For more than three decades, Lorraine Hunt built a career doing the work that others theorise about. She became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in 2011 but long before that, she had trained in lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, implemented HRIS and LMS systems, and developed a persistent obsession with removing the friction that slows HR down.

She designed and delivered award-winning courses and workshops that changed how organisations developed their people - built not on theory, but on a precise understanding of what practitioners actually need. She has shared her thinking on podcasts, written for the profession and most recently added the Microsoft AI Business Professional certification to her credentials. Not for the badge, but because understanding what AI is actually doing is non-negotiable when your job is to help others navigate it.

The turning point came in September 2024. At a business retreat in Corfu, a storm forced everyone into one small room. In that moment - sitting on what she describes as a very messy bed - someone asked her a question she could not deflect: "Why aren't you focusing on AI? You clearly light up when you talk about it". The clarity that followed was not a surprise. It was a recognition. She had tried to launch an HR Digital Academy five years earlier, ahead of the moment. The world had simply needed a little longer to catch up.

The question facing HR is not whether AI changes how the function works. It is already doing that. The question is whether HR professionals are the people who lead that change - or the people it happens to.

Rethink:Work exists to make sure the answer is always the former. It is built for the HR professional who is experienced, capable and ready to stop watching from the sideline.