Trending Topics from CHRO Executive Summits in Early 2024

In the first half of this year, Evanta’s CHRO communities held nine CHRO Executive Summits across the globe, serving more than 900 executive human resources leaders. As we worked with our CHRO communities to build agendas for these summits, we aimed to capture the evolution for businesses across industry. HR leaders are working to meet the expectations of prospective talent, while understanding the current and future needs of the workforce, given factors such as generative AI and hybrid work.

Topics including organization design and change management, workforce strategy and planning and leadership development emerged as we conducted research from our proprietary Leadership Perspective Survey. Sessions focusing on these topics and others like psychological safety and pay transparency earned some of the highest ratings from our attendees. 

Here is are some of the highlights from our most popular sessions:

Future Ready — Enhancing C-Suite Collaboration on AI at the Minneapolis CHRO Executive Summit

As artificial Intelligence reshapes business processes, enhances workforce efficiency and revolutionizes the HR technology landscape, developing an aligned vision across the C-suite can drive innovation while addressing potential challenges. In this session, the CHRO and CIO from Anderson Corporation shared ways to foster cross-functional collaboration, enrich the integration of AI in HR and use AI to drive agility and competitive advantage.

Attendees said:

This was my favorite session.”

Engaging and helpful dialogue on a very relevant topic. Helped demystify AI and how to approach it in life.”

Great content. This makes me eager to bring this forward.”

Once Upon an Employee Value Proposition at the Boston CHRO Executive Summit

Navigating complex mergers and defining cultural identities, organizations must work to create a compelling narrative to attract and retain top talent. During this session, Mary Beth DeNooyer, CHRO of Keurig Dr. Pepper and Jason Vlaun, CHRO of NHP Rhode Island, shared how to examine the employee lifecycle, effectively reflect company values and foster transparent communication.

Attendees said:

Turned out to be a great pairing — big and small, non-profit vs. for-profit. Different points on the journey — lots of similarities despite the differences.”

Terrific presentation, relevant and practical.”
 

Finding Focus — Prioritization for CHROs at the New York CHRO Executive Summit

Prioritization can be a difficult task for HR leaders, and this challenge is further compounded by the near-constant external and internal disruptions of recent years. This session featured Anna Krasniewska from Gartner’s HR practice, Ken Cooper, head of HR for Bloomberg and Danielle Leone McMahan, chief people officer from Wiley. Together they discussed how to drive impact on critical business objectives, juggle competing priorities and communicate expectations and budget constraints.

Attendees said:

Thank you for the insights. Loved the examples.”

Ken was amazing! His common sense and no-nonsense approach was very refreshing as a progressive HR leader.”

The Critical Role of HR in Psychological Health and Safety at the Australia CHRO Executive Summit

In the rapidly evolving psychological health and safety landscape, CHROs are tasked with cultivating a mentally healthy workplace in order to mitigate risk while improving productivity and performance. In this session, Dave Burroughs, chief mental health officer, for Westpac Group, distilled the latest research and his observations around common obstacles to psychological health and safety.

Attendees said:

A really insightful and very relevant presentation. I would have loved two hours on the topic.”

Very insightful and prompts I can take back and implement in our business to ensure we are doing what we can.”

Building a Change-Ready Workforce at the Dallas CHRO Executive Summit

Organizations are constantly facing change, from technology to talent, and from culture to acquisition. Ali Marciano, SVP, human resources for Core-Mark International shared how CHROs can accurately plan for an implement change to ensure resilience in an ambiguous future.

Attendees said:

Ali was fantastic! Her presentation really resonated and was relatable for every individual in that room. Great topic with data to support it!”

Loved, loved, loved this! Fantastic content and applicability.”

From Chaos to Calm — Embracing the Storm, Empowering Success at the UK and Ireland Executive Summit

Now more than ever, CHROs are expected to absorb the emotions and stress of their people, whilst being calm in the midst of a storm of unprecedented change. In this session, chief people officer and head of corporate affairs for Sainsbury’s, Prerana Issar, shared how to find balance between effectively leading change and looking after yourself.

Attendees said:

Inspirational and THE standout moment of the entire event.”

Excellent session, such unique experiences to draw from and iconic storytelling. I took lots away, thank you.”

Really inspiring!!! It has moved me to change.”

Defining and Delivering the Value of Culture at the San Francisco Executive Summit

As a CHRO, culture is paramount. Tracy Layney, SVP and CHRO for Levi Strauss & Co. joined forces with Kim Sullivan, CHRO for Proofpoint to share how they’ve developed targeted strategies to define a culture that equally represents how employees engage with the organization and how they meet the day-to-day expectations of the business.

Attendees said:

Powerful chat with many takeaways. Thanks so much for your time and for sharing.”

Great insights on culture and where CHROs should focus their efforts.”

This season of Evanta CHRO summits was wildly successful with attendees telling us they can’t wait for more.

The CHRO summit is the best event I have attended. I love the content, the opportunity to connect, and the networking opportunities.”

Evanta events are always energizing and informative. They are incredibly well-run and organized. The speakers are outstanding, and there is a generous amount of time devoted to networking which I really appreciate. The topics are relevant to what I am experiencing in my role and organization. I wouldn't miss this event for anything!”

Until our next summit season begins in October, we’ll be holding town halls virtually with many of the communities we serve. To find and register for an upcoming community event, sign in to MyEvanta, or if you have not yet joined an Evanta CHRO Community, apply to join here for access to Evanta community gatherings.