Leading HR Through the AI Era:
Top CHROs Share Critical Insights

As AI accelerates change across every function, HR executives are being called on to redefine workforce strategy, reimagine skills and leadership, and guide their organizations through the ethical, cultural, and operational implications of intelligent technologies.

A special thanks to our PEER 150 dinner panelists: Erica Koenig, CHRO, SPS Commerce; Kristin Gaarder, Chief People Officer, Perforce Software; and Brian McGonegal, Global Vice President, Human Resources, Digi International. We appreciate their insights on how best to navigate the realities of AI today to stay relevant, credible, and indispensable in an AI‑enabled enterprise.

Looking for solutions to lead your organization through this new era?

MDA Leadership delivers the latest AI-enabled solutions to support your efforts.

Development: AI-Enabled Workouts

MDA’s AI Leadership Accelerators blend AI-powered experiential learning with expert facilitation to help leaders build competence and skill in navigating complex interpersonal and managerial challenges. This solution enables leaders to practice critical leadership conversations in a realistic, risk-free environment, building confidence and judgment through repetition, feedback, and expert facilitation. Our collection of case studies covers topics like performance issues, delivering difficult feedback, influencing a resistant peer, or navigating a complex situation. Learn more.

Executive Coaching: Piloteer

Piloteer extends the impact of leadership coaching by turning real business meetings into continuous opportunities for insight and growth. At the leader’s request, Piloteer observes meetings, analyzes communication and behavior across 13 leadership dimensions, and provides objective feedback and practical suggestions for improvement. Leaders gain greater awareness, build better habits, and track progress over time, while coaches gain meaningful data to make development more focused, personalized, and measurable. Learn more.

What’s New at MDA

Succession AcceleratorSM

MDA’s Succession Accelerator helps organizations build a stronger bench of ready-now leaders for critical roles. Combining talent assessment, cohort coaching, targeted skill-building, and progress measurement, this solution helps leaders accelerate readiness for greater responsibility while reducing promotion and placement risk. Organizations gain clearer succession insights, stronger leadership pipelines, and greater confidence that future leaders are prepared to drive business performance. A General Management (GM) option is also available for organizations developing future business unit and enterprise leaders. Learn more.

Leadership Assessments now featuring Essentials

MDA offers a full range of leadership assessment solutions, from Comprehensive Assessments designed for high-stakes hiring, promotion, and succession decisions to Essentials Assessments that deliver streamlined, decision-ready insight with reduced participant time. Built on the same validated tools, scientific rigor, and consultant-led approach, both options provide objective insight into leadership capability, potential, and fit. Whether organizations need the deepest level of behavioral evidence or a more efficient assessment experience, MDA helps leaders and organizations make better talent decisions, reduce risk, and turn insight into action through practical development guidance and coaching recommendations. Learn more.

What Our Clients Say

Business impact

MDA partners with us on a leadership development program that has had major benefits for our businesses. The program not only accelerates the development of our leaders, but it has also delivered real, tangible benefits to our businesses by organizing program participants into teams that tackle complex challenges.

John Abbott
President, Varistar Manufacturing; Senior Vice President, Otter Tail Corporation

Long-term dividends

Out of the top 20 leaders in the company, about 15 of them have been through one of our MDA-led programs. It’s an investment in our talent and our company that pays dividends time and time again. It sets us above our competition, and we get selected and re-selected for work because of the people that we have, so investing in our talent is hugely important and something we will never stop doing.

Mike Hoover
CEO and Chairman, Sundt Construction

Competitive differentiation

We’ve recognized that leadership development is vitally important not only for business performance, but also from an employee value proposition and retention perspective. It shows we invest in our people, and it differentiates us from other companies.

Paul Knutson
Chief Human Resources Officer, Otter Tail Corporation

Let’s Connect

At MDA Leadership, we take time to understand your leadership challenge, the unique context of your business, and the stakes involved. Then we recommend a tailored solution that is best suited to achieve your goals. Let’s bring your leadership vision to life.