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 processes rather than taking the opportunity to redesign work from the ground up. We discussed the rise of agentic AI, the balance between human capability and machine intelligence, and why governance, critical thinking and workforce readiness will become even more important as organisations accelerate AI adoption.

We also unpacked the evolution of the skills movement, why organisations are increasingly shifting their attention towards outcomes and work architecture, and how strategic workforce planning, workforce transformation and AI strategy are beginning to converge. We finished by exploring the future role of HR, the cultural barriers that continue to hold transformation back, and why enabling people to think differently is just as important as investing in new technology.

If you're interested in the future of work, workforce planning, AI and organisational transformation, I think you'll find this to be one of our most thought-provoking conversations yet.

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, supply, and strategy in an environment where the future rarely behaves as expected. Karthik highlights the importance of understanding the business, building strong stakeholder relationships, and moving beyond data to real insight.

We also dive into some fascinating areas, including hybrid workforce planning—where people, AI, and automation combine—and a novel approach to workforce management using concepts from stock market analysis.

Finally, we explore the growing impact of AI, including Karthik’s research into AI readiness at a country level, and what this means for the future of workforce strategy.

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 why breaking down silos across these areas is becoming critical.

We also dive into PayPal’s work on skills, including building a robust skills framework to better understand workforce capability, redeployment opportunities, and the impact of AI. Lisa offers a pragmatic view on the future of workforce planning, challenging the industry to move beyond “HR stuff” and focus on real business impact.

A super enthralling conversation in we discuss how to cut through the noise, stay anchored to business outcomes, and rethink the relationship between skills, roles, and tasks in an increasingly AI-driven world.