# HR Leadership Program for HR Heads and Future CHROs > HR leadership program for HR heads, senior HRBPs and future CHROs: people strategy, culture, AI in HR and influence with the CEO. Build your next HR leaders. - Source: https://bodhih.com/hr-leadership-program/ - Publisher: Bodhih Training (Bengaluru, India; since 2008) - Last updated: 2026-10-06 - Contact: solutions@bodhih.com · +91 99000 11601 --- The CEO wants a people strategy for the AI era, the business heads want hiring yesterday and your own HR team needs direction too. Our HR leadership program helps HR heads, senior HRBPs and CHRO-track leaders act as business leaders who happen to run HR. ## At a glance - **Duration:** Recommended: 3 days as a 2-day module plus a 1-day module six weeks later, or 6 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, with a strategy assignment in between - **Who it’s for:** HR heads, HR directors, senior HRBPs, CoE leads and CHRO-track leaders - **Level:** Advanced - **Format:** In person · Live virtual · Blended - **Track record:** Since 2008 · 2,000+ companies An HR leadership program develops HR heads, senior HR business partners and future CHROs as business leaders. It covers building a people strategy from the business strategy, earning a voice in leadership decisions, running the HR team, culture and change, AI in HR, talent and skills strategy, people data and personal presence with the CEO. - Recommended: 3 days as a 2-day module plus a 1-day module six weeks later, or 6 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, with a strategy assignment in between - Level: Advanced · In person · Live virtual · Blended - Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context - Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions **Also known as:** CHRO development program, future CHRO program, HR head leadership training, strategic HR leadership course **Where and how:** HR leadership training as an in-person workshop in [Bengaluru](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-bangalore/), [Mumbai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-mumbai/), [Delhi NCR](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-new-delhi/), [Gurugram](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-gurugram/), [Hyderabad](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-hyderabad/), [Chennai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-chennai/), [Pune](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-pune/), [Kolkata](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-kolkata/), [Ahmedabad](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-ahmedabad/) and [Jaipur](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-jaipur/); as a live online course; or delivered overseas in [Dubai](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-dubai/), [Singapore](https://bodhih.com/corporate-training-in-singapore/) and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Last reviewed 06 Oct 2026 by [Siddharthan VGJ](https://bodhih.com/siddharthan-vgj/), Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru ## Why HR leaders need their own leadership development HR heads spend their careers building leadership programs for everyone else. Their own development often stops at a technical certification or a conference. Yet the job has changed: CEOs now expect HR to shape how AI changes roles, how culture holds during rapid growth and which skills the business must build or buy. Indian [GCCs](https://bodhih.com/gcc-leadership-development-program/), scaling startups and Gulf groups are hiring HR leaders who can hold their own with business heads and use data to make a case. This HR leadership program builds those muscles, alongside running an HR team that is itself being reshaped by AI and shared services. > 46% of CHROs cite leadership and manager development as a top priority for 2026. Source: [SHRM 2026 research (State of the Workplace and CHRO priorities)](https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/what-will-work-look-like-in-2026--new-shrm-research-reveals-how-) > 84% of CHROs expect upskilling in AI-specific skills to increase. Source: [SHRM 2026 research (State of the Workplace and CHRO priorities)](https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/what-will-work-look-like-in-2026--new-shrm-research-reveals-how-) ## What participants will be able to do ### Write the people strategy Derive a one-page people strategy from the business strategy, with three to five priorities the CEO would sign. ### Speak business first Frame people issues in revenue, cost, speed and risk terms in leadership meetings. ### Lead the HR team Set direction, structure and development for their own HR team, including HRBPs, CoEs and operations. ### Shape culture and change Diagnose the culture the strategy needs and lead change through managers rather than campaigns. ### Set an AI in HR agenda Decide where AI should change HR work and how HR will help the business redesign roles responsibly. ### Make the case with data Use people and performance data to build a short, credible case for an investment or decision. ## Who should attend - HR heads and HR directors of business units, GCCs and mid-sized companies - Senior HR business partners preparing for an HR head role - Centre of excellence leads in talent, learning, rewards and HR operations moving into broader roles - CHRO-track leaders identified in succession plans - HR leaders in family businesses and startups professionalising the people function ## Program outline Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis. ### **From HR expert to business leader**Module 1 · Module 1, 2 hours - How the HR head role has changed in 2026 - Reading the business model, P&L and strategy as a business leader - Personal leadership goals for the program ### **People strategy from business strategy**Module 2 · Module 1, half day - What the strategy demands of people, skills, structure and culture - A one-page people strategy with clear choices - Pressure-testing it with a panel playing the CEO and business heads ### **Running the HR team**Module 3 · Module 1, 2 hours - Designing the HR operating model: HRBPs, CoEs and operations - Developing the HR leadership team - Running HR as a service the business values ### **Culture and change leadership**Module 4 · Module 1, half day - Diagnosing the current and needed culture - Driving change through managers and everyday routines - Simulation: a culture shift during rapid growth ### **AI in HR at a leadership level**Module 5 · Module 2, 2 hours - Where AI should change HR work first - Helping the business redesign roles and skills for AI - Fairness, transparency and trust in AI-supported people decisions ### **Talent, skills and people data**Module 6 · Module 2, 2 hours - Talent and skills strategy linked to the business plan - Building a business case with people data - Presenting the case in five minutes ### **Presence with the CEO and leadership team**Module 7 · Module 2, 2 hours - Disagreeing well with the CEO and business heads - Building alliances with finance and operations - Final presentation of the people strategy ## Sample training plan: 3-day hands-on design This three-day design treats HR leaders as business leaders. Module 1 starts with the business model, builds a one-page people strategy that a panel playing the CEO challenges, redesigns the HR team's operating model and runs a culture-shift simulation during rapid growth. After a six-week assignment testing the strategy with business heads, module 2 sets an AI in HR agenda, builds a data-backed business case and closes with a final strategy presentation to sponsors. 70% hands-on practice · 20.2 contact hours · Cohort: 10–20 participants · In person · Live virtual ### Module 1, day 1: Business first, then people strategy Participants can read the business as a leader and draft a people strategy the CEO would back. 1. 09:30–10:15 · What the CEO said (Energiser) 2. 10:15–11:15 · Reading the business (Case clinic) 3. 11:30–13:00 · One-page people strategy (Build sprint) 4. 13:45–15:15 · The CEO panel (Simulation) 5. 15:30–16:45 · Business language drill (Skill drill) 6. 16:45–17:30 · Day 1 reflection (Reflection) ### Module 1, day 2: The HR team, culture and change Participants can redesign the HR operating model and lead culture change through managers. 1. 09:30–10:30 · The HR team I need (Diagnostic) 2. 10:30–11:15 · Developing my HR leaders (Peer coaching) 3. 11:30–12:30 · The culture we need (Diagnostic) 4. 13:15–15:00 · Culture shift during rapid growth (Business game) 5. 15:15–16:30 · Change through managers (Group challenge) 6. 16:30–17:30 · The six-week assignment (Action planning) ### Module 2: AI, data and presence Participants can set an AI in HR agenda, build a data-backed case and present their strategy with presence. 1. 09:30–10:15 · What the business heads said (Feedback round) 2. 10:15–11:15 · AI in HR, at leadership level (Debate) 3. 11:30–13:00 · The data-backed case (Hands-on lab) 4. 13:45–15:00 · Disagreeing with the CEO (Role-play) 5. 15:15–16:45 · Final strategy presentations (Presentation) 6. 16:45–17:30 · My 90-day leadership plan (Action planning) Recommended: 3 days as a 2-day module (09:30–17:30) plus a 1-day module six weeks later, or 6 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, with a strategy assignment in between. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis. ### How long is the HR leadership program? The recommended design is three days: a two-day module, a six-week strategy assignment and a one-day module. It also runs as six live virtual sessions of three hours over eight weeks, followed by sponsor check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days. ### What activities are included in the HR leadership program? Participants build a one-page people strategy and defend it to a CEO panel, rewrite HR statements in business terms, redesign their HR operating model, play a culture-shift business game, set an AI in HR agenda, build a data-backed case and rehearse disagreeing with the CEO. ## How we deliver it ### Your business as the case Participants work on their own organisation's strategy, culture and HR team, producing a people strategy they can take back. ### Executive panels Senior business leaders or facilitators play the CEO and business heads, asking the questions HR leaders face in real leadership meetings. ### Assignment between modules Participants test their people strategy with two business heads before module 2 and bring back what they learned. ### Peer learning across sectors Cohorts mix HR leaders from different functions and industries, so each sees how others earn influence. ## Tailored versions ### For GCC HR leaders Cases cover building HR for a fast-growing GCC, working with global HR centres of excellence and developing local leadership depth. ### For startups and family businesses Focus on building the people function from scratch, working with founders and promoters, and introducing structure without slowing the business. ### Future CHRO cohort A longer journey for [high-potential](https://bodhih.com/high-potential-leadership-program/) HR leaders, adding one-to-one executive coaching and a stretch project sponsored by a business head. ## How we measure impact The program applies the Evaluate stage of the ADDIE model. Participants complete an AssessAll pre-assessment on [strategic thinking](https://bodhih.com/strategic-thinking-training/), stakeholder influence and people data judgement, and repeat it as a post-assessment at day 90 after module 2. Sponsors, usually the CEO or business head, hold check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days, and we review the people strategy, HR team plan and business case against goals agreed at the start of the HR leadership program. AA Pair this program with [AssessAll](https://assessall.com), Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is an HR leadership program? An HR leadership program develops HR heads, senior HRBPs and future CHROs as business leaders rather than functional experts. It covers people strategy, influence with the CEO and business heads, running the HR team, culture and change, AI in HR and making decisions with people data. Participants apply each module to their own organisation. ### How do you become a CHRO? Most CHROs combine broad HR experience across business partnering and centres of excellence with strong business understanding and credibility with the CEO. Practical steps include holding a business-facing HR role, owning a major change or growth agenda, learning to read the P&L and building a reputation for sound judgement. Structured development and a sponsor speed this up. ### What skills does an HR leader need in 2026? HR leaders now need business and financial understanding, strategic thinking, culture and change leadership, confidence with AI in HR, people data judgement and the presence to influence a CEO. They also need to run their own HR team well, because the HR operating model is changing as AI and shared services take on routine work. ### How can HR get a seat at the leadership table? Bring business problems, not HR programs, into leadership conversations. Link every people proposal to revenue, cost, speed or risk, back it with data and offer clear options. Build alliances with finance and operations before meetings. Over time, credibility comes from solving problems business heads care about, which is the core of this program. ### What should a people strategy include? A useful people strategy fits on one page. It states what the business strategy requires of people, the three to five priorities that will deliver it, such as critical skills, leadership depth or culture shifts, how progress will be measured and what HR will stop doing. It should be written with business leaders, not for them. ### Who should attend an HR leadership program? It suits HR heads and directors, senior HR business partners, centre of excellence leads moving into broader roles and CHRO-track leaders named in succession plans. Participants should already have solid functional HR experience. The program is less useful for early-career HR professionals, who gain more from business partnering and core HR skills training first. ### How long is the HR leadership program? The recommended design is three days: a two-day module, a six-week strategy assignment and a one-day module. A [live virtual](https://bodhih.com/live-virtual-classes/) version uses six three-hour sessions. Bodhih, with 18,000+ programs facilitated since 2008, customises the cases to your industry and can extend the journey with executive coaching for future CHROs.