From Spreadsheets to Strategy: The HR Leadership Journey with People Analytics

This is a story every HR leader knows well. The long days with your team buried in spreadsheets, chasing data across systems, and waiting days/weeks for IT to deliver  — only to find it didn’t answer the real questions we needed. It was thankless, exhausting work. The game has changed. We’ve moved from wrangling data by hand to having information at our fingertips — automated, refreshed nightly, and delivering predictive insights that help us see around corners, and enabling and guiding our Strategic Workforce Planning.
 
This isn’t just a story about technology. It’s a story about leadership. About refusing to accept the old ways — the hand-me-down tools from IT, the comfort of ‘we’ve always done it that way.’ It’s about having the courage to challenge the norm, shift the paradigm, and step forward with confidence and commitment.
It’s a story about HR owning its future — and defining success on our terms.

About Cathy

Cathy Weeden is a Senior People Leader with over 25 years of experience across Australia, the USA and Japan. Currently working in the financial services sector, she leads Workforce Strategy and People Analytics for the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation, bringing experience in data-driven decision-making and future-focused workforce planning. 

Cathy holds a Master’s in Human Resources from RMIT and is accredited by the Australian HR Institute (AHRI), reflecting her commitment to high professional standards. Her leadership is defined by a strong focus on innovation and adaptability, consistently aligning people strategies with long-term business objectives in a rapidly changing world of work. Known for her collaborative style and systems thinking, Cathy combines analytical insight with a strong understanding of human dynamics to solve critical workforce challenges.

Throughout her career, Cathy has held senior HR roles across complex, regulated industries, driving strategic initiatives that enhance organisational performance and workforce capability. She is passionate about leveraging people data to inform business strategy, shape talent pipelines, and enable leaders to make better, more inclusive decisions.