From AI and HR data to recruitment and empathetic leadership, HRDA’s Frankly Speaking series goes straight to the source. We’ve tapped top HR industry experts to give you the actionable insights you need to navigate today’s hottest topics.
Here are the most-viewed insights you can’t miss.
A Staples VP on AI’s Real Value
At SPARK Talent 2025, Bertrand Dussert, VP of Talent Acquisition at Staples, emphasized that the future workforce needs talent outliers—people who don’t just work within the system but change and reframe it.
After his presentation, Dussert shared a crucial insight into how HR should be viewing AI right now.
GE Healthcare’s North Star of HR
During her session at SPARK Talent 2025, GE Healthcare’s Head of Talent Programs, Tabitha Wright, asked the audience, not only what they wanted to accomplish, but how. In a rapidly developing world, your business strategy is only as good as the quality of pieces it’s built from.
Wright challenges the audience to define their business’ north star—the goal they hope to achieve, the environment you wish to create. Whatever it may be, navigating towards it starts with setting yourself up for a fruitful journey.
GE HealthCare Exec on Creating Talent Ecosystems
It’s easy to look at the HR industry these days and fear for the future of talent. Every new survey and study tells us we’re in an employee engagement crisis, AI is constantly reinventing the workplace, and there is a skills gap between what employers need and what employees possess.
The crux of Wright’s advice centers around the idea of creating an ecosystem for your talent programs. Everything should work in conjunction.
People Analytics on a Budget—Your Secret Weapon Is Already on Your Computer
In the world of people analytics, it’s easy for HR teams to feel left behind, especially when faced with the assumption that you need a huge budget and expensive platforms to get started. But according to Sarah Sheffer, Senior Manager of HR Data and Analytics at ADM and speaker at Spark Talent 2025, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sheffer is a seasoned expert who has busted this myth wide open, proving that the most powerful tool for meaningful data insights is likely one you already have at your fingertips.
Sheffer’s advice for teams looking to begin their journey is to stop focusing on the tools and instead focus on a more fundamental question.
The Workforce Empowerment of AI
As AI moves at an outstanding pace, workplace planning is shifting to a new model. HR professionals should now consider using workforce planning with predictive modeling tech that can address business needs more rapidly and involve more team members across the organization.
See what Roz Harris, Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Engagement & Belonging at Zillow Group, has to say about workforce planning in the age of AI for HR leaders!
Hershey’s Global Head of TA on Getting Execs to Say Yes to AI
AI was the top theme at SPARK Talent 2025. While more talent acquisition professionals are warming to the idea that AI can bring recruiting efficiency and cost savings to their jobs and organizations, proving this to the C-suite is often the challenge for HR leaders.
During a case study and Q&A session with attendees at SPARK TALENT, Debra Simmers, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at The Hershey Company, talked about the use of AI in talent acquisition. In response to an attendee’s question about how to influence executive buy-in for AI and supporting platforms, Simmers said.
Liz Almeida on Being Intentional About Culture
Workplace culture is the difference between having a confident, productive team and one that dreads their desk about as much as they do the DMV.
Liz Almeida, CHRO at Panasonic, warns leaders about the dangers of a stagnant, unsupportive work culture during her panel at SPARKHR 2025.
Stop Taking Orders, Start Building Value
The modern HR and Talent Acquisition leader has a clear, urgent mandate: stop being an order-taker and become a strategic architect of the workforce. The transition from transactional support to proactive business partner is no longer optional—it’s the key to proving HR’s irreplaceable value.
This powerful call to action comes from Karen Guzicki, Director of Client Advisory Services at HCI, who challenges HR professionals to fundamentally redefine their role within the organization.
Cardinal Group CPO on Human Wisdom vs Artificial Intelligence
The rise of AI has inspired both hope and fear in the workplace. Its ever-changing abilities and the shifting legal landscape leave a lot of workers and HR professionals in a nervous state. While executive leaders search for ways to implement AI as effectively as possible, some still question whether the workforce will become less human as they incorporate more technology.
Chief People Officer at Cardinal Group Companies, Peter Lynch, however, argues that AI is a steppingstone to fully embracing what he calls “the Human Advantage.”
Guardrails Are the Solution to Workplace Conflict
New research from Brightmine finds that workplace political conflict is intensifying: nearly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. employees have witnessed or experienced a political disagreement at work in the past year, and 27% report being distracted from their jobs by the political environment.
This rising tension, coupled with a lack of clear policies (47% of workplaces have none), presents a clear risk to culture and business performance.
Amanda Czepiel, JD, U.S. Country Manager and Head of Content at Brightmine, offers a direct mandate for HR leaders.