The New Rules of Talent: AI, Well-being, and Workforce Development with Luis Camilo Garcia

Luis Camilo Garcia on DEI's evolution from initiative to profit driver. Insights on gender equity, AI in HR, and building inclusive cultures in the Americas

A truly effective DEI strategy is not a cost center or a compliance metric, but a direct driver of profitability, innovation, and competitive advantage.

In today's rapidly evolving corporate landscape, this scenario is being proven as fact by forward-thinking leaders. Companies are discovering that moving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from a peripheral initiative to a core business strategy unlocks unprecedented potential. But what does this transformation look like in practice across different regions? And how are tangible results being measured and achieved?

To explore the data and stories behind this shift, we spoke with Luis Camilo Garcia, an expert who navigates the DEI landscapes of both North and Latin America, to dissect the evolution, impacts, and future of this critical business pillar.

Interview with Luis Camilo Garcia

How has the perception and implementation of 'Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion' (DEI) evolved in companies, and what tangible impacts has it had?

From my experience, companies in Latam and Noram. moved "DEI" from a "nice to have" to a core pillar in the organizations. It has been proven that having a community of diverse collaborators drives greater innovation, better decision-making, and a better reputation. "Diversity, equity and inclusion" is not only a KPI or data to prove that we are being aligned with the local requirements. It was also created to correct historical inequalities such as discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, disabilities, among others.

The impact that the companies are having with a DEI strategy implemented is a greater sense of belonging from the employees, higher motivation, and less desire to leave the company. Some organizations have reported less turnover and better qualifications in the well-being index. Top companies are building partnerships with key players of DEI in the market such as Aequales (In Latam), Heidrick & Struggles (Global provider), PwC, KPMG, to upskill top management in how to be an inclusive leader and how to be an Ally in the organization for minorities and help them to have more participation and giving them a voice (as an example members of the LGBTIQ+ community who are having representation inside organizations).

Results: Revenue growth through inclusive culture: Organizations that foster a truly inclusive culture, where everyone can contribute ideas ("Innovation by All"), see revenue growth up to 5.5 times greater than those with less inclusive environments, according to findings from 2024 supported by previous studies. (Great Place to Work, 2024)

• Companies with greater female representation and ethnic diversity in their executive teams tend to perform better financially. In fact, the latest studies show that organizations with the highest levels of diversity are around 25% more likely to exceed average profitability compared to those that are less diverse. (McKinsey & Company, 2023)

Culture: In recruitment, there's many KPIs that can be reviewed such as "diverse shortlists", blinding interviews for hiring managers to select the best CV based on competencies and not gender, job postings with neutral language and include intentionally minorities in the recruitment process. As well the number of women hired in top positions such as management, VP or C level.

Could you elaborate on the progress and remaining challenges in the area of Gender Equity?

What advancements have been made in promoting gender equity within industries across Latin America and the U.S.:

• Noram: there has been significant progress in female representation in leadership positions. Nearly 30% of positions on public boards of directors are now occupied by women, demonstrating a sustained shift toward greater equity in decision-making (Times Union, 2025).

• Latam: women's participation in the public sector exceeds that in the private sector, reaching approximately 41% of management positions, although there is still room for improvement to achieve full parity (Inter-American Development Bank [IDB], 2022).

• Measurement: The Americas region has strengthened its measurement capacity through tools such as Aequales' PAR Ranking, which evaluates equity and diversity policies in thousands of organizations, allowing standards to be set and progress to be monitored (Aequales, 2024).

What barriers still prevent equal representation in leadership and decision-making roles?

• The "broken step," which refers to the first promotion to management positions, has revealed a critical gap: for every 100 men promoted to manager, women, "especially women of color" have fewer opportunities. This finding has prompted many companies to adopt more equitable promotion goals and development programs (McKinsey & Company, 2024).

• Latam: there remains a gap between policies and actual results.

• Latam: low female economic participation, only around 50% of women participate in the labor market, compared to 75% of men. (Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe [CEPAL], 2024).

How is technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, innovating the HR sector?

Artificial intelligence: AI is here to help and improve organization performance across different areas:

Recruitment:

• Improve job posting, having a prompt that aligns the Job Description with the core values of the organization with neutral language to communicate assertively in different job boards aligned with the employer branding and EVP.

• The recruiters can ask the AI when a profile is not easy to understand, and they need to clarify information.

• Sourcing strategies, helping to build Boolean search for google, X-ray, Linkedin among other job boards.

• Helps to build a structured interview and create questions when is necessary to understand better the candidates' profile.

• Building a candidate's feedback or scoring technical interviews by recording or transcript the interview.

• Chatbots to interact with the candidates interested in a position.

• As well chatbots to update the candidates' process stage when they want to consult their status in the process.

Employee experience:

• Chatbots for general consulting, policies, benefits, IT FAQs, etc.

• Automation of continuous experience "pulse" surveys to measure engagement scores, workload stress, remote-work fatigue (if apply), tenure, performance, internal mobility, manager effectiveness, etc.

• Enhance through AI retention programs, career-path discussions, specific training courses required for improving performance, etc.

Analytics & Automation:

• Automating operational tasks significantly reduces manual workload, increases efficiency, and provides data-driven insights that empower HR, recruitment, finance, operations, sales, among other areas to make more informed strategic decisions and support the top management based on those findings.

• Recruitment analytics: number of hires, gender of candidates hired, time to hire, cost per hire, identify areas with more turnover, roles difficult to source, continuously need roles for a proactive recruitment strategy.

Retention:

• Flight-risk models tied to action plans in regards manager coaching, internal mobility, PIP process, review internal salary bands to be within the market.

How are different sectors collaborating to approach Workforce Development, especially for the IT sector?

Businesses, governments, and educational institutions are aligning themselves through various programs to strengthen people's skills, especially within the IT sector. The result is a workforce that is better prepared for technological and economic transformation. Joint initiatives are being rolled out in several Latin American countries: for example, technical training programs (TVET) involving the private sector.

Following the pandemic, what significant changes have you observed regarding employee Well-being and Work-Life Balance?

Since the pandemic, organizations across Latam and Noram. have expanded access to mental health resources, integrating Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), telepsychology services, and dedicated mental health days. Hybrid and remote work models have become standard, allowing employees to balance professional and personal priorities more effectively.

Overall, in Latam, there's growing alignment between public and private sectors. Initiatives led by the ILO (International Labour Organization) and PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) are promoting formal employment, occupational health, and national well-being strategies.