Visier's Top 50 HR Leaders To Watch in 2025
We are excited to present the 2025 Top 50 HR Leaders, a distinguished group of data-driven innovators shaping the future of human resources across five continents and ten major global industries, from biopharma and financial services to manufacturing, media, and telecom. These visionary leaders not only guide their organizations' HR functions but also play pivotal roles in analytics, innovation, talent strategy, technology, and operations. Together, they exemplify the transformative power of data and technology in reshaping the way we manage and support workforces on a global scale.
As we look ahead, these HR trailblazers share their insights on the role of generative AI in revolutionizing HR, how human resources can evolve into a strategic business partner, and the challenges they foresee in the ever-changing landscape of work. They also reflect on the moments that make them proud to be part of this profession—moments that remind us all why HR is more than a function; it is the cornerstone of organizational success and the key to unlocking human potential.
On the Impact AI on HR
I expect AI to help leaders at all levels simplify the complexity of their work, making it more digestible and leading to better decision-making. I also anticipate that AI will lower barriers to entry in certain professional domains, speeding up both upskilling and the pace at which work can be accomplished.
UKG has embraced AI in its evolving product strategy and within our day-to-day activities within HR and beyond—always with the focus on automating manual work so that the time can be reinvested in more valuable interactions between people and better outcomes.
It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the next revolution in how work gets done. Generative AI holds immense promise to transform how we interact with one another, broaden our perception of possibilities and discoveries, and, most importantly, enhance the lives of our patients and caregivers.
We’ve seen early successes in AI investments, but we’re early in the AI story. We’re focused on common-sense applications where the human is in the middle to improve the work experience for employees and directly contribute to our mission.
AI has had a massive impact on the way HR approaches decision-making. With access to vast amounts of people data, AI enables us to interpret this data in meaningful ways. We use AI to create, manage, and refine our critical people data assets, allowing us to make more informed talent decisions.
There is so much opportunity for AI to impact the way we work in HR—removing the drudgery of work and infusing intelligent automation so that all employees can thrive.
AI plays a starring role in revolutionizing the way we work, think, and solve problems—from personalizing learning and development experiences for our Johnson & Johnson employees to providing faster insights that guide decision-making.
HR is the art of resourcing the organization's work, which today still relies on human labor. Technology, automation, and now AI are driving a revolution in HR. The top HR leaders of the future will excel in 'work resourcing,' skillfully combining human labor, AI-augmented workers, and fully automated tasks. At the core of this transformation will be a deep mastery of HR technology and analytics.
It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the next revolution in how work gets done. Generative AI holds immense promise to transform how we interact with one another, broaden our perception of possibilities and discoveries, and, most importantly, enhance the lives of our patients and caregivers.
On the Impact of People Analytics on the Business
Our People Analytics team created the first end-to-end Strategic Workforce Planning process to help business and HR leaders develop comprehensive plans for critical skills. Powered by Visier, we use descriptive and prescriptive analysis along with key employee and talent acquisition data. Our analytics 'store' integrates all elements of SWP, enabling leaders to create focused, data-driven people plans.
Through people analytics, we identified critical digital skill gaps within our organisation. This led to targeted reskilling and upskilling initiatives involving thousands of employees, positioning our workforce at the forefront of digital transformation. By leveraging data-driven insights, we enhanced employee engagement and established a new level of organizational agility.
Through data science research, we uncovered a powerful truth: ‘All roads lead to leadership.’ This insight should inspire HR leaders to design leadership playbooks that cultivate the superpower of true leaders at all levels of the organization. By pairing this with the data-driven compass of people analytics, HR leaders can deliver truly inspiring employee experiences. I am immensely bullish on the transformative impact that true leadership and people analytics can have on both people and organizations.
Analytics unites our organization around shared priorities, fostering clarity and transparency. For example, new hire retention has been a key focus for us. Analytics helps us pinpoint areas with a high risk of turnover, allowing leaders to systematically conduct stay interviews in those areas. They do this because they understand the financial and time-based ROI of reducing turnover.
People Analytics has shifted the focus from simple reporting to actionable insights that drive business performance. This key change elevates HR's role as a strategic partner to a whole new level.
Our regulatory dashboards monitor shift planning to ensure adherence to labor laws and avoid compliance breaches while our operational business unit dashboards track staff wellbeing, absenteeism, and medical certificates to identify disengaged staff and inform strategic workforce planning. We also analyze workplace health and safety data to pinpoint trends in workplace accidents, allowing us to implement targeted safety measures and improve overall workplace safety. This comprehensive approach supports both regulatory adherence and the creation of a safer, more efficient work environment.
Connecting our HR data, technology, and people provides the workforce intelligence our company needs to accelerate innovation for a healthier world. We’re having proactive, data-driven conversations with business stakeholders to design the right talent strategy to support where they want to go. We can do that because we custom-built our own resource-planning solution that sources people data from multiple platforms and allows us to forecast, down to a role and country level, the hires that the business needs over the next 12 months to keep improving patient outcomes and public health.
Katie Ward
Chief of Staff to CHRO and VP, Strategic Ops & PA
IQVIA
A Global Top 50
The 2025 list is a global cohort of top HR leaders to watch. Bolded names are companies appearing for the first time on this list.
On the Role of Data in Elevating HR
We value our partnership with Visier and the dashboards and insights it provides. For me, it is an essential component of a successful HR organisation. By delivering timely, accurate data to everyone, we empower our leaders and ourselves to make informed decisions that add value to the bottom line.
Predictive analysis ensures we can proactively influence decisions before they are made, transforming HR into a value-creation function beyond the support role we’ve traditionally played.
To effectively drive business growth, People Analytics leaders should be seasoned business professionals with a deep understanding of both HR and Analytics. Their role transcends merely deciding what to measure and how to measure it. They must actively guide the business in making informed decisions and ensure those decisions are tracked meticulously, enabling the accurate measurement of ROI and fostering continuous improvement.
For HR to be seen as a strategic partner driving business growth, we must deliver insights, not just data. This means connecting the dots on talent needs, availability, workforce trends, employee engagement, and providing market intelligence through benchmarks. By democratizing employee data beyond HR, we empower more leaders. Aligning workforce data with key business objectives is essential to building stronger partnerships.
A strategic partnership with the business depends on our ability to anticipate its needs and proactively demonstrate impact, both of which are fundamentally driven by data.
Data alone won't elevate HR to the level of a strategic partner. What’s needed is a deep understanding of the business and its needs, curiosity about data and processes, the ability to analyze and synthesize seemingly unrelated data into business-relevant insights, and the skill to communicate those insights effectively to leaders.
HR teams that are good with numbers and backed by a strong people analytics function will uncover insights that shape talent strategies and influence key business outcomes, transforming HR into a value center that contributes directly to the organization’s success.
To be a true strategic partner, we must understand the challenges leaders face and their underlying drivers. Data is key to building trust, as it clarifies the current state, highlights opportunities, guides solution prioritization, and measures progress from various angles.
In a constantly shifting business landscape, HR must continuously redefine success and adapt its strategies. Data should be central to this approach, driving decisions and amplifying impact.
Eric Bain
AVP HR Optimization, People Analytics & Strategic HR Business Partners
Auto Club Group
Data is the business's Rosetta Stone. It allows HR, finance, operations, sales, and other departments to speak the same language and tackle complex questions that no single function can answer alone. Engaging in these data-driven, cross-functional challenges elevates HR to a strategic partner. Instead of just asking, "How fast did we fill that position?" we're now asking, "How can our recruitment strategy accelerate revenue growth?"
Data empowers HR as influencers of business strategy through the perspectives talent data insights can bring to business planning and strategy implementation. With data, HR can proactively advise leaders on the most effective talent initiatives that are aligned to organizational goals, moving HR away from being a reactive, transaction-focused service provider.
We are, as they say, data-rich in HR. Getting the right data into the right hands at the right time and in a way that decision-makers can understand and derive insights has been instrumental in positioning HR as a strategic partner to the business. Our mandate from the start as an Employee Insights team has been to inspire and support a data-driven culture in HR, and I’m proud to be leading this journey.
People and insights should be a business enabler and not just an HR toolset. At Standard Bank we see Visier as a business platform in the hands of executives, line leaders, and employees enabling quick and meaningful decision-making to drive business outcomes. I believe that this is a key aspect of our success with the Visier toolset.
A strong focus on data and analytics is essential for HR to shift from merely responding to business needs to proactively shaping strategic business development. By fully harnessing insights into workforce transformation, talent, performance, and engagement, HR can align its strategies with broader organizational objectives, driving both growth and competitive advantage.
Data is the secret sauce that transforms HR from the "people department" into a real power player in the business. With the right data, we can predict trends—like how many people we'll need next year or what’s driving employee happiness (or frustration). When HR can show how our work impacts productivity and profit, we’re not just fixing problems anymore—we’re helping drive the business forward. Data gives us a seat at the big table, and we love it!
The real power comes from connecting data across the organization, elevating HR as a strategic partner. Our unified data repository enhances people analytics, enabling us to create scalable, fit-for-purpose solutions. With shared data and dashboards across the business, HR can make data-driven decisions at scale. Our Centers of Excellence can then collaborate to help the business understand the people implications of its priorities.
On What Makes Them Most Proud
I’m incredibly proud of how our team has revolutionized the way our organization consumes and leverages HR data for decision-making. Data-driven conversations have become the norm, not an afterthought.
As an HR leader, there's nothing more fulfilling than seeing my team members flourish in their careers. Over the years, I've had the pleasure of seeing many of them get promoted internally, go on to lead people analytics at other companies, become professors, and even advance to be heads of HR. Knowing that I've played a part in their successes is incredibly rewarding.
What I’m most proud of as a People Analytics leader is the ongoing development of my team. I focus on giving them opportunities to shine through high-visibility projects, cross-training, and setting clear, measurable goals. Each team member plays a crucial role in our success, and together, we win as a team.
When Visier is part of the technology ecosystem, people analytics delivers insights with precision at the speed of business. I am proud of how the Ascension team moved people analytics out of the realm of HR and into Strategy and Operations. We use Visier every day at Ascension to help us drive the results that our leaders care most about.
Jason Pagan
System Vice President Human Resources and Head of Workforce Planning and Organizational Performance
Ascension
Whenever I meet with leaders and collaborators, there is a deep trust that my team and I will balance rigorous, data-driven business outcomes with compassionate, people-first solutions that elevate our company's organizational health. I find tremendous fulfillment in sharing my passion for people analytics with leaders who truly understand the power and impact of data, insights, and workflow solutions on a global scale.
I'm most proud of leading the introduction of data-driven analytics at Inari. As a data-driven company, it was essential to bring our People team up to speed. Business leaders quickly recognized the value of real-time workforce insights, but we lacked the capabilities to deliver.
By partnering with Visier and other technology providers, we made key investments in our tech and team, allowing us to not only catch up but also engage in critical work on culture, employee experience, and talent development. I'm incredibly proud of both the Inari People Team and our senior leadership for transforming HR into a respected, strategic partner.
On the Challenges Facing HR in the Next Five Years
HR leaders will need to lean into leading change and fostering a culture of adaptability as we navigate the complexity, possibility, and, at times, uncertainty of a rapidly changing world.
The social contract between companies and employees has been elevated. During the pandemic, employees saw what companies could achieve when they pulled out all the stops. Now, as we enter the next macroeconomic phase, HR must leverage AI to find innovative and sustainable ways to engage and delight employees.
The biggest challenge facing HR in the next five years is future-proofing itself while it does the same for the organization. We’ll need to lead the way in data, AI, and new ways of working to keep up with rapidly declining talent availability.
The biggest challenge HR leaders will face in the next five years isn’t just preparing for AI but ensuring that our diverse workforce gains AI skills equitably. Only then can enterprises truly leverage AI for competitive advantage. It’s about making AI accessible to all.
The HR function needs to disrupt itself. Traditional approaches to succession planning, recruiting, learning and development, and even HR operating models are not agile or adaptable enough to keep up with the pace of change. As HR leaders, we must ask ourselves: How would we build the HR function if we had a blank slate? What would we digitize from the start? How could AI, data analytics, and automation create a compelling, non-human experience for leaders and employees? In a landscape where acquiring new skills is critical for survival, we must find ways to identify skill gaps, create new job categories, empower leaders, and make talent decisions faster to seize market opportunities.
The biggest challenge for HR in the next five years is building a reliable data infrastructure. For AI to work effectively, we need large volumes of accurate data. Without investing in the right tech stack, the promise of generative AI cannot be realized. We have a huge opportunity to improve employee and manager experiences and automate basic tasks, but none of this will be possible without the proper infrastructure to support it.
About Visier
Visier is the recognized global leader in people analytics, workforce and compensation planning, embedded solutions, and GenAI for people answers. At the core of Visier’s innovations is a simple premise: People impact is business impact, and you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Visier gives people-powered organizations the tools and insights to drive productivity, performance, and business outcomes through people impact. Founded in 2010 by the pioneers of business intelligence, Visier has over 60,000 customers in 75 countries, including enterprises like BASF, Panasonic, Experian, Amgen, eBay, Ford Motor Company, and more. Visier is headquartered in Vancouver, BC with offices and team members worldwide.
For more information, visit visier.com