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 customer empathy and accessibility to risk, safety, and measurable outcomes. Fiona shares lessons from BHP’s gender balance journey, why leaders must pull (not just be pushed), and how policies like shared parental leave change workforce modelling and capability planning. We dig into job design, “greedy jobs,” and how AI and flexible models can unlock talent without sacrificing performance. It’s a practical, leader-first conversation on turning inclusion from an HR mantra into a core business system.

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 conversation.

Alison and Elena share how Lightcast is helping organizations quantify and prioritise risk using labour-market intelligence, and why aligning internal and external data is the foundation for smart, forward-looking decisions. We also discuss the importance of scenario planning, the convergence of SWP, talent intelligence and analytics, and how skills, roles and tasks are evolving faster than ever.

If you’re rethinking how to manage uncertainty and prepare your workforce for what’s next, this one’s for you.

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 industry’s most sophisticated strategic workforce planning transformations.

We explore lessons from American’s shift from short-term head-count planning to fully optimised SWP, the operational and financial stakes of pilot training (think simulators, instructors, even five-minute schedule tweaks), and why trust in the numbers is everything. Kipp also reflects on insights from our Sydney SWP Conference and what’s next as AI and scenario-driven modelling reshape the airline’s future workforce.

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 value (and when it doesn’t), how to keep data from becoming a distraction, and what it takes to move from rigid role taxonomies toward more task/matrix-oriented ways of working. We also tackle AI anxiety—including how smart agents help you prune as well as plant. You’ll leave with a practical checklist: clarify the demand signal, align critical capabilities, choose your build-buy-borrow sequence, and set a sensible refresh rhythm. If you lead or support SWP, this episode is built to share. Always an interesting, insightful and entertaining discussion with Peter!

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 not just data), the mindset shifts needed across the business, and how to turn insights into actions that actually drive workforce transformation. Tati shares some brilliant reflections on the role of AI, the real ROI of reskilling vs rehiring, and the power of demand workshops in shifting the conversation.

This one’s rich in both theory and practice — and a timely reminder that when done right, SWP is as much about creating opportunity as it is about managing risk.

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. Together we explore SWP’s ongoing maturity across Europe, the overreliance on tools over strategy, and the risks of disconnected planning across business hierarchies. Antoine offers candid reflections on AI's role, the delicate dance of aligning HR and business strategy, and the value of capability-building over repeat consulting. This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating SWP’s complexities or struggling to embed it into business conversations. As Antoine says, SWP isn’t just about forecasting — it’s about cultivating conversations that bridge vision and execution.

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 invisible in traditional org charts. Together, we discuss active vs. passive ONA, how network insights complement role and skills-based planning, and why combining ONA with labour market intelligence and attrition data can elevate SWP from theory to execution. From surfacing critical people to mapping career pathways and skill co-occurrence, this conversation is a deep dive into the networks shaping the modern workforce. If you're looking to future-proof your SWP strategy, this episode is essential listening.

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 intentional hiring practices. The conversation highlights the emotional toll of transformation on leaders and the necessity of creating an enterprise capability for change management. Key actions for leaders to reset their workforce strategies are also discussed, emphasizing the importance of understanding the current workforce dynamics and making intentional decisions.