DHL's Talent Tinder & The Future of Skills: How they built a winning strategy with Meredith Wellard
In this episode of Skills Talks, Meredith Wellard, former VP of Talent Acquisition, Learning, and Growth at DHL, shares her experience in building a skills-based organization at scale. She discusses why skills matter now more than ever, how AI and automation have made skills strategies more feasible, and the practical challenges of implementing a talent marketplace in a 600,000-employee organization.
Key Takeaways from Meredith Wellard on Skills-Based Organizations
Why Skepticism Around Skills-Based Strategies?
- “Skills” aren’t new – Companies have struggled with outdated, rigid frameworks in the past.
- Legacy mindset – Old methods were slow, complex, and often abandoned before delivering value.
- Change resistance – Even HR leaders hesitate due to past frustrations and uncertainty.
Why It’s Worth the Investment Now
- AI & automation now make skills intelligence scalable and actionable.
- Talent shortages are coming – The “buy talent” strategy is unsustainable.
- Business survival depends on skills – Workforce agility is the new competitive advantage.
The Business Case for Skills-Based Organizations
- Internal talent mobility – Reduce reliance on external hiring.
- Workforce planning – Predict future skill gaps before they impact business.
- Industries already feeling the shift: Aviation, automotive, mining, chemicals (e.g., EV transition).
Lessons from DHL’s Skills-Based Transformation
- Goal: Increase internal hiring from 67% to 85%.
- Buy-in strategy: Built leadership support with a “Talent Tinder” prototype.
- Iterative rollout: Started with small test groups before scaling.
- Unexpected impact: More women applied for jobs due to skills-based recommendations boosting confidence.
How AI is Changing the Skills Game
- Dynamic, real-time skills mapping instead of outdated taxonomies.
- Predictive workforce planning to proactively close skill gaps.
- More inclusive hiring & mobility – AI surfaces talent beyond traditional networks.
About the speakers
Meredith Wellard - xVP Group Talent Acquisition, Learning, and Growth @DHL
Meredith Wellard is the former VP of Group Talent Acquisition, Learning, and Growth at DHL, where she spent nearly five years laying the foundation for one of the most ambitious skills-based transformations in a global enterprise. At DHL, she championed internal mobility, launching innovative initiatives like ‘Talent Tinder’ to shift hiring from external to internal placements, reduce onboarding costs, and future-proof the workforce.
Now, Meredith is taking her expertise beyond DHL, helping organizations navigate the people and change management side of tech-enabled transformations—particularly around skills. A true pragmatist with a deep understanding of HR tech, she’s on a mission to help companies move beyond the hype and make skills work in the real world.
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