In this Mastermind session, Jessica and Chris McKay cut through the AI noise and show why HR—not IT—should be leading the conversation.

They didn’t just demo tools. They reframed what it means to be a strategic HR leader in the age of agentic AI—where digital coworkers are real, and the cost of intelligence is rapidly approaching zero.

Key takeaways:

• Agentic AI is no longer theoretical. It’s already reshaping how businesses scale—without adding headcount.
  
  
• CHROs must now manage both human and AI “employees”—from onboarding to offboarding.
  
  
• The true differentiator in the AI era won’t be who has the smartest tools—it’s who has the most clarity around people, data, and business context.
  
  
• AI fluency and governance are fast becoming HR's strategic edge.
  
  
• Chris introduced the USAGE framework and a maturity model to help HR teams benchmark and guide adoption.
  
  

Why this matters now:
If HR isn't shaping how AI enters the workforce, someone else will. And chances are, they won't be thinki...

Today I want to show you how I use ChatGPT Projects - sometimes I call them “folders” - to make content creation from transcripts ridiculously simple.

I’ve set up a custom set of instructions inside the Project for exactly what I need:

✅ A polished course description
✅ A LinkedIn post
✅ A LinkedIn newsletter
✅ An email to my community
✅ A 1-minute video script
✅ A LinkedIn poll

It took some upfront time to set this up, but now? I just pop in the transcript from a blog interview, a LinkedIn Live, or one of our CHRO Mastermind sessions - and the assets are ready in minutes.

👉 First, ChatGPT gives me the course description.
In this case, it guessed the podcast length (off by a bit - it said 44 minutes; it’s actually closer to 15). But for the most part, it’s on track.

👉 I give it the green light to continue, and then it creates all the promotional assets I need for the week.

Pro tip: Sometimes I record the video myself, but other times I pop the script into Synthesia and let my AI ...

🎙️ CHRO Partners Presents: Maia & Kai – Your AI Podcast Hosts

Forget stiff voice overs or monotone robots—Maia and Kai are the AI podcast hosts you didn’t know you needed.

Trained on thousands of CHRO conversations, strategy briefs, and spicy Slack threads, they bring clarity, candor, and just the right amount of sass to every episode.

Think: the sharp curiosity of Oprah meets the dry wit of an over-caffeinated management consultant.

No fluff. No filler. Just sharp insights, smart questions, and the kind of conversational rhythm that makes you forget they aren’t technically human.

Every episode, Maia and Kai unpack the big questions CHROs are wrestling with—reactivity, talent strategy, internal influence, and how to finally build leverage without waiting for a reorg or another all-hands.

They're not real humans (no PTO required), but they do deliver real value.

Why CHROs need this:
Ever wish your AI assistant could actually think like you? Understand how you make decisi...

Stop saying “We just need a more strategic HRBP.” Because you don’t need a unicorn—you need leverage.

If you had a dollar for every time someone said, “We just need a more strategic HRBP,” you’d probably have the budget for five more HRBPs.

But here’s the truth no one wants to admit:

Even the best hires will stall out in a broken model.

The Support Spiral is Real

Most HR teams aren’t underperforming because they lack talent.

They’re stuck in what I call the Support Spiral:

• Always reacting
  
  
• Always overwhelmed
  
  
• Always treated like overhead
  
  

When that happens, the instinct is to hire your way out of it.

But it rarely works. The “unicorn” you hire—your strategic fix—gets pulled into the same cycle. Because the real issue isn’t headcount. It’s how the work gets delivered.

The Noble Trap

This is the part that stings a little.

HR often defines itself by saying, “We’re here to support the business.” It sounds responsible. Team-first. Noble.

But that mindset? It’s exac...

 Why CHROs Need This
Becoming a CHRO isn’t just a promotion—it’s a pivot into uncharted territory. In this candid conversation, Holly Novak shares how she went from hesitating to apply for the CPO role to leading transformation and developing AI chatbots at a 7,000-employee fintech company. You'll learn what she wishes she knew earlier, how she built deep alignment with her C-suite peers, and why HR can—and should—own the future of AI adoption.

What You’ll Learn:

• How Holly made the leap from HR Ops to CPO, including the decision-making process with her family 
• What she did in the first year to build trust with the CEO, CFO, CLO, and COO 
• How her team built an internal HR chatbot—and why they scrapped the out-of-the-box solution 
• A candid look at how AI is reshaping recruiting, onboarding, and instructional design
• Practical tips for building resilience in one of the most emotionally demanding roles in business Best For:

CHROs who are considering a promotion into the top ro...

Why CHROs Need This:
 

Whether you’re stepping into your first CHRO role—or hitting reset after a stretch in the tactical weeds—your first 90 days can make or break your long-term impact. But most onboarding plans are either nonexistent or generic. In this candid session, Amy Messersmith (former CHRO at Builders FirstSource, Yum! Brands, and US Anesthesia Partners) shares the exact playbook she built out of necessity to navigate high-stakes transitions, earn trust quickly, and drive strategic priorities from day one.

You’ll Learn How To:

• Structure your first 30/60/90 days—even when there’s no onboarding plan
  
  
• Diagnose what’s working (and what’s not) across HR and talent functions
  
  
• Get quick wins while still laying the foundation for long-term transformation
  
  
• Let your HR team shine as the “heroes” while you build credibility
  
  
• Engage business leaders without overwhelming them with HR-speak
  
  
• Prepare for board conversations with confidence and clarity
  
  
• Avoid the trap of staying s...

You may have noticed a new trend in the C-suite: companies merging CHRO and CIO roles—or giving HR formal oversight of AI strategy.

Let’s look at a few examples:

• Moderna promoted Tracey Franklin to Chief People and Digital Technology Officer after deploying thousands of ChatGPT bots and partnering with OpenAI. Their goal? Redesign jobs around what AI can do vs. what humans do best. Source
• ServiceNow introduced Jacqui Canney as Chief People and AI Enablement Officer—a title that makes it clear AI adoption is not just a tech strategy but a people one.
   
• ISS A/S merged its Chief People and Chief Information roles into one, appointing Liz Benison to oversee both talent and tech. The company explicitly cited the need to integrate workforce and digital strategy to drive growth.
   
• Covisian named Fabio Sattolo Chief People and Technology Officer, reflecting their AI-first approach to augmenting—not replacing—people in customer service workflows.
   
• OceanaGold tapped Michelle Du Plessi...

Why CHROs Need This
If your best people can’t see a future at your company, they’ll build it somewhere else. In this practical, no-fluff session, Angela Cheng-Cimini, Head of HR at The Chronicle of Philanthropy and former CHRO at Harvard Business Publishing, breaks down how she created a DIY career pathways system—using nothing more than Excel—that increased internal mobility, enabled honest promotion conversations, and addressed turnover head-on.

This isn’t about creating bloated frameworks that sit on a shelf. It’s about giving your managers and employees a shared language for development—and your business a path to stronger margins and performance.

 What You’ll Learn
✅ The 3-part framework for career pathing (Core, Technical, Leadership)
✅ How to define skill mastery across four experience levels
✅ Why employees leave without this—and how to stop it
✅ A proven approach to equitable, peer-reviewed promotions
✅ How to build your own version using AI and Excel—no tech stack req...

All statements and opinions are those of Allen Tai and not of Collins Aerospace, RTX, or any of their affiliates.

Many high-potential HR leaders fall into a common trap: designing well-intended HR programs that never gain traction. Not because they’re flawed—but because they weren’t built with business outcomes or user experience in mind. In this conversation, Allen Tai draws on years of experience leading HR in complex global organizations to share how CHROs can help their teams shift from content creators to business accelerators.

Key Takeaways:

• The trap high-potential HR leaders fall into—and how to avoid it
  
  
• Why “good content” is not enough: lessons from UX, marketing, and tech
  
  
• How to measure HRBP effectiveness without fluff or guesswork
  
  
• How to tie internal customer feedback directly to business performance
  
  
• The mindset shift from “HR program owner” to “business outcomes driver”
  
  
• Simple ways to increase adoption and impact of HR tools and initiatives
  
  

Speakers...

If you still think CHROs don’t belong in the boardroom, it’s time for a perspective shift.

✅ HR is now a business driver. Talent risk is one of the top concerns for boards today, alongside cybersecurity, financial risk, and governance. 

✅ You bring more than just “comp expertise.” Boards are looking at CHROs for their experience in M&A, business strategy, and enterprise risk management. 

✅ The old rules no longer apply. Boards are actively seeking diverse leaders, and many are adding seats specifically for HR expertise.

How CHROs Can Position Themselves for a Board Seat:

1. Think beyond HR. Highlight your experience in M&A, IPOs, financial strategy, or governance, not just people and culture. 
2. Get fluent in financials. No one expects you to be a CFO, but you need to understand the P&L and strategic levers of the business.
3. Build your board bio. CHROs who land board seats know how to market themselves as business leaders—not just HR experts. 
4. Network strategically. Many board o
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