Public Sector I HEART You

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You podcast, Michelle O’Neill, Principal Consultant in Leadership and Organisational Development, is joined by Jo Grocott, Head of People Development and Experience at the City of Wolverhampton Council. They explore how the council is developing its leadership pipeline through the Our Future Leaders programme, which supports aspiring leaders across the...

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You Podcast, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive of West Midlands Employers, is joined by Steve Guest, Director of Recruitment and Delivery at Solace in Business, and Jess Mullinger, Executive Director of Sector Support at Solace in Business.  They explore how artificial intelligence is influencing executive recruitment in local government, where it can add...

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You podcast, host Chloe Herrmann is joined by Daisy Killian from Warwick District Council, Aman Sandhu from City of Wolverhampton Council, and Will Oldham from the Local Government Association. They discuss how local government apprenticeships can lead to sustainable, long‑term careers, the importance of raising awareness of early career routes, and the...

In the final episode of the Regional Employers Collective PS I ❤️ You podcast series, and as part of the English Regions Collaborative, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive at West Midlands Employers, is joined by Gillian Bishop, Chief Executive at North West Employers, Stuart Young, Executive Director at East Midlands Councils, and Kelly-Anne Phillips, Director of Policy and Internal Services at South...

In this episode of the Regional Employers Collective PS I ❤️ You podcast series, and as part of the English Regions Collaborative, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive at West Midlands Employers, is joined by Gillian Bishop, Chief Executive at North West Employers, Stuart Young, Executive Director at East Midlands Councils, and Kelly-Anne Phillips, Director of Policy and Internal Services at South West...

In this episode of the Regional Employers Collective PS I ❤️ You Unplugged podcast series, and as part of the English Regions Collaborative, Rebecca Davis is joined by Gillian Bishop, Stuart Young and Kelly-Anne Phillips. Together they explore how regional organisations support councils through policy, lobbying and consultation, acting as trusted advocates between local government and national sta...

In the first episode of the Regional Employers Collective PS I ❤️ You Unplugged podcast series, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive at West Midlands Employers, is joined by Gillian Bishop, Chief Executive at North West Employers, Stuart Young, Executive Director at East Midlands Councils, and Kelly-Anne Phillips, Director of Policy and Internal Services at South West Councils. Together they explore the...

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You podcast, Matthew Hotten, Senior Consultant at West Midlands Employers, is joined by Andrew Pain, WME Associate, speaker and coach with a passion for helping people embrace change. They explore how personal challenges, from food box choices to skydiving, help build the kind of emotional resilience needed in public sector leadership. Andrew shares ins...

In this episode of the Public Sector I ♥️ You Podcast, Matthew Hotten, Senior Consultant at West Midlands Employers, is joined by members of the winning team from Worcester City Council following the 2025 Tri-Sector Challenge. Thalia, Allotment Officer, Craig, Building Services Engineer, and Ben, Communications Officer, share their experience of stepping into a high, pressure leadership simulation...

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You podcast, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive of West Midlands Employers, is joined by Julie Towers, Director at Penna.  Julie shares insights from her career in local government and executive recruitment, exploring networking, employer brand, senior leadership readiness, reorganisation, and why values, place and diversity matter for the future of public...

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You podcast, Manny Sandhu, Director of Leadership & OD at West Midlands Employers, is joined by Shakil Butt, experienced HR Director, author of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Explained, and lecturer in Strategic HRM at Birmingham City University. They explore the realities of equity, diversity and inclusion in public sector organisations, including...

In this episode of the PS I ❤️ You podcast, Matthew and Michelle take a deep dive into the often-overlooked discipline of strategic workforce planning. They explore why it’s crucial for councils facing demographic change, AI disruption, and hybrid work challenges. From intergenerational knowledge sharing to the risks of shadow AI, they explore how public sector organisations can plan 3–5 years ahe...

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You podcast, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive of West Midlands Employers, is joined by Emma Bennett, Chief Executive at Walsall Council. Emma shares her personal and professional journey, from her roots in social work to becoming the first locally born chief executive of Walsall. They explore leadership visibility, empowering workforce culture, building p...

In this episode, Matthew Hotten is joined by Sue Chilton, Chief People Officer at Coventry City Council, and Elizabeth Lisle, Director at ELA Development Consultancy, for a deep dive into how organisations can create a culture that genuinely supports people and performance. They discuss Coventry’s Owning and Driving Performance (ODP) programme, the importance of leadership modelling, and the role...

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You podcast, Michelle O’Neill (Principal Consultant, WME) sits down with AI educator Heather Murray for an honest and human-centred conversation about AI in councils. Rather than focusing on tools or trends, they discuss how to build confidence, create safe spaces for experimentation, and remove fear from AI adoption. This episode is for public sector l...

In this episode of the WME Podcast, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive of West Midlands Employers, is joined by Jason Lowther, Director at the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Local Government Studies, and Mo Baines, Chief Executive of APSE. Together they explore how councils can make better use of data and analytics, the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence in local government, a...

In this episode of PS I ❤️ You Unplugged, we explore the power of small, consistent habits in building resilience, wellbeing, and performance. Matthew from West Midlands Employers is joined by Kat Thorne, The Morning Game Changer, who shares her personal journey from corporate burnout to creating lasting behaviour change. Together, they discuss how individuals and organisations can embed positive...

In this episode of PS I ❤️ You Unplugged , Rebecca Davis (Chief Executive, West Midlands Employers) is joined by Brad Sinclair (Managing Director, Opus People Solutions) to explore how councils can transform agency provision into a strategic asset. They unpack the challenges and opportunities of temporary recruitment, share insights from the WMTemps framework, and show how investing in people can...

In this inspiring and down-to-earth episode of PS I Heart You Unplugged, host Rebecca Davis (Chief Executive, West Midlands Employers) sits down with Tim Johnson, Chief Executive of the City of Wolverhampton Council, for a candid conversation on the future of local government. With over 30 years of experience, Tim shares personal stories of career highs and hard-won lessons, his belief in values-l...

In this episode of The Public Sector I Heart You Unplugged podcast, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive of West Midlands Employers, sits down with Ian Miller, Chief Executive of Wyre Forest District Council.  With over 25 years in local government, Ian shares his leadership journey, from shaping key legislation in Wales to driving shared services and transformation in Worcestershire. Together, they exp...

In this episode of the Public Sector I Heart You podcast, Rebecca Davis, Chief Executive of West Midlands Employers, is joined by Peter Cheese, Chief Executive of the CIPD. Together, they explore the evolving world of work, from the rise of AI and hybrid working to skills shortages and the importance of ethical leadership. Peter shares reflections from his global career, insights on public vs priv...

In this episode of PS I ❤️ You, Manny Sandhu, Director of Resourcing at West Midlands Employers, sits down with Shoshana Davies — widely known as The Fairy Job Mother — for a powerful conversation about the Gen Z experience of entering the world of work. The discussion shines a light on the hopes, doubts, and challenges facing young people as they start their careers, and explores what employers c...

In this thought-provoking episode of PS I ❤️ You, Michelle O’Neill, Matthew Hotten and Nick Rice (Warwickshire County Council ) dive into how ‘squiggly’ careers and talent mobility can help shape a more agile, inclusive and future-ready public sector.  From Gen Z’s evolving career expectations to the changing face of leadership and learning in the age of AI, the trio explore how we can unlock pote...

In this episode of Public Sector I Heart You , we explore how employers can attract and retain Gen Z in the workplace with insights from Shoshana at Fairy Job Mother.  We discuss what Gen Z values at work, why they are often misunderstood, and how councils and public sector organisations can rethink their recruitment and retention strategies.  From using social media to engage young talent to brea...

Join Rebecca Davis, CEO of West Midlands Employers, and organisational culture expert Stephanie Wheeler as they unpack what truly drives employee engagement and how leaders can shape a thriving workplace.