HR insights based on real market conversations between July 2026 and September 2026
If you were expecting another article about why strategic HR capability remains the most sought-after skill in the market, I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you. At least partly. Right now, it feels all about the delivery.
The most interesting shift I’ve noticed over the last quarter is not that organisational transformation continues to dominate leadership agendas. We already know that. What’s changed is who is increasingly being asked to lead it and land it.
Across many of my conversations, HR leaders are no longer being brought in simply to support change. More often, they’re at the centre of it. They’re shaping operating models, influencing workforce strategy, driving technology-enabled change and, ultimately, helping organisations turn ambition into execution. So clearly a strategic lens is needed, but equally, execution is what businesses are crying out for.
The debate seems to have largely moved on from whether change is needed. Most leadership teams accept that change is now a permanent feature of business life. The bigger question is who has the capability to deliver it, and guess what…it’s often the HR Leader.
One theme keeps appearing, regardless of sector or business size.
The traditional boundaries between HR BAU, HR transformation, business transformation, and operational change are becoming increasingly blurred.
Programmes that were once owned by individual functions are now being viewed through a much broader lens. Organisations are looking at people, technology, operations and commercial performance as part of the same conversation, rather than as separate workstreams.
As a result, demand is growing for HR leaders who can operate across those agendas. Pure functional expertise is of course still valued, but organisations are increasingly looking for their HR people to connect strategy with delivery and influence outcomes beyond their own function in HR.
Another noticeable shift is around credibility (and rightly so). Businesses appear to be placing greater value on HR leaders who have delivered complex change first-hand, rather than those whose experience has been primarily advisory. Execution is carrying more weight than ever before.
AI Is Driving Workforce Conversations, Not Just Technology Conversations
Of course AI remains front and centre, but the discussions feel very different to six months ago.
Earlier conversations often centred on the technology itself. Today, leaders are asking much broader questions about workforce design, capability, productivity and the future shape of their organisations.
Topics such as the design of centres of expertise, shared services, global capability hubs, workforce location strategy and enterprise operating model design are all appearing more frequently. The emphasis is becoming less about implementing new AI technology and more about understanding its impact on how organisations are structured and how work gets done.
HR Roles Continue to Expand
Recognising the above, I’m also seeing business expectations of senior HR leaders broaden considerably.
In many organisations, HR is being asked to play a more active role in business performance, organisational effectiveness, transformation and growth. Increasingly, the most valued HR leaders are those who can comfortably move between people strategy, organisational design, technology, operations and commercial decision-making.
In many ways, the CPO and Head of HR Transformation roles are becoming less narrow, and more integrated into the wider business agenda.
Integration Experience Remains Highly Valued
M&A activity appears to be on the rise, and therefore integration programmes and business consolidation continue to create demand for experienced HR / M&A leaders.
Whether driven by acquisition activity, investment-backed growth or restructuring, organisations are looking for HR/OD leaders who can bring consistency, align operating models and help organisations realise value more quickly.
The common thread is that businesses want practical experience. They are looking for people who have navigated these challenges before and can bring a level of confidence and pace to complex change programmes.
The conversations this quarter feel different from the ones I was having at the start of the year.
Transformation itself is no longer the story. Almost every organisation is changing in some way.
What stands out now is the growing focus on organisational capability: how work is structured, where expertise sits, how technology influences workforce models and, most importantly, which leaders can successfully bring those elements together.
For HR leaders, that’s creating some interesting opportunities, particularly those with practical and demonstrable OE, Op Model, M&A, Future Skills, & HR Transformation experience.
Written by Matt Wallis, Senior Director within BIE’s People & Culture Leadership Practice
If any of the themes explored in this quarter’s insights resonate with your organisation’s priorities, challenges or transformation agenda, we’d be pleased to continue the conversation.
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