Razer tackles talent crunch with skills-based hiring and sustainable workplace innovation

“Transformation only works when people see how it helps them perform better and grow faster, not something that’s simply implemented around them.” – April Wan, Vice-President, Global Head of People and Organisation, Razer

As organisations navigate evolving workforce expectations, environmental challenges, and the rapid pace of digital transformation, Razer is taking bold steps to futureproof its organisation.

At the helm of this transformation is April Wan, Vice-President, Global Head of People and Organisation. From embedding sustainability into operations to cultivating inclusive workplace practices across Razer’s 22 global offices, Wan is shaping a people strategy that not only supports business growth but also prioritises employee wellbeing and social impact.

Speaking with HRM Asia, she shares how Razer is building a resilient, purpose-driven workforce for the future.

Razer embarked on a significant workplace transformation journey. What was the primary catalyst for this decision, and what were the key challenges you aimed to address before this digitalisation with Workday?
April Wan: At Razer, our workplace transformation was driven by a clear inflection point – a major acquisition that doubled our workforce and extended our presence across new markets. While this marked a significant step forward for our business, it also surfaced deep operational complexity. We were managing diverse HR systems, inconsistent processes, and disconnected employee data across geographies.

More importantly, we saw the need for a stronger, more unified approach in managing our talents that could scale with the business. We quickly realised that we needed more than just system integration; we needed to build a modern, agile people function that could act as a strategic enabler of growth. That meant simplifying and standardising how we hire, develop, and engage talents globally, while staying true to Razer’s culture and what we stand for.

We chose Workday because of its continuous innovation, its ability to deliver an intuitive user experience, and its ability to evolve in tandem with our business. Since implementation, it has enabled us to:

• Strengthen our Employee Value Proposition (EVP): A Great Place to Work, and a Place to Do Great Work. Leveraging Workday, we deliver consistent people practices and a high-quality employee experience, from onboarding to performance management, regardless of where our people are located around the world.
• Unify our data into a single source of truth, giving leaders real-time visibility to make faster, smarter decisions.
• Drive business impact by aligning HR practices to strategic priorities, enabling us to scale efficiently, stay competitive, and remain agile in a rapidly changing landscape.

In essence, Workday has helped us to evolve from an HR function that supports the business to one that actively enables it to drive success through people and culture. That shift has been critical in positioning Razer as an employer of choice and as a high-performing, transformation-ready organisation.

Singapore is facing a talent crunch, with a high percentage of employers reporting difficulty finding skilled talent in 2025. How is Razer’s workplace transformation, specifically the move towards skills-based hiring, helping you navigate this competitive landscape?
Wan: The talent crunch, not just in Singapore but also in the US and Europe, where we have presence, is not just about numbers; it is about finding individuals who can both perform today and lead transformation for tomorrow. At Razer, we have taken this dual challenge seriously by shifting our focus towards skills-based hiring and internal mobility as part of a broader workplace transformation.

Instead of relying solely on traditional hiring models that often lag behind the rapid pace of change—especially with the rise of AI, shifting consumer demands, and evolving regulations—we have reoriented towards capability and potential. That means we are not just hiring for a fixed job description, but also looking at the skills a person brings, their adaptability, and how they might evolve with us.

What has been working well is our internal mobility talent marketplace, which surfaces adjacent skills within our existing workforce and enables people to stretch into new roles. This has helped us bridge current performance needs with future transformation capabilities, particularly in high-impact areas such as AI and sustainability.

We have also invested heavily in learning agility and capability development, from technical upskilling to systems thinking and cross-functional collaboration. Our people are not just trained to do their jobs better—they are being prepared for what the business needs next.

And underpinning all this is our EVP: A Great Place to Work and A Place to Do Great Work. That message of purpose and innovation has been a powerful magnet for the kind of talent that thrives in uncertainty and wants to be part of building what’s next.

In short, our shift to skills-based hiring is helping us navigate the current global talent crunch by focusing not just on who fits the role today, but also on who can grow with us for tomorrow.

How is Razer currently or planning to leverage AI-powered insights from Workday to enhance HR processes and make smarter talent decisions?
Wan: AI adoption is accelerating across the business landscape. At Razer, we believe the real opportunity lies in how AI can augment human performance, not replace it. That principle guides our approach to integrating AI into our HR practices.

For us, it’s not about automating decisions; it’s about enabling better ones. Whether it is workforce planning, talent acquisition, or employee development, we are utilising AI to provide leaders with clearer visibility into trends, risks, and opportunities, enabling them to act with greater confidence and agility.

One area we are leaning into is predictive talent intelligence. By combining historical data with forward-looking insights, we can identify capability gaps earlier, plan succession more strategically, and better match people to opportunities that align with both their skills and aspirations.

We are also exploring how AI can personalise the employee experience at scale. This includes recommending relevant learning pathways, surfacing internal mobility options, and providing data-backed guidance to help employees navigate their career growth. It’s about transitioning from reactive support to proactive enablement.

However, we are equally mindful that AI’s value depends on how responsibly it’s deployed. As we scale these capabilities, we focus on three key principles:

• Transparency – ensuring employees understand how insights are used
• Fairness – removing bias and promoting equitable decision-making
• Empowerment – keeping managers and employees in control, with AI serving as an enabler, not a substitute

Ultimately, AI is helping us transform our HR function into a strategic intelligence hub, one that combines data, human judgment, and culture to support smarter, faster, and more future-ready decisions. That is the kind of augmentation we believe in.

For other organisations considering a similar workplace transformation, what would be your top piece of advice based on Razer’s experience?
Wan: If there’s one key takeaway from our experience, it’s this: transformation only works when people see how it helps them perform better and grow faster, not something that’s simply implemented around them.

Workplace transformation is not just about digitising processes. It is about shifting mindsets, ways of working, and how value is created across the organisation. The technology may be the enabler, but the change must be co-owned. It cannot sit solely with HR or UT; it must be anchored in business priorities and championed by leadership at every level.

At Razer, our focus was on driving adoption through shared ownership and strategic alignment. To drive this, we focused on three things:

Clarity of Purpose
Before introducing any new system or process, we were clear on the “why.” People need to understand how this change helps them, not just the business. Whether it is reducing friction, increasing transparency, or enabling better decision-making, we made the benefits real and relatable.

Champions at Every Level
We engaged leaders across functions and geographies early and often, not just as end users but as active advocates. Their feedback shaped the rollout, and their support helped set the tone. Transformation becomes far more sustainable when it is driven by peers, not just pushed by programmes.

Momentum through Quick Wins
We did not wait for perfection before showing impact. Even small process improvements—like faster onboarding, employee self-service, or simplified performance reviews—were showcased as proof points. This helped build trust, reinforce value, and create positive momentum for broader change.

What truly helped us sustain that momentum was connecting the transformation to our broader culture and EVP: A Great Place to Work and A Place to Do Great Work. When people see that change enables them to do better work, that is when it sticks. Ultimately, transformation succeeds when people not only adopt new tools but also see how those tools unlock their own potential. That is what makes the outcomes sustainable and meaningful.