Maryjo Charbonnier on culture change

What really happens when AI enters a large organization? How does it reshape roles, skills, and work itself—and why are most companies not prepared for that shift? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Maryjo Charbonnier, former Chief Human Resources Officer at Kyndryl, to explore what it actually takes to translate AI from strategy into workforce reality inside a large, complex organization already undergoing transformation. Drawing on her experience leading the transition of 80,000 employees through Kyndryl’s spin-off from IBM, Maryjo reframes AI not as a technology shift, but as a cultural and behavioral one. She explains why managing AI transformation requires the same discipline as any core business priority, including treating culture change as an operating plan with defined behaviors, systems, and measurable outcomes. Together, they unpack how AI is reshaping work by breaking work into tasks, workflows, and skill combinations that can be reassembled in new ways. The conversation dives into one of the hardest operational challenges organizations face today: understanding skills. From overwhelming amounts of unusable data to building AI-powered systems that dynamically match people to work, Maryjo shares what it takes to move from job-based structures to skill-based deployment at scale. If you’re leading AI transformation—or trying to understand how to align technology, people, and work in a system that no longer stands still—this conversation offers a grounded, inside look at what it really takes to make it work. Guest Information: Maryjo Charbonnier serves as Executive Advisor to Kyndryl, supporting customers in transforming their workforces in the age of AI. She was Kyndryl’s first Chief Human Resources Officer from its founding as an independent company in 2021 to March 2026, bringing extensive experience in global HR leadership and large corporate transformations. Maryjo joined Kyndryl from Wolters Kluwer, a global provider of professional information, software solutions and services for professionals, where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer since 2015. Prior to joining Wolters Kluwer, Maryjo served as Chief Human Resource Officer at Broadridge Financial Solutions for seven years. Earlier in her career, she was an HR executive in a variety of leadership roles at PepsiCo, including Vice President for Talent Sustainability for PepsiCo Foods Americas, a unit with $30 billion in revenues and more than 120,000 employees. A native of the Detroit area, Maryjo is a graduate of Catholic University in Washington, DC, and earned her MBA at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She was named "CHRO of the Year” in 2019 and 2024. Links: • Kyndryl’s approach to change management in the agentic AI era: https://www.kyndryl.com/us/en/about-us/news/2025/11/agentic-ai-organizational-change-management • 2025 Kyndryl Readiness Report: https://www.kyndryl.com/us/en/insights/readiness-report-2025 Chapters: 00:00 – How Are Companies Actually Implementing AI In Large Organizations? 01:36 – Why AI Transformation Is a Culture Change, Not a Technology Change 05:17 – How Do You Build a Learning Organization That Actually Works? 05:59 – How AI Changes Jobs: From Tasks to Workflows to Roles 08:17 – Who Owns Reskilling in the Age of AI? Employees or Managers? 09:04 – How Do You Change Culture Across 80,000 Employees? 10:48 – How Do You Make Organizations Faster and Less Bureaucratic? 11:46 – What Leadership Skills Are Needed in the Age of AI? 13:07 – How Should Leaders Redesign Work for AI and Automation? 14:30 – What Is Human Judgment in the Age of AI? 15:59 – How Do You Reduce Fear of AI Replacing Jobs? 17:42 – What Does Employability Mean in the AI Era? 18:27 – How Are Employees Using AI to Become More Productive? 23:15 – How Do You Build a Skills-Based Organization with AI? 24:57 – Can AI Predict Skills and Career Transitions? 27:59 – How Do Companies Match People to Work Using Skills? 29:10 – What Does Success Look Like in AI Transformation? ---- Welcome to the Future of Less Work! I’m Nirit Cohen, a Forbes columnist, international keynote speaker, and former senior HR executive with 30 years at Intel. On this channel, I explore how work is changing—across careers, leadership, HR, organizations, and education—through global trends like AI, flexibility, and workforce transformation. 📌 Each week, I share sharp insights and in-depth conversations with global thought leaders to help you understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how to stay ahead. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos: https://www.youtube.com/@NiritCohen?sub_confirmation=1 🎙️ Listen on your favorite platform: https://workfutures.niritcohen.com/podcast/ 💼 Visit Nirit’s website: https://workfutures.niritcohen.com/ 📩 For speaking inquiries & collaborations email: [email protected] 🌲All my content in one place: 🌲https://linktr.ee/niritcohen Let’s shape the future of work together!