SWP - The Strategic Workforce Planning Podcast

Episode 85 of the SWP Podcast features the delightful Jess Von Bank, Co-Founder of Now to Next, for a special crossover episode between our two podcasts. We explored one of the biggest questions facing organisations today: how AI is fundamentally changing the way work is designed, delivered and governed.  Jess shared why she believes too many organisations are simply applying AI to existing proces...

In episode 84 of the SWP Podcast, I sit down with Karthik Yogeshwar from Meta to explore his journey into strategic workforce planning and the evolving nature of the discipline. Karthik shares how he “fell into” SWP through operations, analytics, and finance, and why he’s stayed by choice ever since. We unpack the reality that workforce planning isn’t just forecasting—it’s about aligning demand, s...

In Episode 83 of the SWP Podcast, I’m joined by Lisa Dalgliesh, People Strategy and Org Development Leader at PayPal.  Lisa shares her journey into workforce and talent strategy, starting in learning and development and evolving into a role that sits at the intersection of strategy and execution. We explore the growing convergence of workforce planning, people analytics, and talent strategy, and w...

Episode 82 of the SWP Podcast featured Tyler Blackwell, Director of Global Workforce Planning at Morningstar, for a thought-provoking discussion on the evolving practice of strategic workforce planning. Tyler shares his unconventional journey into SWP, moving from foreign affairs and diplomacy into organisational effectiveness, org design, and ultimately workforce planning. The conversation explor...

In episode 81 of the SWP Podcast, I’m joined by Josh Mortlock, Director of Strategic Workforce Planning at Pacific Life, ahead of his SWP Conference Chicago session. Josh shares his (very non-linear) path into SWP — from PwC consulting and business architecture through to organisation design, and now into workforce planning — and why, at its core, the discipline is really about solving business pr...

In Episode 80, I sit down with Amber Foucault, SVP of Product at Dayforce, to unpack their acquisition of Agentnoon — and what it signals for the future of workforce planning. We explore the growing gap between strategy and execution, and why workforce implications continue to lag behind strategic intent. Amber shares her perspective on the “language problem” between HR, Finance and Strategy — and...

In Episode 79 (bonus episode), I sit down with my good friend Vincent Barat , founder and CEO of Albert , for a conversation that almost didn’t happen this year. Vince joins me fresh off an unexpected medical drama that forced him to miss his SWP London session — and yes, we get into that story to start. From there, we dive into the material he never got to share on stage, including his “SWP Cookb...

In Episode 78, I sit down with Fiona Vines , Chief Inclusion & Wellbeing Officer at BT Group , to trace her unexpected path from banking to HR to leading inclusion across mining and telecoms. I explore with Fiona why diversity alone doesn’t deliver performance without real inclusion embedded in the work, the worker, and the workplace . We connect inclusion to strategic workforce planning —from...

In Episode 77, I sit down with Elena Magrini and Alison Ettridge from Lightcast to explore how a risk-based approach to Strategic Workforce Planning can transform how organizations think about their people. We unpack the forces reshaping today’s labour market — from geopolitics and economic uncertainty to the accelerating impact of AI — and look at why workforce risk is now firmly a board-level co...

Episode 76 – From Crew Rosters to Strategic Flight Paths: American Airlines’ SWP Evolution In this episode I sit down with Kipp Stoneman , Managing Director of Customer & Operations Strategy and Performance Analytics at American Airlines . Kipp shares how a career that began in revenue management led him into the world of pilot and flight-attendant planning—and ultimately to driving one of the...

For Episode 75 of the SWP Podcast,  I sat down with Peter Louch , Founder & CEO of Vemo , to explore where strategic workforce planning is really heading. We talk about the shift from data scarcity to saturation , why continuous planning beats annual cycles, and how agentic, push-button scenarioing changes the speed of decisions. We discuss how predictive demand/supply modeling truly delivers...

Episode of the SWP Podcast features Antoine Aubois, Founder and CEO of Akoya Consulting who helps me unpack the evolution and challenges of strategic workforce planning (SWP). From humble beginnings during the global financial crisis to advising multinational firms, Antoine shares Akoya’s mission to strengthen HR functions by integrating strategic, data-driven, and design-thinking approaches. Toge...

In this, episode 74, of the SWP Podcast, I finally get the chance to sit down with Tatiana Villalobos Baum, Global Head of Strategic Workforce and Skill Management at SAP — and a familiar face from the SWP London stage. Tati and I dive into her unique journey from finance into HR, and how that analytical lens has shaped her approach to SWP. We explore what makes planning strategic (spoiler: it’s n...

In this episode of the SWP Podcast, I sit down with Andrew Pitts, founder and CEO of Polinode, to explore the game-changing intersection between Organisational Network Analysis (ONA) and Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP). Andrew unpacks how ONA reveals the informal structures, influencers, and energisers that drive collaboration, agility, and transformation within organisations—insights often inv...

Episode 71 of the SWP Podcast features Oliver Shaw, CEO of OrgVue. Oliver and I  discuss the findings of OrgVue's recent research on workforce transformation, focusing on the impact of AI, emotional decision-making, and the challenges faced by CEOs. We explore global perspectives on workforce change, the importance of linking workforce strategies to financial metrics, and the need for intenti...

In episode 70 of the SWP Podcast, I sat down with Bob Motion , Director Business Integration RTX Workforce Intelligence , to explore what it means to plan a workforce at scale in one of the world’s most mission-critical sectors. Bob shares how RTX is embedding SWP across a highly complex, engineering-led enterprise — balancing long-term capability planning with rapid shifts in demand, technology,...

Episode 69 of the SWP Podcast welcomes Lindsey Taylor, Lindsay Taylor , Senior Director of Strategic Workforce Planning at Hewlett Packard Enterprise . Lindsey shares her fascinating and non-linear journey into SWP, from geoscience and operations to leading one of the most established SWP teams in the tech industry. The conversation explores the evolving relationship between SWP, org design, and p...

Episode 68 of the SWP Podcast welcomes David Boyle , Director of Workforce Planning and Analytics at Altria. Ahead of his appearance at SWP Conference – Chicago , David shares the story of his journey into SWP, the challenges that keep him sharp, and the key ingredients that underpin a successful workforce planning effort. We also dive into the topic of his upcoming session at the conference and t...

Episode 67 of the SWP podcast features the return of one of our favorite voices in the space, Vijay Swaminathan, CEO and co-founder of Draup. Vijay and I dive deep into the evolving role of the workforce planner in the age of generative AI — from hype to real ROI. We explore how AI is shifting the meaning of “workforce” to include workflows, why our window of opportunity is now, and how planners c...

Episode 66 of the SWP podcast features returning guest and longtime friend of the show, Clare Moncrieff, now Senior Principal of Consulting at Workhuman. Clare and I dive into the unexpected but powerful intersection between employee recognition and strategic workforce planning — a topic I’ve become increasingly passionate about. We explore how recognition data offers untapped insight into culture...

Episode 65 of the SWP Podcast saw me catch up with Jennifer Cline for the first time since SWP Conference - Austin in 2024. This wide-reaching conversation spanned multiple themes commencing with strategic workforce planning in a regulated environment – balancing short-term pressures, data challenges, and the future of work. With key discussion points around demonstrating ROI, measuring SWP Succes...

Episode 65 of the SWP Podcast saw me welcome Sarah Rogers and Sean Finney  who, together with team have supported the Asia Pacific SWP conferences ever since we launched.  It’s been quite the wait, but we finally caught up with Sarah and Sean here to discuss something I’m personally very passionate about, the critical integration of AI, roles, tasks and most importantly people, into a holistic SWP...

Episode 63 of the SWP podcast features legendary people analytics podcaster and good friend Cole Napper.  Cole and I discuss all things people analytics and strategic workforce planning and how the respective disciplines have converged and diverged over the years.  We hypothesize around the optimal structure to ensure effective delivery and explore Cole's recent move from corporate land to la...

It's not every day you meet a living legend in people analytics and workforce planning but Episode 62 of the SWP Podcast does just that. Amit Mohindra is not only an incredibly inspirational speaker, teacher and advisor in the space but also a wonderfully warm, authentic and entertaining human being.  Enjoy this intriguing discussion with a true thought leader.

Episode 61 of the SWP Podcast welcomes back one of our favorite SWP tech entrepreneurs - Vincent Barat from Albert.  Join Vincent and I as we debrief the incredible SWP Conference - London event and discuss our many highlights of what was a truly remarkable celebration of the great profession of Strategic Workforce Planning.