News
We’re pleased to announce the release of Hive Learning’s list of the Top 10 Talent Leaders to watch for 2023. This list is made up of the most innovative talent leaders across the globe working to develop high-performing talent, strong learning and development strategies and improve the entire employee experience.
We believe in the power of learning from one another to share stories, have open conversations and harness the power of diversity of thought.
Every year we put our ear to the ground to find the most influential movers and shakers within the Talent space; these are the ones to follow, glean inspiration from and soak every nugget of wisdom from.
Check out the full list below to learn more about our Influential Leaders and how to follow them.
Director of Talent Development
Sun Life Financial
Chris Sandford is the Director of Talent Development at Sun Life Financial, Canadian financial services company. Chris has been at Sun Life since 2016, working in the talent development and learning space.
Why them?
Chris boasts 15 years worth of experience in learning and development within financial services, also previously working in L&D at TD Canada Trust. Chris’ experience has made him well-equipped to turn business needs into learning objectives and successfully delivering learning programmes making him a key leader to follow.
Sun Life Financial has partnered with Hive Learning over the past years to become the first insurer to launch a digital learning platform to global employees to advance workplace diversity, equity and inclusion. Off the success of this programme, Sun Life Financial and Hive Learning won the Gold Award for ‘Best Advance in Diversity and Inclusion Innovation’ at the 2021 Brandon Hall Excellence in Technology Awards.
Follow Chris on LinkedIn
Global Head of Talent Development
Goldman Sachs
David Landman is the Global Head of Talent Development at Goldman Sachs, the multinational investment bank and financial services company.
Why them?
David is an expert at leading successful talent management processes at a large global scale, to drive business performance, enhance diversity of talent pipelines and improve employee engagement. Currently responsible for the employee end-to-end experience at Goldman Sachs, from onboarding, learning and development to performance management. For almost 20 years, David has been in various HR roles whilst at Goldman Sachs, including Head of Talent Mobility and Global Head of Performance Management, he has been crucial to developing effective strategies and HR technologies to improve the employee experience.
David preaches a data-driven approach to increase efficiency, engagement and better results, with a proven track record in building and leading global, cross-functional and multi-disciplinary teams. Alongside his professional experience, David also has a Masters and PhD in Organisational Psychology.
Follow David on LinkedIn
Head of Talent
Lloyd’s Banking Group
David Marsden is the Head of Talent at Lloyd’s Banking Group, one of the UK’s largest financial services organisations.
Why them?
David heads up the talent team at Lloyd’s responsible for around 60,000 colleagues across the group focusing on early careers, group talent and executive talent development.
For the past 15 years, David has worked in various HR roles whilst at Lloyd’s in a range of functions, including Head of People for Commercial Banking Markets and HR Business Partner for Capital Markets. David is an experienced HR leader with cross-functional knowledge of what it takes to manage and develop high performing teams across a large, global organisation.
David is a passionate Talent Leader and a key advocate for driving an inclusive culture at Lloyd’s, currently sitting as the vice chair on the board of Stonewall Housing, the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ housing charity since 2018.
Follow David on LinkedIn
Head of Talent and Development
Chubb
Diane Pooley is the Head of Talent and Development at Chubb the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company.
Why them?
Diane is an influential Talent Leader with a proven track record in leading organisational and talent developing initiatives at a large, global scale. With lengthy experience at leading financial services organisations including RBC Capital Markets and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Diane is an expert at engaging key stakeholders at all levels whilst managing strategic projects to promote overall business objectives and create prosperous, global teams.
Diane drives a culture of learning at Chubb specialising in digital learning with 360 degree feedback, as well as leadership and management development to create a prosperous working culture throughout.
Follow Diane on LinkedIn
Executive Director, Talent Development
Morgan Stanley
Elizabeth Hayes is the Executive Director of Talent Development at Morgan Stanley, the multinational investment management and financial services company.
Why them?
Elizabeth is an expert at scaling integral learning and development initiatives across global teams within the financial services industry. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Elizabeth led Global Learning strategies for the likes of BMO Capital Markets and JP Morgan. Elizabeth is a knowledgeable talent leader with extensive experience in the industry.
She is a results-oriented leader, with a track record of driving strategic initiatives, building effective teams, and implementing innovative solutions.
Follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn
Vice President – Talent Management and Best Practices
Sun Life Financial
Joanne St Bernard-Honegan is the Vice President of Talent Management and Best Practices at Sun Life Financial, the Canadian financial services company.
Why them?
Joanne is a multi-award winning human capital expert, experienced in working across global organisations in various industries; including Aviva, Kraft Foods Group and now Sun Life Financial.
In 2021, Joanne was named as one of the world’s top 100 HR leaders by HRD, for her proven track record of thought leadership and successful employee development. Joanne is currently driving a value-driven talent development strategy across the organisation with a strong focus on cultural transformation.
Since 2019, using Hive Learning’s peer learning program, Inclusion Works, Sun Life’s global employees own, accelerate and embed change in a self-sustaining way. Read more about the story here.
Follow Joanne on LinkedIn
Principal of EDI & Talent Development
BentallGreenOak
Natasha Soobramanie is the Principal of EDI and Talent Development at BentallGreenOak, the North American real estate investment firm.
Why them?
Natasha is a passionate Talent Leader with a particular focus on EDI throughout talent management and leadership development initiatives. On an international and national scale, Natasha has delivered effective change management programs within large organisations.
Natasha also possesses an impressive academic repertoire with a degree in Psychology and a DEI qualification from Cornell University; her professional experience and academia have made her an influential leader able to respond to business needs and develop top leaders who prioritise inclusion.
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn
Director – Talent & Development
Ageas Group
Patrick Vandewalle is the Director of Talent & Development at Ageas Group, Belgium’s largest insurance organisation.
Why them?
For the past 9 years, Patrick has been driving the talent and development strategy across senior management at Ageas. Patrick was involved with the launch of the Ageas Academy, which provides a blended learning approach for senior management to develop, measure impact and evaluate learnings.
Patrick is a skilled leader with experience of managing and developing large leadership populations and driving a clear, strong strategy across the Group. Alongside his impressive professional experience and success, Patrick also possesses a Masters in Business Administration from Vlerick Business School.
Follow Patrick on LinkedIn
Head of Talent – UK & Ireland
Munich Re
Rachel Jones is the Head of Talent UK & Ireland at Munich Reinsurance Company, the German multinational insurance company.
Why them?
Rachel is an expert Talent Leader with a proven track record of delivering high-performance training and development initiatives across the financial services industry. Holding previous roles such as, Head of Learning for Barclays International, driving a global learning strategy across 1500+ employees and Leadership Development Manager at Merrill Lynch.
At Munich Re, Rachel has been responsible for developing and implementing a range of talent initiatives to ensure the organisation is able to attract, retain and develop the best talent.
Follow Rachel on LinkedIn
Group Head of Talent
NatWest
Sarah North is the Head of Talent of the major retail and commercial bank NatWest, a major British retail and commercial bank.
Why them?
Sarah is a core member of the services, functions and talent leadership team within people and transformation, Sara leads the bank’s talent and succession framework, establishing diverse internal talent pipelines. Handling Board and ExCo talent profiling and succession reviews, and managing senior talent pipeline for NatWest.
Sarah specialises in diversity and inclusion, change leadership and people development, being a strong advocate for more leadership development opportunities for women at NatWest.
Follow Sarah on LinkedIn
Talent Leadership with Hive Learning
Our leadership programs give organizations an agile approach to embedding new leadership behaviors quickly and at scale. And our peer learning approach makes them stick.
