Leadership Discoveries

In this episode, I speak with Steve Widdoss, Chief People Officer of One Physics, about what it takes for HR to become a truly strategic leadership function. Drawing on senior HR leadership roles across global organisations including JPMorgan Chase, Capital One and Barclays, Steve reflects on why commercial credibility is essential for today's Chief People Officer, how HR earns a genuine seat at t...

In this episode, I speak with Terri Moloney, Chartered Director, about leading & advising in complex environments. Terri is a seasoned business leader with over 3 decades of international experience across private and public sectors, currently serving as an Independent Non-Executive Director at RTÉ and Enterprise Ireland. Hear how important values are to an organisation, what good HR really lo...

In this episode, I speak with Rob Wood, Portfolio Investor and Founder of the Rob Wood Enterprising Futures Academy, about entrepreneurship, scale, reinvention and widening access to enterprise. Rob founded STEM Healthcare in 2007, scaling it internationally before its acquisition by UDG Healthcare. Today, he is an active portfolio investor, working with technology-enabled pharma services and AI-d...

In this episode, I speak with Deirdre Garvey, Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross, about courage, compassion, and resilience in leadership. Deirdre leads the staff team, supports the Board, and works alongside thousands of volunteers in an organisation dedicated to saving lives, alleviating suffering, and helping communities respond to emergencies and disasters. With senior leadership experie...

Sylvia Cronin is a highly experienced Chairperson and Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) with an exceptional leadership career spanning financial services, insurance, governance, and regulation. She also currently holds a number of major board roles, including Chairperson of Mercer Global Investments Europe and AIB Life, and Senior Independent Director of FBD Insurance and Canada Life. Hear...

John Broderick, MSc is a Senior Psychologist with considerable experience in assessment, training, and coaching in emotional intelligence assessment, leadership development, and psychometrics. He is a qualified trainer in a range of psychometric tools, the Emotional Capital Report (ECR) and ECR 360, the MMPI-2, and NEO Personality Inventory. He is a Founding Director of RocheMartin Ltd, a leadersh...

Aoife O’Brien is a Workplace Culture Strategist, Podcast Host, and the Founder of the award-winning podcast Happier at Work. Her upcoming book, Thriving Talent: How Great Leaders Drive Performance, Engagement, and Retention, explores how leaders can create environments where people feel valued, aligned, and equipped, and where performance follows as a result. Hear how leaders can lift & sustai...

Returning guest Dean McAlister, EVP, Inizio Biotech, has spent over 35 years in Fortune 500 pharma leadership, including nearly 3 decades at AstraZeneca. Hear how to prepare to lead in an uncertain environment, how to develop conscious competence as a leadership skill, how to become more adaptable as a leader, how to stop your ego from getting in the way as a leader, and how to build the courage t...

Dr. Kisito Futonge Nzembayie is an Assistant Professor at Trinity Business School, Director of the MSc in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and a serial EdTech founder. Hear how to build entrepreneurial spirit within your organization, why AI readiness (Artificial Intelligence) is about more than just technology, the importance of digital literacy & digital fluency when it comes to AI, what c...

Welcome back to our special Gen Z mini-series of Leadership Discoveries! In this episode, you’ll hear Ailbhe Mc Namara, 1st Year Human Resources Management (HRM) Student at Technological University Dublin. Hear how leaders can provide more guidance & mentorship, what we can learn from bad leadership, why Gen Z has the reputation of being more outspoken, why a strong purpose makes a strong cult...

Welcome back to our special Gen Z mini-series of Leadership Discoveries! In this episode, you’ll hear Barry Kavanagh, Customer Success Manager at Diligent. Hear how Gen Zers and Zillennials think about their career path, why Steven Bartlett is so inspiring, what goes into a holistic company culture, the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in a leader, and a Quick-Fire round filled with AI. C...

Welcome to our special Gen Z mini-series of Leadership Discoveries! In this episode, you’ll hear Clara Bolger, Payroll Manager for Transoft Solutions in the Netherlands. Hear what leadership means to her, the leaders who inspire her, the company culture Gen Z looks for, her advice to older generations when interacting with Gen Z, and a riveting Quick-Fire round. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKava...

Jill Ellul has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is the Founder & Managing Director of Mojoco, a business consultancy that offers innovation-led solutions to the Pharma, MedTech, and Biopharma sectors. Hear how to boost innovation & creativity in your organisation, how to dissolve groupthink, whether generative AI helps or hurts innovation, how to keep innovati...

Richard Cotter is the Head of Organisation Development and Research at Allianz Ireland and is a published academic researcher who holds a PhD in Management Learning. He shares what happens at the intersection of culture & strategy, why he recruited a business anthropologist, the power of ethnography over surveys, how they turned the research into culture change, and how your organisation can h...

Dr. Emmet Oliver is an academic, journalist and broadcaster. Drawing from his recent book Irish Nation Building: Government, Business and Power (1922–1958), Emmet reflects on the lessons modern corporate leaders can learn from history — from flexibility in decision-making to naming the uncomfortable truths others avoid. Emmet uncovers lessons in courage, adaptability and the art of learning from f...

Returning guest Dean McAlister, EVP, Inizio Biotech, has spent over 35 years in Fortune 500 pharma leadership, including nearly 3 decades at AstraZeneca. Hear how to focus on your people while scaling for growth, how to balance performance and cost control, why leadership needs to happen at all levels, how to approach feedback in today’s world, and whether empathy is still relevant. Connect with S...

Cameron Bray is a business consultant specializing in building high-performing teams & in leadership development. He’s been the Chief People Officer in a number of organizations, and spent a formative part of his career working for The Body Shop in the UK. Hear how to build an organization around virtual teams, how to lead in a virtual world, how to optimize productivity in hybrid work environ...

Eimear Nolan is Associate Professor of International Business and Director of the Flexible Executive MBA at Trinity Business School. Her research interests are in expatriate adjustment, cultural agility, recruitment & retention strategies, AI (Artificial Intelligence) in education, and the healthcare sector. She also offers private cultural consultancy to organisations who wish to bridge cultu...

Carol O’Kelly is regarded as one of the leading proponents of Personal Branding, Communications, and Positioning Strategy for high-level C-suite and Owner/Managers, having worked with key teams in companies such as EY, KPMG, Horizon Therapeutics, BoI Corporate Banking, and The Executive Institute. She’s the Founder & CEO of Redstorm Communications Ltd, which she established as a Strategic Mark...

Tony White has deep expertise in Learning, Talent Management, and Leadership Development. With over 20 years of global experience spanning industries like Financial Services, FMCG, Healthcare, and Technology, he brings a wealth of insights drawn from his career and experience in senior Talent roles at brands such as Coca-Cola Enterprises, Allianz, and Inizio. He has shaped large-scale employee eng...

Ashley Cox is a strategic leader in the Life Sciences sector and female founder, who has recently founded Caledonia Life Sciences. This is a consultancy specialising in corporate strategy and business development for early-stage biotech & pharmaceutical companies. With a solid background in European business development, she has held senior roles at prominent firms like EVERSANA & SmartAna...

Kevin Murphy brings a wealth of experience from his diverse career as a CEO in the FinTech and Card Payments sectors, as well as serving as a Board Member and Independent Non-Executive Director. Specializing in growth acceleration and business transformation, Kevin has successfully led the growth, turnaround, and restructuring of businesses across Europe, North America, and Australia. His expertis...

Deirdre Wafer leads a Customer Insights team for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions across EMEA and LATAM, empowering large, global brands and media agency clients with strategic insights from LinkedIn’s unique first-party data. She’s a strong supporter of multi-generational teams and currently co-leads the “Wisdom” Employee Resource Group globally in LinkedIn, which focuses on inclusive teams for those...

Jess Podgajny is the Managing Director of BW Consulting, a boutique management consulting firm servicing the Pharma and Biotech industries, with a specialty in Cell and Gene Therapy.  Jess is also Founder and CEO of LLUNA, a tech start-up focused on engaging teams. In this episode, listen to Jess talk about empowering teams for success, crafting enduring cultures, and activating senior leadership...

Barry Flack is a Fractional HR Executive and venture capital and private equity People Consultant. He focuses on advising CEOs on navigating the complexities of the world of work. In this episode, Barry describes the role of the Fractional Executive, how it differs from an interim role, and the value for organizations. He shares his views on leadership, the current state of HR, what needs to chang...