In May 2026 TR2050 returned to the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue in Rüschlikon, to the same room where the first panel discussion was recorded in 2023. Chaired by Dr Ben Shenoy, the session opened with a direct question: which assumptions from 2023 did we get wrong?
The panel brought together Olaf Lang – Global Head of Reward at Swiss Re, Alex Kaufmann – Global Head of Reward at Medartis, Uwe Kilian – Vice President Compensation and Benefits and Labour Relations at Essity, Raluca Ciliacu-Hetzer – Senior Vice President HR and Global Total Rewards at Barry Callebaut Group, and Marc Glaeser – Head of HR for the Specialised Modalities Platform at Lonza.
The speed of technology development, and the impact of AI in particular, was the assumption the group agreed had been most underestimated. The gig and contingent workforce went the other way. It was a significant theme in 2023, but the panel reported that the growth anticipated at the time has not materialised at the scale expected.
On personalisation, the picture was mixed. Several panellists described a swing back towards simplification, standardisation and segmentation, while Marc Glaeser characterised it as a continuing tension between simplicity and personalisation rather than a decisive shift in either direction. Raluca Ciliacu-Hetzer suggested the shift has been from personalisation towards flexibility in a broader sense, on the basis that employees want clarity and some degree of choice, but not unlimited choice.
Skills-based pay was discussed at length, with the framing having changed. Rather than attempting to attach pay to every individual skill, which the group considered too complex to maintain, the discussion moved towards change adaptability as the capability organisations are increasingly looking for.
Transparency produced a tension the panel had not identified in 2023. AI has opened up what Raluca described as the black box of reward, so employees and managers now arrive with information they believe is accurate, whether or not it is. The group’s conclusion was that this places the weight on explanation, education and simplicity rather than disclosure alone.
The discussion closes with views on the next three years, covering the reward function as a strategic advisor to the business, the pressure to demonstrate value as routine work becomes automated, the employee and candidate experience, and the blurring of lines between reward, leadership and development within HR.