Explore how the work of HR Leaders is creating positive social change, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals - goals which the world's companies are increasingly understanding the urgency of achieving, and investing in the action required. If you'd like clear, actionable ideas for how you can use the power of your role to effect change in your company, you're in the right place. I'm the founder of social enterprise Uplifting People, we provide services to HR Leaders, and through this work I realised that HR professionals and social entrepreneurs are working in the same areas, albeit in different ways. So we created this podcast to share knowledge, on steps we can take through the work of HR. In my opinion, if you're an HR professional, you are also a change maker. And this podcast will provide you with examples of how. By sharing the successes of some of the world's most inspiring HR Leaders, you can frame your work in the context of positive change, implement brilliant ideas, and feel absolutely wonderful about doing so!
Following the merger of Invacare and Direct Healthcare Group to form DHCare, Tiffany has been helping shape a new organisation across Europe and APAC. She reflects on the realities of leading transformation, acknowledging that while change can involve difficult decisions, creating a sustainable business is what ultimately protects opportunities for people to develop and build long-term careers. Discussing HR in the age of AI, Tiffany advocates that HR's role is to ask better questions and never lose sight of human judgement, and that continuous improvement matters far more than chasing perfection. Growing up in Australia and with a career across mining, manufacturing and healthcare, Tiffany has long championed inclusion. Today, she sees diversity through a wide lens, describing it as a kaleidoscope of experiences, backgrounds, identities and ways of thinking. Throughout the conversation, one idea shines through: be more you, because that's what the people around you need most. Thank you to Kin&Co for sponsoring this episode What makes or breaks large-scale transformation? Rarely the strategy - almost always the culture. Kin&Co is a certified B-Corp and female-owned consultancy on a mission to make work better for 10 million people by 2030. Using cutting-edge behavioural science, they help global organisations transform cultures and drive measurable impact on strategy, people and performance. They've developed a new behavioural blueprint for transformation, drawn from their experience at some of the UK's most iconic organisations. If you're curious, read their latest thought piece on transformation and assess your cultural readiness. Ready to build a culture that measurably drives performance? Read their thought piece at The Transformation Blueprint to learn more.
From Army officer to sustainability leader to Chief People Officer, unlocking human potential has been the thread running through Adam's career. Adam shares the lessons from Skanska's pioneering journey to net zero, becoming the first tier-one contractor to commit to a target. He explains why lasting change starts by understanding the audience you're trying to reach, rather than expecting people to share your passion from day one. Now leading people and culture, Adam discusses why inclusion and high performance go hand in hand, and how creating the right conditions helps people contribute at their very best. From supporting social mobility at Skanska to his work helping survivors of human trafficking to rebuild independent lives, Adam shares why creating opportunities for people to reach their potential is at the heart of leadership. Thank you to Kin&Co for sponsoring this episode What makes or breaks large-scale transformation? Rarely the strategy - almost always the culture. Kin&Co is a certified B-Corp and female-owned consultancy on a mission to make work better for 10 million people by 2030. Using cutting-edge behavioural science, they help global organisations transform cultures and drive measurable impact on strategy, people and performance. They've developed a new behavioural blueprint for transformation, drawn from their experience at some of the UK's most iconic organisations. If you're curious, read their latest thought piece on transformation and assess your cultural readiness. Ready to build a culture that measurably drives performance? Read their thought piece at The Transformation Blueprint to learn more.
Transformation is easy to talk about, but much harder to get right. Charlotte Hill OBE shares the story of Felix's merger with FareShare, and how a values-led approach, consistent leadership and a focus on progress helped bring people together through significant change. Working alongside Becky Hewitt OBE and the team at Kin&Co, Charlotte reflects on why the human side of transformation is where success is won or lost. Charlotte shares how the leadership team focused on creating trust from the very beginning, agreeing the principles for the merger before involving the wider organisation and role-modelling the behaviours they wanted to see. Becky brings the behavioural science, explaining why transformation succeeds when organisations make change feel desirable, possible, normal and instinctive - and why paying attention to the human experience is what makes change stick. Throughout the conversation, Charlotte and Becky explore what it takes to lead through uncertainty: creating psychological safety, inviting challenge and moving beyond simply communicating change to genuinely involving people in it. Their conversation is a reminder that while organisations may need to change, people need to feel part of the journey. Thank you to Kin&Co for sponsoring this episode What makes or breaks large-scale transformation? Rarely the strategy - almost always the culture. Kin&Co is a certified B-Corp and female-owned consultancy on a mission to make work better for 10 million people by 2030. Using cutting-edge behavioural science, they help global organisations transform cultures and drive measurable impact on strategy, people and performance. They've developed a new behavioural blueprint for transformation, drawn from their experience at some of the UK's most iconic organisations. If you're curious, read their latest thought piece on transformation and assess your cultural readiness. Ready to build a culture that measurably drives performance? Read their thought piece at kinandco.com to learn more.
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 to enhance, not replace, human judgement. Drawing on examples from Cox Automotive, she explains why HR leaders must stay deeply connected to the business they support, understanding how work really happens so people strategy creates lasting commercial value. Growing up with immigrant parents, inclusion has always been personal to Sarnjit. She reflects on how her Sikh heritage has shaped her leadership, and shares Cox Automotive's work to embed inclusion across the organisation, for example to increase female representation. Throughout the conversation, one idea comes through consistently: stay curious, keep learning, and never stop looking beyond your own role. How HR Leaders Change the World Live! 11th November 2026 – London Book your Early Bird ticket now! 150 of the best HR leaders in one room! Join the annual gathering of bold, forward-thinking HR leaders who believe people strategy shapes the future of business - and the world beyond. · Hear stories from pioneering CHROs, be part of hands-on workshops and work with a community of peers who get it; you'll leave with actions, as well as inspiration. · Expectr real conversations on building cultures that perform under pressure, rethinking productivity in the age of AI, and designing organisations that are genuinely human. · This year's sessions include The Agility Lab: Reimagining High-Performance Culture through Experimentation, and speakers include CPOs from easyJet, Edelman, Havas, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Lloyds of London and PepsiCo Europe. Plus, this year's grande finale keyonte is the extraordinary Livia Firth! Her session titled: Stop Eating at Your Desk, and Other Stories to Fall in Love with Change , will bring an inspiring and very human lens to transformation. And who's not talking about transformation right now?! Here's what attendees have said on previous years: · "Game changing ideas on how we shape the future of work" Dannii Portsmouth, CPO, PepsiCo Europe · "Brim full of ideas and inspiration" Emma Norton, People Policy & Risk, Bupa · "Absolutely inspired is how I feel!" Natalia Wallenberg, CHRO, Ahold Delhaize And as always, every penny of profit empowers vulnerable children to be safe, loved and learning, so your ticket is creating positive change from the go! Places are limited, the early bird closes 17th July It's energising. It's practical. And it's a reminder that HR holds extraordinary influence. If you care about the future of work, and the role you play in shaping it, this is your room. You can book your Early Bird here: https://www.upliftingpeople.com/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world-live-2026 See you there!
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 replace it. Fresh from the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) conference in the US, attended by 26,000 HR professionals, Carmen reflects on three emerging themes: building trust and safety to experiment with AI, ensuring responsible and ethical AI use, and the rise of trust as a measurable business priority. An immigrant from Venezuela, belonging is a defining thread in Carmen's leadership, expressed through initiatives such as STEP, the Staff Talent Empowerment Programme, which pairs high-potential business professionals with sponsorship and development opportunities to help unlock careers that might otherwise go unseen. For Carmen, the focus is always on preserving the humanity in how people work and lead, making space for vulnerability, empathy, dignity and connection, and allowing people to show up as they are, without masking or armour. How HR Leaders Change the World Live! 11th November 2026 – London Book your early bird ticket now! Join the annual gathering of bold, forward-thinking HR leaders who believe people strategy can shape the future of business - and the world beyond. Bringing together Chief People Officers and HR decision-makers, the conference features powerful keynote speakers, candid conversations and practical insights from leaders who are proving that commercial performance and positive impact go hand in hand. This isn't theory. It's real-world leadership stories, from organisations embedding sustainability into people strategy to those designing human-centred culture in the age of AI. Building on the success of the How HR Leaders Change the World podcast, the conference inspires every HR Professional to see themselves as an HR Changemaker, equipped with ideas, confidence and community to lead differently. It's energising. It's practical. And it's a reminder that HR holds extraordinary influence. If you care about the future of work, and the role you play in shaping it, this is your room. Early Bird Ticket: How HR Leaders Change the World - Live! 2026 Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for June is Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, by Matthew Syed. We're all navigating more complexity than ever right now. AI, shifting workplace expectations, doing more with less, and still making work feel human. Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed provides a resource for how. His argument: the teams who solve the hardest problems aren't the ones full of the best individual thinkers, they're the ones who think differently from each other. A brilliant book on why diversity of thought helps us solve complex problems. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 of this year's CHRO speakers, all alumni of this show, sharing examples of their leadership: Elly Tomlins, Chief People Officer at easyJet, Nathan Adams, Chief People Officer at Lloyd's of London and Dannii Portsmouth, Chief People Officer at PepsiCo EMEA – a taster for what's to come – your opportunity to be in the room, learning from and with, some of the world's most pioneering CHROs. We also hear from Stacey Kingshott, Global Senior HR Director at World Wide Technology, who's been attending for many years, indeed has already secured her Early Bird ticket, on why this conference is so special and what she takes away to help her in her own work. Plus – introducing our grande finale, t his year's keynote is the incredible Livia Firth – a first mover driving sustainability in the fashion industry – you might be recalling photos in the press at glamorous awards, of her creation, The Green Carpet. Her session, Stop Eating at Your Desk, and Other Stories to Fall in Love with Change , will bring an inspiring and very human lens to transformation. This is the conference where nobody is on their phones - because nobody wants to miss a thing. 11th November 2026, London Get your Early Bird Ticket today and save £100; spaces are limited and it's a sellout conference! Click here to secure your place: Early Bird Ticket: How HR Leaders Change the World - Live! 2026 The Early Bird is only open until 17 th July – so don't delay! Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for June is Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, by Matthew Syed. We're all navigating more complexity than ever right now. AI, shifting workplace expectations, doing more with less, and still making work feel human. Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed provides a resource for how. His argument: the teams who solve the hardest problems aren't the ones full of the best individual thinkers, they're the ones who think differently from each other. A brilliant book on why diversity of thought helps us solve complex problems. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 AI to improve customer and employee experiences, while encouraging people to develop new skills through practical experimentation. She discusses the importance of creating safety nets that allow employees to try new approaches and make mistakes. Ashley makes the case that successful transformation is fundamentally human, and advocates that fostering curiosity, confidence and continuous learning means organisations will be best placed to unlock the opportunities AI creates. Free online Lunch & Learn with Coca Cola and Kantar: AI in TA & Onboarding Tuesday 23 June 1-2pm BST Digitalising your Talent Attraction and Onboarding processes is one thing. Knowing where AI fits - and where it doesn't - is quite another. Many of your peers are at exactly this crossroads right now. Excited by the possibilities, but conscious of the risks. Keen to move faster, but not at the cost of the human moments that matter most. Join our free online lunch & learn, we'll share the findings from our research in partnership with The Talent Labs, and you'll hear from Heidi Eckersley, Global Talent Acquisition Leader at Kantar and Suzy Jearum, Global Digital Employee Experience Lead at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. From productivity gains to employee experience wins, you'll leave with insights and ideas you can consider for your organisation too. Join us! Book your place here: AI in Talent Attraction Onboarding webinar Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for June is Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, by Matthew Syed. We're all navigating more complexity than ever right now. AI, shifting workplace expectations, doing more with less, and still making work feel human. Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed provides a resource for how. His argument: the teams who solve the hardest problems aren't the ones full of the best individual thinkers, they're the ones who think differently from each other. A brilliant book on why diversity of thought helps us solve complex problems. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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, embedding learning into the flow of work and equipping colleagues with the confidence to use AI safely, productively and responsibly. From large-scale AI training programmes to AI apprenticeships, Laura highlights how organisations can empower employees to adapt to changing roles. Throughout the conversation, Laura emphasises the importance of keeping people at the centre of transformation. Her message is clear: organisations that focus on curiosity, capability and human potential will harness AI while strengthening both employee and customer experience. Free online Lunch & Learn with Coca Cola and Kantar: AI in TA & Onboarding Tuesday 23 June 1-2pm BST Digitalising your Talent Attraction and Onboarding processes is one thing. Knowing where AI fits - and where it doesn't - is quite another. Many of your peers are at exactly this crossroads right now. Excited by the possibilities, but conscious of the risks. Keen to move faster, but not at the cost of the human moments that matter most. Join our free online lunch & learn, we'll share the findings from our research in partnership with The Talent Labs, and you'll hear from Heidi Eckersley, Global Talent Acquisition Leader at Kantar and Suzy Jearum, Global Digital Employee Experience Lead at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. From productivity gains to employee experience wins, you'll leave with insights and ideas you can consider for your organisation too. Join us! Book your place here: AI in Talent Attraction Onboarding webinar Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for June is Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, by Matthew Syed. We're all navigating more complexity than ever right now. AI, shifting workplace expectations, doing more with less, and still making work feel human. Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed provides a resource for how. His argument: the teams who solve the hardest problems aren't the ones full of the best individual thinkers, they're the ones who think differently from each other. A brilliant book on why diversity of thought helps us solve complex problems. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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, experimentation and even failure are actively encouraged. She shares practical examples of leaders learning new AI capabilities together in real time, and reflects on how organisations can shift from credential-led thinking to skills-based, capability-driven approaches in hiring, development and progression. Alana discusses how HR's influence extends beyond organisational boundaries, calling for a stronger sense of civic connectivity and shared responsibility for creating opportunity. Free online Lunch & Learn with Coca Cola and Kantar: AI in TA & Onboarding Tuesday 23 June 1-2pm BST Digitalising your Talent Attraction and Onboarding processes is one thing. Knowing where AI fits - and where it doesn't - is quite another. Many of your peers are at exactly this crossroads right now. Excited by the possibilities, but conscious of the risks. Keen to move faster, but not at the cost of the human moments that matter most. Join our free online lunch & learn, we'll share the findings from our research in partnership with The Talent Labs, and you'll hear from Heidi Eckersley, Global Talent Acquisition Leader at Kantar and Suzy Jearum, Global Digital Employee Experience Lead at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. From productivity gains to employee experience wins, you'll leave with insights and ideas you can consider for your organisation too. Join us! Book your place here Thank you to Deel for sponsoring this episode. What does HR look like when it's built for global scale? With Deel, HR teams can hire, onboard, and manage talent in 150+ countries without setting up local entities or managing multiple vendors. · Generate compliant contracts in minutes. · Automate onboarding. · Tackle performance reviews. · Centralize employee records, time off, and benefits in one place. Deel takes care of compliance and document management, so you can focus on people, not processes. From that first offer letter to ongoing support, Deel makes global HR feel local, fast, and easy. Visit www.deel.com/uplift today. Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for June is Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking, by Matthew Syed. We're all navigating more complexity than ever right now. AI, shifting workplace expectations, doing more with less, and still making work feel human. Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed provides a resource for how. His argument: the teams who solve the hardest problems aren't the ones full of the best individual thinkers, they're the ones who think differently from each other. A brilliant book on why diversity of thought helps us solve complex problems. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 approaches, Sarah describes how competency-based assessment, psychometrics and scenario testing help reduce bias and improve hiring quality. Sarah also explores the future of HR through an 'augmented' lens, where people, technology and business strategy are designed together. Sarah highlights the growing role of AI in removing administrative work and enabling more human, value-adding capability, alongside a strong call for HR to remain relentlessly evidence-based in everything it does. What do you think? AI vs Human in TA & Onboarding We're not anti-AI. But we do think there are moments in talent attraction and onboarding where human experience is the whole point. But what do you think?... In partnership with The Talent Labs we're running a short survey; the findings will sit alongside behind-the-scenes insights from BT Group, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Deloitte, Kantar and more. Could you help us make this the most useful research it can be? It takes just 3 minutes! Click here: The Human Edge in the Age of AI: Winning Talent Without Losing the Human Touch Survey And to say thank you, you'll enter our Prize Draw to win 5 Uplifting People gift sets for you and your team, worth £449! Thank you to Deel for sponsoring this episode. What does HR look like when it's built for global scale? With Deel, HR teams can hire, onboard, and manage talent in 150+ countries without setting up local entities or managing multiple vendors. · Generate compliant contracts in minutes. · Automate onboarding. · Tackle performance reviews. · Centralize employee records, time off, and benefits in one place. Deel takes care of compliance and document management, so you can focus on people, not processes. From that first offer letter to ongoing support, Deel makes global HR feel local, fast, and easy. Visit www.deel.com/uplift today. Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for May is The Working Parent Equation, Balancing small humans with big careers, by Georgie Rudd. Know a working parent? A colleague that has all the plates spinning, and you're not quite sure how they're managing? Or perhaps that's you?! The Working Parent Equation is an extra special book, packed with practical exercises for anyone to reflect on their own, personal, working parent equation, and wonderfully our very own Cecilia Crossley wrote the foreword. Here's her summary: It's an incredibly helpful tool for any working parent - one that will help you, your family, your organisation, and society – because each of us intentionally designing our own equations takes us a step closer to gender equality. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 centre of employee experience. Sue makes the case that community engagement, through volunteering, board service and pro bono work, is one of HR's most powerful and underused tools for developing leaders, building empathy and sharpening decision-making. Sue leaves us with a clear message: when HR connects business performance and community impact, it creates stronger leaders and better business results. Thank you to Deel for sponsoring this episode. What does HR look like when it's built for global scale? With Deel, HR teams can hire, onboard, and manage talent in 150+ countries without setting up local entities or managing multiple vendors. · Generate compliant contracts in minutes. · Automate onboarding. · Tackle performance reviews. · Centralize employee records, time off, and benefits in one place. Deel takes care of compliance and document management, so you can focus on people, not processes. From that first offer letter to ongoing support, Deel makes global HR feel local, fast, and easy. Visit www.deel.com/uplift today. Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for May is The Working Parent Equation, Balancing small humans with big careers, by Georgie Rudd. Know a working parent? A colleague that has all the plates spinning, and you're not quite sure how they're managing? Or perhaps that's you?! The Working Parent Equation is an extra special book, packed with practical exercises for anyone to reflect on their own, personal, working parent equation, and wonderfully our very own Cecilia Crossley wrote the foreword. Here's her summary: It's an incredibly helpful tool for any working parent - one that will help you, your family, your organisation, and society – because each of us intentionally designing our own equations takes us a step closer to gender equality. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 how Deel approaches equitable pay at scale, Jessica explains how standardised compensation for high-volume roles balance s with local context and regulation, and reflects on the growing impact of pay transparency, already happening through social media, whether organisations are ready for it or not. Looking to the future of HR, Jessica makes the case for stronger commercial capability within the profession. From partnering closely with finance and sales teams to using AI for faster insight and better decision-making, Jessica believes HR's influence grows when it understands how the business makes money. Thank you to Deel for sponsoring this episode. What does HR look like when it's built for global scale? With Deel, HR teams can hire, onboard, and manage talent in 150+ countries without setting up local entities or managing multiple vendors. · Generate compliant contracts in minutes. · Automate onboarding. · Tackle performance reviews. · Centralize employee records, time off, and benefits in one place. Deel takes care of compliance and document management, so you can focus on people, not processes. From that first offer letter to ongoing support, Deel makes global HR feel local, fast, and easy. Visit www.deel.com/uplift today. Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for May is The Working Parent Equation, Balancing small humans with big careers, by Georgie Rudd. Know a working parent? A colleague that has all the plates spinning, and you're not quite sure how they're managing? Or perhaps that's you?! The Working Parent Equation is an extra special book, packed with practical exercises for anyone to reflect on their own, personal, working parent equation, and wonderfully our very own Cecilia Crossley wrote the foreword. Here's her summary: It's an incredibly helpful tool for any working parent - one that will help you, your family, your organisation, and society – because each of us intentionally designing our own equations takes us a step closer to gender equality. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 to day. Renata sees three priorities for HR. First, staying adaptable and future-focused in a world that keeps shifting. Second, moving towards skills-based organisations, where continuous learning matters more than fixed roles or job titles. And third, building psychological safety. A strong advocate for gender equity and recognising that "talent is universal, but opportunity is not", Renata leads FNZ Group's Inspire and Impact Network. At the heart of her message is courage: speak up, challenge respectfully, question outdated systems and stand for fairness even when it feels uncomfortable. For Renata, real impact comes from small, consistent acts of courage that gradually create change. Timely for Mental Health Awareness Week: 11 th – 17 th May 2026 Elevat e Wellbeing to a Strategic Priority: Thank you to Geoff McDonald for sponsoring this episode. In 2014, he left Unilever to devote his expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace - because he knows first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives. As a business transformation consultant and co-founder of charity Minds@Work, Geoff helps organisations define purpose beyond growth and profitability , and develop holistic wellbeing strategies that unlock true performance potential. Learn more: How Geoff can help you elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority: www.geoffmcdonald.co.uk Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for May is The Working Parent Equation, Balancing small humans with big careers, by Georgie Rudd. Know a working parent? A colleague that has all the plates spinning, and you're not quite sure how they're managing? Or perhaps that's you?! The Working Parent Equation is an extra special book, packed with practical exercises for anyone to reflect on their own, personal, working parent equation, and wonderfully our very own Cecilia Crossley wrote the foreword. Here's her summary: It's an incredibly helpful tool for any working parent - one that will help you, your family, your organisation, and society – because each of us intentionally designing our own equations takes us a step closer to gender equality. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 scaffolding needed today. Addressing AI and youth unemployment, Tim emphasises intentional choice – that it's not a shift being done to us – that we have agency. He discusses access to employment programmes including a prison-to-work scheme that reduces reoffending from 60% to six. His wish for you: Be a student - continually better understand the organisation, our society and the individuals we work with. That is HR's life's work. And look after yourself, because we must put our own mask on first. Elevat e Wellbeing to a Strategic Priority Thank you to Geoff McDonald for sponsoring this episode. In 2014, he left Unilever to devote his expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace - because he knows first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives. As a business transformation consultant and co-founder of charity Minds@Work, Geoff helps organisations define purpose beyond growth and profitability , and develop holistic wellbeing strategies that unlock true performance potential. Learn more: How Geoff can help you elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority: www.geoffmcdonald.co.uk Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for April is Start with Why by Simon Sinek – a powerful exploration of what separates truly inspiring leaders from the rest. Simon challenges the conventional focus on what we do or how we do it, and instead argues that great leaders and organisations start with why – their purpose, cause, or belief. Through his Golden Circle framework, he demonstrates how the most inspiring leaders think, act and communicate from the inside out. Drawing on examples from Apple, Martin Luther King Jr, and the Wright Brothers, Sinek shows that people don't buy what you do – they buy why you do it. When organisations are clear about their purpose, they attract employees and customers who share their beliefs, creating cultures of trust and belonging where people feel valued and motivated to contribute their best work. This isn't just about messaging; it's about building sustainable success through authentic, purpose-driven leadership. Whether you're looking to inspire your team, build deeper trust with clients, or create a culture where innovation thrives, Start with Why offers a compelling framework for leading with intention. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 replacement, meaning HR must get closer to finance and IT to preserve the deeply human side of business. Floor shares her passion for pay equity and transparency, drawing on her background as an employment lawyer, and gives an example of a "Beautiful People at Trivium" campaign, real employees' stories, bottom up, within D&I work. Her wish for you: Never stop expanding HR talent and enthusiasm - the business impact speaks for itself. Elevat e Wellbeing to a Strategic Priority Thank you to Geoff McDonald for sponsoring this episode. In 2014, he left Unilever to devote his expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace - because he knows first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives. As a business transformation consultant and co-founder of charity Minds@Work, Geoff helps organisations define purpose beyond growth and profitability , and develop holistic wellbeing strategies that unlock true performance potential. Learn more: How Geoff can help you elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority: www.geoffmcdonald.co.uk Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for April is Start with Why by Simon Sinek – a powerful exploration of what separates truly inspiring leaders from the rest. Simon challenges the conventional focus on what we do or how we do it, and instead argues that great leaders and organisations start with why – their purpose, cause, or belief. Through his Golden Circle framework, he demonstrates how the most inspiring leaders think, act and communicate from the inside out. Drawing on examples from Apple, Martin Luther King Jr, and the Wright Brothers, Sinek shows that people don't buy what you do – they buy why you do it. When organisations are clear about their purpose, they attract employees and customers who share their beliefs, creating cultures of trust and belonging where people feel valued and motivated to contribute their best work. This isn't just about messaging; it's about building sustainable success through authentic, purpose-driven leadership. Whether you're looking to inspire your team, build deeper trust with clients, or create a culture where innovation thrives, Start with Why offers a compelling framework for leading with intention. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 approach to citizenship. Donovan discusses the opportunity for AI to free HR business partners from transactional work to focus on coaching, culture, and employee experience. He shares examples of living corporate values, not just posting them, such as Women at Langan's 10th anniversary – with a summit open to clients, suppliers, competitors (and all genders) - maximising value and impact across Langan's value chain. His wish for HR: lead with kindness, empathy and heart. Be the employee advocate, not just the business partner. References: - The Farm is Here by Jeff Tkach Elevating wellbeing to a strategic priority: Geoff McDonald's work Thank you to Geoff McDonald for sponsoring this episode. Geoff is a global advocate, campaigner and consultant passionate about addressing the stigma of mental ill health in workplaces. As former Global VP of Human Resources at Unilever, Geoff brings practical experience helping organisations elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority in the C-suite. In 2014, he left Unilever to devote his expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace - because he knows first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives. As a business transformation consultant and co-founder of charity Minds@Work, Geoff helps organisations define purpose beyond growth and profitability, and develop holistic wellbeing strategies that unlock true performance potential. Learn more about Geoff McDonald's work: www.geoffmcdonald.co.uk Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for April is Start with Why by Simon Sinek – a powerful exploration of what separates truly inspiring leaders from the rest. Simon challenges the conventional focus on what we do or how we do it, and instead argues that great leaders and organisations start with why – their purpose, cause, or belief. Through his Golden Circle framework, he demonstrates how the most inspiring leaders think, act and communicate from the inside out. Drawing on examples from Apple, Martin Luther King Jr, and the Wright Brothers, Sinek shows that people don't buy what you do – they buy why you do it. When organisations are clear about their purpose, they attract employees and customers who share their beliefs, creating cultures of trust and belonging where people feel valued and motivated to contribute their best work. This isn't just about messaging; it's about building sustainable success through authentic, purpose-driven leadership. Whether you're looking to inspire your team, build deeper trust with clients, or create a culture where innovation thrives, Start with Why offers a compelling framework for leading with intention. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 Health Awareness Week commences on 11 th May 2026; this year's theme is Action. Geoff's call to action for you: start with your own mental health. Only when you care about yourself can you lead the workplace culture revolution. Elevating wellbeing to a strategic priority: Geoff McDonald's work Thank you to Geoff McDonald for sponsoring this episode. Geoff is a global advocate, campaigner and consultant passionate about addressing the stigma of mental ill health in workplaces. As former Global VP of Human Resources at Unilever, Geoff brings practical experience helping organisations elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority in the C-suite. In 2014, he left Unilever to devote his expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace - because he knows first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives. As a business transformation consultant and co-founder of charity Minds@Work, Geoff helps organisations define purpose beyond growth and profitability, and develop holistic wellbeing strategies that unlock true performance potential. Learn more about Geoff McDonald's work: www.geoffmcdonald.co.uk Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for April is Start with Why by Simon Sinek – a powerful exploration of what separates truly inspiring leaders from the rest. Simon challenges the conventional focus on what we do or how we do it, and instead argues that great leaders and organisations start with why – their purpose, cause, or belief. Through his Golden Circle framework, he demonstrates how the most inspiring leaders think, act and communicate from the inside out. Drawing on examples from Apple, Martin Luther King Jr, and the Wright Brothers, Sinek shows that people don't buy what you do – they buy why you do it. When organisations are clear about their purpose, they attract employees and customers who share their beliefs, creating cultures of trust and belonging where people feel valued and motivated to contribute their best work. This isn't just about messaging; it's about building sustainable success through authentic, purpose-driven leadership. Whether you're looking to inspire your team, build deeper trust with clients, or create a culture where innovation thrives, Start with Why offers a compelling framework for leading with intention. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 personal passion centres on young people entering the workforce. As a mother of four at career-entry age, Aly worries that automation is eliminating entry-level roles that once served as gateways to learning how organisations work. She challenges HR leaders to think creatively about apprenticeships and developmental internships - not just for social responsibility, but because stripping away these entry points threatens the future talent pipeline. LHH's purpose is 'building a beautiful working world'; and Aly means it. She sees HR as stewards of culture, ensuring access to opportunities and development is woven into how the organisation works, not treated as a side project. Her wish for all HR professionals: remember that we are called human resources, and the human part comes first. HR must stay at the table with business leaders, ensuring that in the rush for efficiency and quarterly results, people remain at the centre of transformation. References: - The Future of Jobs Report 2025 | World Economic Forum Elevating wellbeing to a strategic priority: Geoff McDonald's work Thank you to Geoff McDonald for sponsoring this episode. Geoff is a global advocate, campaigner and consultant passionate about addressing the stigma of mental ill health in workplaces. As former Global VP of Human Resources at Unilever, Geoff brings practical experience helping organisations elevate wellbeing to a strategic priority in the C-suite. In 2014, he left Unilever to devote his expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace - because he knows first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives. As a business transformation consultant and co-founder of charity Minds@Work, Geoff helps organisations define purpose beyond growth and profitability, and develop holistic wellbeing strategies that unlock true performance potential. Learn more about Geoff McDonald's work: www.geoffmcdonald.co.uk Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for March is Don't Fix Women by Joy Burnford – a bold call to rethink how we approach gender equality in the workplace. Joy challenges the narrative that women need to adapt or be "fixed" to succeed. Instead, she shines a light on the systemic barriers and cultural norms that need to change. Drawing on extensive research including the landmark Why Women Leave study, she demonstrates that the barriers women face aren't about women at all – they're about how work is structured, managed and experienced. With published Gender Action Plans coming in next year, if you're thinking about root causes, want compelling data points for your business cases, and ideas for practical steps you can take, Don't Fix Women is the book to read. It's a timely read as we approach International Women's Day too. Grab your copy – perhaps an International Women's Day gift for yourself or a colleague. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 65% workforce participation rate, Lucia is clear this isn't charity - it's smart business building talent pipelines and diverse perspectives. Lucia describes ADP's Break the Ceiling programme, sparked by a photograph of the management team: two women in a sea of male black suits. The programme showed that sponsorship, not just mentorship, drives advancement - Lucia herself benefited from this programme, advancing to her current CHRO role. Her wish for all HR professionals: feel the power to influence. Don't be afraid to challenge the status quo. And in claiming that power, HR leaders really can change the world. What actually drives progress for women in leadership? Encompass Equality's latest research Thank you to Encompass Equality for sponsoring this episode. Encompass is dedicated to creating better workplaces for women and building cultures where everyone benefits. Powered by industry-leading research into women's lived experiences at work, Encompass turns real insight into targeted interventions that improve how people work together. Their latest research, conducted with the FTSE Women Leaders Review and Chartered Management Institute, reveals what actually works and how to make change happen in your organisation. Download your free report from Encompass Equality 👥 Join our free HR Changemakers community You'll be the first to hear about each podcast episode, about our events, and receive free bonus resources that enhance your influence and impact. Join us here: upliftingpeople.com/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world And on Linkedin: Uplifting People | LinkedIn Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for March is Don't Fix Women by Joy Burnford – a bold call to rethink how we approach gender equality in the workplace. Joy challenges the narrative that women need to adapt or be "fixed" to succeed. Instead, she shines a light on the systemic barriers and cultural norms that need to change. Drawing on extensive research including the landmark Why Women Leave study, she demonstrates that the barriers women face aren't about women at all – they're about how work is structured, managed and experienced. With published Gender Action Plans coming in next year, if you're thinking about root causes, want compelling data points for your business cases, and ideas for practical steps you can take, Don't Fix Women is the book to read. It's a timely read as we approach International Women's Day too. Grab your copy – perhaps an International Women's Day gift for yourself or a colleague. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
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 restructuring at AkzoNobel. Providing span of control as an example metric, Armand discusses his work moving the ratio from 6.6 to 8, delivering €150 million in structural savings whilst increasing both productivity and employee engagement. Armand shares his passion for encouraging others to achieve what seems unachievable, and he challenges HR leaders to master data and evidence, and to aim for simplicity. Host Cecilia notes, leading a workforce of 32,000 people undoubtedly has societal impacts, and suggests that, in supporting others with such ambitions, perhaps Armand is changing the world, after all. What actually drives progress for women in leadership? Encompass Equality's latest research Thank you to Encompass Equality for sponsoring this episode. Encompass is dedicated to creating better workplaces for women and building cultures where everyone benefits. Powered by industry-leading research into women's lived experiences at work, Encompass turns real insight into targeted interventions that improve how people work together. Their latest research, conducted with the FTSE Women Leaders Review and Chartered Management Institute, reveals what actually works and how to make change happen in your organisation. Download your free report from Encompass Equality 👥 Join our free HR Changemakers community You'll be the first to hear about each podcast episode, about our events, and receive free bonus resources that enhance your influence and impact. Join us here: upliftingpeople.com/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world And on Linkedin: Uplifting People | LinkedIn Are you looking for your next great read that inspires you and helps your work? Our book of the month for March is Don't Fix Women by Joy Burnford – a bold call to rethink how we approach gender equality in the workplace. Joy challenges the narrative that women need to adapt or be "fixed" to succeed. Instead, she shines a light on the systemic barriers and cultural norms that need to change. Drawing on extensive research including the landmark Why Women Leave study, she demonstrates that the barriers women face aren't about women at all – they're about how work is structured, managed and experienced. With published Gender Action Plans coming in next year, if you're thinking about root causes, want compelling data points for your business cases, and ideas for practical steps you can take, Don't Fix Women is the book to read. It's a timely read as we approach International Women's Day too. Grab your copy – perhaps an International Women's Day gift for yourself or a colleague. Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book.
