How HR Leaders Change the World

Sarnjit believes great organisations are built on cultures that genuinely care. At Cox Automotive, she shares how psychological safety, active listening and continuous feedback create environments where people can thrive. For Sarnjit, HR isn't simply responsible for culture – every interaction is an opportunity to shape it.  As AI changes the way work gets done, Sarnjit sees technology as a tool t...

A certified coach and yoga teacher, Carmen brings a deeply human lens to people leadership at Crowell & Moring, a global law firm. Carmen shares how her work is addressing significant mental health risks in the legal profession, providing examples such as Unplug Time: 40 paid timecoded hours for employees to fully disconnect and reset. Carmen sees AI as something that should amplify humanity, not...

No lectures, no powerpoint presentations, at How HR Leaders Change the World – Live! you'll find honest discussion and plenty of participation on the realities facing HR leaders today. On HR's opportunity to drive positive change for business, people and planet.  Tickets have just gone live, and in this special episode to launch our brilliant early bird offer, we're bringing you highlights from 3...

As AI transforms the workplace, Ashley shares why organisations should focus less on having all the answers and more on creating environments where people feel confident to learn, experiment and adapt. Drawing on her experience in high-growth businesses, Ashley explains why curiosity is one of the most important capabilities for both leaders and employees.  Ashley shares how Checkatrade is using A...

As technology reshapes the workplace, Laura shares how BT Business is preparing its people for one of the biggest workforce transformations in decades. Laura explains why creating an AI-ready workforce requires more than new tools - it demands investment in mindset and continuous learning at every level of the organisation.  Laura explores how BT is combining human-centred design with AI adoption,...

Alana explores how HR can move beyond traditional talent management to become a true architect of opportunity. Alana shares her deeply held belief that every person has untapped potential, and that HR's role is to design the culture and conditions where that potential can be unlocked, at scale. Alana makes the case for building organisations where learning is central to culture - where curiosity,...

With a psychology-informed perspective, Sarah explores how HR can design more effective and fairer people systems by combining commercial thinking with evidence-based practice.  Sarah explains why aligning profit and purpose is essential for HR to create lasting impact, and why inclusion must be embedded into systems rather than left to individual judgement. Providing an example in hiring approach...

Preparing to retire after 40 years in HR leadership, Sue joins us to reflect on a career defined by commercial understanding, community engagement and a belief that inclusion drives performance.   Sue shares that the heart of Markel's identity is the 'Markel Style', a set of principles connecting how the business operates with how it serves stakeholders and the wider community - and sits at the ce...

Jessica joins us to explore what fairness really means in a global workforce spanning 120+ countries. Drawing on more than 20 years in Total Reward, Jessica advocates that fairness cannot rely on manager discretion or good intentions alone - it has to be designed through clear frameworks, consistency and transparency – all powerful drivers of trust, fairness and organisational credibility. Sharing...

Renata brings a commercial lens shaped by 35+ years as a CFO and CEO before moving to HR. Her approach to HR is grounded in business reality: if you want to lead people well, you need to understand how value is actually created. That means learning the business model, shadowing sales and marketing teams, spending time with clients and working with operations to see how the business really runs day...

Describing HR's greatest impact as creating and protecting value, Tim discusses what we should carry forward from COVID - the deeper connection that came from seeing each other as whole people - and why HR is fundamentally a team sport requiring connection and community. He introduces the "future-back" approach: start with a detailed vision 5 years out and work backwards to identify the scaffoldin...

Floor joined Trivium Packaging with a mission transform HR from the ground up. After 17 years at Heineken, and the merger of two companies forming Trivium, Floor set out to unify the business through purpose, values and people-centric leadership.  Describing the future of HR as high tech and deeply human, Floor discusses rising techno stress, including the fear of not keeping up and the fear of re...

Donovan's environmental passion drives him - growing up on an organic regenerative farm off-grid in Northern California shaped his career. As well as leading people strategy for engineers and environmental consultants, he serves on boards such as the Mattole Restoration Council – roles that align with Langan's sustainability work and their 80% Gen Z/millennial workforce, who highly value Langan's...

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, Geoff McDonald discusses how he helps leadership and HR create workplaces where everyone can ask for help without stigma. Advocating that current wellbeing efforts focus too much on individuals, Geoff notes that burnout levels aren't decreasing despite efforts, and sets out the case for moving to organisation wide wellbeing through culture change. Mental Heal...

Aly challenges HR to step up: it's time to stop being a support function and become architects of workforce reinvention. With 92 million jobs expected to be obsolete by 2030, yet 170 million new roles predicted to emerge, this isn't about job loss or creation in isolation - it's about connecting talent acquisition, skills strategy, internal mobility and leadership development as one system.   Her...

Lucia opens with a powerful reframe: HR sits at a unique intersection, understanding both people and business, translating strategy into everyday behaviour, and discusses how this positioning creates opportunity for both business and social impact. She shares ADP's Ada Lovelace Programme, providing STEM-education and comprehensive training to enter the labour market. With brilliant results such as...

A fun start given the title of this podcast, Armand opens with three disclaimers: he's not changing the world, he doesn't like the word 'change', and HR doesn't have a social mandate. Rather, Armand begins, the CHRO's key responsibility is driving performance and profit for the business.   Armand demonstrates his performance and data-driven approach to HR, sharing the example of leading restructur...

Melanie explores one of HR's key levers for sustainability and social impact: pensions. Discussing how workplace pensions connect directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, she explains how the decisions organisations make about pension providers and investment strategies influence environmental outcomes as well as long-term financial wellbeing for employees. Reflecting on her own journey,...

Nebel challenges the traditional approach to HR: instead of siloed programmes, she advocates for systems thinking that recognises the impact work has beyond the office - for employees' work-life blend, and for society. Nebel recommends data and employee voice as starting points, to build evidence-based practices that create genuine belonging. Nebel is passionate about the relationship between work...

In 2025 Dentsu UK achieved Family Friendly Workplace accreditation - Nicole and Jody reveal how, alongside building a workplace culture where nearly one in six employees actively engage in their Parents & Carers ERG.   Discussing how collaboration between their Parents & Carers ERG, DE&I and HR teams drives change, Nicole and Jody share policy and support examples across fertility support, extende...

What if the key to retaining women has nothing to do with women - and everything to do with how your organisation actually works? Joy shares insights from her landmark Why Women Leave study of 4,000 women, revealing that the top reasons - culture, career progression, line management and workload – aren't gender-specific at all. Her research with FTSE 350 organisations uncovered something fascinati...

Nico explores the evolution of HR and the future of work, sharing his vision for moving from a transactional, industrial mindset to a system-shaping function. He discusses his concept of The Great Leap, a framework for the Fusion Age where humans and machines work together, and reflects on the shift from advising on outcomes to owning them, ensuring HR drives real organisational impact.   Nico emp...

Michelle reflects on her career from 20 years in the Royal Navy to the legal sector, highlighting how her military background instilled leadership qualities founded on trust and how modelling compassionate leadership improves team engagement that also creates meaningful change. Discussing how military lessons translate to professional services, Michelle emphasises the importance of developing lead...

The queen is the most powerful player on a chessboard – a queen can move anywhere - just like HR. Ewen shares why HR practitioners need to stop staying in their square and start thinking like a queen on a chessboard.   He explores how meaningful change comes through sustained commitment to human-centred approaches and shares the example of The Havas Platform, demonstrating how HR can create impact...

Fabiola explores how real change often comes from small, human moments - conversations, deep listening and creating spaces where people can bring their whole selves. Drawing on her international career and psychotherapy studies, she shows how engaging with people relationally forms the foundation for sustainable organisational transformation.   Fabiola also highlights the power of human-centred de...