How HSBC is staying talent-forward in times of change
One of the world’s largest banks is rewriting its playbook for talent. A decentralized model was slowing down decision-making, so HSBC brought talent acquisition and management together under one strategy. The shift is giving leaders a clearer view of skills across the enterprise, improving succession planning, and connecting employees to growth opportunities.
Noel Brown, Global Head of Enterprise Talent at HSBC, joins The New Talent Code to share how HSBC is using data not just to report, but to take action by surfacing hidden skills, mapping talent to business priorities, and piloting programs that create new career pathways.
In this episode you’ll also hear how:
- Data becomes powerful when translated into action, not just dashboards.
- Change management works best when employees and managers see immediate personal value.
- Emerging talent brings fresh skills and perspectives critical for adapting to AI-driven change.
--------
--------
Building agile, AI-powered workforces in HR’s new frontier
Mark Condon, founder of QuantumWork Advisory (QWA), joins us on this episode of The New Talent Code to explore how HR can evolve in the age of AI.
We discuss why agility — not skills — should be the starting point for workforce transformation. AI agents are moving the conversation from the theoretical to the tangible applications of what HR can achieve with this growing technology.
Condon also shares QWA’s “5B model” (build, buy, borrow, bot, bundle) as a framework for shaping the workforce of the future. He highlights the critical need for HR leaders to step into a more strategic role — one that impacts every employee, not just the HR function.
Additional takeaways:
- Why HR should lead the charge on AI governance and partner with IT to manage emerging risks.
- The role of work design — breaking down tasks and redesigning roles — in making organizations more agile.
- How storytelling and transparency help overcome leadership hesitation and employee fears around AI.
- Why ROI from AI and workforce transformation can be far greater than cost savings alone, creating lasting value for both businesses and employees.
--------
--------
5 moments redefining HR from Cultivate ’25
In this special episode of The New Talent Code, we take you inside Cultivate ’25, our annual talent summit where HR and industry thought leaders share research and advice about how we can all shape the future of work with AI.
From the debut of our fully autonomous AI interviewer to lessons on human-AI collaboration, decentralized leadership, and the business case for ongoing AI calibration—these were the moments that made us rethink what’s possible.
In this episode, we highlight:
How agentic AI is moving beyond chatbots to become a decision-making partner.
Why Bayer and Arcadis rebuilt job architecture to enable dynamic, skills-based teams.
What Deloitte and Fortive learned about refining AI for faster, better hires.
You can find the full sessions from Cultivate ‘25 available on demand: https://eightfold.ai/cultivate.
--------
--------
Top moments from season 2 of The New Talent Code
We’re closing out the second season of The New Talent Code with a look back at some of our favorite moments.
From making talent decisions using a skills-based approach to best practices for deploying new technologies and methods, this season was packed full of real-world advice from thought leaders, analysts, and organizations leading the way in adopting AI.
In this episode, we’re highlighting:
- The importance of embracing change with enthusiasm.
- Specific use cases for talent intelligence that organizations are using to succeed.
- And why HR is in a key role to facilitate the adoption of AI enterprise-wide.
--------
24:52
--------
24:52
HR needs AI-ready talent
HR needs AI-ready talent, with half of HR leaders now prioritizing the technology — nearly double what it was just three years ago.
Lead the change in becoming a high-functioning, cohesive HR team that aligns talent strategies to your overall business goals for the good of all.
Forrester Principal Analyst Betsy Summers joins The New Talent Code to share how you can achieve this AI-ready status. She also shares the latest in Forrester research and why HR has a critical role in every business success story right now.
In this episode, you’ll also learn:
- Why taking a skills-based approach to talent planning matters.
- How to embrace AI in the HR tech stack.
- And how HR can be the leading player in driving change.
The New Talent Code with Ligia Zamora & Jason Cerrato is a podcast with practical insights for empowering change agents in HR. We’re bringing you the best thought leaders and practitioners to share stories about how they are designing the workforce of the future, transforming processes, rethinking old constructs, and leveraging cutting-edge technology to solve today's pressing talent issues. It’s what we call the new talent code.
Ireland