Episode #1 – Future-Proofing Careers in the AI Era with Annella Heytens (Microsoft)

Episode #4 – Employee-Generated Content (EGC): Your People Are the New Brand Ambassadors (Oysterly)

What if your most powerful brand influencers aren’t outside your company — but already working in it? In this episode of Talent X Tech, our host, I sit down with Melissa Laurie, CEO of Oysterly Media, to explore how Employee-Generated Content (EGC) is transforming employer branding and redefining trust in an AI-enabled world. As short-form video explodes across social platforms, audiences are turning away from polished corporate content and toward authentic human stories. Melissa explains how User-Generated Content (UGC) and Influencer Marketing have evolved - and why Employee-Generated Content is the next big wave shaping how brands connect, hire, and inspire. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why Employee-Generated Content (EGC) is redefining employer branding in the age of AI * How leading brands like PwC, Cisco, and Hilton Hotels use EGC to build credibility and culture * The difference between UGC, Influencer Marketing, and EGC * How to get started: ideation, training, and the “3 Es” - Education, Emotion, Entertainment * What metrics matter - reach, engagement, and trust signals * Practical advice for leaders and creators navigating the future of social media 🎙️ About the Guest Melissa Laurie is a keynote speaker and the CEO of Oysterly Media, one of Asia’s fastest-growing social video agencies. The firm helps brands like Hilton, UPS, 3M, and Microsoft humanise their content through diverse, unfiltered storytelling. Chapters (0:00) Introductions & Building Oysterly Media (7:03) User-Generated Content (UGC) & Authentic Storytelling (10:16) Influencer Marketing & Long-Term Partnerships (12:33) Employee-Generated Content (EGC) (14:32) Companies Leading in EGC (16:12) Benefits of EGC on Employer Branding (21:57) The How - Strategy & Steps for EGC (34:28) Handling Employee Fear & Resistance to EGC (38:42) EGC Return on Investment & Metrics to Track (42:32) Melissa’s Favourite EGC Videos & Campaigns (47:30) Melissa’s Upcoming Book on Employee-Generated Content (49:20) Career Advice for Those Passionate About Social Media (50:52) Big-Picture Social Media Trends (52:10) How AI Will Impact Social Media 👉 Hit Subscribe for more episodes and short clips exploring the intersection of Talent, Tech, and Transformation. #EmployeeGeneratedContent #EmployerBranding #UserGeneratedContent #InfluencerMarketing #AuthenticStorytelling #FutureOfWork #AIandWork #BrandTrust #Leadership #TalentAttraction #SocialMediaStrategy #TalentXTech #FutureofWork

Episode #3 - Human Hiring: How to Humanise Recruitment in the era of AI & Automation

What if AI in recruitment wasn’t just about efficiency, but about creating five-star hiring experiences at scale? In this episode, you'll hear how HSBC is using AI and automation as an opportunity to enhance recruitment, not just optimise it - building a more human, high-impact experience for candidates at every level - not just at senior exec level. I’m Sital Ruparelia, your host. With 25+ years in leadership, recruitment and talent management — including a decade at Microsoft leading Executive Talent Acquisition across Asia - I speak with business leaders, HR leads subject matter experts at the intersection of talent, tech and transformation. In this episode of Talent X Tech, I sit down with Lara Partridge, Head of Talent Acquisition for HSBC Asia-Pacific. We explore the future of work, the role of AI in hiring, and how HSBC’s Human Hiring model is helping the bank move faster while still creating memorable, human-centred moments across all levels of recruitment. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why five-star service principles are being applied to hiring to attract top talent * How to scale executive-level candidate care into volume recruitment * The 6 Human Hiring principles, built from research beyond banking and recruitment * Lessons from fine dining, premium hospitality and digital-first brands * Localising Human Hiring - how HSBC’s recruiters are bringing the 6 principles to life across cultures * How to reframe success metrics in experience-led hiring * What it means to be findable in a skills-based job market * Lara’s advice to her 21-year-old self - and anyone starting out today 👉 Hit 'Subscribe' for more episodes and short clips on the future of talent, tech, and transformation. (0:00) - Introduction (06:10) - Career influences & leadership style (10:30) - AI & automation: Enhancing experience, not just efficiency (12:10) - Candidate experience and power dynamics (14:21) - Human Hiring: 6 principles to codify and scale exec-level experience to volume hiring (33:48) - Using tech to scale human-centred hiring (37:13) - Measuring ROI of Human Hiring (38:57) - Recruiters: Embedding Human Hiring across global, cross-cultural teams (49:43) - Phase 2: Engaging hiring managers in Human Hiring (53:11) - Skills-based orgs & hiring practices (55:11) -AI & job search: How to be findable in a skills-first world (59:40) - Career advice to 21-year-old self #FutureOfWork #AIInRecruitment #HumanHiring #CandidateExperience #TalentManagement #SkillsBasedHiring #LeadershipInTech #HSBCHiring

Episode #2 - Thriving Through Uncertainty: Navigating Constant Change & Disruption with Haresh Khoobchandani (Autodesk)

Struggling with the pace of constant change and uncertainty? This episode with Haresh Khoobchandani shares grounded advice on how to adapt and thrive. I’m Sital Ruparelia. I help organisations build future-ready teams and support individuals in shaping future-ready careers in an era of intelligence. With 25+ years in leadership, talent, and recruitment - including a decade at Microsoft leading executive hiring across Asia - I now host the Talent X Tech podcast, where we explore how AI and emerging technologies are transforming the way we work, lead, and manage talent. In this episode, I sit down with Haresh Khoobchandani, Vice President for Asia Pacific & Japan at Autodesk, author of Growth by Choice,  ⁨TEDx [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCsT0YIqwnpJCM-mx7-gSA4Q]speaker, and Oxford alum. A senior leader with over 25 years of experience, Haresh has built and led multicultural teams across the region with Microsoft and Autodesk. He brings a calm and intentional approach to growth, leadership, and self-disruption in today’s fast-changing world. You’ll learn: * Why strong leadership is critical in an age of disruption, from AI to geopolitics * What “dancing in the rain” really means when navigating volatility and setbacks * How to grow by choice, not by chance, through intentional decisions we can all make * Why disrupting yourself is smarter than waiting to be disrupted in a world of constant change * Practical ways to stay future-ready in the AI era, even if you’re not in the tech sector * What the Japanese concept of Kintsugi taught him about resilience and bouncing back * The vital role HR plays in digital transformation and the future of work * Haresh’s inspiring message to Gen Z and early-career professionals 🎧 If you're leading, learning, or navigating this era of change, this conversation is for you. 👉 Hit 'Subscribe' for more weekly episodes and short clips on the future of talent, tech, and transformation. (00:00) – Highlights reel (00:45) – Introducing Haresh – his journey, roles, and mindset (03:06) – Witnessing Singapore’s transformation and Asia's growth (05:54) – Favourite Asian food and the role of food in connection (07:40) – Key leadership influences and how they shape leadership today (11:26) – Navigating a world of constant change, disruption, and uncertainty (16:14) – Tech innovation: lifelong learning and solving problems with tech (20:23) – Embracing change: owning our own disruption in a shifting world (23:04) – Self-awareness: the key to Growth By Choice (25:02) – Leadership traits needed in times of constant change: (30:48) – Investing in yourself in a world of distraction and overwhelm (34:29) – Defining success at different stages of life (39:12) – Role of HR teams in times of change and tech transformation (41:37) – Building Digital literacy: Importance of upskilling and change management (48:36) – Leading businesses in Asia: cultural nuance and regional insight (50:44) – Gen Z: career advice to his children and early professionals (59:42) – Kintsugi - Japanese story of resilience KEEP IN TOUCH: 👤 With Sital on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sitalruparelia/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sitalruparelia/] 🌐 Talent x Tech LinkedIn -⁠ www.linkedin.com/company/talent-x-tech/ [ www.linkedin.com/company/talent-x-tech/] 🌐 Learn more at www.talentxtech.com⁠ [www.talentxtech.com] 📸 Instagram - @talentxtech

Episode #1 – Future-Proofing Careers in the AI Era with Annella Heytens (Microsoft)

Worried about how AI will impact jobs, careers, or leadership? Then this episode is a must-listen. I’m Sital Ruparelia, your host. With 25+ years in leadership, recruitment and talent management — including a decade at Microsoft leading Executive Talent Acquisition across Asia — I now speak weekly with business leaders, HR heads, and subject matter experts at the intersection of talent, tech, and transformation. In this first episode of Talent X Tech, I sit down with Annella Heytens — a global HR leader with experience at Microsoft, AWS, and Coca-Cola — to talk about career growth in an AI-enabled world. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why career paths will be non-linear in the AI age. * What skills matter most as the world of work evolves. * Why learning agility is your future-ready superpower. * How to take ownership of your growth (and help others do the same). * What it means to disrupt yourself before the world does. * Career advice for early professionals — and their parents. Be sure to subscribe, follow, and share. 0:00 Highlights reel of the interview 0:45 Introduction 1:41 Favorite Asian food 2:24 Annella’s big career leap that shaped her style and mindset 10:33 Lessons from taking career risks 12:26 AI’s impact on jobs 14:48 AI: Types of new jobs/skills 15:57 Continual learning of technology skills 20:08 Human-centric skills needed in the New World of Work 22:32 Career management in the AI-enabled workplace 26:58 Self-driven careers & risk-taking 28:20 Leadership & succession in a tech-enabled workplace 32:33 How HR policies need to evolve for the New World of Work 35:50 How companies should reward for innovation and risk-taking 39:39 Asia: How to lead and manage talent in Asia 41:26 Career advice for graduates today 44:26 Advice for parents 46:12 Advice Annella would give to her younger self 🔔 Subscribe for more discussions on the talent, tech and transformation. KEEP IN TOUCH: 🌍 My website - www.TalentXTech.com 📸 Instagram - @talentxtech LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/talent-x-tech/ [www.linkedin.com/company/talent-x-tech/]