People and Strategy

An organization’s workplace culture represents an opportunity to align with the communities it serves. In this episode of People and Strategy, DeRetta Rhodes, chief culture officer at the Atlanta Braves discusses how to enhance workplace culture — from the importance of giving employees a voice to how community involvement can create a sense of belonging. Episode transcript Follow People and Strat...

Using data-driven insights can help create higher performing teams. In this episode of People and Strategy, Wendy Miller, chief people officer at McKinsey & Company, discusses the power of people analytics to help HR executives and business leaders solve problems, AI’s potential impact, and more. Episode transcript Follow People and Strategy wherever you listen to podcasts; rate and review on Spot...

The first 90 to 180 days are critical to a new leader’s success, and they often benefit from executive coaching during this transitional period. In this episode of People and Strategy, Christine Mixan, talent planning lead at General Motors, shares her STEPS model for coaching leaders through transitions. She also shares the ROIs associated with executive coaching, how long coaching should last, a...

While working as a practicing lawyer, Nathalie Grenache landed on a career in HR “completely by accident” after a teammate requested her legal assistance with an expat employee’s immigration status. Grenache now serves as the Senior VP of People and Culture at Sanofi, a Paris-based global pharmaceutical company. She is based in Boston and is responsible for providing strategic HR leadership to San...

Betty Thompson got her start in HR as an entry-level employee at IBM when she had to turn to the department to navigate a difficult personnel situation. Now, as Chief People Officer at Booz Allen Hamilton, she oversees all aspects of talent for the firm's more than 36,000 employees across the globe. In this episode of People and Strategy, Thompson speaks with host Mo Fathelbab on how necessary cha...

Rhonda Morris, Vice President and CHRO of Chevron Corporation, describes her 31-year career with the company as non-traditional and “portfolio-esque” in the sense that she’s held a number of non-HR roles that have included marketing, running a P&L and working outside the U.S. In this episode of People and Strategy, Morris joins host Mo Fathelbab to discuss topics including the development of stron...

In the fall of 2015, Betsy Rodriguez was the CHRO of the University of Missouri when the university president announced his sudden resignation on national television. The university needed to provide a rapid response to the unfolding scenario, and the board turned to Rodriguez for guidance and advice, highlighting the CHRO’s critical role in navigating executive transitions. In this episode of Peo...

After realizing that a career in investment banking wasn’t for her, Julie Lodge-Jarrett went to a career fair in Detroit to stand in a long line, wondering if she could talk to someone about a job at Ford Motor Company. She landed in HR, and after a multi-decade career at Ford, she accepted an offer to become Chief People and Purpose Officer at DICK’s Sporting Goods in 2019. In this episode of Peo...

AI is changing not only the nature of work, but also the approaches needed for effective human-centric change management related to this revolutionary technology. In this episode of People and Strategy, host Mo Fathelbab speaks with Nichol Bradford, SHRM’s executive in residence for AI and HI enablement to discuss topics including concerns about AI-related layoffs, how HR departments will evolve i...

After being hired as senior vice president of human resources at Capital Group in 1998, Andrea Gill had to go on maternity leave just five days into her new role, but Capital assured her “We are a long-term focused company.” 25 years later and having risen to Capital’s chief human resources officer, it’s an alignment of values between Gill and the organization that has helped shape her career. In...

Following a career that began with an HR generalist role at IBM, Calvin Crosslin now serves as both Chief Diversity Officer at Lenovo and President of the Lenovo Foundation. In his role, Crosslin drives the corporate vision, goals, strategies, and performance metrics for Lenovo's Global Diversity and Inclusion Office, which supports more than 63,000 employees from 60 countries around the world.  I...

After a career of HR leadership positions that have included leading the Victoria’s Secret brand through an organizational transformation, Andre Joyner began a new role as CHRO at JCPenney in 2021. In this episode of People and Strategy, Joyner joins host Tony Lee to discuss how JCPenney is navigating talent shortages, the company’s commitment to hiring and supporting diverse talent, and the nuanc...

Following an eclectic series of roles at Walmart, WPP and Accenture, Jacqui Canney is now Chief People Officer at IT systems provider ServiceNow, where she leads talent strategies for more than 20,000 employees. In this episode of People and Strategy, Canney speaks with host Tony Lee about how generative AI is impacting HR, leveraging Inclusion, Equity and Diversity (IE&D) as a business strategy,...

In a career with previous roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Hewlett Packard, and BHP, talent management has always proved both a passion, and a key aspect of Suzan McDaniel’s responsibilities. In this episode of People and Strategy, McDaniel speaks with host Tony Lee about the breadth of her current role as Chief Human Resources Office at Edward Jones, advice for aspiring CHROs, and her take on the m...

After starting in IT as a systems engineer, Ginni Rometty began a career at IBM, where she climbed the corporate ladder to become the first woman CEO in IBM’s history. In this episode of People and Strategy, recorded live at SHRM23 in Las Vegas, Rometty joins host Tony Lee on stage to reflect on her experiences, career journey, and lessons learned that inspired her to write Good Power: Leading Pos...

Adam Bryant is the senior managing director of the ExCo Group, and author of the new book The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership. A self-described “insight junkie” driven by content that prompts new understanding of people, organizations, and the world at large, these interests effectively fueled his 30+ year career as a journalist, as well as his Corner Office seri...

Paul Falcone served in a range of senior HR roles at Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, Time Warner, and City of Hope Medical Center; he's now a bestselling author, conference speaker, and columnist for shrm.org. In this episode of People and Strategy, Falcone speaks with host Tony Lee about the keys to success for effective HR leadership, and how adopting a leadership mindset of gratitude spurs ali...

Elizabeth Chrane led OneDigital’s marketing division for seven years before becoming the organization's Chief People Officer. In this episode of People and Strategy, Chrane speaks with host Tony Lee about the natural progression from Senior Vice President of Marketing to CHRO, measuring cultural effectiveness, and the importance of treating your employees like your customers to shape employee enga...

After joining PepsiCo in 1990, Andrea Ferrara is now the organization’s CHRO of North American Beverages and Nutrition at PepsiCo. In this episode of People and Strategy, Ferrarra speaks with host Tony Lee on advice for pursuing the C-suite, HR’s role as the “conscience of culture”, and her favorite PepsiCo products. This episode of People and Strategy is sponsored by ADP. Episode transcript

John Ferguson, SHRM-CP, is both a motorsports fan and the CHRO at NASCAR. In this episode of People and Strategy, he joins host Tony Lee to reflect on the intersection between NASCAR’s 75th anniversary as a sport, and his “always forward” approach to talent acquisition and retention by expanding employee representation and development at the organization. This episode of People and Strategy is spo...

Employers’ ongoing challenges in sourcing quality talent for their organizations highlights the importance of identifying and utilizing processes that reliably attract desirable employees. In this episode of People and Strategy, host Tony Lee speaks with Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Whart...

Cara McNulty followed a career in population health science, always driven by awareness that everything people do, including work, is tied to their health. Now, as president of behavioral health and mental well-being at CVS Health, she spearheads the development of CVS Health and Aetna's mental health programs, products and capabilities. In this episode of People and Strategy, host Tony Lee speaks...

Organizations intuitively look to graduate business schools as a funnel for job-ready candidates, especially in light of widespread talent shortages. However, forces such as the post-COVID workplace and new generational values are actively shaping what goes into a graduate business educational experience. In this episode of People and Strategy, host Tony Lee speaks with Alex Triantis, Dean of the...

Cardinal Health CHRO Ola Snow doesn’t think there’s a secret formula or a right path for becoming a chief people executive, but she does credit her broad range of experience and roles at Cardinal Health that have included both different types of customers and business models. In this episode of People and Strategy, Snow joins host Tony Lee to discuss topics including the new importance of organiza...

Don Robertson is Northwestern Mutual’s chief human resources officer. He says his career in HR “just kind of happened,” but he also acknowledges how his background in finance, business and sales helped make him a great fit. In this episode of People and Strategy, Robertson speaks with host Tony Lee on topics that include his business-forward approach to HR, how Northwestern Mutual’s identity as a...