Welcome to Transform’s Q&A Author Spotlight Series, where we feature podcasts who are redefining people and culture, work, leadership, and technology. Join us to gain fresh perspectives and practical knowledge from those at the forefront of today’s evolving professional landscape.
About foHRsight
FoHRsight co-founders, Mark Edgar and Naomi Titleman met at a CHRO peer forum in 2015 when Mark was CHRO of RSA Canada, and Naomi was CHRO of Amex Canada. Through this community, they recognized the importance of connection with other like-minded CHROs – the CHRO role can be a lonely one! They discovered their mutual passion for building community and their enthusiasm about the future of work, specifically CHROs’ role in leading it. Future foHRward was born, off the side of their desks, with an inaugural CHRO conference at Rotman School of Management. And, through thought leadership, events and partnerships, they’ve been building community and capability within the HR function ever since.
About the Co-Hosts
Naomi Titleman brings an unmatched wealth of experience and perspective to developing leading-edge content, events, and thought leadership for HR Leaders. She is also the Founder of Collaborativity Inc., a Toronto-based consultancy, and a monthly contributor to The Globe and Mail Report on Business.
Mark Edgar‘s global experience and deep industry knowledge allow him to bring a fresh perspective to the current challenges of Human Resources leaders. Mark has experience working in senior HR roles both in the UK and Canada and is currently Chief People Officer for Wajax.
Getting to Know You
Transform: What inspired you to start this podcast?
Naomi : “We strive to inspire big thinking that leads to action. The podcast was started in 2022 as a way to bring some of our musings and thought leadership from the best and brightest in our space to the HR community at large.”
Transform: Is there a pivotal experience that shaped your journey or led you to podcasting?
Naomi: As we were having one of our regular discussions about the future of work and how things could be better if… and what we should do about it, Mark said to me, “Why don’t we start recording these conversations and see if anyone would listen?” Now, with more than 100 episodes, the rest is history!
Transform: How do you stay current in your field, and where do you find your inspiration?
Naomi & Mark: We are constantly curious in pursuit of our mission of making work better. Researching for our newsletter and whitepapers, empowering our community members to consider the art of the possible, and chatting with guests on our podcast, we seek to bring leading and bleeding edge concepts to our listeners, while offering a pragmatic approach and tips for HR.
About the Podcast
Transform: How did you choose the name of your podcast?
Mark: foHRsight is the name of both our newsletter and our podcast – for consistency and because Naomi loves a good play on words. We offer the foresight HR professionals (and all leaders) need to make work better and lead our organizations into the future.
Transform: Who is your target listening audience?
Naomi & Mark: Mostly HR professionals (mostly senior but relevant at all levels) but also all leaders who care about making work better.
Transform: How long has the podcast been around, and how has it evolved since the beginning?
Naomi & Mark: We launched our first episode in December 2022, and we have now recorded over 100 episodes. We have kept the format consistent, starting with a check-in question, ending with a feel-good (like we do in our newsletter) and definitely focusing on at least a few tips for HR.
Transform: Do you have any co-hosts? If so, how did you decide to partner?
Mark: We are co-founders of future foHRward, which is the company behind foHRsight. We share in our passion for the future of work and HR’s role in leading it, while bringing different perspectives and backgrounds.
Transform: What is the central theme of your podcast, and how did you choose it?
Naomi & Mark: It’s a podcast about making work better. Topics covered include all elements of the employee value proposition and HR, from hybrid working to talent acquisition to DEI to HR’s relationship with the CEO, and everything in between.
Transform: How do you select your episode topics and guests?
Naomi & Mark: We bring the top thought leaders from our space to talk about what they are most passionate about. Or we cover a hot topic or article.
Transform: What key message or insight do you hope your listeners take away from your show?
Naomi & Mark: It’s an incredible time to be in the people space, and HR has an amazing opportunity to make work better.
Transform: Can you share an episode or moment from your show that resonated deeply with you or your audience?
Naomi & Mark: We get really positive feedback on most of our guest episodes. This one with Nick Bloom was one of our favorites.
Industry Insights and Perspectives
Transform: What do you think is the biggest challenge in [Talent Acquisition, HR, Wellness, etc.] today?
Naomi & Mark: HR has a lot on our plates – dealing with constant disruption, expected to know all the answers and doing more with less. Managing the day-to-day while also staying on top of, and driving, future transformations is challenging but a tremendous opportunity.
Transform: What emerging trends do you see impacting the Future of Work?
Naomi & Mark: AI and new ways of working are the biggest disruptors to work.
On a macro level, we talk about six trends, which we refresh annually. This year’s were defined broadly as Technology, Changing expectations, Globalization, Demographic shifts, sustainability, and Geopolitical uncertainty. See our 2024 report here
Transform: How do you think organizations should prioritize well-being or financial wellness for employees?
Naomi & Mark: In the recent past, we considered a 3-part well-being strategy: physical, mental, and financial. Now, more and more, wellbeing is much broader than that – it includes DEI, new ways of working, leadership, and development… it really covers everything!
Advice for Aspiring Listeners and Podcasters
Transform: What advice would you give to someone starting out in [HR/Talent Acquisition/Wellness]?
Naomi & Mark: Just do it! Go lo-fi and commit to a cadence, and stay disciplined. It can take time to build an audience but you have the content forever!
Transform: For someone interested in starting a podcast, what would you say is key to building a meaningful show?
Naomi & Mark: Don’t be afraid to outsource the production / other elements that aren’t core to what you do. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without our producer.
Transform: How can listeners best engage with your content?
Naomi & Mark: We drop our episode weekly through our foHRsight newsletter. Subscribe here so you don’t miss out… and/or subscribe directly to our show wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out the foHRsight’s live broadcast at Transform 2025 and meet co-hosts Naomi and Mark!