Big Careers, Small Children

Could a shorter 4-day working week or a shorter working day boost our productivity, improve our mental health, and increase our profitability? Our guest this week Alex Pang believes so. Alex is a former Silicon Valley tech-consultant and the author of an important new book titled 'Shorter', which is about how working less will revolutionise how companies get things done in the future. Wr...

This week we welcome back Avivah Wittenberg-Cox for Part 2 of her insightful discussion on gender balance and increasing your impact at work. Avivah is an author, speaker, and CEO of 20-first , a leading global gender-balance consultancy that works with multinational firms on modern leadership approaches, supporting them to be more gender-balanced. In this follow up episode Avivah shares how she d...

This week on Leaders With Babies, Verena is joined by the author and acclaimed speaker Avivah Wittenberg-Cox to discuss influencing senior leaders on gender equality at work. Avivah is the CEO of 20-first , a leading global gender-balance consultancy that works with multi-national firms on modern leadership approaches, supporting them to be more gender-balanced. With so many important discussion p...

This week we welcome back Dr Maja Korica, Associate Professor of Management and Organisation at Warwick Business School to the podcast. In a follow up to episode 28 of Leaders With Babies , Dr Korica delves even further into what it takes to get ahead at work in the context of the new socially distanced, virtual environment. Including the best way to establish trust online.  In this episode, you&a...

Our guest this week is Dr Maja Korica, Associate Professor of Management and Organisation at Warwick Business School. An anthropologist of the Business Elite, she researches how CEOs, Boards, and Senior Leaders really behave and why analysing in-depth the drivers behind their decision making processes. She was recognised by Thinkers50 in 2017 as "one of the management thinkers most likely to...

Our guest this week is Dr Sue Black OBE, Professor of Computer Science at Durham University.  Sue is a passionate advocate for more women in tech and has spent the last 20 years campaigning for more recognition and support for women in computing.  This led to her founding BCS Women the UK’s first online network for women in tech, and #techmums, a social enterprise that empowers mums and their fami...

This week Verena is joined by Anita Kerwin-Nye, Director of Strategy and Engagement at YHA. Anita is passionate about calling out inequality and has had an interesting and varied portfolio career in the charity and education sectors, moving effortlessly between consultancy and senior leadership roles. In this episode, she shares her expert advice on going freelance and charging what you're wo...

The Coronavirus crisis and period of prolonged lockdown has posed some unique challenges for dual-career couples, many of whom are now juggling two busy workloads as well as homeschooling. To help couples manage their family's needs both at home and work and grow together during this stressful time we welcome back to the podcast Dr Jennifer Petriglieri. Jennifer is an Associate Professor of O...

It's fair to say our guest on this week's episode has been on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19. Dr. Suhana Ahmed is a Consultant Psychiatrist who leads an inpatient ward for the elderly. Sadly many of her patients have caught Covid-19, and some tragically have lost their battle. In this frank discussion, Dr. Ahmed shares how leading in a crisis such as the Coronavirus Pandemic...

This week on Leaders With Babies Verena is joined by Professor Rosie Campbell, Professor of Politics and Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King's College London. Professor Campbell shares her insight on parenting whilst in a leadership role, plus we explore what the latest research tells us about career progression for women. There's also an important discussion...

It's fair to say that Paul Fisher, Associate Fellow and Programme Director of the Oxford Programme on Negotiation at the Saïd Business School , is an expert when it comes to the art of negotiation and persuasion. Paul kindly shares his expertise when it comes to successful negotiation at work, including how best to structure your argument when requesting things like pay rises, flexible workin...

Managing workloads in senior roles can be challenging at the best of times, but with the added stress of full-time childcare during the Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown, ALL parents are feeling the strain. To launch Series 3 of the Leaders With Babies Podcast we are sharing our recent panel discussion (hosted by Leaders Plus and Doyenne) where we discuss managing teams, managers, and home life during...

This past week has been life-changing for all of us and like many other parents, we wish to ensure that our children do not bear any long term scars from this turbulent and unsettling period. On this week's podcast, we are doing something a little different and we are sharing the audio from our recent webinar with Dr. Martha Deiros Collado , which focused on talking to young children about Co...

Our guest this week is Alexandra Marks CBE, Deputy High Court Judge and Retired Partner at Linklaters LLP .  In this powerful discussion, we look at maternal instinct and whether pursuing a career impacts your maternal bond with your children.  We talk about social expectations of mother's, as well as the realities of being a female partner with children at one of the most prestigious law fir...

On episode 18 of Leaders With Babies Verena is joined by fellow entrepreneur Kath Austin. Kath is the CEO and founder of the fast-growing, multi-award-winning company Bee Bee Wraps , who create sustainable, reusable beeswax food wraps. Kath is a mother of two and talks openly about what it takes to start your own business, including how she juggles her successful start-up with raising her girls. ...

This week Verena chats to Sam Bethune who, along with her job share partner at the time, spearheaded the Flexible Working Network at HSBC . Sam (a previous Fellow of the Leaders Plus Fellowship Programme ) shares her incredible story of how working in a job share at HSBC led to them setting up the flexible working culture at the organisation; including how the process actually emerged organically,...

This week Verena is joined by Dr Jennifer Petriglieri, an Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD in France and the author of the brilliant book Couples That Work , to discuss how dual-career couples can thrive in relationships, at home and in work. We know instinctively that being in a relationship can have a massive impact on your career progress and long-term happiness. In thi...

This week on Leaders With Babies Verena is joined by our first ever couple, Ruth and Colin Stuart. Ruth and Colin (who are parents to a young daughter) both have successful leadership careers in their own right. Ruth as Head of Strategy Development at the CIPD (the main membership organisation for HR Directors) and Colin as a respected astronomy author and international speaker.   In order to prog...

This week Verena chats to the journalist, author, social media influencer and flexible working campaigner Anna Whitehouse - otherwise known as “Mother Pukka.”  Using #flexappeal , Anna has been a pioneer in calling for flexible working for ALL and her mission is to help businesses breakdown the fear around flexible working. Anna shares how the #flexappeal campaign got started, plus some brilliant,...

Ever wondered what happens behind closed doors in HR when you submit a flexible working request? This week on Leaders With Babies, Verena is joined by Laura Harrison, a former HR Director who has worked for organisations including PwC, EY, Aviva and CIPD. Laura is a co-founder of the Human Change Agency and also a mentor on our Leaders Plus Fellowship Programme and is passionate about combining he...

This week on Leaders With Babies, Verena is joined by Dr Geraldine Strathdee OBE, the former National Clinical Director of Mental Health for NHS England. For over 20 years Geraldine has held senior roles in mental health policy, regulation and clinical management, at national and London regional levels. She advises internationally on mental health service design and quality improvement, all while...

In the first episode of Series 2 of the Leaders With Babies Podcast, Verena is joined by Tim Allen, a partner at PWC   and a mentor on the Leaders Plus Fellowship . Tim is a pioneer in taking shared parental leave (SPL) and was one of the very first partners at PWC to take extended time off following the birth of his first daughter, Stella.  There's important discussion on the practicalities...

This week in the tenth and final episode of Series One of Leaders With Babies, Verena talks to Poppy Jaman OBE, CEO and founding member of City Mental Health Alliance. Poppy openly shares her own struggle with post natal depression in her early 20's and how through that challenging period she founded and led one of the most successful and fastest growing mental health charities in the UK.  Th...

Joining Verena this week is headhunter Tanya Stevens, who shares her practical tips for parents of young children who wish to apply for a senior leadership role either today or in the future. Tanya, who is principal headhunter at Society's global not-for-profit practice, has some brilliant advice on flexible working. Including the best time to mention flexible working when applying for a new...

This week Verena is joined by joined by Ufi Ibrahim, Chair of the Hotels Energy Board and former CEO of the British Hospitality Association, who has had an illustrious international senior leadership career in the hospitality and tourism industry.  Ufi shares her experience navigating single parenthood at a young age; why she never stops studying and how she developed the resilience and ambition t...