Leadership Unlocked

Leadership success is shaped by what you leave behind for others, not about you as an individual. For Henley alumna Nomsa Chabeli, Group CEO at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the role of stewardship is key, passing success from one leader to the next by building trust, resilience and endurance in an organisation. “I carry institutional responsibility on behalf of others....

How can you create impact even if you can’t influence things directly? For Simon Koerner, Global Lead of Organisational Effectiveness at DSV, understanding the relationship between indirect influence and outcome is a key part of being impactful and scaling success across continents, locations and teams. “It's all about the way you define yourself and define your influence circle. What...

Remaining curious and making constant adjustments is a core leadership skill at every level. But for Kim Sides, Executive Director, UK & Ireland at Royal BAM Group, senior leaders also need to embrace discomfort. “I've actively avoided what feels comfortable. Because if you're too comfortable, you're not learning. But if you're really uncomfortable, you're probably in the wrong spot and...

Work-life balance is something everyone strives for. But it’s not a phrase everyone believes is right. For alumnus Darren Henley, CEO of Arts Council England, we shouldn’t need the phrase, as work should be a meaningful and joyful part of life. “There's an onus on leaders to create an organisational environment where everybody who comes to work can feel that they're adding someth...

Starting a business two weeks before the COVID pandemic hit was not the ideal set-up for success. That’s the position that Henley alumnus Leo Harrison, Founder and CEO of talent strategy specialist, Chapter 2, found himself in six years ago. “Chapter 2 was founded two weeks before COVID came into our worlds. Did I see it coming? No. Was I naive? Maybe … I thought everything was...

Not many senior executives can credit pearl diving and working on a superyacht as key stepping stones to leadership success. But for Henley alumna Melanie Christopher, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer at Capgemini, saying yes to adventure at the start of her career led to a series of developmental S curves which prepared her for senior leadership roles. “There's nothing like...

Being vocal and building a network to create change in organisations is not easy. In fact being seen to influence is often considered a dirty word. But for Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer, the first Chief Information Officer at NATO, if done in the right way influencing, negotiating and aligning are fundamental to a senior leader’s value proposition. And where best to practice and learn this, if no...

Strong mentors at different stages of your senior leadership career can make the difference between getting ahead and getting left behind. That also means giving back and paying forward by obsessively assisting others, according to Helene Murphy, CHRO at Gridserve and former Chief People Officer with Unite Students and Formula E. In the sixth part of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Helene...

Leadership Unlocked – ‘The temptation to talk not listen’ Leading your boss in business seems counterintuitive but is one of the most important skills for senior leaders to master, according to Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae, Chair at Finnair and a number of other high-profile Nordic businesses. Sana has been honoured as Finland's most influential woman in business for multiple years. &ld...

Change in business is inevitable but do you, as a senior leader, always relish the idea of dealing with it? For self-confessed change champion, Paul Lindley, Entrepreneur, Founder of Ella’s Kitchen and Chancellor at the University of Reading, change is essential for success but it needs to be based on clarity of purpose. And systemic change needs to last longer than the person in the senior...

Award winning journalist and broadcaster Emily Maitlis didn’t get to the top of her profession by accident. While the start was more of a coincidence, her hunger for continuous learning, breaking the big news stories and creating content that has a positive and meaningful impact on society and people has seen her cover new ground in a profession that wasn’t an obvious first choice. Jou...

Being available, honest and not afraid to tackle the tough discussions are key leadership principles that ensure Tommy Olofsen, Chief Marine Services Officer at global ship management company OSM Thome, can keep people his top priority. “Success for me is that our seafarers who join ships, they come back home safe.” In the second part of our Leadership Unlocked podcast series, Tommy sp...

Having fun at work isn’t always top of the agenda for senior leaders. But for Christian Pau, General Manager UK & Ireland at The Lego Group, getting the balance right between enjoyment and business challenges is an essential part of both personal and business success. “What I realised quite early in my life was that I like to take responsibility and also that people trust me, somet...