A talent review can easily end with a set of ratings and little else. FMCG workforce planning needs more: a clear view of the people you have today, the skills the business will need next, and the actions that link the two. So judge a review by what changes afterwards, not by how neatly the ratings line up.
This piece draws on Know Your Talent, an April 2026 CTF session with Rabinder Jhinger, Talent Lead and DEI Lead, Mondelez UK and Ireland. The session explored how to connect business needs, colleague goals and evidence-based reviews with development and succession actions that someone owns.
Start with the work the business will need
Begin with the plan, not the organisation chart. Which capabilities will the strategy depend on over the next few years? Where will demand grow, change or fall away? Functional leaders usually know where a missing skill would slow delivery, so ask them directly.
Then compare that picture with the people you have. Where do you already have strength in depth? Where does a skill sit with one person, or nowhere at all? A talent review is most useful when it answers questions like these, because they tie each discussion to a genuine future need.
Talk to people, too. Ask colleagues what they want next, rather than assuming everyone wants the same step up. Their answers will shape which plans are realistic.
Make judgements consistent and fair
Different managers rate in different ways. One is generous, another is cautious, and a third favours the people they see most. Calibration means leaders reviewing assessments together, so their judgements are more consistent and based on evidence.
In practice, ask for examples rather than general impressions. Watch for views shaped by one recent project, by how visible someone is, or by how much they resemble the person making the call. A colleague who works quietly at another site can easily be overlooked.
Then turn each judgement into a next step. Agree what support, experience or move would help, who owns it and when you will check progress. A good calibration meeting ends with decisions and named owners, rather than a final set of labels.
Link FMCG workforce planning to succession gaps
A succession summary shows which key roles have realistic internal options and where you need another plan. It helps to separate people who could step in now from those who need more development, and from longer-term options. Then note the evidence and gaps behind each name.
From there, leaders can choose where to develop people internally and where to hire externally. Bring recruitment in early when a skill does not exist inside the business. If expertise sits with very few people, plan how to keep that knowledge and broaden cover. Our article on FMCG succession planning looks at key positions and cover in more detail.
Check how deep the pipeline is, as well as the names on it. A single potential successor can still leave the business exposed.
Turn the review into action
A review only helps if the actions happen. So give each one an owner and a date, and keep the list short enough to deliver. Leaders own the plan, while HR and recruitment support it.
Tell people what the review means for them. A colleague who hears nothing afterwards will fill the silence with their own guesses. Then put a date in the diary a few months later to check which actions have happened, and update the plan when the business changes.
Four things to discuss with your team:
- Name the capabilities your strategy will rely on over the next few years.
- Ask for examples, not impressions, when leaders compare judgements.
- Show where key roles have cover and where they do not.
- Give every action from a review an owner and a date.
If you want a primer on the wider process, the CIPD has a workforce planning factsheet.
The full session
Members can watch Know Your Talent in full in the CTF Session Library, with the slides and the member ebook. The ebook includes two practical worksheets: one for running a team calibration and one for building a succession summary. If you lead HR, Talent or People in a consumer business, apply to join or read what membership includes.
