Meg Ksenzakovic is a champion for contingents. For example, as former director, global contingent workforce, at Bristol Myers Squibb, she helped create a program that provided pay relief for essential workers as well as sick pay for workers who needed time to recover or care for a family member, including contingents. “It was very much the right thing to do, and it really demonstrated a commitment to the entire workforce.”

Covid-19 aside, Ksenzakovic also worked to ensure that the BMS program could support complex corporate workforce plans. She focused on ensuring that the program could expand to meet new challenges — from global expansion to new product offerings — as well as flexing and changing to meet the needs of the business in a dynamic marketplace.

Looking forward, Ksenzakovic doesn’t believe current staffing models are entirely sustainable in the staffing industry for another decade. The structure has become over-commoditized; adjustments are needed, and the right people need to be in the right positions. “I feel like we’re on the verge of an evolutionary shift of how contingent work is structured and generally accepted in corporate environments,” she says. “We need to focus on value as well as cost.”

Wanting to be a part of this, Ksenzakovic is embarking on the next phase of her career but plans to continue helping the talent find inclusive and new vistas.