Welcome to Tess Talks

---

Why Listen to Tess Talks?

Because this isn’t another echo-chamber of predictable HR commentary. Tess Talks gives you what most leadership conversations avoid the unfiltered, forward-looking, and sometimes uncomfortable truths about where HR is really heading.

When you listen, read or join a Tess Talks discussion, you’ll discover:

• Authentic voices — from government and policy leaders to academic thinkers and front-line HR innovators.
• Deep conversations, not soundbites — each episode or article dives into why change is happening, how it’s unfolding, and what we can do about it.
• Honest debate, grounded in research — built on the HR2035 Foundation’s independent studies, surveys and future-readiness models.
• Actionable insight — frameworks, tools and questions that you can use to influence strategy, policy and practice today.
• A human-centred future — ensuring technology enhances people, rather than replaces them.

What You’ll Hear and Read About

We don’t shy away from the questions others avoid. Each season explores the big tensions shaping HR, leadership and the future of work including:

• Is DEI dead, or just being redefined for a data-driven world?
• Will HR still exist in 10 years  and what might replace it?
• Why are professional memberships losing credibility and value?
• What happens when AI becomes the manager?
• Can ethical governance keep up with machine decision-making?
• What should leadership look like in an age of automation, bias and burnout?
• How do we measure real value in work when AI does half the job?

What Makes Tess Talks Different

Unlike many forums, Tess Talks is built on the HR2035 Foundation’s independent, not-for-profit mission —

to help HR evolve for an AI-driven decade through transparency, evidence and collaboration.

• We look forward to 2035 and work backwards, mapping what HR must become.
• We draw from cross-sector intelligence — technology, ethics, economics, and behavioural science.
• We bring Ambassadors and researchers together to debate findings and share live perspectives.
• We publish open white papers and insights, not just opinion pieces.
• We prioritise ethics, accountability, and human impact — the foundations of responsible AI in HR.

Join the Conversation

Whether you’re a senior HR leader, policymaker, academic, or simply curious about how people, purpose and technology will co-exist  join Tess Talks it is your invitation to think further, question harder, and shape what comes next.