At the EQT's Tech CEO Summit, a dedicated session DP van Leeuwen (SUSE), Oscar Höglund (Epidemic Sound), Chris Bray (Heidrick & Struggles), and Johannes Reichel (EQT) discussed future-proofing top talent management, in a session hosted by Bettina Siempelkamp (EQT).

In tech-driven businesses, talent isn’t a support function, it’s the engine of value creation. The panel’s message was blunt: if leaders spend more time on product than people, they will lose both. Winning the next decade means treating talent as strategy, not HR; designing cultures that scale; and developing leaders for a world where AI reshapes every role.

Great leaders are attracted, and kept, through persistence, trust, and personal investment. That’s time on the calendar, honest feedback, stretch missions, and sponsorship when it matters. As companies scale, culture must evolve from a “family” (belonging, goodwill, heroic effort) to a “high-performance team” (clear roles, standards, and accountability). You don’t fire care and community; you professionalize them.

Past experience matters, but the capacity to grow is even more critical. Curiosity, adaptability, and leadership through storytelling emerged as the strongest predictors of future leadership success. Curious leaders find new angles; adaptable leaders shift playbooks without losing momentum; great storytellers align people through change, especially vital as AI moves from pilot to core workflow.

Empowerment, inclusion, and transparency are now non-negotiable for engagement and retention. Empowerment means decision rights and tools; inclusion ensures diverse voices shape out of the box thinking and choices; transparency builds trust through clarity on priorities, performance, and the “why” behind tough calls. Apply all three as you navigate AI adoption: explain what’s changing, how work will be augmented (not just automated), and where people can grow.

The upshot: make talent your operating advantage. Make a top team your top priority. Build a bench that learns faster than the market changes, and a culture that scales without losing its edge.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Talent = Strategy. Treat top talent management as a core value-creation lever, not just a central function.

• Earn leaders, don’t just hire them. Retention comes from persistence, trust, and real personal investment.

• Evolve the culture. Move from “family” to a high-performance team, clear roles, high standards, and accountability.

• Hire for potential. Curiosity, adaptability, and storytelling out-predict past experience.

• Make change safe. Empowerment, inclusion, and transparency drive engagement, especially through AI transformations.

• Narrative is a leadership tool. Use clear, consistent storytelling to align people on what’s changing and why.

• Build for scale. Professionalize people practices early (decision rights, development paths, feedback rituals) so growth doesn’t outpace culture.