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Melissa Swift

VP, Workforce and Organizational Change Acceleration at Capgemini Invent; Future of Work Expert

VP of workforce and organizational change acceleration at CapGemini Invent advising organizations on people-focused transformations to enhance the workplace experience
Led workforce transformation at Mercer and Korn Ferry, helping top companies reshape their organizations, and led sustainability and cleantech transformation at Deloitte
Views workplace transformation through a humanist lens backed by data to position organizations for the future of work
Through humor, pragmatism, and data, she leads thought-provoking discussions on the world of work and ways to create better results for organizations and employees

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A passionate advocate for a more human way of working, Melissa Swift is a seasoned HR thought leader and consultant who serves as VP of workforce and organizational change acceleration at Capgemini Invent, a leading management consultancy that partners with organizations to support them in navigating the present while evolving their businesses for long-term success. Her work helping clients power their workforces for more innovative, higher-performing futures spans across industries and geographies and tackles issues ranging from attracting and retaining top talent to reshaping organizations for greater nimbleness and building futuristic capabilities among today’s employees. She leverages thoughtful data analytics, a humanist view, and a healthy dose of pragmatism to create extraordinary outcomes for organizations.

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Swift draws from her experiences reshaping organizations for the future of work and the changing labor market using data-driven insights to provide audiences with an essential framework for successful, people-focused transformation. She uses humor, a dash of history, and unexpected statistics to challenge audiences’ beliefs about the world of work and outlines how to spur productivity and create happier working lives by reconciling and finding common ground between employees’ and employers’ deepest needs. Tapping into inspiration from sources ranging from labor market data to the movie Office Space, she maintains a fun and engaging session, while weaving together a compelling, practical account of how transforming work doesn’t have to be the daunting task it often appears to be.

Previously, Swift led Mercer’s workplace transformation practice for North America, helping organizations redefine how they think about the people that power their businesses. Before that, she was senior client partner at Korn Ferry where she led the firm’s global workforce transformation practices and partnered with their largest accounts to imagine, architect, and evolve their workforces to be equipped for continuous change. Across her diverse career, she has also founded a research institute on leadership of the future for Russell Reynolds Associates, launched two ESG practices at Deloitte, and conducted landmark carbon credit trades for Deutsche Bank.

Widely recognized as an authority on the human side of workplace transformation, Swift serves as a trusted advisor to C-suite executives at large organizations and has been a leading voice on reshaping work in this era of unprecedented disruption. She is the author of the book Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace, which explores practical strategies to get to a more human future of work. The book was recognized in the 2023 Porchlight Business Book Awards in the “Management & Workplace Culture” category. Her research has been published in Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal, and her insights have been quoted in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Economist, Axios, and more. In addition to being a lead contributor to The Enterpriser’s Project, she has also appeared on NPR and Al-Jazeera English, has been featured as one of Twitter’s “20 Digital Transformation Leaders to Follow” and named a “Top Influencer on the Future of Work” by Onalytica, as well as a member of Thinkers50’s Radar Class of 2023.

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Leading Workforce Transformation. Over the last few years, work, workforces, and workplaces have all been disrupted seismically. Labor markets are in crisis with no relief on the way, and employees continue to embrace remote work even as organizations try to call them back to the office. New skills and ways of working continue to be needed, and leaders struggle to meet the challenge. In this talk, Mercer U.S. transformation leader Melissa Swift combines data from her research with her experiences advising organizations of all sizes and industries on complete, people-oriented redesigns to demonstrate evidence-based, empathic strategies to truly transform work — yielding greater productivity and happier employees. Equally innovative as she is pragmatic, Swift addresses how creating a more human workplace — by reshaping everything from how we measure performance to how leaders behave to digital transformation strategy — creates the best experience for all.

Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace. In recent years, the world of work has evolved far faster than anyone could have imagined. The flexibility and freedom of remote and hybrid work has spurred organizations to rethink the nature of the work they do and how they do it, and leaders are faced with new challenges for how to make more human-centered decisions that generate wins for companies and employees alike. In this talk future of work expert Melissa Swift presents practical tools for people-focused workplace redesign alongside sensible strategies for creating a powerhouse workplace at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Swift’s strategies are designed to help organizations overcome antiquated, growth-impeding managerial practices while laying the groundwork for sustainable high performance and a making work suck less.

A More Human Future of Work. When we think about the future of work, we often think robots and AI. But it’s so much more than that — it’s about how we truly change the ways humans work, today and tomorrow. Mercer U.S. transformation leader Melissa Swift is an HR thought leader and consultant who top companies turn to for sought-after strategies and tactics for reshaping their workforces for the future. In this forward-looking discussion, she takes audiences on a journey into the future of work. Addressing everything from “couples’ counseling” for humans and technology, to creating a high-functioning hybrid workforce and changing the game on recruiting top talent, Swift explains the dramatic shifts workplaces are making in this time of disruption. She draws from a library of 100 strategies for a more human future of work, and outlines ways leaders can shape their futures to create better results for their companies, better experiences for their people, and a positive impact on society.

How to Lead Diverse Workplaces. One of the keys to successful workplace transformation and powering high-performing teams is creating an environment that elevates diverse team members and empowers their collaboration and input. In this talk, workforce transformation leader Melissa Swift provides an evidence-based analysis on the reasons why organizations that are intentional in meeting the needs of their diverse team members are better positioned to thrive in the future of work, as well as actionable steps for leaders to unite team members of all backgrounds around a shared purpose.