How WSA’s Chief People Officer drives organizational readiness through a relentless focus on outcomes and execution

In the fast-paced world of private equity, HR is not about administration — it's about value creation. Asger Bjerre, Chief People Officer at WSA, focuses on workforce readiness, skills-based talent strategies, AI adoption, and talent ecosystem development to help the organization adapt to rapid business change. He explains why traditional long-term planning is dead and why "permanent readiness" is the only way to survive market fluctuations.

Given the increasing volatility in the market, how are you evolving your talent strategy to design one that pivots with constant change?

Across industries, the blending of human capital and technology is becoming the primary driver of business performance. We've moved past the era where HR was seen strictly as a support function. Today, leadership teams are focused on how talent, technology, and operating models converge to create organizations that are faster, smarter, and more resilient.

The world we're living in is unpredictable — not just because of the lingering effects of the pandemic, but due to record inflation, a tightening labor market, and shifting geopolitical paradigms. In this environment, organizations need to be more deliberate about the skills they need, not just the roles they need to fill today. Leadership capability, digital fluency, and judgment are becoming the core differentiators that allow an organization to pivot when the "fixed" realities of the market are suddenly thrown into the air.

There are really two major forces at play. First, the external environment — shifting customer demands and the sheer speed of transformation. We're not just adapting to change; in many ways, we're catching up to it. This creates pressure across the organization, and for some leaders and talent, it's a significant shake-up.

Second, we need to completely rethink our internal processes. As a CHRO, I'm responsible for an entire ecosystem that includes external partners and different employment models — not just permanent or fixed-term roles, but contingent workers, contractors, and freelancers. We're also exploring strategic partnerships to create a broader talent and skills ecosystem. The reality is that change is happening so fast that we simply cannot plan and execute everything ourselves.

The timeline for traditional planning seems to be shrinking. How does that change the way a large corporation actually functions?

The time for long-term R&D roadmaps and multi-year planning for specialty talent is largely gone. If you aren't strategically agile enough to shift those roadmaps in a matter of weeks, you lose your competitive edge.

Corporate organizations can learn a lot from the private equity (PE) modus operandi. PE firms have operated with this mindset for a long time: shorter time spans, faster decision-making, and constant ideation. In that environment, you try something out, and if it doesn't work, you apply a continuous improvement mindset and simply change course — fast. Adopting that rhythm has a tremendous impact on how we develop talent and respond to the market.

What's particularly instructive about the PE world is how HR operates in that environment. In many corporate contexts, results can often be rationalized through factors like complexity, shifting market conditions, or legacy organizational dynamics. But in PE, especially at senior levels and in CHRO roles, performance becomes pretty much clear-cut. Either success and rewards or nothing. Effort alone holds limited value without clear outcomes.

This means HR leaders must constantly move between strategic aspirations and operational scrutiny. We're constantly asking: Does this create value? Does it accelerate the results? And these questions apply to HR itself. Is HR creating measurable value? Are we helping the organization move fast enough?

Speed is something PE companies do extremely well because their time horizon is so short. The corporate world can learn that time is a currency. One of the most expensive missteps is deferring what’s unavoidable. When HR leaders can accelerate how quickly teams form and begin performing, we create tangible impact. That speed of integration links directly to the top and bottom lines.

Many organizations are exploring skills-based architecture. How do you see traditional job titles evolving into more fluid skill sets?

A lot of companies have been thinking about this, and some are moving toward fully skills-based organizations. The challenge is that we have difficulty predicting what kinds of skills will be required in the future because things change so rapidly. As CEOs — and I certainly experience this in my role — how do we articulate what we need when the landscape shifts so quickly?

Because of this uncertainty, we need an internal ecosystem that's much more focused on skills and how you develop or acquire them from different partners. It's not only about experience anymore; it's about how you obtain the skills you need, which you can potentially get from other parts of the organization. If you want to ensure organizational agility, the only path forward is to think in terms of skills versus jobs or experience — and therefore, titles as well. It's almost more important what skills you have than what title you hold.

How are you thinking about external partnerships to support your talent strategy and broader workforce planning?

As I'm transitioning into this role, I'm thinking carefully about our talent pool — not only internally but also externally. I've come to realize that if we're not creating an ecosystem that relies on communities, experts, and external partners, we simply won't be able to build what we need ourselves. This is especially true with so many varied types of employment relationships today, from permanent staff to freelancers and contingent workers.

If you tap into those varieties of options, you're much more likely to keep up with the required speed. When I consider external talent partners, we probably need even more talent intelligence going forward. We need to understand where critical skills exist and which capabilities are likely to be in short supply. Do we buy it? Do we borrow it? Do we build it? Do we get it from other companies that have been through similar challenges?

The mix of succession planning, skills development, and future strategic workforce planning is really coming together. The next generation brings digital fluency, but we also need to be mindful of potential gaps in critical thinking due to AI-generated output. We should challenge AI-generated results, not just accept them.