Webinar Portfolio

Key Takeaways from the 2026 Next Practices Now Conference - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:44:00 GMT

This Next Practices Weekly session delivered a curated, high-impact synthesis of insights from the 2026 Next Practices Now Conference, centered on the theme of The Future Ready Organization. Drawing from real-world examples and cutting-edge research, the discussion explored how leading organizations are evolving their cultures, leadership models, and talent strategies to remain competitive in an increasingly complex and AI-driven environment.

Led by i4pcp's Kevin Oakes and Tom Stone, the session translated conference insights into actionable priorities for HR leaders. The cohosts emphasized the urgency of workforce transformation, the rise of agentic AI, and the need for organizations to build adaptability, resilience, and forward-looking capabilities into their operating models.

Key Topics Discussed

Building the Future-Ready Organization
Leading organizations are proactively redesigning their structures, cultures, and leadership approaches to thrive amid disruption. This includes embedding agility, fostering innovation, and aligning workforce capabilities with long-term strategic goals.
Workforce Transformation as a Strategic Imperative
Organizations are shifting from reactive talent management to intentional workforce design—focusing on skills, internal mobility, and evolving roles to meet future demands.
The Rise of Agentic AI in Talent Strategy
Agentic AI is moving beyond automation into decision-making and augmentation of human work. HR leaders must rethink roles, governance, and ethical frameworks as AI becomes more embedded in organizational workflows.
Evolving Leadership Models for a New Era
Future-ready leaders are those who can navigate ambiguity, lead through change, and foster psychologically safe environments that encourage experimentation and learning.
Translating Insights into Actionable Priorities
Rather than overwhelming organizations with trends, the session emphasized clarity - helping HR leaders focus on the few critical actions that will drive meaningful impact.

Future-ready organizations aren't built through one-time initiatives, they are continuously shaped through intentional alignment of strategy, talent, and technology. As agentic AI accelerates change, HR leaders have a critical opportunity to lead this transformation by enabling new ways of working and building adaptive, resilient organizations. Want to go deeper? Watch the full recording to uncover the key insights, real-world examples, and practical actions you can take now to stay ahead.

Resources Shared

Save the Date: Next Practices Now Conference 2027
Join us in Scottsdale or virtually, March 23-25 - and register by April 30 to lock in 2026 pricing
i4cp's New Research: Building a Future-Ready Organization
Future readiness happens when culture, skills, and AI work together - explore how leading organizations are doing it.

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

Redefining Learning: How HR at E.W. Scripps Is Powering Real-Time Workforce Transformation with AI - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:58:00 GMT

Next Practices Weekly brought together Candace Anderson, Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer; Ginger Summers, Senior Director of Learning & Leadership Development; and Chris Conte, Lead Specialist of Learning & Development at E.W. Scripps for a dynamic conversation on how artificial intelligence is redefining the way organizations develop talent in real time. The session highlighted how Scripps is leveraging AI to move beyond traditional learning models, unlocking faster skill development, increasing accessibility, and enabling employees to keep pace with rapidly evolving business demands.

Hosted by Katheryn Brekken, Ph.D., and Tom Stone at i4cp, the discussion revealed how Scripps is embedding AI directly into the flow of work - transforming learning into a continuous, personalized, and highly strategic capability. By aligning learning innovation with business priorities, the organization is equipping its workforce to adapt, grow, and perform in an AI-enabled future.

Key Topics Discussed

Reimagining Learning for the Speed of Business
Scripps is redefining learning as a real-time capability moving beyond static programs to deliver knowledge and skill-building exactly when and where it's needed.
Operationalizing AI in the Flow of Work
By embedding AI into everyday tools and processes, the organization is making learning seamless, scalable, and directly tied to performance outcomes.
Personalizing Development at Scale
AI-driven insights are enabling highly targeted learning journeys, ensuring employees receive relevant, role-specific development that accelerates impact.
Building an AI-Ready Workforce with Confidence
Leaders emphasized the importance of fostering experimentation and psychological safety, empowering employees to adopt and apply AI in meaningful ways.
Positioning L&D as a Strategic Driver of Transformation
Learning leaders are stepping into a critical role aligning workforce capability-building with business strategy to enable agility and long-term success.

The conversation reinforced a clear call to action for HR leaders: the future of learning is happening now. From practical use cases to strategic insights, this session offers a compelling roadmap for organizations looking to accelerate workforce transformation. Don't miss the opportunity to hear these insights firsthand - watch the full recording to explore how leading organizations are putting AI into action.

Resources Shared

Register for the 2026 Conference

Don't miss i4cp's premier annual event - Next Practices Now Conference - where forward-thinking leaders gather to explore the future of work. Secure your seat

AI & the Future of HR: Take the Survey - AI is rapidly transforming how HR delivers value - reshaping roles, workflows, and the overall operating model. Take i4cp's new survey by April 10 to receive early access to key findings and benchmarking insights.

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

Evolving ERGs and BRGs: Purpose, Engagement, and Impact – Flash Call (i4cp login required)

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 15:57:00 GMT

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Business Resource Groups (BRGs) have long served as important spaces for community, inclusion, and connection inside organizations. Yet many companies are now reassessing how these groups operate as engagement fluctuates, expectations evolve, and leaders look for clearer alignment between employee communities and business priorities. While some organizations are expanding the role of ERGs to drive talent, innovation, and business insight, others are questioning whether traditional models still serve the needs of today's workforce.

This Flash Call brings together HR and inclusion leaders for a live benchmarking conversation focused on how organizations are evolving their ERG and BRG models, addressing declining engagement, and redefining how these groups contribute to both employee experience and business outcomes.

Leaders from Veeam and Micron will help anchor the discussion, building on a highly engaged Expert Network question, by sharing the challenges they're working through and the questions they're exploring before opening the conversation to the broader group for peer-to-peer discussion.

What we'll explore:

Why organizations sponsor ERGs and BRGs today, and how their purpose is evolving
What meaningful engagement looks like and where participation is declining
Whether ERGs should be centralized, decentralized, or something in between
The role informal affinity communities play in ERG governance
How ERGs contribute to business priorities, culture, and employee connection

Elevating Workforce Performance Through Strategic Well-Being and Culture at Pella - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:44:00 GMT

Next Practices Weekly welcomed John J. Bollman, EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer at Pella Corporation, for an executive-level discussion on how organizations can elevate workforce performance by embedding well-being into core business strategy. Bollman shared how Pella has redefined employee well-being - not as a benefits offering, but as a critical driver of resilience, productivity, and long-term business success. Central to this approach is Pella's investment in holistic health initiatives, including its state-of-the-art Wellness Center, designed to support employees physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Hosted by i4cp's Amber Burton and Tom Stone, the conversation emphasized how aligning well-being with a purpose-driven culture enables organizations to scale engagement and performance simultaneously. Bollman highlighted the importance of intentional design, integrating accessibility, employee experience, and cultural values into every layer of the organization, to create a sustainable, high-performance workforce.

Key Topics Discussed

Well-Being as a Business-Critical Strategy
Pella positions employee well-being as a strategic lever for performance, not a peripheral benefit. This shift enables measurable impact on productivity, retention, and organizational resilience.
Investing in Holistic Health Infrastructure
The introduction of Pella's Wellness Center reflects a long-term commitment to employee health. These investments demonstrate how physical spaces and resources can reinforce a culture of care and performance.
Aligning Culture, Purpose, and Employee Experience
Pella intentionally integrates well-being into its broader cultural framework. By aligning purpose with employee experience, the organization strengthens engagement and reinforces shared values at scale.
Driving ROI Through Workforce Well-Being
Bollman emphasized the tangible returns of well-being initiatives, including improved performance outcomes and reduced organizational risk. Strategic alignment ensures these programs contribute directly to business success.
Building a Future-Ready, Resilient Workforce
A focus on integrated well-being equips employees to adapt to change and sustain high performance. This approach supports long-term workforce agility in an evolving business landscape.

For HR and business leaders navigating rising performance expectations, this session delivers both strategic clarity and practical inspiration. Bollman's insights offer a compelling blueprint for embedding well-being into the DNA of the organization - demonstrating how thoughtful investments in people, culture, and infrastructure translate into measurable business outcomes. Watch the full recording to gain deeper perspective on how leading organizations like Pella are redefining workforce performance through integrated well-being and culture strategies.

Resources Shared

i4cp's New Research: Building a Future-Ready Organization
Future readiness happens when culture, skills, and AI work together - explore how leading organizations are doing it.
Save the Date: Next Practices Now Conference 2027
Join us in Scottsdale or virtually, March 23-25, 2027 and register by April 30 to lock in 2026 pricing

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

Powering Productivity with AI: How Lumen is Transforming Work with Microsoft Copilot - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:38:00 GMT

Next Practices Weekly welcomed Tim Climo, Vice President of People Analytics & Technology at Lumen Technologies, for an inside look at how the company is leveraging generative AI to reshape productivity, collaboration, and innovation across its workforce. As one of the earliest organizations participating in Microsoft's Early Access Program, Lumen placed Microsoft 365 Copilot at the center of its transformation from a traditional telecom provider into a technology-driven enterprise.

Climo shared how Copilot is enabling Lumen's 24,000 employees from sales teams, to engineers, to accelerate research, automate repetitive work, and unlock real-time insights that enhance both employee productivity and customer experience. Cohosted by Judy Albers and Tom Stone, the conversation explored how people analytics, strategic partnerships, and thoughtful change management are helping the organization scale AI adoption while keeping employees at the center of the transformation.

Key Topics Discussed

Scaling Generative AI for Enterprise Impact
Lumen embedded Microsoft 365 Copilot across the business to accelerate research, streamline content creation, and surface insights faster unlocking new levels of productivity across teams.
People Analytics Driving Smarter AI Adoption
Data and workforce insights guide where AI creates the most value, helping leaders prioritize high-impact use cases while measuring productivity and adoption across the organization.
AI-Augmented Productivity at Work
By automating routine tasks like meeting summaries, research, and reporting, Copilot frees employees to focus on strategic thinking, innovation, and customer value.
Strategic Tech Partnerships Accelerating Innovation
Lumen's collaboration with Microsoft enabled early experimentation with Copilot, helping the organization scale generative AI faster and more effectively.
Human-Centered Change Management
Successful AI adoption requires more than technology. Leadership alignment, employee enablement, and clear communication ensure AI enhances work rather than disrupts it.

The session illustrated how HR, technology, and business leaders can collaborate to operationalize generative AI responsibly and effectively. For organizations exploring AI-powered productivity, Lumen's experience offers a powerful roadmap for aligning innovation with workforce enablement. Watch the recording to hear how Lumen is translating AI ambition into measurable business impact.

Resources

Register for the 2026 Conference

Don't miss i4cp's premier annual event - Next Practices Now Conference - where forward-thinking leaders gather to explore the future of work. Secure your seat

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

Building a Change-Ready Culture Webinar (i4cp login required)

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:27:00 GMT

In this research-driven webinar, Marshall Bergmann and Katheryn Brekken, PhD, unveiled new insights from i4cp's latest study on Change-Ready Cultures - a critical pillar of the Future-Ready Organization model. As organizations accelerate investments in AI and skills, many leaders are discovering that technology and capability upgrades alone do not deliver results if culture cannot sustain ongoing transformation. Drawing on i4cp's extensive research into high-performance organizations, Katheryn highlighted how leadership behaviors, decision norms, and daily ways of working determine whether change initiatives scale successfully or stall. The session provided an early look at research launching at i4cp's Next Practices Now Conference and introduced a new Change-Ready Culture self-assessment to help leaders evaluate how prepared their organizations are for continuous disruption.

Key Takeaways

Culture readiness determines transformation success. Even the best AI and skills strategies fail if organizational culture cannot absorb and sustain change.
High-performance organizations treat change as continuous. Rather than viewing transformation as a one-time initiative, leading companies build routines and leadership practices that normalize adaptation.
Leadership behavior sets the tone. Change-ready cultures emerge when leaders model experimentation, learning, and transparency creating psychological safety for teams to adapt quickly.
Operational habits matter more than slogans. Specific routines, decision processes, and collaboration norms distinguish organizations that sustain change from those that struggle with resistance and fatigue.
Assessment enables action. i4cp introduced a new Change-Ready Culture self-assessment tool to help organizations measure their current state and prioritize where to focus culture transformation efforts.

The session reinforced that building a change-ready culture is one of the hardest, but most decisive capabilities for future-ready organizations. Leaders who align culture with strategy create the conditions for AI adoption, skills development, and innovation to deliver lasting performance impact.

Watch the full recording to explore the research in depth and discover how leading organizations are strengthening their culture to sustain transformation without overwhelming their workforce.

RESOURCES

Take i4cp's Change-Ready Assessment and receive instant results - plus the option to connect with our team.

Explore i4cp Consulting Services and see how we partner with organizations to drive measurable performance results.

To ensure open and candid discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

Toolkit Tour: Performance Conversations (i4cp login required)

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:32:00 GMT

Performance conversations are one of the most important experiences in organizations today. While many companies have evolved their performance management processes, the reality is that managers are still left to navigate the hardest moments of delivering feedback, explaining decisions, and coaching employees.

That challenge was at the center of this Toolkit Tour led by i4cp's Judy Albers ,Product Experience Director, Tools & Resources , with perspectives from Chick-fil-A Corporate.

This session brought together a set of existing i4cp tools and AI assistants and reframed them around a shared use case: How can we better support managers' capability for performance processes?

Making Skills Stick: Dow’s Blueprint for Culture and Capability - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Next Practices Weekly welcomed Lisa Bryant, CHRO of Dow, for a strategic discussion on what it takes to operationalize a skills-based culture across a global workforce. Drawing on her leadership of HR for Dow's 36,000 employees, Bryant shared how the organization embedded skills into its operating model to better align talent strategy with business priorities.

Joined by i4cp's Tom Stone and Amber Burton, Bryant outlined the cultural and operational shifts required to bring a skills-based approach to life from leadership alignment and transparent communication to modernizing learning and talent practices.

Key Topics Discussed

Embedding Skills into the Operating Model
Dow integrated skills across talent practices to align workforce capabilities with evolving business needs.
CareerHub and Internal Mobility
Dow's CareerHub platform helps employees understand their skills, explore career paths, and drive their own growth.
Leadership Storytelling and Alignment
Consistent executive messaging helped connect skills development to business performance and employee opportunity.
Modernizing Learning and Leadership Development
Learning programs were redesigned to focus on practical capability-building tied to real business priorities.
Operationalizing Skills Across HR
Skills were integrated into hiring, development, and workforce planning to influence everyday talent decisions.

Bryant also discussed how Dow moved beyond defining skills to embedding them into everyday talent experiences through initiatives like the company's CareerHub platform, modernized leadership development, and stronger change management practices. Watch the full recording to hear Bryant's candid insights and practical lessons on turning a skills strategy into a lasting culture shift.

Resources Shared

Register for the 2026 Conference

Don't miss i4cp's premier annual event - Next Practices Now Conference - where forward-thinking leaders gather to explore the future of work. Secure your seat

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

The Future of Workforce Planning with David Edwards: Leading with Strategy, Humanity & AI - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:44:00 GMT

In this thought-provoking session of Next Practices Weekly, David Edwards challenged conventional thinking about Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP), urging organizations to move beyond treating it as an HR process and instead position it as a core business discipline. Drawing from decades of experience across banking, telecom, consulting, and global operations - including transformative workforce initiatives at NatWest Group and Ericsson, Edwards reframed SWP as a strategic lever for risk mitigation, capability building, and enterprise transformation in an AI-accelerated world.

Hosted by Katheryn Brekken, PhD, and Tom Stone, the conversation explored how workforce planning must evolve to include all worker types, from full-time employees to gig talent and AI agents, while balancing innovation with humanity. Edwards emphasized that effective workforce strategy requires cross-functional ownership, data-driven decision-making, and courageous leadership willing to align talent planning directly with business strategy.

Key Topics Discussed

Reframing Workforce Planning as a Business Imperative
SWP must move beyond headcount forecasting and become embedded in enterprise strategy. Edwards emphasized that when workforce planning is owned cross-functionally, not just by HR, it becomes a driver of competitive advantage.
Managing the Total Workforce Ecosystem
Today's workforce includes employees, contractors, gig workers, third-party partners, and AI agents. Organizations must develop integrated planning models that account for all talent inputs contributing to business outcomes.
Balancing AI Innovation with Human-Centric Leadership
AI presents immense opportunity, but leaders must approach adoption thoughtfully. Edwards underscored the need to combine data intelligence with empathy, ethics, and creativity to ensure sustainable transformation.
From Reactive Hiring to Capability Planning
Rather than responding to short-term talent gaps, leading organizations are building long-term capability strategies focused on upskilling, reskilling, and redeploying talent to meet evolving business demands.
Cross-Functional Accountability and Strategic Clarity
True workforce planning requires collaboration across finance, strategy, operations, and HR. Edwards shared practical frameworks for aligning workforce decisions with financial and operational planning cycles.

As the discussion unfolded, Edwards pushed HR leaders to reclaim their role as enterprise architects of capability. He outlined practical frameworks for integrating AI into workforce models, aligning planning efforts with long-term strategic objectives, and leading with both analytical rigor and empathy. For organizations navigating volatility, skills disruption, and rapid technological advancement, this session delivers a clear message: workforce planning is not optional - it is foundational. If you are serious about reducing business risk, accelerating transformation, and ensuring human potential thrives alongside AI, this is a recording you won't want to miss.

Resources Shared

Register for the 2026 Conference
Don't miss i4cp's premier annual event - Next Practices Now Conference—where forward-thinking leaders gather to explore the future of work. Secure your seat

2026 Priorities & Predictions Report: Explore i4cp's latest insights to guide your talent, leadership, and culture strategies in the year ahead - read the full report

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

From Offer to Impact: Designing the Onboarding Journey - Flash Call (i4cp login required)

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:56:00 GMT

This member exclusive discussion explored how organizations are no longer designing onboarding as a checklist, but as a critical moment that shapes connection, confidence, and contribution from offer acceptance and beyond.

Bringing an Expert Network discussion from our community to life, Matt Wylie, Senior Manager of Learning Strategy at Best Buy, led an engaging session to benchmark how organizations are designing their onboarding processes to better support connection, clarity, and long-term success.

Elevating the EVP: How Children’s Minnesota Connects Purpose to People Strategy - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:20:00 GMT

In this powerful Next Practices Weekly session, Greg Johnson, Vice President of HR, Talent & Strategy at Children's Minnesota shared how the pediatric health system is redefining its Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to better serve both caregivers and communities. With a strategic focus on purpose, inclusion, and well-being, Greg offered an in-depth look at how Children's Minnesota is building a truly people-first culture across its healthcare workforce.

Cohosted by i4cp's Lorrie Lykins and Tom Stone, the session illuminated how EVP is evolving from a static promise to a dynamic, experience-led strategy that reflects real employee needs and organizational values. Grounded in empathy, Greg's approach emphasized flexibility, DEI, and mental health as central pillars in supporting both talent attraction and retention.

Key Topics Discussed

Making EVP Tangible Through Purpose and Experience
Greg underscored the importance of not just stating an EVP but living it. At Children's Minnesota, every aspect of the people strategy is tied to the mission of putting "kids first," with purpose serving as the emotional anchor for talent initiatives.
Embedding DEI and Community Impact into the Talent Strategy
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not side initiatives, they're foundational. Greg outlined how community engagement, cultural humility, and equity reviews shape inclusive hiring, promotions, and employee development.
Prioritizing Mental Health and Psychological Safety
Children's Minnesota has leaned into well-being with resources for frontline caregivers and a culture that supports speaking up. Mental health isn't a side benefit, it's central to the employee experience.
Flexibility with Intention
The organization is rethinking work norms by balancing operational demands with flexible scheduling, remote work for applicable roles, and compassionate leadership.
Professional Growth as a Core EVP Driver
Greg highlighted the need for clearer internal mobility pathways and accessible learning opportunities to reinforce that the organization is investing in its people at every level.

In an era where talent strategy must be both agile and authentic, Greg's insights offer a compelling blueprint for HR leaders looking to bridge purpose with practice. From redefining flexibility to embedding inclusion into the everyday, this session is rich with actionable takeaways and strategic inspiration. If you missed it live, be sure to watch the full recording to hear how one healthcare organization is elevating its EVP from promise to lived experience.

Resources Shared

Register for the 2026 Conference
Don't miss i4cp's premier annual event—Next Practices Now Conference—where forward-thinking leaders gather to explore the future of work. Secure your seat

2026 Priorities & Predictions Report: Explore i4cp's latest insights to guide your talent, leadership, and culture strategies in the year ahead — read the full report

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

Transforming Work at Scale: How Pfizer is Shaping the Future of Talent - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:44:00 GMT

In this session of Next Practices Weekly, hosted by i4cp's Tom Stone and Carrie Bevis, Sherry Cassano, Chief Talent Officer and SVP of People Experience at Pfizer, offered a compelling look at how one of the world's most innovative healthcare companies is reimagining workforce strategy at scale.

Sherry shared how her team is redefining the employee experience across U.S. and international divisions through a blend of AI, leadership development, and human-centered design. Emphasizing both high performance and well-being, Sherry's insights highlighted the importance of balancing ambition with care, as organizations navigate the complex future of work.

Key Topics Discussed

Rearchitecting Talent for Impact: Sherry outlined Pfizer's commitment to aligning talent strategies with business outcomes, designing for agility while supporting a diverse and distributed workforce.
AI-Powered Talent Insights: The session showcased how Pfizer uses AI and advanced analytics to inform leadership assessment, workforce planning, and capability building, turning data into strategic foresight.
Reframing Leadership for the Future: Sherry emphasized rethinking leadership pipelines, moving away from traditional promotion models toward impact-based growth, ensuring a robust and equitable talent ecosystem.
Balancing Flexibility with Connection: As a hybrid organization, Pfizer is investing in the "moments that matter" to foster connection, drive innovation, and ensure alignment, without defaulting to mandates.
Well-being as a Strategic Priority: The conversation explored how leaders can scale care across a global workforce, cultivating cultures that enable sustainable high performance.

Whether you're shaping the future of talent in your own organization or looking to level up your workforce strategy, this conversation is packed with forward-thinking insights and bold practices. Don't miss the opportunity to hear directly from a top HR executive at the forefront of global transformation, watch the recording to gain inspiration and actionable strategies you can implement today.

Resources Shared

Register for the 2026 Conference
Don't miss i4cp's premier annual event—Next Practices Now Conference—where forward-thinking leaders gather to explore the future of work. Secure your seat

2026 Priorities & Predictions Report: Explore i4cp's latest insights to guide your talent, leadership, and culture strategies in the year ahead — read the full report

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

Leading Across Cultures: HR Strategy Inside a Global Biopharma Innovator - 2026 Next Practices Weekly (i4cp login required)

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:00 GMT

In this compelling session of Next Practices Weekly, Simon King, Chief People Officer at Daiichi Sankyo, joined i4cp's cohosts Tom Stone and Pat Murakami to unpack the realities of leading people-first strategies within a U.S. division of a globally headquartered biopharma company. Drawing on decades of HR leadership at AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, and now Daiichi Sankyo, King shared how he's shaping a thriving workplace culture guided by purpose, innovation, and global vision.

Stone and Murakami guided a discussion rich in practical insights, as King emphasized cultural authenticity, leadership alignment, and employee experience as pillars of sustainable engagement and business performance. The session was a masterclass for HR leaders navigating the intersection of culture, strategy, and global complexity.

Key Topics Discussed

Building Culture in a Cross-Border Context
King outlined how to honor local team dynamics while remaining aligned with the broader values and vision of a Japan-headquartered parent company.
People-First Strategy in a High-Stakes Industry
In life sciences, innovation must be matched by empathy. King shared how Daiichi Sankyo embeds humanity into every HR touchpoint—from onboarding to leadership development.
Maintaining a "Best Place to Work" Status
Recognition doesn't come from perks alone. King discussed the systems and behaviors that fuel engagement, retention, and external credibility.
Leadership Development That Crosses Borders
Effective leadership looks different across geographies. Daiichi Sankyo's approach centers on adaptability, humility, and shared purpose as core leadership traits.
Creating Authentic Employee Experiences
Authenticity is a differentiator. King illustrated how intentional design of employee experiences can cultivate trust and long-term cultural cohesion.

Whether you're leading a global workforce or seeking fresh approaches to employee engagement, this session offers strategic takeaways that will resonate long after the event. Don't miss the opportunity to learn from one of the industry's top HR leaders—watch the full recording to bring Simon King's leadership philosophy into your own workplace.

Resources Shared

Register for the 2026 Conference
Don't miss i4cp's premier annual event—Next Practices Now Conference—where forward-thinking leaders gather to explore the future of work. Secure your seat

2026 Priorities & Predictions Report: Explore i4cp's latest insights to guide your talent, leadership, and culture strategies in the year ahead — read the full report

To ensure open discussion, this event was exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants were not permitted to attend.

i4cp's 2026 Priorities and Predictions Webinar (i4cp login required)

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:41:00 GMT

2026 is poised to be a defining year for organizations - one shaped by accelerated innovation, shifting workforce dynamics, and the growing influence of AI on every aspect of business and people strategy.

Each year, i4cp draws upon the collective expertise of CHROs and senior leaders across talent, learning, talent acquisition, impact & belonging, total rewards, people analytics, and the future of work to identify the forces that will shape the year ahead.

In this session, i4cp's Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Oakes and Chief Research Officer Kevin Martin, will take a deeper dive into the insights from i4cp's 2026 Priorities & Predictions report, revealing how top-performing organizations are preparing to lead through disruption and opportunity.

Join us to learn:

4 predictions that will redefine the HR profession in 2026

Top priorities of CHROs and other functional leaders

Strategic moves to stay ahead in a year of transformation

Toolkit Tour: Role Clarity & Talent Review (i4cp login required)

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 21:49:00 GMT

As organizations rethink work design, decision rights, and investment in critical roles (especially in the context of AI and evolving operating models), HR leaders are being asked to bring more structure and confidence to decisions.

In this Toolkit Tour, i4cp's Product Experience Director, Tools and Resources, Judy Albers, walked members through the Role Clarity Toolkit and Talent Review Toolkit. As one member observed, role expectations can shift quickly, but talent processes often lag behind, creating confusion for leaders and employees alike. The toolkits were positioned as a way to slow down just enough to get clear, then move faster with confidence.