Tina Gupta
SVP, Head of Talent Management
New York Life Insurance
Episode 90
HR's New Mandate: Driving Talent Transformation with AI & Soft Skills
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJuly 28, 2025 · 12:09
Thesis
“HR is at a critical juncture, empowered by AI and constant change, to proactively drive talent transformation by focusing on data-informed practices, fostering adaptable workforces, and elevating 'softer skills' as indispensable capabilities for future success.”
Show notes
Harnessing HR Innovation: Tina Gupta's Journey at New York LifeIn this episode of the Built by People Podcast, we delve into the career journey and insights of Tina, the head of talent management at New York Life. Tina discusses her transition from talent acquisition to a focus on internal talent management and the company's proactive approach to leveraging AI. Highlights include key AI initiatives like the Ignite AI work stream, the integration of AI in performance management and employee engagement surveys, and the launch of a career hub powered by AI. Tina emphasizes the importance of data-informed talent practices, balancing legacy culture with fresh innovation, and the critical skills needed for the future, including adaptability and learning agility. Closing with advice for HR professionals to lean into innovation and make themselves indispensable at the forefront of change.
00:00 Introduction to the Built by People Podcast
00:38 Meet Tina: Career Journey and Role at New York Life
01:52 Talent Transformation in the Age of AI
04:18 Integrating AI into Talent Management
06:00 Data-Driven Workforce Planning
07:46 Balancing Tradition with Innovation
09:38 Critical Skills for the Future Workforce
11:22 Parting Advice for HR Leaders
12:04 Conclusion
What you'll take away
- 1Proactively adopt AI tools across the organization, as New York Life has done with ChatGPT and Copilot for all employees, emphasizing a '12,000 innovators' mindset.
- 2Leverage AI to streamline historically cumbersome HR processes, such as performance management (e.g., custom GPT for writing reviews) and engagement survey analysis.
- 3Prioritize building a robust, data-informed talent strategy by consolidating diverse employee data points, focusing on current skills, past experiences, and future aspirations to inform internal growth and external hiring.
- 4Balance maintaining a strong legacy culture with driving innovation by showcasing early wins, implementing structured change management practices, and celebrating employees' adoption of new skills like AI.
- 5Recognize that 'softer skills' like adaptability, resilience, and learning agility are becoming 'no regrets' capabilities, essential for navigating continuous change in the next 2-3 years.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Challenges the traditional view of change as episodic, stating 'change is no longer a point in time, it's no longer episodic, it's happening all the time.'
- •Argues that 'softer skills' are now more critical than ever, shifting from being less teachable to becoming 'no regrets things' that organizations must prioritize in hiring and development.
- •Positions HR as being 'in the driving seat' and 'at the forefront of innovation and change,' rather than a support function, urging HR professionals to lean in and make themselves indispensable.
In Tina's words
“my passion was not necessarily about bringing people into a company. It was really about how we help people grow, develop, and become and perform at their best when they're in a role.”
This quote highlights her shift from talent acquisition to a focus on internal employee development and growth.
“we're leaning in really proactively to AI. We have ChatGPT and Copilot for every single employee. We are really, really pushing the use. In fact, our CEO recently sent a memo about becoming, you know, from 12,000 employees to 12,000 innovators.”
This showcases a strong, top-down commitment to AI adoption and innovation across the entire organization.
“One of the leaders in my team built a GPT, which is really to help our leaders use— not everyone was going into ChatGPT to help write their reviews anyway, but this was the— I front-loaded with all of our insights, the way that we talk about performance, our models., and helping our leaders to write their media performance reviews.”
This provides a concrete, innovative example of how AI is being used to solve a common HR pain point.
“my passion is really about having data-informed talent practices. So using data with everything that we do, and when we think about some of the decisions we make about hiring or promotion, or do we retain who's leaving, when we think about investments in learning, all of those areas.”
This emphasizes the foundational role of data in all strategic talent decisions, a core principle of modern HR.
“change is no longer a point in time, it's no longer episodic, it's happening all the time. So, learning about resilience and adaptability and some of those skills that were less, you know, teachable in a traditional sense.”
This reframes the nature of change in the modern workforce and highlights the increasing importance of continuous adaptability.
“this is a real moment for HR. We are in the driving seat and really at the forefront of innovation and change. And I think the companies need us in ways they haven't Advice to everybody is find ways to be relevant, lean in really heavily, be a lifelong learner.”
This serves as a powerful call to action for HR professionals to embrace their strategic role in driving organizational success amidst rapid transformation.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Cumbersome and time-consuming performance management processes that require significant effort from leaders.
- •Difficulty in quickly analyzing large datasets from engagement surveys to extract meaningful insights.
- •Disruption in the insurance industry driven by evolving customer needs for speed and access, and agents desiring seamless 'Amazon-effect' systems.
- •Lack of consistent and detailed employee data across the organization to inform strategic workforce planning and career development.
- •Challenge for established organizations to maintain a strong legacy culture while simultaneously fostering new perspectives and driving innovation and change.
- •The need for employees and leaders to develop new skills quickly, especially in the face of AI, when traditional learning approaches may be insufficient.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
You work as the head of talent management at New York Life
WSJD Live: The Journey of Talent Management
New York Life is investing in AI to prepare its workforce for future challenges
How New York Life Is Preparing Its Talent for the Future
Tina, can you share some specific examples of how you're integrating AI into talent management processes
Examples of How Talent Management is Integrating AI
New York Life is using data to help manage its workforce and forecast future needs
New York Life's Talent Planning
What do organizations and individuals need to develop within the workforce over the next years
What Do You Need to Develop in the Next 5 to 10 Years
Tina: This is a real moment for HR. We are in the driving seat
In the Elevator With Tina Flannery
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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