HCMx Radio is the only podcast in the human capital management arena that features current market research and industry leaders that are driving innovation, modeling business success and enabling competitive performance into each episode. This podcast is produced by independent HCM research and analyst firm, Brandon Hall Group. It is hosted by Rachel Cooke, Michael Rochelle, Mike Cooke and Brandon Hall Group's Analyst Team.
Episode 349: Building a Business Empire Without Losing the Entrepreneurial Spirit
In this episode of the Brandon Hall Group™ Excellence at Work podcast, Mike Cooke, CEO of Brandon Hall Group™, talks with Alex Campos of Vensure Employer Solutions (https://vensure.com/) about the entrepreneurial philosophy behind Vensure's remarkable growth, its unconventional acquisition strategy and the opportunities artificial intelligence creates for small and midsize businesses.
Their conversation explores how organizations can expand without sacrificing customer relationships, why employee trust matters during acquisitions and how AI could reshape productivity, entrepreneurship and the future of work.
Campos shares his journey from immigrating to the United States from Cuba as a child to becoming a technology entrepreneur and helping build a global employer-services organization. He discusses Vensure's 118 acquisitions in eight years, its approach to retaining entrepreneurial ownership and its investment in AI specifically designed for human capital management.
8 Oct 2026
Episode 1: Putting Humans in the Lead as AI Joins the Workforce
In this episode of the Brandon Hall Group™ Excellence at Work series, host Heidi Grecsek, Managing Director of Human Capital Management at Brandon Hall Group™, talks with Lisa Calicchio, Chief Human Resources Officer at WCG, about how organizations can bring employees, contractors, specialists and AI agents together into a single working system. The conversation previews Calicchio's breakout session, Orchestrating Capabilities Across the Extended Enterprise, at the HCM Excellence Conference on Tuesday, January 26, at 3 p.m.
Calicchio has spent her career moving between business operations and HR at companies that include Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Covance, Wyndham Worldwide and GAF. At WCG, a clinical research services and technology company, she works where heavy regulation, scientific specialists and new AI tools meet every day. Her leadership team had watched a demonstration of a new AI-enabled product the day before the recording, which gave her a fresh example to draw on.
2 Oct 2026
Episode 346: Learning Leaders Should Stop Waiting for Perfect Before They Act
In this episode of the Brandon Hall Group™ Excellence at Work podcast, host David Wentworth, Managing Director for Learning and Talent at Brandon Hall Group™, talks with Matt Paretsky, Learning and Development Project Manager at VPS Learning, about a leadership skill that rarely gets its own spotlight in development programs: the willingness to take an informed risk and move forward without every answer in hand.
Paretsky's background includes years of work in risk management and business continuity planning outside of learning and development, and that experience shapes how he approaches leadership training today. He also draws on his time working alongside successful leaders and business strategists, as well as a current client project that is extending communication and emotional intelligence training well beyond the management ranks.
Who has been a guest on Excellence at Work
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jeanna Shapiro
Bernie Barbour
Luis Camacho
Zach Pendleton
Roman Muth
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.5 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
92
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
81
Contact Excellence at Work
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Excellence at Work
Who hosts Excellence at Work?
David Wentworth and Michael Rochelle and Mike Cooke and Rachel Bolton and Rachel Cooke host the show. Published by Rachel Cooke.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Excellence at Work take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Host of Excellence at Work?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
