Hot Topics for CHROs in the First Half of 2023


Community Blog
Written by Katie O'Reilly

JULY 18, 2023

Top HR professionals from across North America came together in the last six months to meet and learn from peers in every industry. Both in-person and virtually, this group gathered for 26 programs comprising of 7 Executive Summits, 14 Town Halls and 5 Inner Circle Dinners. 

Each of these engagements centered on the highest priority challenges faced by HR leaders today, with the goal of making connections and defining new strategies to solve these shared issues.

While the most popular topics varied from city to city, here is a look at the sessions that resonated most with people leaders in the first half of 2023:
 

Harnessing the Power of the CHRO — Expanding Influence & Affecting Change

This keynote session kicked off the San Francisco CHRO Executive Summit. Michael Walters, CHRO at Lyten, provided the audience with concrete steps to expand the CHRO “toolkit” for organizational influence. Tips included strategies to analyze decisions and ways to maximize the CHROs personal influence on the organization. 

Here’s what a few of the attendees had to say:

        Very personable speaker and relatable content. Gave me plenty to think about.”

        Concise, thought provoking, and well delivered! Thank you!”

         Excellent. So on point.”
 

Shifting Focus from Jobs to Skills

U.S. Bank Senior Executive Vice President and CHRO Elcio Barcelos closed out the Minneapolis CHRO Executive Summit on a high note with this keynote. In it, Barcelos explained why hiring more talent doesn’t inherently mean acquiring the skills needed to deliver against a company’s strategic priorities. He asserted that CHROs must harness the true potential of their existing workforce to excel in the current climate. From the audience:

        Very relevant to what I'm currently facing.”

        Impactful, relevant, and important for any and all HR leaders.”

        Thought provoking. Love the idea of focusing on skills rather than job or experience.”


What HR Leaders Need to Know About AI

Artificial intelligence is a very hot topic for the C-Suite, and leaders everywhere are hungry to learn more about how technology will impact their roles in the near future. At the Atlanta CHRO Executive Summit, this topic was explored in a breakout session led by Sabrina Green, Chief People Officer and David Van Deventer, VP of Associate Experience at HD Supply. The session was standing room only, and received rave reviews:

This was the best, most informative session of the day! Loved the entertaining style, plus great learning about cutting edge technology. More like this, please!!”

        Outstanding session!!!!  Best of the day!”

        Excellent! Meaty, strategic [and] applicable.”


Most Read Articles

In between gatherings, Evanta shares community insights, highlighting crucial topics and featuring community member perspectives. Here are some of the most popular articles CHROs were reading this year:

  1. 2023 CHRO Leadership Perspectives - This infographics outlines what 450 CHROs shared are their mission critical priorities, challenges and investment areas for 2023 - based on the results from our annual Leadership Perspective Survey.
  2. Top 3 Areas of Focus for CHROs [2023] - At the beginning of 2023, we shared three themes we anticipate CHROs to focus on in the upcoming year.
  3. Top 8 Trends for CHROs in 2023 - This blog observes the clear trends in CHROs’ enterprise priorities, functional objectives and planned spend for 2023 - based on the results of our annual Leadership Perspective Survey.


As we wrap up this season of strategic gatherings, CHROs shared that they were thrilled with the connections they have already made in their communities and that they are eager to see their peers again soon, whether that is in person or online:

Excellent summit!!! I really appreciated the peer to peer sessions. The topics and speakers all did a great job! Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to be part of the summit.”

First class event. My first and I will be back for more. The programming and content was relevant. Length of sessions was just right. Really liked the networking opportunities and peer to peer sessions. Food and venue were great. Just all-around excellent event. Thank you!”

Great opportunity to be introduced to new tools and trends as well as hearing from peers on challenges and solutions.”


Evanta’s CHRO Communities are continuing to build compelling agendas for gatherings for the second half of the year. Apply to join your local community to register for upcoming programs.
 

Katie O’Reilly headshot

Katie O’Reilly

Director, Content at Evanta, a Gartner Company


by CHROs, for CHROs


Join the conversation with peers in your local CHRO community.