On August 7, Hewitt Consulting, a premier human resource consulting firm, in collaboration with Sasin School of Management, hosted the CPO Forum 2025 themed “Leading People to Outperform in the Age of Reinvention.” The forum is part of Hewitt’s “100 Outperforming Enterprises Program 2025,” an initiative designed to recognize and empower organizations to reach their full potential through leadership, culture, innovation, and people management. The event brought together expert HR leaders and 90 participants from diverse industries to share strategic people practices that drive transformation and future readiness. The program featured three panel discussions: “Powering a Future-Ready Pipeline,” “Rethinking People Strategy for Business Reinvention,” and “Shaping Performance-Driven Cultures Through People Analytics.” In the panel discussion, “Powering a Future-Ready Pipeline,” experts explored strategies for developing employees into future leaders. Key insights from the panelists include: Aurakanda Attavipach, Chief People Officer of Minor International

• Organizations must cultivate a growth-centric culture by identifying and nurturing individuals with a growth mindset. To foster this mindset, leaders need to demonstrate deep empathy, while also encouraging critical thinking and creativity among their teams.

Panchalee Weeratammawat, Chief People Officer of Central Retail Corporation

• Future leaders must possess strong digital literacy and the ability to navigate transformation and embrace continuous change. In an era of constant disruption, agility is essential—those who cannot adapt will struggle to lead effectively. Beyond technical skills, leaders need a clear vision and the ability to motivate and inspire their teams, especially during transition periods. They must help employees understand why change is necessary and guide them through how to adapt, fostering a culture of resilience and growth.
• Talent alone is not enough. Employees must also demonstrate strong character and the courage to make sound decisions. So how can you identify individuals who are both capable and principled? Look at the 3 P’s: Performance – consistent, high-quality results; Passion – evident through hard work, energy, and drive; Promotability – the potential to grow, which includes both rotatability and mobility.
• To be truly promotable, employees must be willing to step out of their comfort zones, take on challenging assignments, and adapt to new roles or environments.

Sopon Racharaksa, Chief People Officer & Spirits Product Group of Thai Beverage

• There must be a paradigm shift to embrace the strengths of new generations. The new generation of leaders might have less experience than older leaders, but they can learn and adapt faster.
• When assessing a person’s potential, HR should look beyond technical qualifications like job experience or career history. It’s equally important to understand where the individual is in their personal and professional journey, evaluate their long-term potential, align them with roles that suit their strengths, and assess their level of commitment.

In the second panel discussion, “Rethinking People Strategy for Business Reinvention,” panelists explored how organizations can drive reinvention by reshaping their culture and empowering their people—especially during times of crisis or significant change. Piyabut Charuphen, Former Managing Director of Bangkok Industrial Gas

• When transitioning or changing the culture in an organization, get all levels of employees to align with the purpose of the organizations
• There are two types of people in an organization: on-road and off-road. On-road individuals focus on driving efficiency and operational excellence, while off-road individuals concentrate on innovative and sustainable initiatives. To maximize effectiveness, each group should focus on their strengths rather than mixing their responsibilities.

Meatha Prapawagol, Corporate HR Director of SCG

• Business transformation and people transformation must go hand in hand. When the business evolves, organizational culture and people strategies must evolve with it. Any shift in human capital strategy must align with the organization’s updated purpose and business direction. When the business strategy changes, leaders must also evaluate and adapt the company culture accordingly.
• It’s not enough to have a leader that is skillful and of good character. Leaders must have passion and ambition, be able to get out of the box and do some risk-taking. It is also not sustainable to have leaders who are only able to execute short-term goals, they must also be able to have long-term strategies and drive success in the long-run.

Chuntarica Jotikasthira, Chief Human Resources Officer of Thai Airways International

• Four years ago, during the crisis at Thai Airways, a “survivor team” was formed in response to COVID-19 and the urgent need to develop a rehabilitation plan. When an organization encounters a challenge, the first step is to acknowledge it openly and communicate with transparency.
• The people best positioned to solve internal challenges are the employees themselves, not outside consultants.
• During the crisis, pilots took on other roles, such as serving food, gaining a deeper appreciation for their colleagues’ responsibilities and, in turn, strengthening teamwork across the organization.

Sastra Mungkornusawakul, Executive Vice President of Kasikornbank

• If you want to change the beliefs of all employees, you must first change the beliefs of the leaders. Many think the Titanic sank because of the crew, but in reality, it was the belief that the ship was unsinkable that led to disaster. Shifting leaders’ mindsets is the key to inspiring employees to follow their direction.

For the last panel discussion, “Shaping Performance-Driven Cultures Through People Analytics,” experts explored how to shape performance- driven cultures through data. Key insights from the panelists include: Wittapon Jawjit, Head of Human Resources of Banpu Public Company Limited

• Alignment is essential, starting from the shareholders and cascading through the top team. Leadership must ensure alignment, transparency, and the right incentives. Transparency means that everyone knows and shares the KPIs, so everyone can collaborate well together. Avoid forcing strategy; instead, when introducing analytics or performance indicators, explain to employees why they matter so they can connect with and act on them.

Sarinra Wongsuppaluk, Chief Human Resources Officer of True Corporation

• While the tone of the organization should be set from the top, bottom-up feedback will reveal whether attitudes align with leadership. It’s important that employees at all levels feel ownership of their ideas, rather than seeing them as directives handed down from above.
• AI can process data, but it takes critical thinking to transform data into effective decision-making — not just raw information. The goal is to use data to make decisions and continuously improve them. Therefore, HR professionals need to develop financial literacy, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and strong analytical skills.