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From mobilising talent to creating psychological safety and adopting AI responsibly, HR leaders shared how organisations can build future-ready workforces while keeping people at the centre of change. Event report by Tracy Chan.
Talent management is entering a new era.
Today’s HR leaders are challenged – not only to attract, develop, and retain talent, but to also orchestrate agile workforce ecosystems that can adapt to constant disruption and evolving business needs.
But one truth echoes among all leaders: while technology can accelerate performance, it is people and the human connection that ultimately drive sustainable success.
To navigate this evolving landscape for HR professionals, Human Resources Online's Transform Talent Hong Kong 2026 brought together more than 200 HR and talent leaders at Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong on 10 June 2026. Through a candid fireside chat, insightful panel discussions, and practical case studies, attendees explored how to balance AI-powered innovation, business agility, and people-centric leadership to build future-ready workforces.
Read on for the key insights and takeaways from the event.
Communicating clearly on the ‘why’ behind change
In a world of constant change, one key to leading people through transformation is having a clear vision and direction, and communicating both effectively.
Kicking off the day was an opening fireside chat with Ivan Zenović, Group Chief People & Communications Officer, Bluebell Group. Moderated by Tracy Chan, Deputy Editor, North Asia, Human Resources Online (HRO), Zenović reflected on Bluebell Group’s own transformation journey and emphasised that people don’t resist change – they resist change without context.
“In any kind of big shift or movement, there has to be a ‘why’. It’s the ‘why’ for individuals: What does it mean for you? How is this transformation going to change your work? How is it going to impact and improve your daily life?”
And to support any transformation, he believes that leaders have to unlearn the traditional ways of working, along with breaking down silos, and shifting from micromanagement to empowering people to unlock their own creativity and collaboration.
Global mobility as a strategic talent and culture lever
The first panel discussion of the day, moderated by Vivian Lung, Director of Talent & Culture, Carlyle & Co. Hong Kong, explored how strategic workforce mobility can help organisations build leadership pipelines, accelerate development, and strengthen culture across markets.
At Philip Morris International, Ilaria (Quintini) Gregotti, Vice President, People & Culture, East & Southeast Asia, Pacific & PMI Global Travel Retail, shared that mobility has evolved beyond a succession-planning tool into a targeted development strategy for high-potential talent.
“What has changed dramatically is that we now plan a lot more. We try to plan the assignments around that (employees’ long-term development), so in some cases we have massively accelerated people,” she said.
Meanwhile, Johnson Wong, Chief of Staff, Plaza Premium Group, highlighted that while international assignments come with costs, they deliver long-term returns for both employees and organisations.
“Moving people around is part of the development process. It forms a company culture of developing people, and also helps develop skill sets and brings culture to new locations,” he said.
Adding a mobility partner’s perspective, Jay Arcega, Director of Business Development, Sirva, noted that mobility has shifted from a transactional process to a strategic workplace enabler. Organisations must focus on the full employee experience and provide support.
“HR professionals need to help manage expectations or thinking from the employees, so employees can focus on the work they need to do.”
Wrapping up the discussion, Lung said: “Mobility is no longer just a support function. It's becoming a core lever for how organisations build capability and stay competitive.”
Building a communication-ready workforce
Another challenge many global organisations face is ensuring employees can communicate effectively across cultures, markets, and functions.
Drawing attention to the hidden costs of miscommunications, George Loup, Business Development Director, TutorABC, noted that employees and leaders do not always say exactly what they mean, especially in international business environments.
To close the communication gaps, he suggested that organisations should first identify whether their challenges are internal or customer-facing, and then design flexible learning programmes rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
Loup also highlighted the growing role of AI in personalising learning journeys. “But we still believe that person to person learning is unbeatable,” he stressed.
He concluded by encouraging organisations to evaluate communication readiness through three lenses: confidence, clarity, and capability.
Why internal mobility is still underutilised
Mukta Arya, CHRO, Asia Pacific, Société Générale, argued that internal mobility is one of the most underutilised approaches for both talent acquisition and retention.
From a business perspective, internal mobility can reduce hiring costs, shorten onboarding times, preserve organisational knowledge, and improve retention.
Rather than relying solely on external recruitment, Arya encourages organisations to create systematic processes that make internal opportunities visible and accessible to all employees, not just to high-potential talent.
She also stressed that successful mobility programmes rely on a growth mindset, effective career conversations, and supportive managers who view talent movement as beneficial for the organisation rather than a loss for their own teams.
“Managers need to be rewarded for supporting movement and not be penalised for it. The organisation also needs to support them in refilling that position,” she said.
Retaining talent with emotional values
While organisations believe they are doing enough, why do talented employees still leave? And what makes them stay?
Answering this question was Elly Ching, Head of HR – HKTW & Regional Benefits, Nobel Biocare. Using examples from her company, Ching argued that talent management is a shared responsibility for HR and people managers.
“I need everyone in the system to trust the system of the organisation, because if you don’t trust it, you don’t own it, and if you don’t own it, your employees will leave,” she said.
While competitive pay remains important, Ching stressed that employees are more likely to stay when they can see a “future” within the organisation.
“The reason why they say there is no future is because, sometimes, there are big disconnects or very fast distances between the company strategy, the directions, and themselves.”
She also highlighted the importance of emotional value in the workplace, including a sense of identity and belonging, and genuine feedback and acknowledgment.
From HR reporting to business decision-making with people data
Opening with a provocative question – “Is HR a cost centre?” – James Wong, Regional Head of Human Resources, Marks & Spencer Asia, Al-Futtaim, challenged HR professionals to rethink their role in driving business outcomes.
Using a case study focused on store managers, he demonstrated how people analytics can be combined with business data to inform tangible talent decisions.
Wong believes that HR should move beyond reporting metrics and dashboards, and instead, leverage people data in the context of business priorities to influence decision-making and improve performance.
“My final recommendation is always start by understanding what matters to the business, then try to connect your people data with the business context,” he said.
“Keep the model simple so that people will use it; convert insights into actions, and actions must be supported by stakeholder buy-in; and finally, AI cannot be a judgment of our decision – we should leverage AI to scale our support.”
Mobilising talent for creating value
After the lunch break, Cassady Winston, People Director, Asia, Aurecon, challenged conventional thinking around long-term workforce planning, arguing that traditional five-year strategies are becoming less relevant in an increasingly dynamic business environment.
Instead, organisations need adaptive leadership, agile strategies, and the ability to mobilise talent quickly to where it can create the most value.
“Velocity to mobilise talent is actually the most important thing that I want to leave you with,” he said.
Winston also cautioned that organisational friction, including silo mentalities, talent hoarding, excessive processes, and unclear priorities, can slow decision-making, limit talent mobility, and ultimately reduce enterprise performance.
To close the session, he left delegates with two thought-provoking questions: “Is it easy to understand which positions add the most value and are the most critical in your organisation? And do you have your top talent focused in those positions? If the answer is no, then the question is why?”
Leading transformation while running the business
For transformation to succeed, what gets in the way and how to overcome it?
Drawing on his experience as both a consultant and an in-house HR leader, Henry Ding, Vice President, Human Resources Solutions, Shangri-la Group, said the tension between running today’s business and building tomorrow’s is where most of the troubles come from.
Comparing transformation to “renovating a car while driving it”, he argued that efforts often stall due to gaps in three areas: clarity, capability, and commitment. Organisations need a clear view not only of why change is happening, but also on the pace and volume of change, while ensuring employees have the capacity to absorb and adapt.
“There are always a few things to check before you accelerate: is the direction clear? Are we setting the right speed and the pace? Do people really understand what to expect next? Is our foundation solid? And last, but not least, have we given our passengers real evidence this journey is worth being on?” Ding said.
Building a future-ready workforce amidst constant change
Workforce transformation is about creating an ecosystem that enables both talent and organisations to thrive today while preparing for tomorrow.
In a panel discussion moderated by HRO’s Chan, Lisa Yeow, Regional Director, People & Organisation, Chanel North Asia, and Jeffrey Wu, Talent Lead, Woolworths International, it was stressed that leaders play a critical role in helping employees navigate uncertainty by connecting organisational priorities with individual purpose, fostering psychological safety, and creating an environment where teams can innovate within clear guardrails.
“Just saying to someone: ‘Please share your opinion’ doesn’t mean it is going to happen,” Yeow shared.
“We need to create platforms in many different ways that encourage that voice. And when we get the voice and the suggestions, we take action and share those actions, so people can really see.”
Echoing the importance of empathetic leadership, Wu highlighted the need to empower teams to take accountability for their work with the leaders’ support, creating that psychological safety.
“If leaders can create a framework while giving teams some freedom within it, that can unlock creativity with the pace of change of technology,” he said. “Your team will drive that creativity; leaders are there to give them that empowerment.”
From AI experimentation to responsible transformation
Concluding the power-packed day was Cissy Ho, Director, Talent Management, Asia, AECOM, who explored how HR can move beyond AI experimentation to drive meaningful business and talent outcomes.
Ho emphasised the choice for HR leaders is not whether AI will shape talent decisions, but whether HR will shape how AI is used.
“The real challenge is not whether we use AI or not,” she said. “It’s actually how to strike the balance between augmentation and control, because AI in HR is fundamentally a test of trust, transparency, management throughout the whole change, and how we demonstrate leadership.”
While AI can improve efficiency, provide deeper insights, and enhance decision-making, Ho stressed that human judgment must remain at the centre of key talent decisions.
“The real transformation is about how we are leading the transformation through AI by concentrating on the decisions that matter, embedding AI into our talent workflows, and maintaining a human-centred decision-making approach,” she said.
“I do believe that HR can move from a more sporadic experimentation to an orchestrated effort that amplifies the business impact.”
Human Resources Online would like to thank all speakers, moderator, panellists, and delegates for being valuable contributors to this event.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors & partners for making this conference possible:
Gold sponsor
- Sirva
Silver sponsor
- TutorABC
Exhibitors
- Citi
- Club Med
- Howden
- Lyreco
- Steam Building
Event Partner
- Pigeonhole Live
Want to be part of the next big HR conversation? Join us at Inspire HR 2026 on 7 October 2026, where leading HR practitioners and industry experts will discuss how HR can rebuild itself for the intelligent enterprise. Click here to learn more and register your interest.
Lead image / HRO
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