Martin Thomas is the architect of a holistic human capital strategy that is transforming the way multinational conglomerate Philips makes talent decisions and investments. As head of total workforce strategy, Thomas has been instrumental in giving business managers the guidance, visibility, data and scenario analysis tools they need to optimize their total workforce.

The program features a predictive process that links HR with finance and provides a single view of many sources of talent — from direct hire, new grads, contingent workers, SOW consultants and beyond — to help business leaders identify the right resources, in the right location and at the right cost to get work done. He credits his ability to relate to business leaders as the key to getting the concept off the ground.

The approach and principles that underpin the strategy are focused on providing value to the organization, not just cost savings. However, bringing the action plan to life has not only inspired new methods of sourcing talent, it has delivered multi-million pounds in savings.

The company’s procurement-led contingent workforce program covered just eight countries and 3,500 contingents when he took the helm in 2017. Today, the program falls under the umbrella of talent acquisition and encompasses 24 countries, 5,500 contingents and $400 million in annual spend.

Thomas is working to expand the program into additional workforce segments and its geographic reach.