An update from Sharon Peake – Founder & CEO, Talent Management edition

What first drew you to work in the field of talent development – and what’s kept you passionate about it?

I have always found people endlessly fascinating – particularly how individuals think, behave and navigate the workplace. That curiosity led me into HR and eventually to retrain as an organisational psychologist specialising in talent development. During more than a decade as Group Head of Talent Management in FTSE20 organisations, I became deeply interested in the interplay between individual ambition and organisational systems – from what motivates people to how visibility and sponsorship shape progression.

I remember clearly that when high-potential talent visited HQ, I would often be asked for career meetings by those keen to get “on my radar”. Disproportionately, those requests came from men. Many women worked on the assumption that their performance would speak for itself. Without being alert to that dynamic, progression outcomes could easily have skewed towards those most comfortable with self-promotion.

What has kept me passionate ever since is designing systems and interventions that make progression fairer. At Shape Talent, more than 1,700 individuals across 45 countries have participated in our programmes, and I still find enormous fulfilment in watching people achieve progression and leadership confidence they once thought was beyond reach.

In a world where skills are evolving faster than ever, what should organisations prioritise when developing the next generation of leaders?

With the rapid evolution of skills, it is tempting for organisations to focus almost exclusively on technical capability and the anticipated skills of the future. However, what will differentiate leaders over the next decade is not just what they know, but how they think, how they make decisions under ambiguity, and how effectively they build trust across difference. Technical skills will continue to change, but inclusive judgement, systemic thinking and relational capability will become increasingly valuable in complex, AI-enabled environments.

One of the most important priorities, therefore, is to develop leaders in parallel with redesigning the systems in which they operate. If access to stretch roles, sponsorship and visibility is uneven, leadership development will simply accelerate those who already benefit from the system.

Our Three Barriers research shows clearly that societal expectations, organisational norms and personal experiences intersect to shape progression outcomes. Without addressing those structural realities, skills development alone will not meaningfully shift representation.

What does truly inclusive talent management look like – and how can organisations move beyond surface-level solutions?

Truly inclusive talent management is not about layering diversity initiatives onto existing processes – it is about interrogating and redesigning those processes so they work equitably for all. Many organisations begin with visible interventions such as mentoring schemes or high-potential programmes. They can absolutely play a role, however, without a clear diagnosis of where bias enters the system, such efforts often improve sentiment without materially changing outcomes.

Inclusive talent management must be data-led, multi-layered and accountable. It requires organisations to examine where decisions are made, who has access to critical experiences, and how performance and potential are defined and assessed. Our diagnostic work consistently demonstrates that barriers are embedded in systems rather than isolated in individuals. Moving beyond surface-level solutions requires a shift from good intentions to intentional design, with senior leaders owning measurable outcomes.

What are the hallmarks of an effective talent acceleration programme – and what common mistakes do organisations make?

An effective talent acceleration programme is a strategic intervention designed to shift career trajectories. The strongest programmes are built around a clear understanding of the specific barriers they are addressing – whether that is access to sponsorship, leadership identity, negotiation confidence or visibility with senior stakeholders – and are grounded in evidence rather than inspiration alone.

Common mistakes include over-focusing on fixing individuals rather than addressing systemic bias, failing to integrate programmes with promotion and succession processes, and neglecting to track long-term outcomes. When designed thoughtfully and embedded strategically, acceleration programmes can create measurable change in both representation and retention.

How is AI changing the landscape of talent development – and where are the biggest risks and opportunities?

AI is reshaping talent development by enabling personalised learning pathways, real-time skills mapping and scalable feedback mechanisms. Used well, it offers organisations the ability to tailor development more precisely and to identify emerging capability gaps far earlier than traditional systems allow. This creates significant opportunity for more transparent and data-informed talent decisions.

However, AI systems are trained on historical data, and historical data reflects historical bias. If definitions of performance and potential have been skewed, those patterns risk being encoded and amplified at scale.

A well-known example is Amazon’s automated recruitment tool which was found to systemically favour white, male candidates for technical roles because it had been trained on data which was historically white, male-dominated.

For HR and L&D leaders, the critical task is to combine innovation with governance – auditing algorithms, scrutinising data sources and maintaining human oversight in high-stakes decisions. Used responsibly, AI can support fairness; used uncritically, it can entrench inequality more efficiently than ever before.

What role does human coaching and development play in an AI-driven workplace in 2026?

As workplaces become increasingly digitised, the human dimensions of leadership – judgement, empathy, ethical reasoning and identity – become even more critical. AI can provide information and insight, but it cannot create the reflective space leaders need to examine their assumptions, build confidence or redefine their leadership identity in times of change.

Our research and practice in group coaching consistently demonstrates the power of psychologically safe peer environments in accelerating development and strengthening leadership identity. In hybrid and remote contexts, where visibility gaps and flexibility stigma can persist, structured coaching becomes even more strategically important.