By Vanessa Gavan
Over the past two decades, I have witnessed the CHRO role evolve significantly. What I am seeing now, however, is not simply another evolution – it is a fundamental recalibration of the role itself.
The reason is simple. Our human assets are one of the greatest determinants of how organisations create value. With more than 8 billion people who call this planet home, only 70 million lead the organisations, institutions and systems that shape how the rest of us live, work, grow and belong. That is, less than 1% of the global population influences how economies grow, how communities function, how healthcare reaches us, and how the world is fed, powered and built. This small group sets the conditions experienced by the other 99%.
But leadership does not create value in isolation. It shapes the systems, cultures, capabilities and conditions organisations build to drive value. Increasingly, these are the very levers that sit at the heart of the remit CHROs own.
The CHRO at the intersection of enterprise value
Modern workforces call for a critical, high-definition alignment of the CSO, CTO and CHRO. Value-creating CHROs operate at the intersection of enterprise strategy, the leadership system, organisational culture, digital and AI transformation, and workforce transformation.
As these domains become increasingly interconnected, the CHRO’s influence extends well beyond people strategy and becomes central to how organisations build the adaptive capacity required to execute strategy in an environment of continuous disruption. CHROs are well-positioned to shape value through a new asset class – the human asset. Valuable human assets enable organisations to adapt, execute and create enduring value.
Shaping the blueprint for the next era
As the CHRO’s value opportunity expands, so too does the need for a community where leaders can sharpen strategic insights, look beyond today and anticipate what they and their enterprises will need.
I am delighted to share that Maximus is partnering with Chief HR in 2026 to shape this important dialogue as we look to recalibrate the CHRO role for the future.
This October becomes the setting for Australia’s leading CHROs to step out of the everyday and begin shaping a collective blueprint for the next era of CHRO leadership – one that connects enterprise value, human performance and societal impact.
Chief HR and Maximus will bring together Australia’s leading CHROs at the Chief HR Summit to explore what the next era of the role requires, and what additional value we can create.
These are the conversations I am looking forward to exploring, alongside Maximus Directors Brent Duffy and James Keeler, and our Chief Strategy Advisor, Gerhard Vorster.
