What happens when one executive combines legal expertise with human resources leadership? Joshua Horenstein, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal and Human Resources Officer & Corporate Secretary at Innophos, reveals the powerful advantages of his dual role in this fascinating conversation.

Leading both legal and HR departments for a global phosphate company with 1,500 employees worldwide, Joshua leverages his unique position to provide comprehensive solutions that traditional, siloed departments often miss. "Running both departments has made me better at both functions," he explains. "It made me a better lawyer, a better executive, a better leader overall."

Throughout his 15-year tenure at InnoFOS, Joshua has navigated significant corporate transitions, including a $1 billion public-private sale. His cross-functional perspective proved invaluable during these pivotal moments, allowing him to address both the structural aspects of transactions and their human impacts simultaneously. "CEOs and boards like just having one person to talk to," he notes, highlighting how his multifaceted role streamlines executive communication.

Beyond his formal responsibilities, Joshua also leads the company's ESG initiatives with a practical approach that balances environmental and social objectives with business performance. "I refuse to believe you can't be a good environmental steward and also make money," he asserts, though he acknowledges this equilibrium requires thoughtful effort rather than pursuing ESG initiatives for their own sake.

Mentorship represents another cornerstone of Joshua's leadership philosophy. Drawing from mentors who shaped his own career, he's implemented innovative programs at InnoFOS, including an English-Spanish buddy system connecting employees across different regions—strengthening both language skills and cross-cultural collaboration.

For professionals navigating their own system transformations, Joshua offers this wisdom: "Plan...but part of that humility is recognizing it's never going to go 100 percent to plan." This balanced perspective—thorough preparation paired with adaptive flexibility—defines his approach to leadership challenges in today's complex corporate landscape.

Connect with Joshua on LinkedIn to continue the conversation about cross-functional leadership and how breaking down departmental silos can create more effective executive leadership.

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Bob Goodwin welcomes Gena Smith, North American CHRO for luxury powerhouse LVMH, for a masterclass in leadership development and cultivating excellence across iconic brands like Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Tiffany.

Gena shares her unexpected journey from small-town Texas to leading human resources for one of the world's most prestigious luxury groups. A pivotal study abroad experience in Greece awakened her passion for people and culture, establishing a personal benchmark that guided her career choices: "Any role had to have an international dimension and I had to be working with people." This philosophy ultimately led her to LVMH, where she now champions a culture built on creativity, innovation, excellence, and entrepreneurship.

Gena's conversation with Bob explores how LVMH maintains the delicate balance between preserving brand heritage while pushing creative boundaries. "We don't want our brands sitting in museums," Smith explains, highlighting the tension between honoring each brand's DNA while ensuring contemporary relevance. This balancing act requires diverse perspectives and trustful environments where creativity can flourish.

Leadership development emerges as a cornerstone of LVMH's success. Smith details their comprehensive succession planning process that examines potential leaders across all 75 brands, paired with targeted development experiences. She emphasizes that leadership must be approached with the same intentionality as any business objective: "You actually have to want to be a great leader. That has to be something that's important to you."

Looking toward the future, Smith discusses LVMH's "HR New Deal" initiative, which positions employees at the center of their career journey with access to opportunities across all brands. While acknowledging technology's growing role, she returns to a fundamental truth that transcends industry or era: "At the end of the day, we rely on talented, motivated, inspired, engaged people to drive our business."

Ready to discover what truly lights your fire professionally? Tune in to this insightful conversation about finding your passion, developing leadership excellence, and creating environments where people and creativity thrive.

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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.

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Imagine a world where job candidates arrive with an ironclad guarantee that they can apply the skills listed on their resumes. That's the vision shared by Dan Benveniste, Founder and CEO of SkillWaze, a company that’s redefining career readiness through AI-powered, skill-based learning.

Dan and his team just announced the acquisition of tilr.com, a leading learning management and credentialing platform. Together, they’re building what they call the first guaranteed career-readiness solution for both learners and employers.

The pandemic created a perfect storm for today's young job seekers. Cut off from crucial workplace socialization during formative years and now facing entry-level positions being automated away, Gen Z faces unprecedented barriers to meaningful employment. When 60% of recent college graduates get fired within 90-120 days due to skills mismatches, something fundamental needs to change.

Dan explains how SkillWaze's acquisition of learning platform Tiller creates what he calls "the first guaranteed career readiness solution." Their approach solves the critical difference between knowledge acquisition and skill application: "You can learn hockey, but that doesn't mean you can play it." By combining AI-powered learning pathways with virtual apprenticeships where skills are observed and validated in real contexts, SkillWaze creates verifiable talent profiles employers can trust.

What makes this especially compelling is the "Waze for careers" navigation system that lets users explore different paths, earn micro-rewards (including Bitcoin, which drives 2-3x engagement), and recalculate their journey as interests evolve. For employers, it builds custom talent "farm teams" based on specific skill requirements, making skills-first hiring practical rather than theoretical.

With the World Economic Forum identifying an $11 trillion global skills gap, solutions that bridge learning and earning couldn't be more urgent. As Benvenisti puts it: "If we don't have Gen Z meaningfully engaged in employment and highly productive mode in a couple of years, that's like having a fuel gap on an airplane." Connect with Dan on LinkedIn or email dan@skillwaze.com to learn more about this revolutionary approach to guaranteed career readiness.

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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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