Cole Napper is the Vice President of Research, Innovation, & Talent Insights at Lightcast, a labor market intelligence and insights firm. Author of People Analytics: Using Data-Driven HR and Gen AI as a Business Asset, he is also the Co-Host of Directionally Correct, a People Analytics podcast, Substack newsletter, and owner of Directionally Correct LLC.
Cole is a globally recognized leader in the people analytics, workforce planning, and talent intelligence space. In previous roles, he brought a strategic focus and invaluable insights to both large multinational corporations spanning various industries (FedEx, Texas Instruments, Toyota, PepsiCo, Grainger) and venture-capital-backed startups (Motive, Booster, Orgnostic).
His expertise extends to emphasizing the transformative power of people analytics and human capital labor data in contributing to organizational growth and efficiency.
Upcoming sessions
EXcelerate Retention Risks with External Benchmarks
People Analytics World 2025 New York
AI Readiness Isn’t a Tech Strategy. It’s a Trust Strategy.
People Analytics World 2025 New York
The 10 Elements of a Modern Workforce Plan
Map roles, design scenarios, and link actions to C‑suite priorities.
Chair’s Welcome to Day One: Build & Prove
Setting the stage for two days of insight and impact
People Analytics World 2025 New York
Chair’s Welcome to Day One: Build & Prove
Setting the stage for two days of insight and impact
People Analytics World 2025 New York
Test session
People Analytics World 2029 Test