People First: Elevating Talent for the Future

08:00 AM - 08:45 AM ET

Registration and Networking Breakfast

08:45 AM - 09:00 AM ET

Opening Remarks

Barbara J. Lombardo, PhD, Program Director, Distinguished Principal Research Fellow, Human Capital, The Conference Board

09:00 AM - 09:20 AM ET

Networking and Cross-Pollination

We will kick off our event by meeting one another to share our top priorities and the biggest changes we are tackling in 2025.

09:20 AM - 09:50 AM ET

How EQ + AI = The People-Led, Tech-Powered Workforce of the Future

We welcome Lorraine "Lo" Stomski, the first Chief Talent Officer of Walmart, to discuss the workforce strategies of the world’s largest private employer, and why, in the age of AI, emotional intelligence and empathy are as important as ever. We will discuss upskilling and mobility for employees at every level; how Walmart is selecting for and developing both tech-fluency and people-centricity; and what leadership requires in these times of extremely rapid change. We will come away with talent insights looking to 2027 for enterprises of every size.

Lorraine "Lo" Stomski, Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Officer, Walmart

Diana Scott, U.S. Human Capital Center Leader, The Conference Board

09:55 AM - 10:20 AM ET

The Talent Strategy that Drives Breakthroughs

When you’re in relentless pursuit of breakthroughs that change lives, unleashing the power of your talent to grow and to innovate is mission critical. We welcome Sherry Cassano, Chief Talent Officer of Pfizer, to share how Pfizer is using AI to redesign talent and leadership pipelines, and how a human-centered engagement strategy cultivates a culture of inclusion and performance that drives innovation and business value.

Sherry Cassano, Chief Talent Officer and Senior Vice President, People Experience for the US and International Commercial Divisions, Pfizer

10:20 AM - 10:50 AM ET

Meet and Connect

10:50 AM - 11:20 AM ET

What AI Can Do for (or Against?) Opportunity and Access

AI and other technological advances have enormous potential for enhancing opportunity and access, through initiatives including customized and democratized coaching; more sophisticated internal talent marketplaces and identification of skills; detection of pay discrepancies or unconscious bias in recruitment; advice on inclusive communications; and much more. But these advancements also pose risks, including replicating and amplifying bias in training data or prompts. We will discuss how organizations are leveraging tech to advance opportunity while safeguarding against algorithmic bias.

Lilian Ajayi Ore, Ed. D, MS Ed., Faculty Lead, Columbia University

Singleton Beato, Program Director, Opportunity & Access Optimizers Council, The Conference Board

11:25 AM - 11:50 AM ET

How AI is Rewiring Leadership and Reshaping the Workforce

Gain insights from The Conference Board’s research on how AI is reinventing what is required of leaders now, and shifting the importance of key skills and the nature of roles in the workforce.

Robin Erickson, Ph.D., Head of Human Capital Research, The Conference Board

11:50 AM - 12:20 PM ET

Seeing Around Corners: How Forward Thinking HR Leaders Shape the Future Workforce

In an era of nonstop disruption — from AI and automation to M&A and large scale workforce transformation — HR cannot afford to be purely reactive. This session explores how chief people officers and senior HR leaders can “see around the corner;” anticipate inflection points; and position their organizations for agility, innovation and speed to market.

We will discuss practical ways HR leaders can:

• Use data and scenario planning to spot emerging workforce risks and opportunities

• Factor AI, M&A and organizational redesign into a coherent, future focused people strategy

• Partner with the C-suite to turn constant change into a competitive advantage

Attendees will leave with concrete questions, frameworks and actions to elevate HR’s role as a forward looking architect of organizational success.

Kate Miceli, COO of North America Human Capital, Aon

Suzanne E. McBride, Chief Operations Officer & Board Member, Iridium

William Self, Head of Transformation & Workforce Innovation, Aon

12:20 PM - 12:30 PM ET

Interactive Exercise: Pick Your Champion for 2030

Attendees at each table will co-create and share a one-sentence prediction on the workforce skills they will be championing in 2030, and how they will attract and develop talent with those skills.

12:30 PM - 01:30 PM ET

Networking Lunch

01:35 PM - 02:05 PM ET

From Recruiters to Strategists: Redefining Talent Acquisition for Business Impact

Concurrent Session F1

Organizations face growing pressure to deliver talent outcomes that directly support business strategy. Traditional talent acquisition/recruiting models are breaking down. High-performing organizations are moving fast to transform talent acquisition into a strategic function aligned with business priorities. This session opens with new research on the shift from administrative recruiting roles to “TA Strategists”, followed by a candid panel with leaders navigating this transition in real time. You will hear how top TA leaders are building strategic capabilities in areas like workforce planning, market intelligence, and consultative partnership. The discussion will focus on practical steps to assess current capabilities, redesign roles, and accelerate the transition to a more strategic function.

Tara Udut, Global Head of Medical Recruitment, Neko Health

Jeremy Eskenazi, Program Director, Talent Acquisition Business Council and Talent Acquisition Enterprise Council, The Conference Board

01:35 PM - 02:05 PM ET

An Outdated Employee Experience Won’t Attract a Future-Ready Workforce

Concurrent Session F2

The push for greater productivity, agility, and AI fluency increases the need to attract, engage, develop and retain future-ready talent. Yet to do so may call for rethinking the employee experience, as employees seek purpose, wellbeing, and technology that reduces friction and enhances their impact. We will explore how leaders can leverage data, AI and new tools to drive innovation in the employee experience and support a workforce ready to tackle what’s next.

01:35 PM - 02:05 PM ET

The ROI of ERGs

Concurrent Session F3

Employee Resource Groups continue to enhance the employee experience; help attract, retain, and develop talent; advance corporate social responsibility efforts; advise on the customer journey; and in many other ways drive their businesses forward. Learn how organizations are innovating in aligning ERG programs with business priorities, and the metrics used to demonstrate results.

02:15 PM - 02:45 PM ET

Leadership Development in the Age of AI

Concurrent Session G1

The challenge: The seismic transformations taking place require a new understanding and re-prioritizing of leadership skills. The good news: We have an opportunity to leverage some of those changes, particularly in technology, to enhance the development of the leaders we need now. We will explore what is required of leaders to meet the moment, and innovations in developing those leadership skills.

02:15 PM - 02:45 PM ET

The Great Manager Reckoning: Redefining Leadership for an AI-Enabled Workforce

Concurrent Session G2

As AI automates knowledge work, the traditional manager role—information broker, task allocator, gatekeeper—is becoming obsolete. In a world where work is highly visible and interconnected, the manager's role evolves from supervisor and arbiter to something more akin to a curator and editor. Yet most organizations haven't reset manager expectations to reflect this shift. Carta Chief People Officer Nick Avery will share how to deliberately redesign manager behavior and accountability to compete in an AI world—including the operating principles that anchor culture during disruption, the concrete expectations that replace command-and-control, and the structural moves that make flatter organizations work.

Nick Avery, Chief People Officer, Carta

02:15 PM - 02:45 PM ET

Piloting Inclusive Initiatives through Legal Headwinds

Concurrent Session G3

Inclusion strengthens team performance, accelerates innovation, deepens client relationships, and supports talent development at every level, yet executive orders directed at federal contractor DEI programs, post-SFFA litigation testing the boundaries of race- and sex-conscious practices in employment, and a rapidly shifting enforcement environment have made designing and sustaining legally-compliant inclusion initiatives a more complex task. Designing inclusion programs for legal durability is not a retreat; it requires a clear-eyed assessment of what holds up, what needs adjustment, and what creates unacceptable risk. This session offers expert guidance on auditing programs against existing legal standards, distinguishing lawful opportunity-expansion initiatives from unlawful quota practices, building documentation habits that support business justification defenses, and aligning internal communications with legal strategy so organizations can sustain inclusive cultures without exposing themselves to enforcement action or litigation.

Camille A. Olson, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Allan Schweyer, Principal Researcher, The Conference Board

02:55 PM - 03:25 PM ET

How Northwell is Building a Proactive Talent Intelligence Capability

Concurrent Session H1

AI is no longer arriving on the horizon — it's already flowing into our organizations, reshaping how work gets done and what our people need to thrive. Yet most organizations lack the muscle to anticipate these shifts before they happen. Often organizations react to AI rather than orchestrate its integration.

In this session, we'll explore why building a proactive talent intelligence capability is the next critical investment for HR and business leaders alike. We'll discuss how Northwell is working to map the skills that exist across our workforce today, identify which will be augmented or transformed, and surface the new skills that must emerge to stay competitive. We'll go beyond skills to examine how we need to think proactively about how roles themselves will evolve and what this means for the broader architecture of our workforce — from team design to career pathways to organizational structure.

Matthew Kurth, Deputy Chief People Officer, Northwell Health

02:55 PM - 03:25 PM ET

Making the In-Person Experience Worth the Commute

Concurrent Session H2

Most organizations have settled into some form of hybrid work schedules with their remote-capable workforce. Yet it is not rare for employees to spend their in-office days doing the same work in the same ways they perform it in their homes. How can organizations maximize the value of time spent in person at the workplace, both for the employee and for the business?

02:55 PM - 03:25 PM ET

Psychological Safety – The “Soft” Factor that Drives Results

Concurrent Session H3

Especially in times of internal and external disruption, whether employees experience psychological safety in their teams and workplaces can be a crucial performance lever.

We will discuss the demonstrable impact of psychological safety on team performance, how to track and improve psychological safety among employees, and how to develop leaders who will foster it.

03:25 PM - 03:45 PM ET

Meet and Connect

03:45 PM - 04:15 PM ET

How a Skills-Based Talent Strategy is Unlocking Career Mobility and Organizational Agility

We welcome Loren Hudson, SVP and Chief Talent Officer at Comcast Cable, to share how the organization’s talent strategy works with a culture of integrity, innovation, and inclusion to support Comcast’s business goals. We will discuss how a new skills-based talent strategy is revealing nonlinear career opportunities and enhancing enterprise agility, and explore the tools, processes and mindsets that unlock the advantages of a skills-based approach for employees and for the organization.

Loren Hudson, Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Officer of Connectivity & Platforms, Comcast

04:20 PM - 04:50 PM ET

Does Any of this Happen Without a Culture of Belonging?

This is a time of incredible possibilities: a chance to leverage technology and upskilling to remake roles, expand capability, and drive growth. But does any of that happen without a workplace culture that people want to be part of, and to be themselves in – a culture of authenticity, humanity, and belonging?

In this conversation with Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer of VaynerX and author of the new book Be Yourself at Work, we will explore what it means to foster an emotionally fluent, high-performing culture; why psychological safety and inclusion aren’t add-ons but pre-requisites to organizational success; and a framework for leaders to engage, develop, and inspire talent in transformative times.

Claude Silver, Chief Heart Officer, VaynerX

04:50 PM - 05:00 PM ET

Closing Remarks

Barbara J. Lombardo, PhD, Program Director, Distinguished Principal Research Fellow, Human Capital, The Conference Board

05:00 PM - 06:00 PM ET

Networking Reception