By Julia Sweeney
As real estate and real assets organizations emerge from a period of significant industry recalibration marked by slowed transactions, capital constraints, and shifting workforce expectations, the role of human capital leadership has never been more consequential. Firms are accelerating transformation and preparing for the next cycle of growth, and market-leading companies are increasingly elevating CHROs as essential strategic partners in guiding that shift. Our 2026 outreach campaign is designed to support CHROs, CEOs, and senior talent leaders across the real estate industry in understanding and responding to the themes that will shape organizational performance in the year ahead. Ferguson Partners’ 2026 Human Capital Trends report highlights a clear set of priorities reflected by leaders across real estate and real assets firms of various sizes, asset classes, and structures. The report reveals the strategic capabilities required to navigate complexity and build resilient, future-ready organizations. This year-long series will translate those findings into actionable insight, meeting the leadership community where they are and equipping them for what comes next.
We begin in January 2026 with a deep dive into HR evolving into a strategic business partner to the C-Suite. Expectations of HR leadership are rising sharply, particularly the CHRO–CEO relationship, which is becoming a defining and critical lever of organizational performance. Smaller firms anticipate a significant increase in the priority placed on CHROs advising the CEO and Board over the next 12–24 months, while larger firms now view this partnership as foundational to competitiveness. In today’s environment, human capital considerations must be deliberated at the top of the house, alongside strategy, capital, and operational priorities, not downstream. Our opening article will outline why this modern CHRO role is essential, what CEOs and Boards expect, and how firms are redefining it.
Following this article, each month we will spotlight one of the remaining seven trends shaping the talent landscape. In the first months of the year, we will explore Institutionalizing the organization’s talent strategy, examining how leading firms are formalizing workforce planning, scaling consistent people practices, and aligning talent with business priorities. Next, our attention turns to Cultivating resilience, agility, and flexibility, qualities CHROs overwhelmingly cite as essential for leaders and teams navigating uncertain market dynamics. Our fourth theme to highlight is Addressing leadership skill gaps in mid-level management, a pervasive challenge across the industry that represents both a performance risk and a significant opportunity for leverage.
As we move into mid-year, we will shift focus to the forces reshaping the workforce itself. One of our most anticipated articles examines AI & automation and their impact on the workforce, including HR’s critical role in leading change management and future-proofing talent. We will cover Navigating a multigenerational workforce and evolving employee expectations and addressing Talent considerations in an M&A-heavy environment, where workforce planning and change management are paramount. We will conclude the series with Inclusion as a performance driver, reframing inclusion not as a standalone initiative, but as a capability that strengthens decision-making, innovation, and retention.
Through this campaign, our aim is to provide practical insight that enables human capital leaders to anticipate emerging challenges, elevate their strategic impact, and position their organizations for long-term success. We are excited to launch monthly roundtables to bring the CHRO community together to share best practices and lessons learned.
As we round out the series, we will keep the back third of 2026 intentionally open to spotlight issues coming into focus, market shifts, and real-time responses that surface across the industry. Human capital priorities evolve, and we are committed to providing insight as new dynamics take shape. We look forward to having you join us on this journey throughout the year, and it remains our privilege to serve and partner with the real estate human capital community.