Offer Accepted
Welcome to Offer Accepted, the podcast that elevates your recruiting game. Your host, Shannon Ogborn, interviews top Talent Acquisition Leaders, uncovering their secrets to building and leading successful recruiting teams. Gain valuable insights and actionable advice, from analyzing cutting-edge metrics to claiming your seat at the table.
Offer Accepted
Building Stronger Talent Strategy Through Co-Design with Blair Bennett, SVP of Global Talent Acquisition at PepsiCo
Building talent programs that actually work requires co-creating with the business.
Blair Bennett, SVP of Global Talent Acquisition at PepsiCo, joins Shannon to share how her team approaches large-scale recruiting strategy with intention and collaboration.
She walks through the process of building a global interview framework, explains why involving stakeholders early creates better outcomes, and unpacks the balance between structure and flexibility across a company of 320,000 people.
You’ll also learn about co-designing with users in mind and the often-overlooked strategic value recruiters bring to the business.
Key takeaways:
- Co-design drives engagement: Bringing hiring managers and internal partners in from the start leads to stronger adoption, more thoughtful feedback, and deeper buy-in across the organization.
- Start with the problem, not the tool: It’s easy to get distracted by shiny solutions. The real impact comes from solving clear business challenges first, then layering in technology where it fits.
- Pilot thoughtfully and globally: Testing new frameworks with diverse teams across geographies and hiring levels ensures they hold up at scale and reveal where iteration is needed.
- Recruiters hold unique value: Talent acquisition bridges internal goals and external insights, giving recruiters a unique perspective that shapes culture and business success.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Introducing PepsiCo’s approach to candidate experience
(01:09) Blair Bennett’s career path and mission in talent acquisition
(02:16) Why co designing talent programs is essential
(05:38) Starting with business problems, not shiny HR tools
(08:13) Prototyping and piloting global interview frameworks
(09:20) How pilot groups are selected and engaged
(11:21) Structuring project ownership and change management
(13:10) Earning credibility with collaborative recruiting changes
(17:17) Getting executive support through informed involvement