What does it really take to integrate people, culture, and technology in a way that drives transformation, not just change? As organizations race to adopt AI and digital platforms, many are still treating technology and people as separate strategies. But what happens when those two become one system? In this conversation, I sat down with Tracey Franklin, Chief People and Digital Technology Officer at Moderna, to explore what it actually looks like to connect people and technology in practice, not just in theory.

Tracey shares her experience scaling Moderna from 800 to nearly 6,000 employees during one of the most critical moments in modern healthcare, and how that growth required rethinking not just talent, but how work itself gets done. We talk about why integrating HR and digital technology is no longer optional, how AI is reshaping decision-making and operating models, and what leaders often miss when trying to modernize their organizations.

This is a conversation about building organizations that are designed to evolve, where culture, capability, and technology are not competing priorities but deeply interconnected system

Highlights:

Why separating people strategy and technology strategy is breaking organizations faster than AI is transforming them
What leaders misunderstand about scaling culture during hypergrowth moments like Moderna experienced
The real reason most digital transformations fail even when the technology works
What changes when HR and technology leadership sit under one vision instead of operating in silos
How AI is shifting not just productivity, but how decisions get made across the enterprise
The tension leaders must navigate between speed, innovation, and maintaining human connection

Guest:

Tracey Franklin is Moderna’s Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, where she leads the integration of people, culture, and digital innovation to shape how the organization operates and evolves. Since joining Moderna in 2019 as Chief Human Resources Officer, she played a critical role in scaling the company from 800 to nearly 6,000 employees during the COVID-19 pandemic while helping build a culture recognized globally as a top employer by Science.

In 2024, her role expanded to include Digital Technology, reflecting the growing importance of aligning human capability with technological advancement, particularly in the age of AI.

Before Moderna, Tracey spent 15 years at Merck & Co., Inc., where she held multiple global leadership roles, including Vice President, HR Chief Talent and Strategy Officer. Her experience spans global talent strategy, organizational transformation, and HR leadership across the U.S., UK, and Switzerland.

She holds a BA in Communication Arts and Sciences from Pennsylvania State University and an MA in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Follow Jason Averbook:

Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook

Follow Tracey Franklin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-franklin-8b731b1/

(0:00) Introduction (2:28) Moderna's growth and pandemic response (3:35) The "blank sheet of paper" approach in HR and digital roles (5:12) Combining HR and IT: Challenges, benefits, and rebuilding vs. incremental changes (10:03) Managing human and machine resources (12:20) AI's impact on HR roles and democratizing AI access (14:52) Upskilling HR for AI and evolving skill sets (19:02) The future of HR: AI, human interaction, and rapid advancements (25:24) Vibe coding: Viability, practicality, and applications at Moderna (27:32) Importance of data in AI integration (32:22) K-shaped economy and the AI knowledge divide (33:29) Skills and mindset for future employees (38:04) Career ladders and AI's impact on entry-level jobs (40:10) HR's role in an AI-integrated work environment (41:10) Concerns and responsibilities with AI deployment (43:13) Closing remarks