Ep 793: Conversations from HR Tech Europe (Part Two): Anna Carlsson and Nazim Ünlü
08/05/2026 | 23 mins.
HR is at a pivotal moment. AI has shifted the conversation in a way nothing else has in years, the demands on the function are growing faster than its capacity to respond, and the questions being asked of it are bigger than they have ever been. The opportunity is significant, but so is the gap between where HR is and where it needs to be.
So what does it actually take for HR to step into this moment?
In this episode, recorded at HR Tech Europe in Amsterdam, I'm joined by two guests with strong views on what's holding the function back and what good looks like. Anna Carlsson, an HR tech analyst based in Stockholm, shares what she's seeing across the Nordic market and why culture and infrastructure matter more than the technology itself. Nazhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nazim-ünlü-0774b714/im Ünlü, a Global HRD and HR transformation leader, then joins me to talk about why HR is more needed than ever and the strategic shift the function has to make to stay relevant.
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Ep 792: Conversations from HR Tech Europe: Wolfgang Brickwedde and Mervyn Dinnen
03/05/2026 | 24 mins.
Talent acquisition is sitting in a strange place right now. AI is in every conversation, but the work of actually hiring people is getting harder rather than easier. Application volumes are swinging in unpredictable ways, the workforce itself is changing shape, and the reality on the ground is some distance from the hype.
So what is actually going on in talent acquisition right now?
In this episode, recorded at HR Tech Europe in Amsterdam, I'm joined by two guests who have spent decades watching this industry evolve.
Wolfgang Brickwedde from the Institute for Competitive Recruiting shares what his research is telling him about the market employers are navigating and where vendors are still getting it wrong.
Mervyn Dinnen then joins me to talk about the reality behind the AI hype and how the multigenerational workforce is reshaping the world of work.
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Ep 791: Making Agentic AI Work For HR & Talent
03/05/2026 | 22 mins.
The real value of AI agents in HR comes from connecting them to work across the employee lifecycle, not from deploying them on individual tasks. That's where most large organisations are getting stuck. Working in a fully agentic way means dealing with different systems and different data sources that often have no shared foundation.
The result is fragmented experiences for employees and managers, with the end-to-end potential remaining out of reach. Getting there requires some serious work in data governance, process design, and integration, the kind of foundational work that rarely gets mentioned at industry conferences.
So what needs to be in place before AI agents can work at enterprise scale?
My guest this week is Melissa Shelley Höjwall, Global HR Technology Lead at H&M Group. In our conversation, which we recorded live at HR Tech Europe, she explains what it takes to build a connected AI architecture across HR and why many companies are undermining their own progress.
In the interview, we discuss:
The approach to Agentic AI in HR at H&M
From niche agents to connected architecture
Process automation design and date integration
The role of data governance
Adoption in the enterprise
Shadow AI and over-governance
Why cutting jobs isn’t the way to get true value from AI
New roles for HR professionals
Breaking the silos in the Talent function
What to focus on for the future
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Ep 790: Rethinking Work In The Age Of AI
01/05/2026 | 21 mins.
We're living through one of the most consequential shifts in how work gets done. AI is everywhere in headlines and vendor pitches, but the reality inside organisations is far more nuanced than the noise suggests. Personal adoption is running well ahead of how companies are embedding the technology into actual workflows. Demographic changes continue to tighten labour supply, and the HR tech vendor landscape is consolidating and expanding all at once, leaving buyers uncertain about where to invest.
So how should HR leaders be thinking about technology, workforce design, and the role they need to play in shaping what work actually becomes?
Recorded live at HR Tech Europe, my guest this week is Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer at Sapient Insights Group. Stacey runs the longest-running HR systems survey in the market, and we discuss what her data shows about where things are heading.
In the interview, we discuss:
How AI differs from past tech shifts
Layoffs and the cost of AI investment
The gap between personal and corporate AI use
Why bring your own AI matters
Making sense of the vendor landscape
The Platform Cluster Model
Demographics and labour supply pressures
From workforce planning to workforce architecting
How HR's role needs to change
What does the future look like
Take part in The 29th Annual HR Systems Survey
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Ep 789: Leading TA Through AI Acceleration
27/04/2026 | 27 mins.
Something has shifted in AI over the last few months. The pace of AI model updates keeps increasing, and strategies that made sense a few months ago are already out of date. New tools can take on long, complex pieces of work largely on their own, changing what's possible across hiring. For TA leaders, long-term planning has become almost impossible, while the recruiter's role itself is being rethought as candidates use AI just as actively as employers do.
So what does effective TA leadership actually look like right now?
My guest this week is Bryan Ackermann, Head of AI Strategy and Transformation at Korn Ferry. In our conversation, Bryan shares the changes he is seeing across the recruiting funnel and how organizations can build the resilience they need to keep pace.
In the interview, we discuss:
The accelerating pace of AI change
Why AI literacy now matters everywhere
Is candidate AI use cheating or demonstrating capability?
About Recruiting Future with Matt Alder - What's Next For Talent Acquisition, HR & Hiring?
Talent acquisition is undergoing unprecedented disruption as AI, economic uncertainty, and the ever-shortening lifespan of skills radically reshape recruiting. On Recruiting Future, Matt Alder explores this evolving landscape, using insightful interviews with transformational TA practitioners and forward-thinking experts to spark your imagination and provide the insights you need to shape the future of talent acquisition in your organization.
Each episode explores topics such as AI, recruiting automation, recruitment marketing, employer branding, skills-based hiring, assessment, candidate experience, DEI, internal mobility, and the transformation of TA teams. Recruiting Future is an essential resource for everyone involved in hiring.
Matt Alder is a globally respected talent acquisition futurist, author, and speaker with over 25 years of experience exploring what’s next in recruiting. Renowned for his expertise in strategic foresight and technology trends, Matt provides a unique perspective that empowers leaders to navigate disruption. His deep industry knowledge and ability to spark meaningful conversations make Recruiting Future a must-listen for talent acquisition and HR professionals everywhere.
Listen to Recruiting Future with Matt Alder - What's Next For Talent Acquisition, HR & Hiring?, Working Hard with Grace Beverley and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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