The New HR Playbook: Leading Change in an AI World

In this episode of HR Disrupted, Lucy Adams is joined by Andy Doyle, Chief People and Agent Officer at Kantar. While much of the conversation around AI focuses on hype or fear, Andy shares a grounded, practical perspective on how Kantar has embedded AI agents into the heart of its HR operations.

Lucy and Andy dig into why Kantar chose to take this path and how their ambitions evolved along the way. What started as a cost and efficiency conversation quickly expanded into something far more strategic – rethinking how work gets done and what HR’s role should be in that shift. Andy shares the realities behind building AI capability in-house, the importance of leadership courage, and why HR professionals need to get comfortable owning technology, not just responding to it.

The discussion also tackles the implications for the HR function itself. As AI agents take on more transactional work, what’s left for HR? Andy offers a clear view: this is an opportunity for HR to become more impactful, not less – but only if it’s willing to step up, experiment, and lead from the front. This episode is a practical look at what it really takes to move from AI curiosity to meaningful transformation.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction and why AI is dominating the agenda 07:30 Why Kantar decided to invest in AI agents 18:45 What they actually built – from payroll to employee support 30:10 Lessons learned and challenges along the way 41:20 The future role of HR in an AI-enabled organisation

About Andy Doyle Andy Doyle is Chief People and Agent Officer at Kantar. Connect with Andy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajdoyle/

Useful Links Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com Get in touch: hello@disruptivehr.com Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/ https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/