Lise-Lotte Helms-Olesen

Disruption is now systemic, and for Chief People & Culture Officers that changes everything. Culture is not a soft topic, it is the CEO’s competitive edge and the foundation for transformation. CPOs must provide clarity on what stays, what shifts, and how people adapt. They must be both data-driven and human-driven, partnering with CFOs and CEOs to embed people-first thinking into strategy. Change is constant; culture is what makes transformation real and sustainable.

Change is often seen as a cost, but true ROI comes when CFOs and CHROs partner to drive organizational resilience. CFOs must move beyond cost control, funding change leadership, culture, and adaptability as strategic assets. By aligning financial logic with people performance, businesses can unlock measurable ROI from transformation and ensure long-term success in a volatile market.

In a world where disruptions are daily stress tests of adaptability, resilience must be built into systems, not improvised in crisis. Change leadership—cultivating adaptability as an intrinsic value—is replacing reactive change management. CEOs must design readiness, align teams, and invest in people to build future-ready, resilient organizations.