Chloe McKenzie brought an advertising veteran's instincts to HR, designing people programs that employees want to join.

HR's Rising Star Nadia Alaee of Deel built two AI-assisted workforce models covering more than 7,200 employees and 1,000-plus managers, then made sure a human still had to sign off on every call.

The real payoff of succession planning isn't in the boardroom. It's three or four levels down in the organization.

The employees closest to your customers can see what leadership can't. The CHROs who build systems to hear them and act on what they hear build the most resilient organizations.