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For him, the future of total rewards lies beyond dashboards and analytics, with rewards leaders needing to understand the business, influence decisions, and help shape workforce strategy.
For many in the total rewards profession, technical excellence has always been the benchmark of success.
But according to Michael Piker, Vice President, Global Total Rewards, People & Culture Division at Shiseido, being technically strong is no longer enough.
Opening Total Rewards Asia Summit 2026 – Singapore back in July, Piker challenged HR professionals to rethink what it means to be a rewards leader in an increasingly AI-driven world. Rather than being known solely for producing accurate data and delivering operational excellence, he urged reward professionals to become trusted advisors who help shape business strategy.
His keynote began with a topic close to his heart: personal storytelling.
Having spent 36 years in rewards across consulting and in-house roles, while living and working in nine countries, Piker reflected on the importance of building a personal brand that goes beyond a traditional CV.
Instead of listing achievements, he encouraged professionals to tell their stories in a way that reflects their persona and brand.
He also spoke about his passion for the profession, describing rewards as his "first love", and shared how his global experiences continue to shape his perspective.
That personal connection extended to why he joined Shiseido.
Beyond the company's 154-year history and global reputation in the beauty industry, Piker said he was drawn to its strong commitment to diversity & inclusion (D&I). As someone in a same-sex marriage, he shared how the company's inclusive culture resonated with him, particularly in a country where same-sex marriage is still not legally recognised.
Using his own experience as an example, he highlighted how an organisation's values can play a significant role in attracting and retaining talent.
Reward is overdue for change
Turning to the profession itself, Piker argued that total rewards has remained largely unchanged for years despite rapid shifts taking place across the workplace.
"Rewards is stuck in the past," he said.
While organisations have become increasingly sophisticated in areas such as benchmarking, job architecture, pay equity analysis, and workforce analytics, he believes many reward teams continue to rely on the same tools, processes and ways of communicating.
Too often, discussions are filled with technical terminology and acronyms that make perfect sense within HR but fail to resonate with business leaders.
Rewards professionals, he said, are exceptionally good at building compensation models and producing precise analytics. However, they have not progressed at the same pace when it comes to influencing business decisions.
"The seat at the table where workforce decisions are made is the most important result of our craft. We should be part of the co-creation of the business strategy – not just informing it, but actually creating the decision."
Rather than being consulted after decisions have already been made, he believes rewards leaders should be involved from the beginning, helping shape workforce strategies alongside business leaders.
AI should free reward teams to think strategically
Piker also pointed to artificial intelligence as one of the biggest forces reshaping the future of total rewards.
From benefits enrolment and performance management to other routine administrative activities, many operational processes are already becoming increasingly automated.
Instead of viewing AI as a threat, he encouraged HR professionals to see it as an opportunity to shift their focus.
By allowing technology to handle repetitive work, reward teams can spend more time addressing complex workforce challenges, advising leaders and influencing strategic decisions.
He predicted that, over the next few years, the profession will increasingly separate into two groups: those who evolve into strategic business partners, and those whose roles remain centred on transactional work that can be automated.
Turning analytics into influence
While data remains essential, Piker stressed that just data alone rarely changes minds. To this point, he acknowledged that rewards professionals have become highly skilled at producing dashboards and workforce analytics, but the real challenge lies in translating those insights into compelling business conversations.
Numbers inform. Stories persuade.
To illustrate the point, he shared a simple example: When business leaders ask about voluntary turnover, providing a percentage is only the starting point. What they really want to understand is why people are leaving, how competitors are influencing employee movement, and what actions the organisation should take.
Helping leaders answer those questions would thus create far more value than reporting the number itself.
He also encouraged rewards professionals to adapt how they communicate depending on their audience – whether speaking with CEOs, board compensation committees, finance leaders, or line leaders. Each stakeholder requires a different conversation, even when discussing the same workforce data.
Becoming a true business partner
For Piker, becoming more influential also means spending more time understanding the business itself.
Rather than spending his time only within HR, he shared how he regularly sits alongside colleagues from finance, marketing, and sales to observe their discussions, understand their priorities, and offer guidance where appropriate.
By immersing themselves in different parts of the organisation, he shared, rewards professionals can better understand the commercial realities that shape business decisions.
He encouraged attendees to move away from speaking in rewards-specific terminology and, instead, frame discussions using the language of business, focusing on investment, financial outcomes, organisational risks, and long-term value creation.
Piker also challenged organisations to rethink how rewards functions are structured. Instead of organising teams solely around traditional disciplines such as executive compensation, benefits, sales compensation or global mobility, he suggested building functions around value creation, encouraging greater collaboration across specialisms to better support business priorities.
Redefining the future of total rewards
As he wrapped up the keynote, Piker left delegates with a practical challenge to ponder: over the next 90 days, identify one decision they could make that would move their function closer to becoming a strategic business partner.
For Piker, that shift is ultimately what will define the future of total rewards. It will not be about who produces the most sophisticated dashboards or reports the most data, but who can turn that information into meaningful business conversations and strategic action.
As workforce needs become increasingly complex, rewards professionals will need to use data not just to explain what is happening, but to influence what happens next.
The challenge, then, is no longer simply to report the numbers, but to shape the story behind them – and use it to help organisations make better decisions.
ALSO READ: Beyond pay and perks: 10 learnings on building a more strategic total rewards strategy
Catch our key learnings from Total Rewards Asia Summit here:
- From cost centre to competitive edge: 5 lessons Total Rewards and HR leaders need now
- Small habits, big shifts: How Total Rewards leaders can build trust, agility, and business impact
Photo / HRO
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