LACE Partners

LACE Partners are leading specialists in HR, workforce, and payroll transformation, partnering with multinational organisations to drive strategic change.

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Today’s Chief People Officer is a strategic business partner and cultural architect.

In this episode of The People Agenda podcast Chris Howard and Debbie Mitchell speak to Jonny Friedman, Senior Vice President of People and Talent at Acumetis as he shares how people leaders can balance commercial performance, organisational transformation, and employee experience while navigating rapid growth and change.

If you’re interested in the future of people leadership, organisational culture, and the evolving role of the CPO listen to this podcast episode and hear Jonny Friedman’s insights first-hand - https://t.co/YEOMc3V5sI

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Read now: [link]
If you missed Part 1, it's worth starting there: https://t.co/bu89lRwFp4

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

There's a difference between AI that helps you do more, and AI that helps you think better. Most organisations are at the first stage.

In part 2 of our three-part series on bringing AI to change without making change less human, #Change and #AI experts Annette Frem and Clara Sanchez explore what level 2 AI use actually looks like in practice. That means AI as a co-creator and thinking partner, strengthening the quality of #transformation work, not just the speed of it.

Practical, honest, and worth 10 minutes of your time. Read now: https://t.co/pwFvUeruYy

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Great leadership roles are rarely defined by job titles alone.

In this episode of the People Agenda podcast, Chris Howard and Debbie Mitchell sit down with Neil Morrison as he explains why the modern CPO is no longer just an HR leader. The role has evolved into a business-critical position focused on organisational performance, culture, trust, and commercial impact. Neil shares practical insights on what separates high-performing executive teams from disconnected leadership groups.

If you want actionable insights on organisational performance, executive leadership, and the intersection of people and business strategy, this is a podcast worth listening to.

https://t.co/5uomEpjpfj

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Are we designing #earlycareers roles for the world that no longer exists?
When 60 to 70 percent of traditional entry-level tasks can be automated, what actually makes candidates stand out, and how do employers assess fairly at scale?

In this episode of The People Agenda, Chris Howard speaks with Emma Johnson and Talia Pavell from LACE Partners and Emily Goodyear, Head of Early Careers at the Financial Conduct Authority.
They explore why judgement and critical thinking are rising in importance, how strengths-based assessment supports fairness at scale, and what organisations risk when they remove entry-level roles entirely.

If you are hiring early talent, designing programmes, or applying for roles, this conversation is packed with practical insight: https://t.co/Gp0dePXxjv

#lacepartners

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

"Change is ever present. Leaders need to recognise that their role is as much about leading and enabling change as it is about managing organisational performance. You can't decouple those two things."

As Annette Frem highlights, effective leaders don’t just react to change, they proactively enable it, weaving adaptability into the fabric of organisational culture. This means being visible, communicating openly, and supporting teams emotionally and practically through uncertainty. With Gemma Ryall and host Chris Howard, they discuss the concept of leading through change

https://t.co/wSM4wXJsl3

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Who actually “owns” AI inside an organisation today?

In this episode of The People Agenda podcast Chris Howard and LACE Director of AI Data and Technology, Martin Colyer, speak with Chris Cherry from Eightfold. They cut through the noise and explore how HR, IT, and business leaders are navigating agentic AI, and real-world adoption.

If you want to hear the full discussion, including real examples and practical insights from industry experts and listen to this podcast.

https://t.co/7hQF6fp4ks

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Over the past weeks, we have explored the real shifts reshaping HR, from the AI–human network to insight-led decision making and experience-led operating models.
Our latest blog brings it back to a critical question: 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲?

Alice McCormack and Charmaine Burton introduce the 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡‑𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐑 and a readiness assessment designed to help you identify where change will create the most value.

Understand how your HR function really operates today.
Take the ten traits test: https://t.co/mxA7qB78g4

#futureofwork #hr #HRtrends #HRtransformation

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Our friends at Eightfold AI recently ran a webinar with Martin Colyer from the LACE team on who owns the agentic workforce. Following from that, the team has released a precis blog of the webinar, along with a factsheet, which you can access here - https://t.co/8gNCm6sD4T

Some of the key takeaways include:
1. How does agentic AI differ from basic automation?
2. Why can't a successful AI transition happen in isolation, and how does the alignment of the CPO and CIO become the foundation for getting it right?
3. How does building AI fluency across your workforce determine whether employees see technology as a partner or a threat?
4. How should roles be re-imagined, and why is clean, consistent data a 'non-negotiable' before deploying advanced AI agents?

#AgenticWorkforce #HR

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Many traditional HR operating models were built for stability but that’s no longer the reality most organisations are facing today.

In this episode of The People Agenda podcast, Alice McCormack from our team shares why these outdated models are struggling to keep up, and makes the case for a new approach.

Listen to learn more about our Rewired HR campaign and why organisations need to rethink how their operating models are designed for the future.

https://t.co/c4nCsyyPhn

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Happy sunny Monday afternoon! We're here with radical thoughts on your HR operating model. Our view is that traditional HR models were built for stability, not for the pace of change we see today.

The good news? We've put together a solution in the form of our Rewired HR model. Made up of five key layers and powered by insights it's designed to evolve as quickly as your business does.

Learn all about it here: https://t.co/1FtFcWnZ0j

If you have questions about the model or want to learn how you can shift over to this new way of working, chat with the experts: Kat Bernardes and Alice McCormack

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

The role of a Chief People Officer is evolving fast and it’s no longer just about HR. In this episode of The People Agenda podcast, host Chris Howard and Debbie Mitchell speak to Keniro Miller, CPO at Ultimate Performance, as he reveals how a “triple lens” approach is redefining the modern C-suite. Keniro shows why today’s CPO must operate as a hybrid business leader who can drive performance and shape strategy.

The modern CPO is no longer a support function; it’s a core driver of business success. If you want to hear the full conversation, deeper examples, and real-world context behind these insights, make sure you listen to this episode of The People Agenda podcast.

https://t.co/AwdnuH3nmT

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

We've all had them. The ''what if'' thoughts around AI.
The weighing up between your human skillsets and AI capability.

AI anxiety - as it's been coined - is taking its toll on employees and in turn, on businesses.

The good news is that forward-thinking organisations are already recognising that AI is as much a “people challenge” as it is a technology one. In today's blog AI expert Adele Reid explores how to put your people first as you embed AI into your business, unpacking our three steps to empathetic automation: https://t.co/lZpaM38WKF

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Pay decisions are rarely simple.
What feels fair on paper doesn’t always land that way in practice, especially when context, performance and market pressures all come into play.

For HR teams, salary strategy is no longer just an annual exercise. It’s a strategic lever that shapes trust, motivation and long‑term sustainability.

A fresh look at pay decisions can often surface where salary strategy feels unclear, and where a bit more structure helps.

If you’re reflecting on how salary works across your organisation, explore our Reward and Performance services and speak to our specialists. https://t.co/05vwvWo1uX

#reward #performance #paystrategy

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

AI is already reshaping #graduate #jobs and early-career opportunities.

In today's blog, Analyst Abhiram Saran explains why entry-level roles are especially exposed to #AI automation, and how this shift threatens traditional talent pipelines if organisations fail to adapt.

The article explores a new model of AI-augmented early-career roles, where graduates focus on judgement, problem-solving and working alongside AI tools.

Read now: https://t.co/wUlCYvDIlM

#LACEPartners

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

How important is leading through change, when it comes to business transformation, whether that is showing employees the 'big picture', or ensuring you get communication and listening in equal measures? In a previous episode of our podcast, Gemma Ryall and Annette Frem talked about how leading through change strengthens business success, so check out the full episode here - https://t.co/lY2eX6BXDG

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Exciting news today as our co-founder Aaron Alburey has had an article featured in @Raconteur!

He warns that by ignoring early careers, businesses leaders could be sleepwalking into a talent drought by 2030. With nearly one million young people not in education, employment or training and businesses increasingly favouring AI solutions over early talent; it's a perfect storm for a talent crash in the near future.

As Aaron says, "entry-level work has never been valuable mainly for the tasks it completes. It is valuable for what it produces - judgement. And judgement is about to become the rarest capability in the labour market."

At LACE we're extremely passionate about the value of #earlycareers, an agenda fearlessly led by Fatima Ahamed our Talent Development Manager - so this is a cause close to our hearts.

Read the full article here: https://t.co/2QcN7wiQu9

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Many organisations are finding that the workforce is stuck at both ends. Entry routes are narrowing and later‑career talent is underused. The result is a squeezed middle layer.

What would change if work was organised by skills rather than job titles?

In our latest piece, Emma Johnson shows how a skills‑based approach opens pathways for early careers and over 55s, and restores capacity where it matters.

Read now 👉 https://t.co/1ct8s9P0NF

#skills #LACEpartners

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

How do you ensure that you can make the change that your business is driving - whether technology, people or processes - can really 'stick' and drive true adoption over a prolonged period of time?

We've got a great team of professionals who make it their mission to help deliver on that mantra - helping your people embrace the .new' by looking at what change feels like and how your employees experience it.

Find out more about our services here - https://t.co/1PnUM0m1wv

[LACE Partners @LACEPartners]

Change feels very different when it lands on your own doorstep. As a CPO or HR leader, how do you support your people when you’re also navigating tough times yourself? Our latest blog explores practical ways to lead with empathy while still driving progress. How do you currently look after your own resilience during major change?

In this recent blog we produced, the Change Team (Ed Sparkes, Annette Frem, Sam Williams, Emily Agg and Julia Orawiec) help to answer the questions:
*What specific risks do organisations face when they overlook the emotional impact of “negative” change, such as restructures or cost reductions?
*How can leaders and line managers be better prepared and supported to handle emotionally charged conversations during tough change?
* What practical steps can transformation teams take to stay tuned in to how change communications are landing across the organisation?

Find out more here - https://t.co/gWvhuKK5Tr