Chief Wellbeing Officer

In a continuation of the "Thriving Business" theme we talk to Global Head of Learning & Development at L'Oréal BeautyTech Ronny Kelders. Starting with his own journey in L&D that has traversed Nike, Heineken and Uber we look forward with optimism to the new 'roaring 20s' - fuelled by science and technology, trust, and of course, wellbeing.

We make a return for 2021 and a new theme of "Thriving Business." First up is Claus Flensborg, Global L&D Director at Arla Foods. may have had a sectoral advantage during the pandemic but have navigated problems around the supply chain to post a record year and build a stronger workforce, taking advantage of the new reality to move towards a new strategy that combines employee wellbeing and Corpor...

We finish the year with our final reflections on community with Standing on Giants co-Founder Robbie Hearn. Discussing cases from Airbnb to giffgaff we consider how community engagement can strengthen the business in times of adversity, helping organisations embrace vulnerability and better align with their core values. See you in 2021!

In episode 34 we talk to the Head of Sustainability Operations at O2 Will Kirkpatrick on how a view of community might add value to a business. From considering the corporate case for O2 and specifically how digital and mobile help connect people, to small business and their place in the local community, we examine the space where the business case meets the moral case.

Kicking off our Q4 focus on community we talk to Elissa Goldenberg, COO at The Wellbeing Project and Founder of EG Coaching & Consulting. We discuss the work of The Wellbeing Project and how they support social entrepreneurs to understand the importance of individual wellbeing and how, through giving and receiving from their community, may help mobilise the change the world needs. The video introd...

In the third and final episode of our Travel theme for Q3 we talk to Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Hilton UK & Ireland Stephen Cassidy. Framed around his leadership response in one of the travel sector's most badly hit industries we find messages of hope in stories regarding care for NHS workers and the positive legacy that may remain post-pandemic regarding a new way of working.

In the second of three episodes based on Travel for Q3 we talk to McKinsey Partner Melissa Dalrymple about her recent article, "Make it better, not just safer: The opportunity to reinvent travel" including the current pain points for travellers in a "friction-laden experience" and how we might get back to the golden era of travel when romance and excitement, not stress and inconvenience, were feat...

We're back! Kicking off the Q3 theme of Travel we talk to Matthew Wilson, Associate General Counsel EMEA and APAC at Uber about the company's response to the COVID-19 crisis, discussing the nature of pivoting, dealing with uncertainty, catering for changing customer needs, the wellbeing of younger staff, and many more topics which show how one of the world's most famous disruptors dealt themselves...

In this special joint episode which closes the Q2 theme of Wellbeing in the Built Environment we talk to experts in Facilities Management and Occupational Health and Safety. With Steve, the Wellbeing Lead for Accenture at ISS, we discuss a future vision of facilities which breaks people out of silos and advances the wellbeing agenda. With Elyse, a specialist at Healthy Workers and Founder of Elyse...

We continue our look at wellbeing in the built environment with Akka Architects CEO Stephanie Akkaoui Hughes. Coinciding with the launch of The Recovery Summit (www.therecoverysummit.com) which ran from 15-19th June we discuss Stephanie's progressive view of architecture and the need for participatory design to customise workspaces that keep us safe and help drive trust and performance. Check out...

Kicking off our Q2 theme of "Wellbeing in the Built Environment" we talk to senior vice president of research at the International Well Building Institute, Dr. Whitney Austin Gray. Covering areas such as workplace diversity and inclusion, the power of design to create our post-crisis future, the emotional effects of COVID-19, and even bottlenecks for skyscraper occupancy, a broadly positive vision...

In the last of 3 episodes on the theme of wellbeing in professional services we talk to Katherine Semler, Head of Leadership Development Iberia at Korn Ferry. The rapidly accelerating COVID-19 crisis provides the context for discussing leading through a crisis and the role that wellbeing is increasingly playing in leadership development.

In the second part of our look at wellbeing in professional services we talk to EY Seren CEO Michael Von der Geest on his mission to build an empathic corporate institution. We discuss the reasons behind wellbeing moving to the mainstream in professional services, what deploying empathy means and reflect on a post-like world where technology has the human being at the centre.

In our opening episode of 2020 we talk to Arti Kashyap-Aynsley, Wellbeing Leader at Deloitte Consulting UK on her efforts to build a culture of wellbeing at the company. This also kicks-off our new thematic focus each quarter. Q1 2020's theme of "wellbeing in professional services" will include 3 episodes with a summary article and video coming at the end of March. Arti talks to Steven about the d...

A 'back to the roots' episode recorded in the childhood home in Motherwell, Scotland as Dr. MacGregor reflects on the seven episodes of the re-booted podcast this year as well as the phase 1 journey from November 2017 before looking ahead to 2020.

On the eve of the biennial World Innovation Summit on Education (WISE) we had the privilege to interview CEO Stavros Yiannouka, talking of the evolution of the "Davos of Education", his personal journey, and how learning and wellbeing are closely connected. Check out the 1000 word article and 1 minute video on The European Business Review at: https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/learning-and-wel...

After looking at the darker side of technology addiction and human weakness in episode 20, we focus this month on a more positive view of technology in the emerging world of work. We're joined by former McKinsey partner and co-founder of AI start-up enaible to talk about how Artificial Intelligence may help create a more thriving workplace. Don't forget to check out the accompanying 1000 word arti...

On our return from the summer break we talk to Dr. Nuria Oliver of the Vodafone Institute. Honoured as Data Scientist of the Year by the BDVA earlier in September to go with a long list of accolades we discuss how Big Tech needs to be more on our side, rather than exploiting our weaknesses. With a particular interest in empowering young people, Nuria will soon establish a foundation for more human...

As we come to the end of our summer break, yet still keen to broadcast an August episode, we make available Chapter 13 from the SEP audiobook. This also marks the imminent release of the new paperback version, substantially re-worked from the 2014 Financial Times Press hardback and available on Amazon from mid-September. The global food system is in even greater need of overhaul today in 2019, tha...

This month we talk to Fernando Lallana, Head of Workspace Services at Heineken Spain. Discussing different wellbeing related initiatives at the company we consider the importance of having a strategy and vision which connects everything to the Employee Value Proposition. Have a look at: https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/category/blog/macgregor-cwo/ to read the accompanying 1000 word article a...

Here we talk with Santander's Global Head of Strategy and Culture, Dan Strode about The Santander Way; eight behaviours, three values and four leadership commitments that help the company's 202,000 employees in 32 different countries be the best version of themselves and drive the company forward. Have a look at: https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/category/blog/macgregor-cwo/ to read the accom...

In part 2 of the SAP case recorded 6 months on from episode 15 we discuss the changes in the Happiness at Work initiative and focus on how experience journey mapping was used to calculate the financial return on different wellbeing interventions. Look out for the accompanying 1000 word article and 1 minute video on The European Business Review here: https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/calculati...

Kicking off the re-booted podcast Steven talks to Toby Haug as he launches SAPs new Happiness at Work initiative. In this first of a two-part look at SAP and happiness, we discuss Toby's long leadership experience in design thinking, the background to this board supported pilot for commercial sales in Barcelona, Dublin and Cairo, and several other points around expectations and initial actions. Lo...

Chapter 3 from the new Sustaining Executive Performance audiobook which looks at the foundations of design thinking and how it may be taught within the business school world. Find the book on Audible or Amazon. Go to: www.thelabcn.com/sep#audiobook1 for links.

To mark the release of Chief Wellbeing Officer as an Audiobook we make available Chapter 6: Leading Through Physical Intelligence. The Audiobook can be purchased on Amazon, Audible and iTunes, and is available free when signing up to a trial subscription. Go to: www.thelabcn.com/cwo#audiobook