Syukri Sudari, Chief People Officer of AXA Affin General Insurance started his journey as a HR professional in 1996. In his almost 25 years of journey in HR, he has worked in diverse industries including financial, telecommunications, aerospace, engineering and insurance. He is also the President of Association of Insurance Employer and Council Member of the Malaysia Employer Federation (MEF).

At AXA, Sudari is responsible for all aspects of HR, including HR Strategy, Performance Management, Planning & Development, Compensation & Benefits, Recruitment & Planning, Industrial and Employee Relations, Training & Development and Talent Management. Beyond HR, he is also engaged in strategic business initiatives, and has even contributed to its business by leading the acquisition of a new distribution channel for the company. 

A strong advocate of digitalization in HR, Sudari has led several digital innovation initiatives and implemented robotics and artificial intelligence in HR. In a recent interaction with People Matters, he discussed the state of HR tech adoption among companies in Asia. He also shared how AXA Affin General Insurance is preparing its HR teams to face technological disruptions as well as other changes shaping the world of work. 

According to you, what is the one key trend that will shape the talent strategies of organizations in 2020? How are you preparing for this trend?

I think the element of human experience will continue to be the priority for leaders as they develop talent strategies within the organization. Our main focus this year is to create a sustainable talent experience to drive organizational growth and workforce transformation. We strongly believe that by keeping the human element at the center of everything we do, we can build a remarkable meaningful journey for our people (employees).

In order for us to achieve sustainable talent experience, we also continuously seek enhancement in efficiency and simplicity, where Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is adopted as part of our daily work to save time and focus on meaningful, value added activities. 

What are your thoughts on the digital future of HR? How far do you think have the companies in Asia come in terms of HR tech adoption? 

As a strong advocate of digital inclusion, I always believe in the concept of ‘more digital, more human’. By leveraging on technology and automation across various HR functions, our people can focus on more meaningful and value-added activities instead of repetitive administrative tasks. This gives more job satisfaction to the team, helping them to develop their personal and professional growth and enhancing their employee experience to a truly human experience. 

We are very proud to begin our RPA journey in 2017 and were among the pioneers to have actively engaged our people to work hand-in-hand with virtual workforce to improve agility and efficiency at work. In 2019, we begin to see more companies in Asia starting to embrace technology and introduce robotics, AI, blockchain to ease some roles and jobs. I think this will soon become business as usual. 

Sky is always the limit in terms of where and how people can grow through continuous reskilling and upskilling. The entire fraternity has in fact become eager to learn and share best practices when it comes to HR tech adoption. People are keen to understand more on how they can leverage on HR tech in the most innovative and fulfilling way to benefit their organization.

How are you adopting HR technology at AXA Affin General Insurance?

The foundation lies in having an accelerated mindset that aligns with the core values of the company. It is important to have an end goal in mind and do the right thing that meets the business needs and expectations. We take charge and position things right at the development stage, work closely with the expert team to employ best practices while staying detailed and specific. 

It is always important to have the courage to try new things and apply the 80-20 rules, where 80 percent is good enough to take decisions, and continuously build trust with your targeted audience via various action plans. This has been and will continue to be our approach. 

How are you preparing the HR teams at AXA Affin General Insurance to face technological disruptions as well as other changes shaping the world of work?

I think having an agile mindset is important, where one will constantly seek for improvement in every aspect, including having the eagerness to learn, exploring new ways of doing things, and improving existing processes and procedures. At the same time, I also emphasize on the application of design thinking while taking talent decisions and creating meaningful human experiences. All these are critical to HR practitioners to be strategically aligned with business directions that may change from time to time.

In this rapidly changing business environment, how do you keep yourself relevant?

I would say my willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn. I am always open to new ideas, opportunities and ready to act upon the latest industry trends, while having the courage to let go of old and out of date beliefs and thoughts. And of course be fast enough to relearn future skills to stay current and ahead of the game. The most successful integrators are always the most change-ready integrators