In this special episode of HR insights, Stuart Elliott is joined by Ilona Jurkiewicz and Roshan Jayawardena to draw on insights from their recently published white paper, ‘Evolving skillsets of HR leaders’, which combines qualitative interviews with 80+ HR leaders and quantitative data. They explore how the HR function is rapidly evolving in response to significant external forces and how the expectations of HR professionals have expanded far beyond traditional responsibilities; today’s HR leaders are increasingly expected to drive commercial outcomes, lead AI initiatives, and navigate complex, people-centred challenges across global organisations. They also address the growing difficulty of creating psychologically safe and inclusive environments, especially amid political polarisation and evolving definitions of inclusion. 

Who are our guests? 

Ilona Jurkiewicz is the President, Americas at Cappfinity. She has over 16 years of executive experience driving HR strategy, culture evolution, and organisational growth and specialises in leading people-centred transformations that drive measurable business outcomes

Throughout her career, she has successfully scaled organisations globally, built world-class leadership ecosystems, navigated major acquisitions and divestitures, and architected cultures that empower innovation and performance. 

Roshan Jayawardena is the Managing Director for Elliott Scott in North America, partnering with HR leaders across a range of sectors to deliver specialist HR search and recruitment solutions. 

With 15 years of experience in HR and executive search, Roshan brings a strategic, consultative, and relationship-driven approach to senior HR hiring. He specialises in retained searches for senior HR appointments and his background as an HRBP at General Electric gives him a unique understanding of the HR function, allowing him to advise on both immediate hiring needs and long-term talent strategies. 

Key timestamps: 

- 02:04 – Intro into Ilona 

- 04:16 – Intro into Rosh

- 07:32 – The inspiration for the report 

- 12:00 – The standout impacts of the research 

- 18:53 – Hybrid working 

- 21:50 – The evolving role of a CPO 

- 30:25 – The struggle of implementing empathy, psychological safety and inclusion 

- 35:50 – The impact of the political agenda in the US

- 39:20 – Is HR ready and prepared to lead on digital transformation?

- 48:50 – The potential dangers of AI 

- 52:40 – Advice for mid career HR professionals becoming CPOs

Please download the whitepaper here for more data insights and the ever-chaging skills of HR leaders. 

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