How HR Leaders Change the World – Details, episodes & analysis

CHRO at ofi (olam food ingredients), a global food ingredients company, anchored in sustainability, that operates in over 50 countries and sources from  2.8 million farmers across cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices provides to service big food brands and manufacturers with food and beverage ingredients for a diverse range of products ranging from a plant-based latte mix to an almond based snack bar – Usha highlights how meaningful change comes from small, everyday moments – using one-to-one conversations engaging to help employees identify and apply their superpowers, creating a ripple effect across the organisation.

Usha also discusses ofi's approach to DEI IDE - it's direct correlation to business performance – and talent, emphasising diversity in thought, background, and experience. She shares her practical approach to strategies showing how HR can foster a culture where individuals thrive, driving innovation and systemic change.

Usha ends with advice on tackling ambitious goals by breaking them into manageable steps and celebrating small wins. She urges HR professionals to practise self-kindness, recognising that personal well-being is essential for effective leadership and for amplifying impact across teams, organisations and society. 

Thank you to Staffbase for sponsoring this episode  

Staffbase knows that HR leaders are driving transformation in the workplace and they're here to help.

Staffbase Communications Cloud empowers HR leaders to be transformation trailblazers, driving trust and business success in change through strategic communication. Their internal communications platform empowers companies to connect with their people, whether they're at their desks or on the front lines.

With tools that improve engagement, amplify employee voices and align everyone with your company's goals, Staffbase makes it easier for HR leaders to create and measure lasting change. Want to learn more? Head over to Staffbase.com to see how Staffbase can help your organisation thrive.

👥 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? 

Each month we recommend a book that challenges, motivates and uplifts, every pick is selected to spark meaningful conversations and personal growth.

Our November Book of the Month is Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman.

Bregman gently challenges the belief that people are inherently selfish and divisive, showing instead that at our core we are kind, generous, and ready to help one another.

For anyone looking for an antidote to today's unsettling headlines, this is a brilliant, feel-good read - full of optimism, hope, and truly soothing for the soul.

Head to upliftingpeople.com to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book!

In this special episode ahead of COP30, Cecilia Crossley explores the transformative potential of collaboration between HR and Sustainability functions to drive competitive business alongside social and environmental impact. Cecilia is joined by Antoine Poincaré, CEO of AXA Climate School, with contributions from Jacky Griffiths, Director of ESG People & Culture at Grant Thornton UK; and Helen Redfern, Chief People, Communications & Sustainability Officer at Dowlais Group plc.

Antoine shares examples of how climate change is reshaping HR practices, from low-carbon commuting incentives and climate-related leave to new physical and psychological risks for employees. He highlights four key areas for HR focus: decarbonisation, risk management, employer branding, and green skills. 

Cecilia illustrates how HR policy and practice - from wellbeing objectives and flexible working to corporate pensions, connect to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating that people strategy can drive tangible environmental and social impact – to the benefit of people goals.

Jacky and Helen offer practical guidance on embedding sustainability across organisations. Jacky emphasises storytelling and incremental progress, and Helen highlights giving HR, sustainability, and communications equal executive voice. Cecilia closes with her 'one wish' for HR leaders: if you've not yet already, take a first step to collaborate with Sustainability peers.

Thank you to Staffbase for sponsoring this episode  

Staffbase knows that HR leaders are driving transformation in the workplace and they're here to help.

Staffbase Communications Cloud empowers HR leaders to be transformation trailblazers, driving trust and business success in change through strategic communication. Their internal communications platform empowers companies to connect with their people, whether they're at their desks or on the front lines.

With tools that improve engagement, amplify employee voices and align everyone with your company's goals, Staffbase makes it easier for HR leaders to create and measure lasting change. Want to learn more? Head over to Staffbase.com to see how Staffbase can help your organisation thrive.

👥 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? 

Each month we recommend a book that challenges, motivates and uplifts, every pick is selected to spark meaningful conversations and personal growth.

Our November Book of the Month is Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

A wonderful celebration of the goodness in people and the extraordinary ways we come together when it really matters. Bregman gently challenges the belief that people are inherently selfish and divisive, showing instead that at our core we are kind, generous, and ready to help one another.

Humankind shares inspiring stories from history, science, and everyday life, demonstrating how small acts of trust and solidarity can spark big change in society. For anyone looking for an antidote to today's unsettling headlines, this is a brilliant, feel-good read - full of optimism, hope, and truly soothing for the soul.

It makes the perfect gift for friends, family, colleagues, or clients. You can also pair it with our Humankind Holiday Gift Bundle or our brand-new hampers, filled with seasonal delights like kind-hearted chocolates, supercharged teas, and thoughtfully curated stationery. These impact-led gifts show how much you care and are perfect for spreading inspiration and appreciation this holiday season.

Why not also treat your team? Send a copy along with a gift bundle, and encourage them to pass the book on and share a discussion about what they learned - a simple, thoughtful way to spark meaningful conversations at work.

Head to upliftingpeople.com  to grab your copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book!

Tom shares insights from his CHRO Impact Framework and reflects on how HR leaders can step into true enterprise leadership - shifting from a function-first to a system-first mindset and shaping the wider conditions for business performance.

Tom explores the tension HR leaders face between short-term pressures and long-term impact, and the courage and curiosity needed to navigate both. He explains why the effectiveness of the executive team is central to culture and performance, and how HR leaders are uniquely placed to act as the strategic conscience of that team. 

He introduces his new framework, VETRA - vision, empathy, trust, resilience and agility - to help HR leaders elevate executive team effectiveness, strengthen relationships and foster psychological safety while keeping teams anchored in purpose.

Tom shows how every conversation is a chance for HR leaders to step beyond their function and lead in ways that make organisations stronger, wiser and more human.

Thank you to HEX Talent & Development for sponsoring this episode  

HEX is a people performance consultancy dedicated to helping individuals, teams, and organisations reach their full potential.

Founded by Tom Emery, HEX isn't just another learning provider - they offer the complete package. Their services include deep individual and team coaching, leadership development, facilitation of team events, and broader HR consultancy.

With extensive C-suite experience and years of working with CEOs and senior leaders across multiple industries, HEX's experts bring insight, challenge, and thought leadership to every engagement.

Their CHRO Impact Framework for developing high-performing senior leaders is tried and tested, forming the foundation of Tom's Amazon best-selling book, People People: Reach Your Full Potential as a CHRO.

Above all, HEX brings passion, challenge, and joy to all their clients. Discover more by visiting hex-development.com

👥 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? 

Each month we recommend a book that challenges, motivates and uplifts, every pick is selected to spark meaningful conversations and personal growth. 

Our September Book of the Month is People People: Reach Your Full Potential as a CHRO, by Tom Emery.

It's a refreshingly honest companion for any CHRO who's ever wondered, "Am I truly making a difference?" Through the story of Joanna, a seasoned HR leader at a crossroads, it unpacks both the loneliness and potential of the role, guiding you through a CHRO Impact framework.

It's not a dry leadership manual; it's full of real-world tools you can bring straight into your leadership. If you've ever questioned your path, this book reminds you there's a way forward - and it starts with purpose, courage and connection.

Head to UpliftingPeople.com to grab a copy, and we hope you enjoy this month's Uplifting Book!   

Welcome to this special episode of How HR Leaders Change the World!

Which is a different format to usual, as there's a big week coming up… the UN General Assembly, also known as UNGA Week and Global Goals Week. It's a brilliant opportunity for HR and certainly every HR Changemaker, and so we thought to create this episode to tell you about it!

Plus, we've created a free cheat-sheet for you: 25 Ways Your HR Work Delivers ESG Results 

In this episode we'll cover:

• What UNGA week is
• Why it matters
• Why it's relevant to HR
• What I'm doing during UNGA week
• What you can do too, and importantly, why doing so will help your work

Click here to get your free cheat-sheet: 25 Ways Your HR Work Delivers ESG Results

Plus here's further information about UNGA Week and the link to our free digital tool mapping HR - UN SDGs

The inspiring, impact-led HR conference is back... How HR Leaders Change the World - Live!

15 November 2023

Join us to learn and discuss:

• How does connecting your HR work to ESG help you achieve your goals?
• How can you measure HR's ESG impacts and what are investors and your CEO keen to hear from you on?
• How can you position HR impact to best demonstrate your HR function's value to all your colleagues and in your EVP?
• Demystifying psychological safety: embedding a workplace culture that drives innovation and change.

Learn from actionable examples shared by pioneering C-Suite HR Leaders, that you can implement at your company too.

Alongside the CHRO speakers and the brilliant community of HR Changemakers you'll be part of, we're delighted to announce that Sir Lenny Henry CBE is this year's inspiring keynote.

Find out more and don't miss out on your place!

Join us In Person or via Live Stream, get your ticket here: https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world-live-2023

Join the free How HR Leaders Change the World community and get our weekly newsletter – be the first to learn about new episodes and receive free bonus materials that help you showcase how your HR work is also driving positive change:

https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world

We have a favour to ask! Would you tell an HR friend about the podcast? Or share the link with an HR team you think would find it helpful for their work? We're excited to bring more of your peers into the community, and hugely appreciate your help to make it happen!

Linkedin: @FromBabieswithLove

Email: hrleaders@frombabieswithlove.org

Website: https://frombabieswithlove.org

How HR Leaders Change the World is brought to you by social enterprise, From Babies with Love. Across Moments that Matter, we provide employee engagement gift services to global HR functions and donate 100% of our profit to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. We transform commonly existing gift spend in to strategic, efficient and inclusive tools in your People Strategy, delivering Exceptional Employee Experience, and at the same time, ESG results.

Claire describes Ocado Group's three key areas in using AI: customer relationships, efficiency and ESG, and how they apply to HR. Recognising challenges that AI presents, Claire discusses working with the Ocado's Head of AI Ethics and processes to support decision making.

Following approaches commonly found in the tech sector, Claire summarises applying a product mindset to HR and shares the example of Ocado Group's 'Work from Anywhere' policy - the process to create it and business response.  

Claire shares Ocado's social mobility work and the opportunities created with reskilling programmes including 'Recode Your Career' and 'Bot School', and leaves us with an approach to delivering change that provides both personal and business credibility for you, and makes the greatest impact with whatever resources you have. 

Topics in Claire's episode: 

• Creating a product mindset in HR
• Ocado Group's Work from Anywhere policy
• AI, HR and ethics
• Social mobility and reskilling
• Achieving the greatest impact

The inspiring, impact-led HR conference is back... How HR Leaders Change the World - Live!

15 November 2023

How your HR strategy is also driving ESG results

Join us to learn and discuss:

• How does connecting your HR work to ESG help you achieve your goals?
• How can you measure HR's ESG impacts and what are investors and your CEO keen to hear from you on?
• How can you position HR impact to best demonstrate your HR function's value to all your colleagues and in your EVP?

Learn from actionable examples shared by pioneering C-Suite HR Leaders, that you can implement at your company too.

Alongside the CHRO speakers and the brilliant community of HR Changemakers you'll be part of, we're delighted to announce that Sir Lenny Henry CBE is this year's inspiring keynote.

Find out more and don't miss out on a limited time Earlybird ticket!

(Offer ends 6pm BST 8Sep23) Join us In Person or via Live Stream; enter code HRChangemaker to get 30% off your place: https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world-live-2023

Join the free How HR Leaders Change the World community and get our weekly newsletter – be the first to learn about new episodes and receive free bonus materials that help you showcase how your HR work is also driving positive change:

https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world

We have a favour to ask! Would you tell an HR friend about the podcast? Or share the link with an HR team you think would find it helpful for their work? We're excited to bring more of your peers into the community, and hugely appreciate your help to make it happen!

Linkedin: @FromBabieswithLove

Email: hrleaders@frombabieswithlove.org

Website: https://frombabieswithlove.org

How HR Leaders Change the World is brought to you by social enterprise, From Babies with Love. Across Moments that Matter, we provide employee engagement gift services to global HR functions and donate 100% of our profit to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. We transform commonly existing gift spend in to strategic, efficient and inclusive tools in your People Strategy, delivering Exceptional Employee Experience, and at the same time, ESG results.

What are the 5 key HR trends shared by leading CHROs on How HR Leaders Change the World?

What are the pioneering podcast alumni most excited for in the future of how HR will lead business success and at the same time deliver ESG results?

What's the one action host Cecilia Crossley woud like to see every HR professional take to make a positive change in the world? 

Chaired by news anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy, in this brilliant Q&A with podcast host Cecilia Crossley, you can hear a summary of the How HR Leaders Change the World – Summer Celebration, a wonderful evening with a room full of your fellow #HRChangemakers. 

If you missed out on the evening, where we networked, celebrated and pioneered at the cutting edge of HR leadership, don't miss out on our next brilliant event… 

The inspiring, impact-led HR conference is back... How HR Leaders Change the World - Live!

15 November 2023

How your HR strategy is also driving ESG results

Join us to learn and discuss:

·        How does connecting your HR work to ESG help you achieve your goals?

·        How can you measure HR's ESG impacts and what are investors and your CEO keen to hear from you on? 

·        How can you position HR impact to best demonstrate your HR function's value to all your colleagues and in your EVP?

Learn from actionable examples shared by pioneering C-Suite HR Leaders, that you can implement at your company too.

Alongside the CHRO speakers and the brilliant community of HR Changemakers you'll be part of, we're delighted to announce that Sir Lenny Henry CBE is this year's inspiring keynote.

Find out more and don't miss out on a limited time Earlybird ticket! (Offer ends 6pm BST 8Sep23) Join us In Person or via Live Stream; enter code HRChangemaker to get 30% off your place: https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world-live-2023

Join the free How HR Leaders Change the World community and get our weekly newsletter – be the first to learn about new episodes and receive free bonus materials that help you showcase how your HR work is also driving positive change:

https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world

We have a favour to ask! Would you tell an HR friend about the podcast? Or share the link with an HR team you think would find it helpful for their work? We're excited to bring more of your peers into the community, and hugely appreciate your help to make it happen!

Linkedin: @FromBabieswithLove

Email: hrleaders@frombabieswithlove.org

Website: https://frombabieswithlove.org/

How HR Leaders Change the World is brought to you by social enterprise, From Babies with Love. Across Moments that Matter, we provide employee engagement gift services to global HR functions and donate 100% of our profit to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. We transform commonly existing gift spend in to strategic, efficient and inclusive tools in your People Strategy, delivering Exceptional Employee Experience, and at the same time, ESG results.

Sharing examples of her work at Ofcom, Aviva and House of Fraser, Kerri-Ann describes how starting with organisational purpose provided powerful learning that informed business and people strategy, underpinning the connections between commercial success and societal impact.

With the example of child safety online, Kerri-Ann describes how a diverse and inclusive group enables pioneering work and provides a brilliant reference to Bletchley Park during WWII in describing the benefits. 

Kerri-Ann advocates that every HR professional must have an opinion, use their agency to influence business and change, and to help connect with this, your own purpose and power, recommends that you ask yourself: Why did I join this profession? 

Topics in Kerri Ann's episode:

• Starting with Purpose – an example from Aviva
• ESG and People Strategy 
• HR having a business opinion
• Future forward thinking, Ofcom and the example of child safety online
• Bletchley Park – inspiring diversity and inclusion
• Why did you join this profession?

Referenced resources: Nudge, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R Sunstein

Plus! The inspiring, impact-led HR conference is back! How HR Leaders Change the World - Live!

15 November 2023

How your HR strategy is also driving ESG results 

Join us to learn and discuss: 

• How does connecting your HR work to ESG help you achieve your goals?
• How can you measure HR's ESG impacts and what are investors and your CEO keen to hear from you on? 
• How can you position HR impact to best demonstrate your HR function's value to all your colleagues and in your EVP?

Learn from actionable examples shared by pioneering C-Suite HR Leaders, that you can implement at your company too. Alongside the CHRO speakers and the brilliant community of HR Changemakers you'll be part of, we're delighted to announce that Sir Lenny Henry CBE is this year's inspiring keynote. 

Find out more and don't miss out on a limited time Earlybird ticket! (Offer ends 6pm BST 8Sep23) Join us In Person or via Live Stream; enter code HRChangemaker to get 30% off your place: https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world-live-2023

Join the free How HR Leaders Change the World community

Join the free How HR Leaders Change the World community and get our weekly newsletter – be the first to learn about new episodes and receive free bonus materials that help you showcase how your HR work is also driving positive change:

https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world

We have a favour to ask! Would you tell an HR friend about the podcast? Or share the link with an HR team you think would find it helpful for their work? We're excited to bring more of your peers into the community, and hugely appreciate your help to make it happen! 

Linkedin: @FromBabieswithLove

Email: hrleaders@frombabieswithlove.org 

Website: https://frombabieswithlove.org/

How HR Leaders Change the World is brought to you by social enterprise, From Babies with Love. Across Moments that Matter, we provide employee engagement gift services to global HR functions and donate 100% of our profit to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. We transform commonly existing gift spend in to strategic, efficient and inclusive tools in your People Strategy, delivering Exceptional Employee Experience, and at the same time, ESG results.

Stendert introduces his role in leading people and sustainability across the group of Ecotone's food and drinks brands, sharing examples of work that take a holistic view of sustainability and how he measures success for people strategy. 

Advocating that HR has the exciting role to accelerate energy for change, and for being a bridge between sustainability measures and the people agenda, Stendert discusses positive impacts for people topics such as talent acquisition and leadership, as well as for you and your role, and for business success.

Topics in Stendert's episode: 

•         HR as igniters of change
•         Distance to employment
•         Being the bridge between sustainability measures and the people agenda
•         Profit and purpose
•         What does it mean to be a sustainable leader?
•         Tools to unlock people energy
•         The people & sustainability agenda – how you can add value

Referenced resources: 

·        Paul Polman - Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take

Join the free How HR Leaders Change the World community and get our weekly newsletter – be the first to learn about new episodes and receive free bonus materials that help you showcase how your HR work is also driving positive change:

https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world

We have a favour to ask! Would you tell an HR friend about the podcast? Or share the link with an HR team you think would find it helpful for their work? We're excited to bring more of your peers into the community, and hugely appreciate your help to make it happen! 

Linkedin: @FromBabieswithLove

Email: hrleaders@frombabieswithlove.org

Website: https://frombabieswithlove.org/

How HR Leaders Change the World is brought to you by social enterprise, From Babies with Love. Across Moments that Matter, we provide employee engagement gift services to global HR functions and donate 100% of our profit to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. We transform commonly existing gift spend in to strategic, efficient and inclusive tools in your People Strategy, delivering Exceptional Employee Experience, and at the same time, ESG results.

Andrew describes the business transformation he has helped lead Communisis through, sharing how this centred around clarity in business purpose, and how strategy, outcomes and impact, including mapping to the UN SDGs, cascaded out. 

Bringing business purpose to life across a diverse organisation with colleagues in 28 countries, Andrew describes building psychological safety and rewarding vulnerability, including with listening sessions, and shares the guidelines for how Communisis has made these successful, the role of exec sponsors and 'spikey questions', and what the results have been.

Topics in Andrew's episode: 

•         Business transformation - the role of Purpose
•         Rewarding vulnerability - psychological safety
•         When Exec Board members share personal experience
•         Spikey questions
•         Mapping every employee's role to the UN SDGs
•         Human-centricity in business
•         Being a single dad of a neuro-diverse 8-year-old
•        Being yourself

 Referenced resources: 

·        https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/mapping-hr-to-the-un-sdgs

·        https://communisis.com/

Join the free How HR Leaders Change the World community and get our weekly newsletter – be the first to learn about new episodes and receive free bonus materials that help you showcase how your HR work is also driving positive change:

https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world

We have a favour to ask! Would you tell an HR friend about the podcast? Or share the link with an HR team you think would find it helpful for their work? We're excited to bring more of your peers into the community, and hugely appreciate your help to make it happen!   

Linkedin: @FromBabieswithLove

Email: hrleaders@frombabieswithlove.org 

Website: https://frombabieswithlove.org/

How HR Leaders Change the World is brought to you by social enterprise, From Babies with Love. Across Moments that Matter, we provide employee engagement gift services to global HR functions and donate 100% of our profit to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. We transform commonly existing gift spend in to strategic, efficient and inclusive tools in your People Strategy, delivering Exceptional Employee Experience, and at the same time, ESG results.

Sharing her perspective on finding your why and organisational purpose, Jane discusses key changes taking place in HR and business leadership.

On hybrid and flexible working, Jane provides the idea of 'putting up scaffolding' – how to create principles and a framework – for bringing together different expectations on this aspect of the Future of Work. Reflecting on AI, Jane offers thoughts on how to take all colleagues in to the future with optimism.  Advocating for HR's role in bringing energy to DE&I leadership across the business, Jane picks out reverse mentoring as an example of impactful work.

Topics in Jane's episode:  

•         Inspiring better workplaces
•         Successful and productive flexible working
•        AI and skills, life-long learning and opportunity
•         Jane's experience of feeling excluded
•        HR's critical role in enabling DE&I
•        The mutual benefit of reverse mentoring
•         Finding your why

Referenced resources: Simon Sinek

Join the free How HR Leaders Change the World community and get our weekly newsletter – be the first to learn about new episodes and receive free bonus materials that help you showcase how your HR work is also driving positive change:

https://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/how-hr-leaders-change-the-world

We have a favour to ask! Would you tell an HR friend about the podcast? Or share the link with an HR team you think would find it helpful for their work? We're excited to bring more of your peers into the community, and hugely appreciate your help to make it happen! 

Linkedin: @FromBabieswithLove

Email: hrleaders@frombabieswithlove.org

Website: https://frombabieswithlove.org/

How HR Leaders Change the World is brought to you by social enterprise, From Babies with Love.  Across Moments that Matter, we provide employee engagement gift services to global HR functions and donate 100% of our profit to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. We transform commonly existing gift spend in to strategic, efficient and inclusive tools in your People Strategy, delivering Exceptional Employee Experience, and at the same time, ESG results.