Survey data from 600 CHROs in Evanta communities. 
• How Should C-level Executives Influence the Enterprise? CHRO Janice Deskus of Staples kicked off our summer podcast series by discussing how to earn a seat at the decision-making table and why it’s important to expand beyond your functional role. 
• What Role Does the C-Suite Have in Sustainability? Executive Director and Digital CIO Eddy Wagoner of JLL joined the podcast to talk about how C-level leaders can address sustainability and other global concerns.

What’s in Store for 2023?

So, what does 2023 have in store for executives in our international CHRO communities? We have already confirmed several dates for our international CHRO Inner Circle Dinners and Executive Summits of 2023:

• Australia CHRO Inner Circle Diner – 23 March 2023
• Australia CHRO Executive Summit – 8 June 2023
• UK & Ireland CHRO Executive Summit – 21 June 2023
• UK & Ireland CHRO Inner Circle – 7 November 2023

To curate this content on our upcoming agendas, we will be gathering new insights from our Leadership Perspective Surveys. We will be announcing new priorities in January – so keep your eyes out for the next blog!