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Explore every episode of the podcast HR Insights

Dive into the complete episode list for HR Insights . Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
HR Insights: EOR - The smarter way to go global13 Nov 202500:49:14

Welcome back to another episode of HR Insights: The Podcast. 

Today, our CEO and Host, Stuart Elliott, is joined by Tony Davies, Director of Global Partners at Acumen International, to explore the rapidly growing world of global employment and the role of Employer of Record (EOR) in enabling organisations to scale across borders with confidence.

Together, they discuss the evolution of Tony’s career, from military engineering to building high-performing recruitment businesses, to leading global partnership networks and advising organisations on compliant international workforce expansion. Tony breaks down what the EOR model really is, why demand is rising across regions such as the Middle East, Latin America, and India, and the common pitfalls organisations must avoid when hiring internationally.

We hope you gain practical insights into when and how to use an EOR solution, how to mitigate risk in global hiring, and why choosing the right partner can determine both compliance and commercial success.

About Tony Davies:
Tony Davies is the Director of Global Partners at Acumen International, where he leads the development and execution of global partnership strategies to expand market presence and support business growth. With more than 25 years of experience in international recruitment and workforce solutions, Tony specialises in building strategic alliances, scaling operations across borders, and enabling organisations to globalise efficiently through Acumen’s extensive Global EOR network.

Passionate about empowering organisations to unlock new market opportunities, Tony focuses on strategic collaboration, operational scalability, and sustainable growth in competitive, fast-changing environments.

Key Timestamps:

  • 00:16 – About Tony’s Career path: military → engineering → recruitment
  • 01:03 – Building and selling a recruitment firm
  • 06:20 – Belcan UK turnaround to $60m and 35-country footprint
  • 09:04 – With James Caan: building global partner networks
  • 10:43 – Joining Acumen International: partnership vs referral models
  • 12:08 – What is EOR/PEO and why companies use it
  • 18:45 – Demand hotspots: Middle East, Northern LatAm, India
  • 21:50 – Pitfalls: “cheapest” ≠ safest; misclassification; penalties on global turnover
  • 26:56 – Before using EOR: three checks to run
  • 30:30 – When EOR is the right tool (SMBs, market tests, entity rationalisation)
  • 41:53 – Advice for HR & leaders: build a trusted EOR partnership

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

HR Insights: Why the chief of staff role is making a comeback?30 Oct 202500:34:54

Welcome back to another episode of HR Insights: The Podcast. Today, our CEO and Host, Stuart Elliott, is joined by Claire Butler, a strategic HR leader with extensive experience across global markets, to explore one of the most talked-about roles making a comeback in today’s market, the Chief of Staff.

Together, they unpack what the Chief of Staff role really entails, why it’s re-emerging as a critical strategic function, and how it serves as a bridge between leadership, operations, and culture. Claire shares her personal journey transitioning from HR into the Chief of Staff role, offering honest reflections on both the opportunities and challenges that come with it.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into the key skills that define a successful Chief of Staff, why demand for this position is rising again, and practical advice for both employers hiring for the role and professionals considering it as their next career step.


About Claire Butler:
Claire Butler is a strategic and results-driven HR leader with a strong commercial mindset and a proven track record in driving organisational transformation and HR excellence across global markets. With experience spanning the UK, Europe, the US, and Asia, Claire brings deep expertise in employment frameworks, cultural integration, and HR programme design and delivery.

Passionate about innovation, people, and performance, she is driven by creating enthusiasm, inspiring others, and helping organisations achieve lasting results.

 

Key Timestamps:

  • 01:40 – Introduction to Claire Butler
  • 04:40 – What is a Chief of Staff?
  • 07:31 – What skills make up the Chief of Staff role?
  • 09:48 – Key skills to excel as a Chief of Staff
  • 12:25 – Why Chief of Staff roles are back in trend
  • 17:48 – Pros & cons of being a Chief of Staff
  • 20:42 – Main challenges of the role
  • 26:54 – Hints and tips for success in the role
  • 28:32 – Strategic or operational?
  • 29:41 – Advice for those considering the role

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

HR Insights: The shifting priorities of DEI in HR 28 Apr 202500:47:34

In this episode, we explore the shifting landscape of DEI with Nikki Davies, a globally recognised DEI strategist, coach, and entrepreneur based in Hong Kong. Drawing from our recent UK HR Trends Report, which revealed a shift in DEI's priority amongst organisations, Stuart Elliott asks: why is this happening—and what does it mean for the future?

Nikki shares insights from her 30-year career in coaching and consulting, and how organisations are facing a "day of reckoning"—separating those truly committed to DEI from those who have simply followed trends. We dive into the global trends, the importance of psychological safety, and why sustainable, authentic inclusion efforts—not reactionary ones—will define successful businesses moving forward.

We also explore how factors like the US election, demographic shifts, and the rise of AI are impacting DEI conversations, and why resilience and leadership authenticity are more crucial than ever. Nikki offers advice for HR leaders on how to keep DEI embedded within business strategy and how small, consistent actions can lead to real, lasting progress.

Who is our guest? 

Nikki Davies is a former HR executive with MNCs including Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and Prudential plc. She is now the founder of coNEXTion, her consulting and ICF ACC accredited coaching business, serving clients from start-ups to global organisations and is also the Senior Consultant for Pixel Alchemy Collective

A recognised global DEIB strategist, Nikki has over 20 years' experience crafting strategies to drive inclusion, equity, and belonging. She supports executives as a coach and advises organisations on adapting global initiatives to local markets, always aligning DEIB outcomes with strategic business goals.

Nikki’s approach uses human-centred design to identify systemic challenges and create action-based plans with measurable results, helping leaders build thriving, inclusive organisations. Her impactful initiatives include Diverse Talent Sponsorship Programmes, Inclusive Recruiting, Global DEIB e-learning, Employee Resource Group frameworks, and Inclusive Marketing strategies.

Key Timestamps:

  • 04:00 - Intro into Nikki Davies 
  • 06:20 - Results from our survey
  • 11:00 - The shift in the prioritisation of DEI
  • 17:39 - Is the shift being seen globally? 
  • 22:56 - The emergence of other aspects of DEI
  • 30:40 - Impactful DEI initiatives 
  • 37:17 - The importance of keeping DEI on the agenda and advice for HR leaders


You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 3: Are Annual Performance Reviews a Thing of the Past? 24 Feb 202200:33:14

Our next episode of HR Insights – The Podcast is out now! Stuart Elliott chats to Roly Walter, Founder of Appraisd, an employee performance management system that is unique in aiming to help managers get the best from their team members. 

Appraisd began in Roly’s garden shed where he combined his experience working as an HR and business analyst with his interest in coding. He began with the kernel of an idea: an employee-first approach to performance and development; something that employees would find genuinely useful, something HR would be proud of implementing and something managers would find a blessed relief from the tired and out-dated appraisal forms they were used to. Since then the company has grown substantially.  

In this episode Stuart and Roly question whether the annual performance review process is outdated, the pain points around them and Roly shares various ideas around how career conversations could be structured instead.   


Key timestamps:  

  • 6.20: A few years ago annual performance reviews were reported to be things of the past, why are they still around? 
  • 10.10: How career conversations could be structured  
  • 12.02: 95% of managers are unhappy with the traditional performance review process, why? 
  • 15.08: Advice for conducting performance reviews remotely  
  • 20.50: Employee engagement pulse surveys and tech – what Roly and Stuart are seeing people do differently in the market  
  • 26.23: Statistics show the positive impact flexible working has had on employees, what is the response to companies who want people back in the office five days a week? 
  • 29.59: Roly’s key piece of advice to HR on the performance review process  

 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 3: 2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Trends 17 Feb 202200:43:26

We are thrilled to be launching the third series of HR Insights - The Podcast with returning guest Sasha Scott, CEO & Founder, Inclusive Group. Sasha is an expert in her field, she understands the commercial drivers behind reducing bias within the workplace and the critical need to promote and sustain inclusive workplace cultures in order to attract and retain talent. Sasha has been recognised by the Global Diversity List as a Top 10 Diversity Consultant. 

Emily Ramji has passed the baton over to a new host for this series, CEO & Owner of Elliott Scott HR, Stuart Elliott. Stuart is very excited to chat with all the fantastic HR guests we have lined up this series and we thank Emily for her hard work in hosting our previous seasons.  

Our two prior episodes with Sasha remain the most popular with our listeners. In this episode she and Stuart reflect on which of 2021’s predicted trends were realised and what she sees being key in DEI for 2022.  

Key Timestamps: ​ 

 6.00: The challenges around Inclusion & Diversity in 2022 and the trends realised in 2021  

13.15: What trends are most prominent globally? 

15.15: Why measuring diversity is critical  

16.54: Reluctance towards providing information about identity   

19.40: The challenges with gathering diversity data  

21.05: Organisations refocusing on EDI and ESG intersections after the Pandemic  

25.57: ERG Fatigue 

27.52: How inclusive is hybrid working? 

32.10: How DEI candidates can gauge how invested the leadership team are in DEI 

36.05: How to be inclusive with your language  

41.36: Sasha’s key predicted DEI trend for 2022  

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: How Organisations Can Best Attract Job Applicants in the New World15 Jul 202100:24:16

Our final episode of Series 2 of HR Insights The Podcast is available for download now!

This week our host Emily Ramji is speaking to Missy Lafferty, Founder and Principal at Beam Talent. Missy is a recruiting master; she established Beam Talent to help high growth companies identify, attract and engage top talent.

Emily and Missy discuss how organisations can best attract candidates in the new world of hybrid work, how to recruit effectively in the current competitive market, and best practice for employer branding.

New episodes will be released every fortnight. If you're on the move we recommend you download and listen to HR insights through: 

and most other popular podcast apps, subscribe to the latest episodes are directly available! You can also listen via the player at the bottom of this blog, just ensure you have a consistent internet connection.

Key Timestamps:
1:19- Biggest HR trend of 2021
2:21- Top Wellness Tip
4:16- Struggles with Candidate Shortages
5:49- How to be Creative in a Candidate Short Market
9:43- Opportunities and Challenges for Hiring Remote Workers
12:56- Keeping a Sense of Community Across a Digital Workforce
16:17- Best Practice for Branding
18:13- Attracting Talent as a Smaller Brand
21:10- Quick Recruitment Process
22:27- What Missy Enjoy's Most About Recruitment Challenges 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: Leading Agile Organisations01 Jul 202100:27:28

Our latest episode of HR Insights The Podcast is available for download now!

This week our host Emily Ramji is speaking to Marc Dellaert, General Manager Europe at the Center for Creative Leadership. Marc is a Consultant, Leader, Author, Coach and Key Note Speaker for a range of topics, including Agile. 

Emily and Marc discuss the concept of organisational agility, looking at its growing importance in the world we’re living in today and the key role both leaders and HR professionals play to enable agile cultures and teams.

New episodes will be released every fortnight. If you're on the move we recommend you download and listen to HR insights through: 

and most other popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! 


Key Timestamps 

  • 1:40 - Biggest HR Trends of 2021 
  • 5:50 - Defining an Agile workplace
  • 7:49 - The importance of companies becoming agile 
  • 13:00 - What triggers a company to incorporate an agile culture 
  • 15:55 - How leaders power their teams to work collaboratively 
  • 18:50 - Learning how to be agile 
  • 19:50 - The role HR plays in agile transformation 
  • 25:07 - Can a company be both agile and non-agile

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: Fairness, Care and where C&B goes next…17 Jun 202100:30:39

Our next episode of HR Insights – The Podcast is available now! Emily Ramji chats to Sarah Leverson, Facebook’s Director of Compensation & Benefits for the EMEA region. Prior to Facebook Sarah developed reward strategies at eBay, PayPal and data science experts Dunnhumby. 

Sarah and Emily discuss the how the events of 2020 have forced organisations to think differently about their C&B strategies, with Sarah sharing examples of the practical steps Facebook has taken to address the needs of its workforce. Emily also taps into Sarah’s thoughts on how the C&B function will evolve in the future and learns more about the importance of fairness and care within C&B.

New episodes will be released every fortnight. If you're on the move we recommend you download and listen to HR insights through: 

Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn 

and most other popular podcast apps, subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also listen via the player at the bottom of this blog, just ensure you have a consistent internet connection. 

Timestamps: 

4:27 - Making proactive decisions to support your employees

7:10 - Mental Health Benefits and Support within a business 

9:17 - How Facebook addressed the needs of their employees during the pandemic 

13:40 - The meaning of care in the context of reward

17:30 - Being a leader who executes care

20:55 - Fairness and I&D Agenda 

24:41 - The Future of C&B 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: Strategies for Hiring Diverse Talent03 Jun 202100:30:57

In this week’s episode Emily Ramji chats to Dan Silverman, Head of Diversity Talent Sourcing at Bloomberg. Dan spent six years in agency recruitment, and the following seven years working in house for Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan and now Bloomberg.

As discussed in previous episodes, the business case for creating and fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce has never been clearer. Many organisations are now grappling with how to actively increase the diversity of their employee base. In 2020 Bloomberg created a new function to specifically focus on sourcing diverse talent. Dan shares his experience of setting up this function, its strategy, the challenges and successes along the way.

Key Timestamps:​

  • 3:13 - Why the Diverse Talent Sourcing function was formed
  • 7:48 - Finding diverse talent
  • 9:25 - Creating a strategy for sourcing diverse talent at Bloomberg
  • 15:56 - Challenges of Diverse Talent Sourcing
  • 20:00 - Successes of Diverse Talent Sourcing
  • 24:55 - Hiring strategies should lead from the top down

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: Unhappy Parents Are Bad for Business: Rethinking Parental Support20 May 202100:22:44

We’re happy to share the latest episode of HR Insights – The Podcast. This week our host Emily Ramji is speaking to Sofie Jacobs, founder of Urban Hatch. Sofie is a clinical midwife and entrepreneur who is re-defining parental support strategies for the workplace. 

Emily and Sofie discuss the opportunity organisations have to re-think parental support; partnering not just with expectant parents but also with their line managers and by providing digital and accessible solutions at the moments that matter most.


Key Timestamps 

  • 0.31:  Introduction to Sofie 
  • 3.59:  What is lacking in parental support for expectant and new parents?
  • 6.20:  Parental support should be available for everyone 
  • 7.04: Focusing on support for line managers 
  • 12.58: Supporting the whole family 
  • 14.25: Advice for best practice in parental support 
  • 15.51:  Benefits of getting parental support right
  • 18.09: Silver-lining coming out of COVID-19 
  • 20.01:  Lasting advice for our listeners 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: Why Mental Health Needs To Be at the Top of Your Workplace Agenda in 202106 May 202100:34:49

This week on HR Insights – The Podcast, our host Emily Ramji is speaking to Zoe Sinclair, Co-Founder of This Can Happen, a business set up to empower workplace mental health. This Can Happen was born out of a passion to support employees in the context of work and life, something that Zoe has been doing for nearly twenty years.

Mental Health Awareness week runs in the UK between the 10th- 16th May, ahead of this Zoe and Emily discuss some of the key challenges organisations face when discussing mental health as well as considering the different attributes of companies that foster a positive mental health culture. Zoe also shares her views on the best first steps to take for those organisations that are looking to embrace mental health. 


Key Timestamps:

  • 5.04: Jonny’s '#FindMike' Story: Co-Founder of This Can Happen
  • 9.30: How Zoe became involved in workplace mental health.
  • 11.32: What is This Can Happen?
  • 13.00: How Prince William got involved with This Can Happen
  • 15.11: The definition of mental health and what that means
  • 16.47: The effect of the pandemic on the This Can Happen conference
  • 18.55: Challenges in talking about mental health with confidence in the workplace
  • 23.55: Attributes of a mentally healthy workplace
  • 31.38: Firsts steps to having a create awareness of mental health
  • 33.34: This year’s conference dates

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: Wellbeing Benefits for the Modern Workforce22 Apr 202100:24:50

This week on HR Insights - The Podcast, our host Emily Ramji is chatting to Jonathan Shooshani, Co-Founder of JOON. Jon has spent the last decade working at the intersection of wellness and technology and is passionate about building businesses that help people lead happier and healthier lives.

Emily and Jon discuss the latest thinking on wellbeing benefits for the modern workforce. In order to create a culture of wellness and wellbeing, organisations need to gather data in order to design tailored interventions that have the most impact, alongside leaders at the top of the organisation role modelling the use of the benefits on offer. 

Key Timestamps:

  • 3:11 : The difference between Wellness and Wellbeing


  • 5:02 : HR and Employee Experience Technologies 


  • 7:04 : JOON's approach to Employee Wellbeing


  • 8:07 : Flexible Wellbeing Benefits


  • 10:00 : Forming new habits with our Wellbeing


  • 11:51 : Organisations that are creating a culture of Wellness


  • 13:15 : How Wellness has influenced the employee life cycle


  • 15:05 : Corporate Wellness done right


  • 17:58 : The Story behind the name JOON


  • 20:40 : The Future of Wellness and Wellbeing


  • 21:50 : Employee Wellness and Benefits within the Recruitment stage

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: How To Create an Inclusive Culture08 Apr 202100:26:06

This week on HR Insights - The Podcast, our host Emily Ramji is speaking to Paul Anderson-Walsh, Co-Founder & CEO at The Centre for Inclusive Leadership (TCFIL). Paul is a global thought leader on Inclusion working as a L&D Practitioner, Author, Inspirational Speaker and Broadcaster. 

Creating an Inclusive culture is of paramount importance not only for talent attraction, wellbeing and retention but also for commercial performance and viability. In today's episode, Emily and Paul discuss "HEARS"; a proprietary model that Paul and his team at TCFIL have created to help organisations practically apply inclusion in the workplace.

Key Timestamps:

3:10 : The definition of Inclusion

5:48 : About the HEARS model

11:30 : The importance of Authenticity

13:40 : How organisations can focus on Authenticity

15:20 : Inclusion and Diversity - How can we treat people equally well?

22:00 : Clients that have successfully implemented the HEARS model

23:50 : Why organisations should consider fostering inclusivity

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

HR Insights: UK HR trends 202509 Apr 202500:47:56

You may have noticed a brief pause in our HR Insights: Podcast episodes. This break was part of our broader initiative to elevate the Elliott Scott brand. We're excited to return with enhanced content and a renewed focus on delivering insightful, topical discussions that support and inspire your career growth.

We recently partnered with Cappfinity on a whitepaper focused on gathering the trends in the UK HR world at the beginning of 2025. Cappfinity is the world leader in measuring and developing potential in talent acquisition & talent management. Today we are joined by their Chief Skills Officer, Celine Floyd, to discuss our findings. 

Our CEO and host, Stuart Elliott, sat down with Celine to examine emerging trends, unexpected insights, the rise of skills-based hiring, change management, the integration of AI in HR, essential HR leadership capabilities  and what the HR community is most excited about in the year ahead. 

To download the full report please visit: UK HR trends 2025

Who is our guest?

Celine is the Chief Skills Officer at Cappfinity. She is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and a featured author in Wired, Readers Digest, HR.com, Work Magazine and the Institute of Leadership and Management. Celine is a regular advisor to CEOs, CPOs and CHROs, typically of international corporations. She is passionate about authenticity, agility, inclusion, technology, social mobility and modernity. At Cappfinity Celine is responsible for their skills agenda and its global go-to-market strategy.

Key Timestamps

  • 00:45 – Where have we been?
  • 02:01 – Intro to Celine Floyd and Cappfinity
  • 05:49 – Celine's key takeaways from the whitepaper
  • 07:20 – The trends that came to light
  • 14:38 – The skills-based movement
  • 19:39 – Change management
  • 22:02 – How we use AI
  • 29:34 – The shift in EDI
  • 35:21 – HR leadership skills
  • 40:42 – What HR is excited about in 2025


You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: Strengths-Based Networking in a Virtual World25 Mar 202100:24:22

Our next episode of HR Insights – The Podcast is available now! Emily Ramji chats to Ellie Rich-Poole, The Recruitment Coach. Drawing on twenty years of recruitment experience, Ellie helps organisations develop strategies to attract and retain the best people and she enables individuals to achieve more from their careers. 

Ellie and Emily discuss the ever important topic of networking, but through a couple of different lenses that are very relevant to the world we’re living in right now. The first being how to understand and leverage our true strengths when we network and the second being how to approach networking in a virtual, lockdown environment.  

Key Timestamps:

3.00 : Why it’s important to invest in your network

5.40 : How to harness your strengths when networking
 
7.00 : Ellie’s approach to strength-based networking
 
10.15 : Networking in a virtual world – how and through what channels?

14.54 : Innovative ways to network and create connection virtually 

18.35 : How to discover and build on your strengths  

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 2: 2021 Inclusion and Diversity Trends11 Mar 202100:25:51

We are excited to launch the second series of HR Insights - The Podcast by chatting again to Sasha Scott, Founder & CEO of Inclusive Group. Sasha is an expert and thought leader in Diversity, Bias, Inclusivity and managing Psychological Health. In 2020, Inclusive Group was recognised as one of the top 10 Global Diversity Consultancies.

Sasha’s “2020 Inclusion & Diversity Trends” was the most popular episode of our first series. Our host, Emily Ramji, has invited Sasha back to not only reflect on her key learnings from 2020 but also to look ahead at what Sasha predicts to be the biggest I&D trends for 2021.

Key Timestamps: 

5.31 : Sasha’s biggest I&D learnings of 2020 

8.31 : How the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has shaped the broader I&D agenda 

10.45 : The most important I&D trends of 2021 

12.37 : Are organisations putting BLM at the top of agendas or is the focus still on all aspects of Diversity? 

19.08 : What Sasha feels will make the biggest difference to successfully driving I&D this year 

22.29 : One thing all listeners can take away and do to directly contribute to the I&D within their own organisations 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Covid-19 Mini Series: The Impact of Coronavirus on the Team Dynamic 23 Aug 202000:25:11

In 2020, for the first time in history, many teams had to move to remote working with minimal preparation. Now that the early, adrenaline fuelled, days of crisis management are over, how teams collaborate and are led in the virtual environment will determine the future success of organisations.

In the final episode of our Covid-19 mini series Stuart Elliott, CEO and Owner of Elliott Scott HR and Susannah Yule, Director at YSC Consulting New York tackle the issues surrounding the impact of the crisis on the team. They share how to foster positive collaboration, create conditions that encourage diversity of thought, the importance of giving teams purpose and how to create cohesion and a sense of connectivity throughout the business. 

Key timestamps: 

1.03: How the current situation is impacting the team dynamic  

2.34: What high levels of collaboration look like in the workplace

5.13: How to maintain diversity of thought in the current situation  

7.17: What makes a high performing team  

8.56: The importance of purpose and clarity 

14.37: Creating cohesion and a sense of connectivity 

18:41: Some of the pitfalls leadership teams can fall into and the importance of dedicating time to the team dynamic 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Covid-19 Mini Series: Leadership – What Dynamics Succeed In Difficult Times? 16 Aug 202000:19:44

In these unchartered waters leaders are trying to navigate their organisations through the Pandemic. Various outlets are bombarding them with what they need to do but not how and crisis management means they are struggling to look ahead and plan for the future. With no idea how long the current situation will go on for what qualities are needed to survive and thrive? 

In the second episode of our Covid-19 mini series Stuart Elliott, CEO and Owner of Elliott Scott HR and Susannah Yule, Director at YSC Consulting New York discuss the challenges leaders are facing, what leadership qualities are needed right now and how leaders can look ahead and prepare themselves and their organisations for the next chapter.  

Key timestamps: 

1.28: How the challenges leaders are currently facing are different to before 

3.36: The impact being seen on staff productivity  

8.03: The leadership qualities that are most important right now 

13.23: How to prepare for the future 

15.36: The business behaviours that are most likely to result in an organisation that thrives 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Covid-19 Mini Series: Mentoring Your Team Through A Crisis 09 Aug 202000:21:42

In this special three episode spin off of HR Insights – The Podcast Stuart Elliott, CEO and Owner of Elliott Scott HR and Susannah Yule, Director at YSC Consulting New York discuss three key areas: Resilience, Leadership and the Team Dynamic. All pertinent Covid-19 business issues raised by our HR Community. 

The first bite sized episode looks at Resilience. In the early stages of lockdown we needed the Resilience for a sprint but now as each country moves in and out of lockdown, we need to be prepared for a marathon. Susannah shares how we can both ask for help from our organisations, cultivating Resilience personally and how businesses and leaders should role model and develop Resilience in their teams.    

Key timestamps: 

2.44: The biggest misconception of resilience 

5.30: Five pillars of resilience 

6.45: How we can encourage our employees to ask for help

9.02: The importance of confidence building during the pandemic 

10.58: Knowing how to refill our energy reserves during a crisis 

14.18: How leaders can develop resilience 

17.05: How Stuart had seen the current market impact candidate resilience 

18.33: Who’s looking for new roles at the moment? 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: Developing Your Organisation's Skills Strategy25 Jun 202000:43:11

In our final episode of Series One, Emily Ramji chats to Janice Burns and Todd Tauber from Degreed about how organisations can develop a more coherent “skills” strategy. As organisations are forced to rapidly adapt to changing landscapes, the need to identify, develop and redeploy skills has never been greater.

At the organisational level, accurate skills data enables strategic workforce planning and allows the company to successfully deliver its business plan. For individuals, how their skills are recognised, developed and used underpins employee experience, organisational culture, wellbeing, performance and ultimately shapes their career. 

Key timestamps:

3.34: Why skill data and a holistic understanding of skills within organisations is so important

5.59: Is skills development an area of HR that is well developed and organisations are currently succeeding at or is it a new space? 

8.26: How technology can enable organisations to better understand skillsets and be more agile in their ability to respond to disruption

14.05: Skills for performance enablement 

18.30: Examples of organisations utilising skills for strategic workforce planning  

22.24: Advice for those who are looking to re-shape their talent or internal mobility strategy 

31.00: How organisations can use learning behaviours to drive higher employee engagement

39.00: The importance of continuous career development 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: Free Range Thinking11 Jun 202000:22:29

Disruption, change and the need for innovation have defined the business landscape in 2020. In the latest episode of HR Insights – The Podcast Emily Ramji chats to Kristin Dudley from Co-Create about how teams and networks can stimulate and capture innovative thinking through her proprietary Free Range Thinking approach. Also joining the discussion is Roshan Jayawardena, Managing Director for Elliott Scott HR’s North America business. Rosh shares how “Free Range Thinking” enabled our New York HR Community to invent creative ways to disrupt the job interview process.

Key Timestamps:

3.35: How Rosh first met Kristin and what inspired them to form a partnership 

5.08: What ‘Free Range Thinking’ is

6.16: The steps to facilitate a Free Range Thinking event 

11.07: Some of the ideas that came from the Free Range Thinking event series on ‘Disrupting the Job Interview’ 

14.24: Rosh’s highlights from running a Free Range Thinking event series

17.18: How participants have progressed with the ideas generated to bring about change in their organisations 

21.04: What’s next in the Co-Create x Elliott Scott HR partnership 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: Employee Experience in the New World21 May 202000:34:47

Our next episode of HR Insights – The Podcast is available now! Emily Ramji chats to Toby Hervey, CEO and Co-Founder of Bravely. Employee Experience has gained increased attention globally as being key to organisation success. In the new world we’re living in, Toby discusses his perspective on the “new normal for employee experience”, sharing ideas on how leaders can adapt and evolve their employee experience strategies. 

Key Timestamps: 

3.55: The changes to how we work that are most likely to endure when this crisis is over

7.11: Which of those changes are positive for the workplace

9.16: The potential for the situation to improve many employees work/life blend 

12.33: How managers can ensure they are providing their teams with the best possible employee experience at this time

18.15: Pre-existing workplace challenges that are enhanced by the current changes

22.10: Organisations doing well at equipping their employees with the right wellness tools 

27.06: How the toolkit / tech stack of the HR leader is changing  

30.21: Recommended tools for pulse and engagement surveys. Mentioned: Culture Amp, Qualtrics, LinkedIn Learning

31.52: Toby’s view on what has the most influence and impact on the employee experience 

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Series 1: Talent Management in Uncertain Times07 May 202000:36:46

How does the current Covid-19 scenario change companies’ approaches to talent management? Organisations around the world are delicately balancing crisis management with weighing up which longer term strategies and programs to invest in. In this week’s episode of HR Insights - The Podcast Emily Ramji chats to Sarah McLellan, Managing Director for SHL in the UK&I, to understand her perspective on what HR teams can do now to best position themselves for recovery and transformation later.  

Key Timestamps:

3.45: How the current scenario changes companies’ approach to talent management

7.28: What Sarah anticipates the next few months will look and feel like for organisations

15.30: What businesses can do now to best position themselves for recovery later

21.44: How to engage employees at this time 

29.34: What organisations can do to ensure they’re positioned for growth and transformation

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: Keeping Calm in a Crisis – Transferable Strategies From an International Medic Turned HR Leader23 Apr 202000:40:58

Our next episode of HR Insights – The Podcast is available now! Emily Ramji's guest this week is Taylor Bradley, Director of HR for Global Product Development at Datto. In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Taylor shares a unique perspective and several strategies that he’s developed for his HR role, that are taken from his earlier career as an international medic.  

Key Timestamps: 

4.24: Lessons learnt from the impact of the Coronavirus in the East leading to being more on the front foot in preparing for the pandemic in the West

9.47: The practicalities of managing a team remotely 

11.43: What has worked from a leadership standpoint when dealing with this new situation

14.37: Some models and strategies from Taylor's former career that he's actively used within the HR profession

30.51: Mental health and Covid-19- assisting and distracting our employees 

37.12: Closing advice to the HR community currently managing their organisation’s response to the pandemic and economic crisis

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 7: Career Stories: Leading With Intent 12 Dec 202400:41:37

It's our mid-season finale!

In this episode, Stuart Elliott sits down with DN Prasad, Executive Coach, transformational HR Leader and founder of Noetic Step to discuss his career. Originally from Bangalore, Prasad’s journey is one of intentionality, growth, and impact. Over his impressive career—including 12 years at Google—he has shaped cultures, built high-performing teams, and led transformative initiatives across India, the US, and Singapore.

Prasad shares the defining moments that underpin his career, from building Google India’s employment brand to stepping into global roles that stretched his leadership style. He reflects on what it means to work across borders, emphasisng the importance of embracing diverse cultures, intellectual curiosity, and humility.

He also dives into the challenges of leading through transformation, the lessons he’s learned in both private and public sectors, and the intentional approach leaders must take to seek inspiration from those around them. For aspiring HR professionals, Prasad offers timeless advice: explore, challenge yourself, embrace overseas opportunities, and never stop learning.

D N Prasad is an Executive Coach (PCC, International Coach Federation) and a transformational HR Leader with expertise in leading scaled transformation, building and scaling Organisations & functions (in-country, region and global) and shaping & nurturing cultures and careers. Prasad was conferred as a Master Professional by the Institute of Human Resource Professionals (IHRP).  

DNP, as he is known in professional circles, has held several regional and global Executive roles through his career spanning quarter of a century; in private and Public Service, across India, US and Singapore, and in organisations including Infosys, Google and GovTech (Singapore). He also founded Noetic Step, an Executive Coaching and Talent Advisory practice, in 2018.  

DNP is the current President of Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) and a member of The Professional Practices Committee for IHRP, Singapore. He is an Independent Advisor at GoSports Foundation, India and also an invited member of the Forbes Coaches Council.  

Key Timestamps: 

  • 01:25 - Intro into D N Prasad
  • 04:49 - The defining moments underpinning D N Prasad's career 
  • 06:36 - D N Prasad's role at Google 
  • 11:57 - The positive impact of working abroad 
  • 16:13 - How D N Prasad's experiences have shaped his leadership style 
  • 21:52 - Public vs Private sector 
  • 31:10 - D N Prasad's toughest work engagements 
  • 37:39 - Advice to aspiring HR professionals 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: Leveraging AI and Technology to Engage a Remote Workforce09 Apr 202000:29:41

It is widely expected that remote working will continue for an extended period of time. Leaders and HR teams can no longer rely on traditional, face-to-face approaches for employee management and engagement. How can AI and digital solutions be leveraged to enable organisations to adapt to the new work set-up? In this episode of HR Insights - The Podcast Emily Ramji chats to Devyani Vaishampayan, Managing Partner of the HR Tech Partnership to understand her perspective and experience of AI and HR technology. 

Key Timestamps: 

4.41: How is AI overall impacting the workforce?

8.30: AI in your everyday life

9.30: Given the current circumstances, how can AI solutions be used?

20.02: Other areas of the HR function where digital can make an immediate impact  

22.01: How can HR professionals learn and up-skill themselves around AI? 

26.26: Finding the right HR tech solutions for your business needs 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: Building Resilience22 Mar 202000:37:57

The level of uncertainty and change we are living in at the moment across the globe is unprecedented. Understanding how to build resilience has never been more important. In this episode of HR Insights - The Podcast Emily Ramji chats to Thierry Moschetti, Partner at The Resilience Institute Europe. Thierry takes us through some simple and effective ways we can develop and implement resilience alongside advice on how to build a business case for organisations to invest in developing resilience in their leaders.  

Key timestamps:

3.40: What does resilience mean?

7.12: Why is resilience important both to organisations and us as individuals?  

10.48: How can we build resilience?

12.39: Going through the Resilience Spiral – steps to build your resilience 

31.42: How does The Resilience Institute partner with organisations?

34.40: Tips on how can HR Leaders build a business case with their leadership team to focus on resilience 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: Applying Organisational Culture to Leadership08 Mar 202000:37:09

Welcome to our third guest episode of HR Insights - The Podcast, where our host Emily Ramji is chatting to Jig Ramji, former Global Head of Leadership and Talent at Bloomberg. In 2019 Bloomberg launched a new set of leadership attributes, designed specifically to define leadership within the context of the organisation’s unique culture. In today’s episode Jig discusses why and how Bloomberg developed their leadership attributes and how these are being embedded into their global assessment and development processes.

Key Timestamps:

2.04: Leadership and talent have been buzzwords now and key focus areas for HR and broader leadership for decades. Why is leadership so critical to Bloomberg’s business at this time?

4.22: How have Bloomberg defined their leadership attributes and who made this happen? 

6.51: Was there instant buy-in from the business when creating ‘Leadership at Bloomberg’?

9.10: Tell us about the broader strategy and the rollout across the business.

11.11: Adapting the Hogan assessment and other tools to the business. 

12.16: What feedback have you had from both the participants and the broader team that might be privy to some of the development or output that comes from psychometric testing? 

14.06: Have the new leadership attributes had an impact on recruitment? 

15:12: Does the organisation have a new approach to employee development?

19.14: What has the feedback and the uptake been from the business in regards to these tools that are now available to them?

26.57: Have the leadership development programmes in the organisation been aligned to the new attributes? 

28.20: In terms of partners, what proportion of your development is outsourced? Has that been a challenge or relatively easy in terms of working in partnership with those that support you?

31.54: What are the five leadership attributes that Bloomberg have defined? 

34.13: The top piece of advice for people that are looking to do something that is bespoke, customised, and really relates to their organisational context for leadership assessment and development.

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: How Antifragility can Benefit People and Organisations23 Feb 202000:32:11
Welcome to our second guest episode of HR Insights - The Podcast, where our host Emily Ramji is chatting to Dan Spira, Managing Director for Arcadia Consulting in the US. In today’s episode Dan introduces the concept of antifragility and discusses how to identify and harness it to drive individual and organisational performance, alongside how antifragility differs to resilience and growth mind-set.   

Key Timestamps: 

2.40: Why are we talking about antifragility today? And how is it pronounced? 

8.08: How is antifragility different to resilience?

9.46: Good stress versus bad stress

12.08: How is antifragility the same or different to growth mindset?

13.22: Dan, how fragile, resilient or antifragile are you personally?

14.58: Examples of where famous, or iconic people, have or haven’t demonstrated antifragility

16.41: How is antifragility relevant for HR professionals in their careers?

18.54: How do organizations identify somebody that is antifragile and would be comfortable with stress or change that will benefit them, versus individuals where it would hinder them and they'd be fearful or less productive?

21.12: How to create resilience and antifragility in teams and organisations 

22.34: Creating the right balance of antifragility within an organisations culture or within specific teams

27.55: How to avoid becoming fragilised and become antifragilised.

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1: 2020 Inclusion & Diversity Trends09 Feb 202000:33:31

Welcome to our first guest episode of HR insights - The Podcast, where our host Emily Ramji is chatting to Sasha Scott. Sasha founded her business, Inclusive Group, almost 20 years ago and she's personally known as a thought leader around inclusion, diversity and workplace culture. Sasha has worked with over 350,000 professionals across multiple sectors, from airlines to luxury brands to law firms. In today’s episode Sasha shares her perspective on the latest definitions for both inclusion and diversity and discusses global I&D trends for 2020.

Key timestamps: 

3.30: Sasha, how and why did you first get into diversity?

5.06: Did you go and work for somebody else within the diversity or more the training and development space or did you immediately go out on your own?

7.10: Do you have any advice for anyone who may be listening, that's looking right now to move into the diversity and inclusion area?

8.26: What do you look back on for 2019 and think really would summarise the current trends that we’re experiencing at the moment?

12.10: What is inclusion in your words? And how would you explain that to different levels of an organisation? 

13.53: How about diversity, again in your words, what do we mean by that?

19.31: Is there a right way round of putting the 'D' and the 'I'?

21.26: Are there any particular organisations or sectors that you feel are really spearheading work around, particularly, inclusion?

25.23: How else would you describe your approach to work at Inclusive Group? How would you define you typically work with your client organisations?

27.14: What are some examples of inclusive behaviour, particularly at the leadership level?

31.21: What advice would you give at the level of the organisation? 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 1 - Introduction31 Jan 202000:09:57

In this introductory episode – a prelude to the main series - our host, Emily Ramji, COO at Elliott Scott HR, is chatting to Stuart Elliott, CEO and Founder, about what the first series has in store. Across the 10 episodes we’ve got some great guests lined up, discussing matters ranging from inclusion, diversity, leadership and cultural integration to “free range thinking” and antifragility.

Our first episode will go live on the 10th of February, with Sasha Scott as Emily’s first guest. Sasha is a business owner, thought leader and facilitator in the Inclusion & Diversity space and she will be sharing trends and insights for 2020. 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 7: How Resilient Are You?05 Dec 202400:50:23

Today's guest is Thierry Moschetti, Co-Founder and Managing Partner Europe for the Resilience Institute. Thierry is a long-term friend of Elliott Scott HR and has been sharing his insights in the resilience space with our community in past podcast episodes and events. 

Today, we asked Thierry back on the show to talk through new trends in the resilience space, the idea of top-down imperative, which only works when leaders walk the talk in their capacity to balance performance and care for themselves, others and society. As the conversation develops Stuart and Thierry discuss the Resilience Institutes’ Resilience Assessment; the purpose of which gives you a resilience score and tells you how you are comparing against the global average, the assessment offers a breakdown of this score and advice on how to become more resilient. Thierry also shared insights on typical issues companies face when building resilience across their teams and advice for people struggling with wellbeing.

If you would like to complete the Resilience Assessment, you can do so here.

Who is our guest?

After fifteen years in the service industry, including leadership roles in Europe and Asia, and a period of burnout, Thierry joined the Resilience Institute in 2010, a research and training organisation that measures and improves human resilience in organisations using an innovative assessment tool and a science-based training methodology. He has delivered keynotes, training and consulting projects in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the US. Thierry is currently based in England and now leads the Resilience Institute’s European practice. 

 

Key Timestamps:

  • 02:17 – Reintroducing Thierry and the Resilience Institute
  • 07:18 – How does the Resilience Institute work?
  • 08:21 – Top-down Imperative 
  • 11:38 – The Resilience Assessment 
  • 22:20 – Celebrating the small wins
  • 26:20 – Fitness and wellbeing 
  • 31:04 – The connection of wellbeing to the outside
  • 32:26 – Typical issues organisations face when approaching resilience work
  • 36:19 – Engagement Surveys
  • 38:43 – Advice for companies wanting to improve their resilience 
  • 40:59 – Advice for anyone struggling

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 7: Anti-racism and Care in the Modern Workplace28 Nov 202400:51:43

In this episode, Stuart Elliott sits down with Ngozi Cadmus, an inspiration in mental health, anti-racism, and leadership research. With 17 years working in mental health, Ngozi shares her journey from social worker to founder of Happiworkers, an anti-racist, culturally sensitive mental health platform designed to support employees—especially those from racialised backgrounds.

Ngozi discusses her experiences as an approved mental health professional, her groundbreaking doctoral research on discovering why there is a huge lack of black women at C-suite level, and the systemic barriers they face. Ngozi breaks down what anti-racism looks like in the workplace, why racially informed mental health care matters, and how companies can truly support their staff with inclusivity and psychological safety. She also shares actionable insights for leaders to take risks, embrace discomfort, and create meaningful change in order to actively practice anti-racism. 

Get to know our guest 

Ngozi Cadmus is a TEDx speaker, social worker, psychotherapist, and CEO of the leading UK anti-racist, culturally sensitive workplace mental health solution, Happiworkers. Her expertise is in creating anti-racist organisations through a racially informed mental health lens and holding leadership accountable for their commitment to anti-racist practice. Lastly, she is nearing the end of her doctoral research, which focuses on the strategies black women use to reach the top.  

Key Timestamps: 

  • 00:48 – Intro into Ngozi and her career history
  • 03:26 – Ngozi’s experience as a mental health professional 
  • 07:33 – Ngozi’s doctoral research 
  • 16:45 – The definition of anti-racism and a racialised employee 
  • 24:12 – The importance of racially informed mental health care 
  • 34:55 – How companies can look after racialised employees 
  • 38:42 – The significance of psychological safety 
  • 45:00 – How leaders can start creating inclusive workforces

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: Perfecting Negotiation: Earn More, Fear Less 21 Nov 202400:48:22

In this episode, Stuart Elliott sits down with John Gates, a former recruiter turned internationally bestselling author of Act Your Wage, to uncover the art and strategy of pay negotiation. John shares his journey from humble beginnings, working his way through college, to becoming a trusted advisor for C-suite executives and senior leaders through his business, Salary Coach. Over the years, he’s developed a proven method to help candidates secure better compensation packages without risking job offers or damaging relationships.

Drawing from his own experiences, John reveals why fear holds most people back in pay negotiations and how to overcome them. He breaks down common mistakes candidates make, the nuances of pay transparency, and the importance of timing and leverage when asking for what you’re worth. Whether you’re a senior leader navigating high-stakes negotiations or simply looking to better understand your value, John’s refined Salary Coach method offers a roadmap to maximise your compensation while maintaining professionalism and trust.

John Gates is an author and founder of Salary Coach, where he helps C-Suite executives and senior leaders negotiate higher compensation packages without risking their job offers or future relationships. John’s unique approach, born from his extensive experience in corporate recruiting, consistently helps his clients secure 10-20% more in their pay packages, even in challenging job markets.

John’s journey began when a sudden job loss led him to a low-paying role at a temporary agency, struggling to support his young family. The turning point came when he realised the power of leverage during his own salary negotiation, securing a substantial offer from Capital One despite initial fears. Through his journey, John developed a unique approach to help senior-level professionals navigate salary negotiations with confidence, using what he calls the Salary Coach Method.

Key Timestamps: 

  • 04:27 - John's background and career history
  • 12:50 - The lessons John has learnt about negotiation
  • 16:40 - Why Senior Executives struggle to negotiate
  • 24:28 - 'Know your worth' tactics
  • 36:48 - The Salary Coach method 
  • 42:48 - Advice for people who are cynical of recruiters  

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: The Changing Role of HR14 Nov 202400:49:09

The world of HR has changed drastically in recent years and with technology continuing to develop, AI has become a significant part of HR’s tech stack. Today’s guest is Noelle London, Founder and CEO of Illoominus, a people insights platform that integrates and gives context to HR data within and across organisations. Stuart and Noelle sit down to discuss the ever-changing role of HR.  

Throughout the episode, Noelle and Stuart discuss how Illoominus was created and the challenges of being an entrepreneur before focusing on how the role of HR has adapted over the years. They take a deeper dive into how leaders can prepare for the changes in HR’s role, how AI could aid HR in being more data-driven and whether leaders are ready for this change. The conversation moved forward to discuss how HR leaders can get started and be ready to take advantage of upcoming technologies, followed by which organisations are doing well within this space. 

 

Get to know Noelle

Noelle is the Founder and CEO of Illoominus, living in Atlanta, GA with her husband and dog. Noelle caught the entrepreneurial bug early, starting a jewellery business at 15 years old. During her Peace Corps experience in Nicaragua, Noelle worked with female founders on their new ventures which gave her the idea to start something for herself.

Noelle has worked with early and growth stage startups for over a decade, bridging connections to capital, customers and talent. Previously, Noelle led the Atlanta Mayor Office’s startup economic development strategy to connect underrepresented tech talent with career paths to Atlanta’s top startups, she also launched the Crystal City, VA office of 1776, a global startup incubator and venture fund. Whilst leading joint go-to-market opportunities with Accenture’s startup partners and investment portfolio, Noelle was able to help startups scale into Fortune 2000 clients, which allowed her to map the HR tech landscape and found that it’s overflowing with point solutions.

 

Key Timestamps

  • 03:33 – Introduction to Noelle and Illoominus
  • 07:49 – The hardest part of being an entrepreneur
  • 10:47 – How the role of HR is changing
  • 18:40 – Are leaders prepared for the changing role of HR
  • 22:47 – The AI utopia 
  • 32:20 – What are you doing to prepare for AI 
  • 33:16 – How can HR leaders take advantage of up-and-coming technologies?
  • 39:34 – Companies that are doing well in this space
  • 44:27 – Businesses focus on people

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 7: Neurodiversity: Transforming Workplace Dynamics07 Nov 202400:51:49

In this episode, Stuart Elliott talks to Tania Martin, a neuro-inclusion Consultant and Founder of PegSquared, who has spent years advocating for neurodiversity within organisations. Tania shares her experience at EY, where she was instrumental in establishing a Neurodiverse Centre of Excellence and shifting strategies to support candidates who may not thrive in conventional interview settings.

Stuart and Tania explore her own personal journey with an ADHD diagnosis which shifted her understanding of herself and fuelled her commitment to creating more inclusive workspaces. From discussing the changing landscape of neurodiversity awareness and the powerful generational shift in openness, to addressing the stigma and challenges that still exist, Tania provides a compelling overview of why this topic is so crucial today.  
Tania outlines the tangible business benefits of fostering an inclusive environment, offers practical support strategies, including individualised adjustments and sensory-friendly practices, and discusses her five key takeaways for embedding neurodiversity into an organisation’s core culture. The conversation finishes with Tania uncovering actionable advice for HR professionals looking to make meaningful changes, emphasising the importance of curiosity, pilot programs, and seeking external expertise. 

Tania Martin is the founder of PegSquared and an experienced Neuro-inclusion consultant. She helps workplaces navigate neurodiversity at both an organisation and individual level. She leverages real world corporate neurodiversity experience from her time leading the award-winning UK’s Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence at EY. This is underpinned by 20+ years’ experience of leading complex transformation programmes across both people and technology in large global organisations.  These skills together enable her to bring a unique perspective to organisations wanting to create neuro-inclusive workplaces. Her journey also includes navigating her own career with ADHD, diagnosed in 2022, providing a distinctive firsthand perspective on neurodiversity at work.  

Key Timestamps: 

  • 02:20 – Intro into Tania
  • 05:30 – The prevalence of this topic 
  • 08:08 – Tania’s personal ADHD diagnosis  
  • 16:42 – The breadth of the spectrum
  • 22:55 – Business benefits of implementing change
  • 35:09 – Five takeaways from Tania’s experience of neurodiversity in an organisation
  • 43:48 – Changes in the recruitment process
  • 47:13 – Where to start as an HR professional 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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Series 7: Shaping the Workforce with AI-Driven Learning31 Oct 202400:45:31

In this episode, Stuart dives into the transformative potential of AI in the Learning and Development space with Luis Garcia, President of PETE, an AI-powered learning platform. Luis talks about his journey from product development to launching one of the fastest-growing online universities in the US and how this has shaped his expertise and vision for the future of learning.

Luis discusses why translating expertise into effective training is harder than it looks, and how generative AI is set to revolutionise both the creation and evaluation of learning materials. From scaling training for hybrid teams across the globe to designing personalised micro-courses that target specific learning gaps, Luis explores how PETE is helping organisations keep pace with the future of work. We also explore the changing role of facilitators in a tech-driven world, the impact of generative AI vs. the metaverse, and how L&D departments can overcome challenges in AI adoption. 

Luis Garcia is a seasoned international executive with over 25 years of experience in technology, digital media, and education. He specialises in driving new ventures and products to rapid growth by building effective teams that harness innovation, technology, and creativity to solve complex problems. He is the president of PETE, an Orlando-based tech startup that offers a suite of cost-effective and customisable solutions that enable organisations to deliver personalised workforce learning at scale. The PETE team is dedicated to harnessing the power of AI to help organisations of all sizes optimise their training initiatives, spanning from onboarding to regulatory compliance, product knowledge, technical skills, and more, without hiring additional training resources. 

Key Timestamps: 

  • 01:50 – Intro into Luis
  • 10:40 – Trends shaping the workforce 
  • 15:45 – How the system delivers the courses 
  • 17:40 – Personalising the programmes for organisations 
  • 20:58 – Generative AI vs the Metaverse
  • 22:44 – How to ensuring workforces remain agile 
  • 33:10 – Challenges of implementing generative AI 
  • 35:40 – How to overcome the challenges 

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Series 7: Talent & Succession Planning with Ravello HR23 Oct 202400:47:13

Our Host and CEO, Stuart Elliott, is joined today by Lucinda Reader, Founder of Ravello HR. Ravello HR is an HR consultancy specialising in helping businesses create highly effective and efficient talent teams. 

Throughout the episode, Stuart and Lucinda focus on talent and succession planning; discussing why she started Ravello HR and giving advice to mums to be as they navigate their career journey. Stuart and Lucinda chat through how to get talent and succession planning right, how small businesses can adapt their talent strategy to continue growth, and how skills mapping and skills pathways can help in talent success. The discussion then moves on to hiring, where they cover the difference between internal and external recruitment partners, hiring people known to the business and how this could incorporate unconscious bias. Finally, they spoke about AI in the interview process, examples of good hiring processes and advice for startups going through a recruitment process. 

 

Get to know our guest:

Lucinda Reader is the founder of Ravello HR, she is also the non-executive HR Director for Shoorah, a wellbeing app currently disrupting the market. Lucinda has worked in HR and Recruitment globally, both in house and agency, for almost 20 years across sectors, for some of the most well known brands. She is extremely passionate about creating an excellent and equitable experience for all candidates is a firm believer of equal opportunities for all; this being said, she is part of the charity No Going Back, which helps to rehabilitate offenders. Lucinda is proudly a mum to two young children; Santino and Lucia as well as her proclaimed first baby, Norman the sausage dog!

 

Key Timestamps:

  • 02:06 – Introduction to Lucinda Reader
  • 06:44 – The birth of Ravello HR
  • 09:32 – A special mention to Norman the sausage dog
  • 10:09 – Career advice for mums to be
  • 13:42 – Getting talent and succession planning right
  • 16:50 – Small businesses people strategies
  • 20:03 – Skills mapping and skills pathways
  • 24:50 – What Lucinda believes falls under the word ‘talent’ in the workplace
  • 29:05 – Internal vs external recruitment partners
  • 33:00 – Hiring people known to the business
  • 37:34 – Examples of good hiring processes 
  • 39:49 – Advice for startups going through a recruitment process

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

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HR Insights: Is AI the future of talent acquistion?16 Oct 202500:50:34

77% of companies are facing a skills crisis, a striking figure that highlights just how urgent the challenge has become.

In this episode, Stuart is joined by Nick Shaw, Co-Founder of Spotted Zebra, to explore how HR leaders can leverage technology to bridge the widening skills gap.

AI is on everyone’s agenda, but how can it really help HR teams reshape recruitment and performance? Stuart and Nick dive into how AI and skills science can work together to improve productivity, enhance decision-making, and transform how organisations identify and develop talent.

They discuss why traditional recruitment models need disruption, how interview intelligence can help teams make faster, fairer decisions, and the importance of keeping human judgement at the heart of AI adoption.

The conversation also uncovers the blind spots in how companies assess skills, the misconceptions surrounding AI, and practical advice for leaders preparing for the future of HR technology.


Who is our guest?

Nick Shaw is the Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Spotted Zebra, and industry-leading occupational psychology expert.

Recognising that 77% of organisations face a widening skills crisis whilst AI floods recruitment pipelines, Nick co-founded Spotted Zebra - an award-winning Interview Intelligence and Assessment platform - alongside serial entrepreneur Ian Monk. Spotted Zebra combines skills science with AI to surface meaningful talent insights instantly and empower teams to make more objective, data-informed hiring decisions with confidence every time.

As one of the UK's leading authorities in the assessment space, Nick is passionate about transforming how organisations build high-performing teams for now and the future through technology that enhances rather than replaces human judgement.


Key timestamps

  • 01:30 – Introduction to Nick Shaw
  • 01:56 – The name “Spotted Zebra”
  • 07:29 - Explosion in AI and its impact
  • 13:13 - Discovering AI
  • 15:35 - Risks and uses of AI
  • 26:18 - The skills crisis
  • 32:31 - The misconceptions in AI
  • 38:54 - T-shaped professionals
  • 41:55 - Opportunities in HR tech
  • 46:14 - Advice to prepare for AI and change

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: The Latest HR News21 Oct 202401:02:22

In this instalment of the ‘Latest HR News’, our CEO and Host, Stuart Elliott, is joined by Paul Knight, Senior HR Executive Leader and Consultant and Katy Goldwater, Chief People Officer to discuss topical themes and trending articles across the HR space. 

Stuart, Katy and Paul start the conversation by discussing a topic that has continued to be prominent post Covid; hybrid working, reflecting on whether this topic needs to be parked and if it has had an effect on those starting their careers. Moving on, they touch on the topic of intergenerational working as the current workforce is navigating the most crossover in generations in the workplace than ever before. As the conversation continues, Stuart, Katy and Paul discuss whether the cover letter is still necessary and if hiring should be left to the HR department, taking diverse hiring into consideration. Finally, they move on to chatting through AI within the HR function and the future of work and whether it is dependent on the future of reward.

As a more light-hearted topic, Stuart, Katy and Paul discuss social media’s role in HR and whether the use of it is making HR cool again, through the use of TikTok and influencers in the space. 

 Articles referenced:

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Series 7: Creating a Value-Driven Workplace16 Oct 202400:51:55

Today, Stuart Elliott is joined by returning guest, work psychologist, Sarah McLellan whose episode from Season 1 was our most popular episode to date. Today, people in workplaces are more unhappy than ever with company cultures cracking, and many harbouring the worst in human behaviour. Feelings of loneliness, exclusion, fear and exhaustion are growing within organisations and people are choosing to leave, searching for something more meaningful, somewhere they feel valued and able to flourish as a human. Sarah launched Make it Human in February 2024 to help leaders create healthier, more human-centred workplace cultures. She has also written a book titled Make It Human, which delves deeply into this topic.

In this episode, Sarah explains how workplace culture and talent assessment have evolved significantly since she began in terms of training and administration. However, Sarah points out that we are now at a crossroads between technology and human input, where organisations must find a balance between using data and maintaining fairness and empathy in talent management. She also speaks about the inspiration and vision behind her book and emphasises the importance of creating environments where people can thrive, noting that successful organisations build cultures that make employees feel valued, connected, and supported. 

Sarah also points out how she sees hybrid work as a chance to balance home productivity with in-office collaboration, leading to better results if managed well. She highlights that small, intentional steps, can build strong, people-focused cultures. Her advice to HR leaders: focus on human growth, use microcultures to drive change, and stay intentional in shaping supportive, thriving workplaces.

Sarah McLellan is a people, business and thought leader with over 20 years’ experience in HR, leadership, assessment and talent management consulting. As a Chartered Occupational Psychologist Sarah has partnered with hundreds of companies to help build happy, inclusive and growing workplaces across the globe.  Sarah believes work doesn’t have to be a 9–5 meaningless, lonely grind and this inspired her to launch her company Make it Human, a business dedicated to cultivating happier, healthier, more human workplaces.   

Key Timestamps: 

  • 02:28 – Intro into Sarah
  • 05:20 – Changes in talent assessment
  • 11:40 – The inspiration behind the book
  • 17:26 – Sarah’s view on 5 days in the office
  • 24:00 – The vision for a healthier work-life
  • 30:50 – The companies getting it right
  • 44:52 – Advice for HR leaders shaping better cultures


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Series 7: Being Wellbeing Centric09 Oct 202400:48:46

World Mental Health Day is held every year on 10th October, the objective of today is to raise awareness of mental health issues globally and support those struggling with mental wellbeing. In support of this, we wanted to host a special episode of HR Insights: The Podcast for you today! Stuart is joined by Principal Researcher, Human Capital for The Conference Board; Rita Meyerson, EdD, to shine a light on the work they are doing to bring workplace wellbeing to the forefront of employer’s minds.  

Throughout their conversation, Stuart and Rita discuss a recent report by The Conference Board, that indicates that 62% of US workers feel their well-being is the same or worse than it was six months ago, despite increased corporate investments in well-being. They move on to cover what types of programs Rita anticipates emerging from the increased spending commitment to wellbeing, the difference in wellbeing from a business and human perspective, the organisational benefits for companies that prioritise wellbeing and how CEOs and CHRO’s can lead by example when fostering a culture of wellbeing within their organisation. 

Rita, leads research and generates insights for members across all facets of human capital management. Her research focuses on organisational change and culture, organisational development, and total rewards and wellbeing. She is an experienced management consultant, researcher, and educator with deep expertise in organisational strategy, culture and change management. Prior to joining The Conference Board, Rita consulted across industries and geographies to Fortune 100 companies and PE-funded start-up enterprises. Previously, she was a Director in corporate communications and human resources at American Express. 

To view the report and essay spoken about in today’s episode click the links below

 

Key Timestamps:

  • 01:17 – Introduction to Rita Meyerson EdD
  • 07:01 – Factors contributing to the stagnation of wellbeing 
  • 13:41 – Anticipated wellbeing programmes from increased spend
  • 15:58 – 4 day work week and part time working 
  • 18:39 – Expectations of wellbeing for leaders 
  • 25:51 – 24/7 working 
  • 30:20 – Chief Wellbeing Officer’s
  • 33:30 – Business buy in
  • 34:43 – Fostering a wellbeing culture 
  • 42:35 – Aims for promoting wellbeing in the workplace

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: Redefining Menopause in the Workplace 02 Oct 202400:47:27

Welcome back to another episode of HR Insights: The podcast. Today Stuart Elliott is joined by Fiona McKay, CEO and Founder of Lightbulb Leadership Solutions and sister company, The Menopause Maze. Fiona shares her personal and professional journey, highlighting her move from legal work to leadership consultancy and how Lightbulb Leadership Solutions focuses on helping female-led businesses scale, while The Menopause Maze, supports women navigating menopause.

Fiona delves into her own experience with early menopause, highlighting how it affected her both physically and mentally thus fuelling her passion to change the narrative around menopause in the workplace. Fiona discusses her advocation for open conversations and structural changes within organisations amidst alarming statistics about menopausal women and their struggles in employment. She mentions her involvement in campaigning for free HRT prescriptions in England and points out how menopause is now becoming a significant issue for businesses in terms of talent retention and ESG considerations.

Fiona emphasises the importance of creating a supportive environment for menopausal women, offering practical advice on how companies can address this issue, including conducting culture audits, providing anonymity in surveys, and offering customised employee benefits.

October is Menopause Awareness Month with World Menopause Awareness Day falling on October 18th. Please click here to see how you can get involved and support such an important cause. 

Key Timestamps: 

  • 01:53 – Intro into Fiona
  • 06:40 – Overview of the menopause and Fiona's personal experience with early menopause
  • 17:30 – Stats around the menopause in the workplace
  • 21:30 – How HR can deal with the prevalence of menopause in the workplace
  • 24:50 – Elevating the conversation 
  • 27:50 – Starting points for companies 
  • 37:50 – Importance of allyship to grow the conversation 
  • 41:30 – Socio-economic issues with menopause 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: Paying off Your Emotional Overdraft25 Sep 202400:51:57

Welcome back to another episode of HR Insights: The Podcast. Today Stuart Elliott is joined by Andy Brown, Leadership coach and Author of best-selling book ‘The Emotional Overdraft: 10 simple changes for balancing business success and wellbeing’ focused on the often overlooked mental and physical costs of leadership.

In this episode Stuart and Andy discuss how his love for problem-solving led him to help businesses, especially marketing agencies, optimise their structures for success. He shares his key insights on the concept of the "emotional overdraft” explained as the practice of sacrificing one’s mental and physical well-being to support business or personal success, often born from an inability to disconnect from work. He highlights the need to address the issue to avoid burnout, offering strategies like tracking behaviours, setting boundaries, and promoting awareness. Throughout the podcast, Andy emphasizes self-reflection, recognising emotional overdraft signs, and the value of coaching to foster curiosity about behaviour patterns. He concludes by advising empathy and kindness when helping someone experiencing emotional overdraft, encouraging them to seek change.

Andy Brown has over 30 years' experience as an award-winning adviser and coach for people-based businesses. He's also a podcast host and the author of Amazon #1 best seller, ‘The Emotional Overdraft: 10 simple changes for balancing business success and wellbeing' a book for entrepreneurs, leaders and founders that articulates the often overlooked mental and physical costs of leadership.

Take the Cosmo Quiz and get the book here


Key Timestamps:  

  • 02:38 – Intro into Andy 
  • 06:25 – The idea for the book
  • 10:25 – Summary of the book 
  • 12:50 – Causes of an emotional overdraft 
  • 18:45 – Recognising you are in an emotional overdraft 
  • 36:50 – Paying off an emotional overdraft 
  • 44:40 – How to help someone in an emotional overdraft 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: Do you Need a Career Coach?18 Sep 202400:47:19

In today’s challenging market, career coaching is a pertinent topic. Today’s resident expert, Programme Director and Career Coach Kate Mansfield, is a familiar face of the show. Kate has previously written content for us and has been a guest on our news episode of HR Insights. Joining Kate is our CEO and Host Stuart Elliott to facilitate the conversation and provide our audience with the starting points they need to have those sometimes feared, career conversations. 

Throughout the episode, Stuart and Kate discuss what career coaching is and the power those conversations can carry. They touched on the challenges faced with internal career conversations and the benefits of an external coach, pushbacks from management, organisations that have good strategies in place to have these conversations and the seniority of individuals wanting these conversations. As the conversation moves on Stuart and Kate chat through The Kaleidoscope Career Model and becoming career champions. 

Kate is a familiar face to the ESHR family, she takes responsibility for designing and delivering career development programmes for CCS clients across both private and public sector organisations in the UK and internationally. Kate is also a Lead Tutor on our open Accredited Career Coach Training course and continues to coach clients individually, thoroughly enjoying working with those wishing to focus on a wide variety of career related issues from career development to career transition. 

Kate brings a particular depth of knowledge of coaching HR professionals as well as those transitioning from corporate life. Kate is also highly experienced and passionate about coaching women to evolve their careers. She is a qualified career coach trained by CCS and supported by her MSc in Organisational Behaviour. 

Key Timestamps:

  • 01:46 – Introduction to Kate Mansfield
  • 05:52 – Becoming a Career Coach 
  • 07:59 – Challenges with internal career conversations 
  • 13:13 – Pushbacks from management to have career conversations 
  • 17:38 – Organisations that so well in this space
  • 23:18 – Do career conversations depend on seniority?
  • 28:43 – The Kaleidoscope Career Model 
  • 32:00 – Challenges HR face with career conversations 
  • 36:16 – Career Champions 
  • 40:33 – How Kates’s research helps workplace professionals 

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: The Success of Strategic HR Leadership11 Sep 202400:48:59

Today our Host and CEO, Stuart Elliott, is joined by Ruth Gellert-Neale, who speaks about strategic HR leadership. It is very difficult to execute and be a true strategic HR leader, this episode aims to guide HR leaders to be just that by using Ruth’s myriad of knowledge and expertise. 

Throughout the episode, Stuart and Ruth discuss how strategic leadership can contribute to organisational success, strategies to get businesses through times of change or crisis, ensuring the development and succession of leaders, metrics and analytics that strategic HR leadership can use to measure and improve organisational success and the challenges or barriers to effective strategic HR leadership and the routes to overcome them. They also touch on Ruth’s career story, attrition rates and how the perception of DEI has changed over the last year.

Ruth is an experienced HR Executive with a diverse portfolio of global expertise; advising C-suite leaders, as well as developing and growing teams to operationalise and deliver strategic HR initiatives. Originally from the UK, Ruth got her master’s degree in human resources from the University of Hertfordshire and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD. Ruth moved to Singapore in 2019 and is now the Chief People Officer for APAC and EMEA for JLL Technologies, where she champions the use of AI within the HR function and has driven a culture of high performance. 

Key Timestamps

  • 02:45 – Introduction to Ruth Gellert-Neale
  • 13:14 – How strategic HR leadership can contribute to organisational success
  • 16:30 – Understanding what strategic HR leadership is
  • 20:38 – Effective strategies to manage difficult times 
  • 26:56 – How strategic HR can ensure continuous development and succession of leaders
  • 32:42 – Metrics for measuring organisational success
  • 36:20 – The rise and fall of attrition rates 
  • 39:42 – The perception of DEI 
  • 42:02 – Challenges and barriers for strategic HR leadership and how we can overcome them

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: The Transformative Power of Leadership Conversations04 Sep 202400:51:30

Welcome back to HR Insights: The Podcast Series 7! This week, Stuart Elliott is joined by global business leader and co-founder of Leadrly, Paul Stewart. Paul has spent decades transforming organisational culture and leadership through a multitude of roles and shares his insights on the fast-paced changes shaping our world today. He also offers his perspective on how important conversation is in making real change.

In this episode Paul and Stewart discuss Paul’s evolving career from economist to the founding of Leadrly, a cutting-edge leadership and AI-driven platform. He discusses the challenges of creating vs changing culture and the role of AI in today's leadership landscape, particularly how Leadrly integrates with tools to provide on-demand coaching and guidance for leaders. Paul also delves into the nuances of leadership as a conversation, the challenges faced by mid-level managers, the generational divide in communication and the misconceptions around AI in the workplace. 

Paul Stewart has a background in social sciences and spent 10 years as a bank economist. He moved into corporate strategy, focusing on strategy implementation, organisational culture, and leadership development. In 2004 he co-authored the bestseller Branded Customer Service and went on to co-found On-Brand Partners two years later. In 2022/23, he launched Leadrly, an AI-powered system that supports leaders. 

Read some of Leadrly’s blogs below:
History of leadership communication
Leading beyond downsizing – conversations matter
Embracing change: How to lead your team through transformation 

Key Timestamps: 

  • 02:50 – Intro to Paul
  • 06:55 – The journey into entrepreneurship
  • 13:20 – Setting up Leadrly 
  • 17:42 – The philosophy behind Leadrly 
  • 22:45 – How Leadrly helps mid-level managers 
  • 28:10 – The generational divide in technology
  • 33:08 – Leadrly’s reception amongst clients 
  • 39:20 – Measuring success
  • 44:28 – AI’s implications for organisational culture 
  • 46:44 – Advice for HR leaders implementing AI

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: Maximising Employee Success with Talent Analytics28 Aug 202400:50:21

We have another exciting episode of HR Insights: The Podcast. This week, Stuart Elliott is joined by HR Consulting Director and Thought Leader at EDLIGO, Reimund Nienaber to discuss his role of leveraging talent analytics to enhance employee satisfaction and business outcomes. He explains how EDLIGO supports companies in their digital transformation journey and the importance of understanding data to personalise career development paths.

In this episode, Stuart and Reimund begin the conversation by talking through his career and role at EDLIGO as well as the benefits of talent analytics. He emphasises the importance of starting small with data, and allowing EDLIGO’s AI driven competency frameworks to fill in the gaps, thus enhancing personalised career development paths and creating a positive impact on overall job satisfaction. The conversation then moves on to the role of talent analytics in fostering a more inclusive workplace, free of bias and ensuring equal opportunities for career advancement. Reimund expresses the concerns and scepticisms employees may have regarding the use of talent analytics and how organisations can address these to build transparency and trust.

Reimund Nienaber is passionate about Talent Development, Talent Analytics, and Learning Analytics. He is a seasoned HR leader with extensive global experience and a strong track record of driving innovation. With over 20 years of expertise in human resources and 15 years in technical and managerial roles within the telecommunications industry, he excels as a trusted senior management advisor and coach. He holds a Master Professional (CCI) in Business Management (IHK) and is a Certified Business Economist (DeLSt). His focus is on continuously improving people and processes through game-changing strategic initiatives, enabling businesses to thrive in rapidly changing environments.

Key Timestamps: 

  • 03:02 - Intro into Reimund 
  • 04:58 – Reimund's role within EDLIGO
  • 08:28 – How talent analytics can be used to personalise career development paths for employees and improve employee satisfaction
  • 12:17 - Leveraging AI to create reliable competency frameworks 
  • 21:11 – How a manager can use talent analytics to identify skills gaps in their team
  • 26:00 - The difference between ‘future skills’ and ‘competency’
  • 29:35 – The role of talent analytics in helping us create more inclusive environments
  • 38:00 – Changing the sceptics' minds on data-driven research
  • 41:04 – How to use data to enhance your own performance and career growth 


You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

Series 7: Misconceptions of the US Employment Market21 Aug 202400:38:09

We’re back with another episode of HR Insights: The Podcast!

Today, Stuart Elliott is joined by Nikki Brigati, SVP of Client Engagement at PGC Group. She joins the podcast to talk about the misconceptions of the employment landscape in the US.

When clients hire their first US workers, they often have misconceptions about the employment landscape, such as underestimating the complexity of federal and state regulations or assuming that employment practices are consistent across the country. In this episode, Stuart and Nikki discuss one of the biggest challenges clients face when hiring in the US market; navigating regulatory complexities while also understanding the cultural nuances of the workforce. Talking through what key factors US workers are driven by, for example: competitive compensation, benefits, work-life balance, and opportunities for growth when accepting a role. The use of notice periods is also discussed alongside the terminology used between the UK and US. They also chatted through the main aspects to consider when hiring in a new state as well as key advice for businesses to undertake to mitigate the risk of potential employment claims. 

Nikki specialises in the realm of Client Relations, Expansion, and Retention. As the SVP of Client Engagement at PGC Group; she focuses on building scalable client solutions, developing relationships with stakeholders at key client accounts, helping clients mitigate risk, building bespoke client solutions, and resourcing clients on the North American employment landscape to position them for growth. She also manages a team of Business and Relationship Managers across the US and UK. 

Due to her depth and breadth of experience in account management and increasing revenue through building strategic relationships with clients, Nikki has cemented herself as the go to expert and the voice of the client in PGC. 

If you would like to find out more about the US market and for advice on making your first US hire, please contact Nikki on nicole.brigati@pgcgroup.com


Key Timestamps 

  • 02:17 – Introduction to PGC
  • 04:48 – Introduction to Nikki 
  • 09:30 – The biggest misconceptions of hiring your first US employee
  • 12:22 – The difference in employment between Democratic led and Republican led states
  • 16:06 – Legislations around notice periods in the US
  • 17:48 – Biggest challenges when starting out in the US
  • 21:27 – 3 most important factors to consider when hiring US based employees 
  • 23:08 – Paid time off and hybrid working 
  • 28:44 – Factors to consider when hiring across states 
  • 31:10 – Temp vs Perm hiring 
  • 32:55 – Top tips for hiring in the US

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

HR insights: AI unlocked - the future of talent and productivity​02 Oct 202501:06:55

AI is on everyone’s agenda, but what does it really mean for businesses, productivity, and the future of work?

In this episode, Stuart sits down with Daniel Snell, Co-Founder of Arrival, a management consultancy that has worked with leaders across the globe to deliver systemic change and sustainable performance. 

With a keen focus on AI, Daniel has seen first-hand how organisations are grappling with its rapid rise and potential. Stuart and Daniel explore the latest trends shaping AI adoption and its impact on productivity, the risks and challenges businesses face when integrating new technology, and the parallels between today’s AI revolution and the dawn of the internet. They also discuss whether AI can truly reduce workplace bias, how it might assess individual value and influence career progression, and what the future of AI in business could look like.


About our guest
For more than 20 years, Daniel Snell has advised executive leaders worldwide—including those at Tesco, Investec, Sky, GSK, and Morgan Stanley—helping them drive growth, profit, and organisational performance. Known for bridging strategy, people, and organisational behaviour, he has delivered lasting change across industries and cultures. 

Alongside his consultancy work, Daniel leads Arrival’s Social Impact programmes, which have supported over 15,000 disadvantaged young people into successful careers. He also founded the Not in Our Name movement during the 2011 London riots and is a finalist in the 2025 Consultancy Awards for his pioneering approach to inclusion.

Arrival is backed by some of the UK’s most recognised business and investment leaders, including figures from Pret, Tesco, Haleon, Artemis, Lansdowne Partners, Silverlake and ECI Partners.


Key timestamps:

  • 01:50 – Introducing into Daniel Snell
  • 05:01 – Starting Arrival 
  • 14:01 - The impact of Covid on performance
  • 16:00 – Trends within AI
  • 18:52 – Risks when adopting AI 
  • 29:32 – AI breaking through to meritocracy 
  • 31:46 – AI’s ability to remove bias in the workplace
  • 38:57 – The data AI needs to understand someone’s value to an organisation
  • 41:09 – Technology compared to the human connection
  • 46:22 – AI impacting career progression
  • 49:29 – AI’s impact on inclusivity 
  • 59:11 – What will AI look like in 10 years?

You can listen to and download HR Insights from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps. Please subscribe so the latest episodes are directly available! You can also join our HR Community by following us on LinkedIn.

Thank you for listening and please do review and rate us wherever you listen! 

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