The real future of HR? Leaders who realize perception is strategy. We’ve burned credibility; the next wave will invest in storytelling and visible wins to prove HR is essential, not a back-office cost center.

Mike Peditto

Founder, Realistic Recruiting LLC

HR’s biggest impact will come from pairing AI with human leadership. It will be about using tech to remove the administrative burden so managers can focus on building trust, driving performance, and shaping culture

Vanesa Cotlar

VP People, PolicyMe

HR isn’t “Human Resources” anymore—it’s Human Relationships. And tomorrow’s HR leaders are translators between tech and humanity.

Claude Silver

Chief Heart Officer, VaynerX

The Future of HR is leaner, faster, teams working in the Open, leveraging AI to support high-performing humans

Adam Horne

Co-Founder, Open Org

HR’s future is powered by tech but led by people. As admin, compliance and reporting become increasingly automated, HR professionals will re-skill to focus on strategy, culture and human connection

Claire Cathcart

Founder, ELEVATE Hub

Evolving into Chief Work Officers, orchestrating human-AI partnerships rather than replacing workers. By involving employees in identifying which tasks need human judgment versus automation opportunities, we create sustainable, people-centered digital transformation

Georgia Dixon

Founder, Access HR

HR is no longer about managing processes or policing policy—it’s about architecting experiences where people thrive, skills flow, and technology elevates humanity. The future of HR isn’t HR—it’s Work.

Jason Averbook

Global Leader, HR Transformation

Skills-based hiring will eclipse degree requirements as companies prioritize demonstrated capabilities over traditional credentials in talent acquisition.

Alex Seiler

Founder, Alex Seiler LLC

Top performers will flock to profoundly human workplaces that empower them to experiment with AI, making small, adaptable companies legendary talent magnets.

Nadia Vatalidis

Head of People, Doist

Connection before Content. I predict a new leadership era, where true deep connections will be highly valued again, because they have become so rare.

Ingeborg van Harten

Founder, 7people

Forget the ‘seat at the table.’ By 2026, HR will be the table — orchestrating work systems, talent marketplaces, and human-AI collaboration across the enterprise.

Hayden Swerling

Founder, Arella HR

The best People Teams will work like Product Teams — obsessing over user experience, iterating fast, and measuring outcomes that matter.

Luke O'Mahoney

Founder, SapienX

The future of work will be defined by human-machine partnerships — not automation replacing people, but amplifying human judgment and creativity.

Manjuri Sinha

VP HR, Miro

The most popular AI use case in HR will shift from efficiency to insight — helping leaders understand patterns, risks, and opportunities faster than ever.

David Hanrahan

SVP, SolarWinds

By 2026, talent pooling won’t be about CVs or job titles — it will be about dynamic skill graphs that evolve in real time.

Marie Chaproniere

Founder, Behind The Mask

HR’s credibility crisis will end when teams stop measuring activity and start measuring impact — on people, performance, and culture.

Matt McFarlane

Director, FNDN

People leaders who embrace uncertainty and design adaptable systems will define the next generation of work.

Benjamin Langner

VP Human Resources, Wilson

The future of HR is not about control — it’s about creating the conditions where people can do their best work.

Giorgia Calabria

Founder, The Human Factor Consulting

HR technology will fail if it isn’t paired with behavioral change. Tools don’t transform organizations — people do.

Jessie Schofer

Founder, Stakkd

The winners in HR will be those who can translate AI capability into human value — not just efficiency gains.

Joe Atkinson

Director of AI & Automation, Scede and Co-Founder, PromptMates

In 2026, organisations will recognise that HR’s greatest value lies in psychological insight, not policy enforcement.

Dr Jo Burrell

Co-founder, Ultimate Resilience

The future of work belongs to HR: leading IT integration, data fluency, and human-centred decision making.

Jennifer Bouyoukos

CPO, PureFacts

With day-one unfair dismissal rights and stronger employee protections, HR’s influence will rise sharply.

Nic Elliott

HR Director, Actons

The Future of HR is about finding your voice. Less compliance, more courage.

Kim Rohrer

HR Consultant

Forget admin and rule-enforcing. HR’s future is influence, trust and psychological safety.

Dajana Berisavljević Đakonović

Head of People, Toggl

No technology can replace accountability. In 2026, HR’s role is to embed it into how work actually gets done.

Vanessa Monsequeira

VP People, Gorilla

HR leaders will help organizations navigate ambiguity by designing systems that flex with change.

Melissa Theiss

Head of People Operations, Kit

HR professionals will become Work Design Leaders — shaping how humans and AI collaborate.

Fabrizia Zanca

Chief Work Officer, SettleMint

HR leaders of 2026 won’t stay in their lane or wait to be invited — they’ll lead across the business.

JooBee Yeow

Adviser to Founders and Startups

HR’s future is more human than ever. With tech handling admin, people teams will focus on meaning, belonging and trust.

Beth Lang

Head of People, Auratus Group

The future of HR will be shaped by courage. The courage to challenge outdated systems and redesign work around people, not process.

Alicia Grimes

Co-Founder, The Future Kind

HR’s next evolution is about leadership density — empowering managers at every level to lead well.

Camilla Miehs

Consultant, Reinventing HR & Leadership

The companies that win will build talent systems that move as fast as their strategy.

Thomas Forstner

VP People & Talent, Juro

People teams will become stewards of culture, not enforcers of policy.

Olya Yakzhina

Head of People & Culture, Work.Life

The future of HR is deeply human. Technology will amplify empathy, not replace it.

Frieda Möcker

Head of People & Culture, Sastrify GmbH

HR leaders must become translators — turning business strategy into human systems.

Katja Vincetić

HR Tech Consultant, Founder Shape Up HR

HR’s influence grows when it designs work that adapts to life, not the other way around.

Marina Horner

Senior People Partner, Collabora

Talent strategies will win or lose based on trust, not tooling.

Melanie Dibley

Head of Talent, Arena Entertainment

People experience will become as measurable and intentional as customer experience.

Ben Bushby

Head of People, Not On The High Street

The future of HR is influence without authority - shaping outcomes through insight, not instruction.

Carly Wilcox

Head of People, YOOBIC

The smartest HR leaders will let AI run operations, so they can engineer trust and culture with the precision of product design.

Federica De Cillis

People Leader & Founder of Arc Studio

We'll be designers of work; aligning & orchestrating talent, systems, AI and tools to create adaptable, skill-aligned workflows that fuel growth.

Riikka Kallio

Founder, Spinops

HR will focus on successfully adopting AI and managing implementation challenges. They'll need new skills: deeper critical thinking, data literacy, bias awareness, and helping workforces increase focus and impact with these capabilities.

Jess Larsen

Founder, Thriving Humans

AI might speed things up, but it’s the AI fluency of the human-in-the-loop that’ll keep us on track. Grow both — or risk getting lost in the noise.

Glenn Martin

Founder, Never Mind The Job Spec

The future of HR is dependent on its value being recognised. It is critical to business success, and is the beating heart that is frequently overlooked.

Sandi White

Process and Workflow Consultant

The rise of AI won’t replace HR; it will amplify it. The future belongs to HR leaders who can blend human empathy with AI-driven insights to drive business outcomes and build inclusive workplaces.

Jeff Waldman

Founder, ScaleHR

More than ever, the role of People and Culture is to make sure work enhances people’s lives, not detracts. Creating workplaces that sustain health and happiness is the foundation of lasting engagement and long-term productivity.

Alexis Zahner

Director, Human Leaders

HR will shift its focus to designing for the 90% of daily work people actually do, instead of our current obsession of over-optimising the 10% that touches HR policy or process.

Adam Axon

Founder, Give A Damn

Organisations will begin dissolving HR to embed strategic people capability across business teams, optimising for daily performance over compliance. HR professionals must adopt Product and UX skills to design experiences of work that drive results.

Megan Trotter

Founder, PollinateXD

HR is in the middle of an earthquake: the best will rise beyond admin, acting as impact-driven product managers using data to spot opportunities, unite stakeholders, and ship progress step by step.

Shirley Baumer

Co-Founder and CPO, Shapes