Executive summary
What defines leadership readiness today? CHROs share practical insights on resilience, succession, and leading through uncertainty.
rra-insights-positioning-chief-diversity-officer-flip.jpg

 

A CHRO Roundtable on Leadership, Succession, and Readiness in an Era of Uncertainty

Russell Reynolds Associates convened a global CHRO live webcast on February 3, 2026 to explore what leadership readiness truly means today, and how organizations can future-proof their leadership and succession strategies in an era of uncertainties.

On-Demand Video Available here

 

Our speakers Daniela Seabrook, Steven Baert, and Line De Decker along with RRA’s leadership advisor Anna Penfold, shared candid perspectives drawn from leading through transformation, disruption, and sustained uncertainty.

A few themes stood out during the discussion:

  • Leadership today starts with leading self — emotional resilience, humility, and self-awareness are now fundamental to performance in uncertainty.
  • Curiosity has replaced certainty — the most effective leaders are “learn-it-alls,” not “know-it-alls,” especially as AI reshapes how decisions are made.
  • Simplification is a leadership superpower — clarity, focus, and the ability to cut through complexity matter more than ever.
  • Succession is about capabilities, not roles — and is increasingly an enterprise risk if not owned by leaders themselves.
  • AI changes leadership, not just skills — leaders must understand enough to define the right problems, create space for experimentation, and guide judgment, not control outcomes.

Leadership readiness has become a critical source of organizational resilience. As the pace of change accelerates, CHROs play a critical role in shaping leaders who can adapt, simplify, and lead with confidence amid uncertainty.

This discussion offers perspectives for CHROs rethinking leadership development, succession, and enterprise capability.

Watch the Full Recording

 

Gain insight into how leading CHROs are redefining leadership for tomorrow’s challenges.

Our speakers

Daniela Seabrook, CHRO, Adecco Group

Daniela Seabrook, CHRO, Adecco Group

 

 

Daniela, a Swiss national, joined the Adecco Group as Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the Executive Committee in January 2024.

Before joining the Adecco Group, Daniela served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Philips in the Netherlands and previously spent several years at Syngenta, including as Group Head of People and Organisational Development. From 2010 to 2013, Daniela served as the CHRO for Straumann, a medical devices company.

Daniela gained her MSc degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Basel and completed her PhD in Organisational Psychology whilst working at Roche.

Daniela has dedicated her career spanning over 20 years to the difference HR can make to enable growth and innovation in purpose driven companies by unlocking the talent and potential of their people.

Line De Decker, CHRO, Haleon

Line De Decker, CHRO, Haleon

 

 

Line De Decker (Belgian/British) is a senior executive with extensive experience operating at management board level in large, complex, regulated organizations. She combines her excellent communication, influencing and change management skills with an exceptional track record of leading businesses through critical transformations.

Line is Haleon’s Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the Executive Committee. Haleon (LSE/NYSE: HLN) is a global leader in consumer health, with a purpose to deliver better everyday health with humanity. Haleon's product portfolio spans five major categories- Oral Health, Pain Relief, Respiratory Health, Digestive Health and Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements (VMS).

Previously, Line was Aliaxis’ Chief People & Sustainability Officer. Aliaxis is a private company and a leader in solving the world’s water challenges and enabling the transition to clean energy.

Prior to joining Aliaxis, she was Senior Vice President and Head of Transformation at GlaxoSmithKline (LSE/NYSE: GSK), a global pharmaceutical company. Before taking up this position in the global strategy team, she held senior HR roles in Belgium and the UK in the Consumer and Pharma Businesses.

Prior to GSK, Line worked at DuPont, where she was involved in setting up their global business services. She started her career at PWC and UCB, as a tax and reward specialist.

Since 2022, Line sits as a Non-Executive Director on Agfa-Gevaert’s Board and remuneration committee. Agfa (Euronext: AGFAt.BR) is a company specializing in analog and digital imaging systems and solutions.

Line holds a Law degree from the universities of Leuven and Barcelona, as well as a Master in Tax Management from Solvay Business School. She is currently based in London.

Steven Baert, CHRO, GE Vernova

Steven Baert, CHRO, GE Vernova

 

 

 

Steven Baert is chief people officer of GE Vernova. In this role, he is responsible for ensuring our people, organization, and culture drive our performance and align with current and future-state business needs, including workforce planning, talent acquisition and development, compensation and benefits, labor and employee relations, and HR operations as well as engagement and inclusion. He is also responsible for Safety, Health, Security and the wellbeing of our teams.

Steven joined GE Vernova in April 2023. Previously, he worked as managing partner and advisor on human capital to Private Equity and Venture Capital clients. Steven served as chief people officer and member of the Executive Committee of Novartis from 2014 until June 2021. He held various leadership roles within the company, including head of human resources for Emerging Growth Markets, head of human resources, United States and Canada, and global head, human resources, Novartis Oncology. Prior to Novartis, Steven held senior HR positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Unilever.

Steven also serves as a non-executive director and member of the remuneration committee, Servier SAS Supervisory Board, a privately held French pharmaceuticals company.

Steven holds a Master of Business Administration from the Vlerick Business School, Gent, a Master of Laws from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and a Bachelor of Laws from the Katholieke Universiteit Brussels.

Anna Penfold, Leadership Advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates

Anna Penfold leads search, development and capability projects across all industry sectors focusing on the HR leadership community.

Insights on the Future of Leadership

The world is changing. And leadership needs to change with it. Through cutting-edge experience and research, we help you address the most-pressing issues of our time—for personal and business success.

rra-leadership-search-and-succession-ceo-succession-hero.jpg

Find the Best leaders

rra-leadership-search-and-succession-csuite-succession-hero.jpg

Build a Plan for Succession

rra-image-asset-95.jpg

Executive Assessment & Benchmarking

 

Fill out the form below to view the recording of the event.