With the support of Personio, we’re bringing Disrupt back to Dublin with a format built for action: five-minute lightning talks, auto-advancing slides, and zero fluff.

After years of webinars and multitasking, Dublin gets a night where ideas hit hard, conversations move fast, and the network you build matters.

Ahead of the festive break, I sat down with co-organizer Ben Geoghegan to unpack why now is the right moment to relaunch, what makes the format so effective, and how a curated mix of voices can shift the future of work. We spotlight an early lineup featuring leaders from Google, Irish Rail, and Mazars; a chartered psychologist from the Royal College of Surgeons; and founders pushing new recruiting tech. Each speaker brings one tight message and one practical move you can test - no drawn-out slides, no corporate spin, just clear ideas with real outcomes.

We also dig into why the crowd is the secret sauce. Senior HR execs, consultants, operators, and technologists share the floor, cross-pollinating approaches to AI, learning design, leadership, culture, well-being, and hiring. That diversity turns quick talks into immediate experiments: pilots you can run with your team, metrics worth tracking, and conversation starters for your leadership table. Expect energy, focus, and dozens of new connections by the time the Personio-hosted event wraps at 8:30.

If you care about building better workplaces in 2026, this preview delivers the what, the why, and the how. Hit play to hear the format breakdown, the themes to watch, and the speakers to meet. Enjoy the show, then subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a quick review so more HR pros and people leaders can find us.

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The HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score.

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What if the biggest disruption to work isn’t AI, automation, or hybrid models—but a 100-year-old idea about when careers are supposed to peak and decline?

In episode 868, Pauline James speaks with Lisa Taylor, CEO of Challenge Factory, about why traditional career models are fundamentally broken in a world where many people will live well into their 80s and beyond. Together, they unpack how outdated assumptions about age, productivity, and “career ladders” quietly undermine engagement, waste talent, and accelerate disengagement—especially in midlife.

Lisa explains how the concept of retirement at 65 was created for a very different era, why career conversations often disappear after age 49, and how manager bias—not performance—drives perceptions of declining productivity among experienced workers.

The conversation also explores the idea of the “talent escalator”—and what happens when senior leaders reach the top with nowhere meaningful left to go. Lisa shares what progressive organisations are doing differently: designing roles beyond the final rung, enabling intergenerational mentorship, and creating space for purpose, contribution, and renewal across longer working lives.

For individuals feeling stuck or ready to pivot, Lisa offers a practical alternative to the traditional CV-first approach—starting instead with purpose, strengths, values, and market relevance.

This is a must-listen for HR leaders, executives, and professionals rethinking careers, longevity, and the future of work.

Key Topics Covered

• Why retirement at 65 no longer makes sense in a world of 82+ year life expectancy
• Midlife as a distinct and valuable career stage—not a decline
• The role of manager bias in perceived productivity drops
• Why career development conversations often stop too early
• The “talent escalator” and how it jams at the top
• Intergenerational teams, mentorship, and cultural ambassadorship
• Why engaging older workers can reduce youth unemployment
• A scientific, hypothesis-driven approach to talent strategy
• Rethinking career pivots, entrepreneurship, and longer working lives

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If you enjoyed this conversation, follow the show, share the episode, and leave a review—it helps more people discover these conversations about work, leadership, and impact.

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Feature Your Brand on the HRchat Podcast

The HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score.

Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here.

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In this episode, Bill Banham sits down with Jennifer McClure, founder of DisruptHR, to explore how HR leaders can turn people strategy into measurable business results, build credible investment cases, and lead in an era where AI is reshaping work faster than plans can keep up.

We start by tackling one of HR’s toughest barriers: resistance. Why do leaders shy away from quantifying problems, modeling outcomes, and tying people initiatives directly to business strategy? Jennifer shares a practical, trust-building approach to business cases—define the pain or opportunity, run the numbers, make predictions, and commit to measurement.

From there, we look at HR’s historical roots in welfare and regulation to understand why some processes still lag today—and how to disrupt what no longer serves the organization. Think fewer blanket policies, more targeted solutions, and an uncompromising focus on value.

The conversation widens to DisruptHR’s global impact—170+ licensed cities and more than 10,000 lightning talks—and why its simple format continues to surface powerful ideas across cultures. We also dig into AI’s accelerating influence on work, the shift from a scarcity of people to a scarcity of skills, and why upskilling and reskilling must be tied directly to evolving roles.

Jennifer also reframes personal branding for HR leaders as career management: share what you’re learning, cite credible sources, invite debate, and build trust through consistent, useful contributions.

We close with some straight talk on manager training: attendance is not impact. Start with outcomes, measure behavior change, and require application in the flow of work.

If you’re ready to move HR from compliance to catalyst—and help your organization thrive amid uncertainty—this episode offers clear, practical steps you can use today.

Support the show

Feature Your Brand on the HRchat Podcast

The HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score.

Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here.

• Follow us on LinkedIn
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Check out our in-person events