In this episode of People First, we sit down with Kate Drew, Chief People Officer at Madison Group Enterprises, to dive deep into the world of leadership in the ever-changing workplace. With over 20 years of experience in the HR space, Kate shares her insights on what makes a strong leader, how leadership needs to evolve in the face of digital transformation, and why embracing discomfort is key to success. We discuss everything from the importance of clear communication to using data effectiv...

In this inspiring episode of the People First Podcast, we sit down with Chantelle Williams, the newly appointed Head of People and Culture at LSKD, to dive into her unique journey through the world of people leadership. Chantelle shares her diverse career path, from teaching music to leading talent development at Michael Hill, and how each step has shaped her approach to leadership today.Chantelle brings an energetic perspective on what it means to create a truly people-first environment, emp...

This episode is a must-listen for leaders who are passionate about fostering authenticity and accountability within their teams.Ali McNiven, the Executive Manager of People and Culture at Healthy Land and Water, brings her extensive experience in HR and leadership across various industries. Ali provides invaluable insights into the importance of authenticity, accountability, and employee engagement.Discover how being genuine and transparent fosters trust and respect within teams.Understand ho...

Join us for an insightful conversation with Larissa Parker, Culture and Diversity Lead at The Lottery Corporation, as we delve into the essentials of building inclusive cultures and effective leadership.Larissa brings a wealth of experience in diversity, inclusion, and organizational culture, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in these critical areas.We discuss, the traits of a strong People Leader, navigating leadership challenges, adapting to change and creating space f...

This episode is essential listening for leaders and professionals eager to understand the dynamics of transformation and innovation in today's fast-paced business environment.Ria Leason, Executive Leader across People, Operations and Global Transformation initiatives shares her incredible journey from operational leadership to leading global transformation initiatives. With a background spanning various industries, Ria's insights on fostering high-performing cultures and driving organisationa...

This episode is a must-listen for leaders at all levels who are passionate about empowering their teams and driving human-centric leadership.Matt Kershaw, Executive Leader – People, Transformation & Performance,former Global Head of Talent & Capability at Domino's Pizza Enterprises, brings a unique perspective on leadership, drawn from his extensive experience in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Matt's journey from youth development to leading global teams offers a rich tape...

This episode is a must-listen for any leaders and aspiring leaders looking to navigate the complexities of modern people management.Nicola Young, the Head of P&C for APAC and Japan at Cognizant, brings her extensive experience in IT professional services, retail, and the restaurant industry to our conversation. Nicola dives deep into what it takes to be a strong people leader in today’s ever-changing workplace, sharing invaluable insights on building trust, fostering a growth mindset, and...

This episode is a must-listen for any employees or employers wanting to learn more about what they can do to create a diverse, inclusive, and engaged workforce.  Lyndal Hamwood is the founder of (ide)ate studio, a DEI consultancy working with businesses to embrace diversity and different perspectives in order to drive inclusion and business growth. Lyndal is passionate about social change, collective intelligence and she and I speak about how small steps result in moving the needle, what she...

I adored this conversation - Anat Hassner is an incredibly impressive Chief People Officer at a large Australian non profit.  A PHD in change management, time spent in academia and a hugely successful corporate career which has seen her work shift from working for large organisations to for-purpose businesses, Anat shares so much fantastic wisdom. On topics such as creating a career pathway for herself that was, at the time, undefined, suffering from imposter syndrome, how we can overcome...

Today I am very excited to take this episode inside the Lotus People Sydney HQs. My guests today are Chloe Jones and Iona Colville. Chloe is a temporary recruitment consultant here at Lotus and Iona has recently been promoted to Divisional Manager of both the perm team and the HR team.  As well as being driven, ambitious, and fantastic at their jobs, they are both wonderful humans; they each moved from the other side of the world to set their lives up in Sydney and we talk through the highs...

I LOVED chatting with Rachael - I think this is an amazing podcast for anyone in our EA community, but good for all! Rachael has had an impressive Executive Assistant career supporting executives across London, Dubai and Melbourne. After many years working closely with and learning from CEOs, Rachael decided to take the leap and start her own business in 2021. Founder of Elevating Corporate Support, Rachael works closely with individuals and organisations to sustain high performance without...

After an unplanned hiatus, When Work Isn’t Work is back!  We sat down with the gorgeous soul that is Ez Khan! Ez is a star of the recruitment industry, an entrepreneur with endless creative ideas and someone who has been courageous at every stage of his career. In this chat we talk about disrupting an industry, the downsides of an entrepreneurial brain and why being courageous in your career will allow you to have a more fulfilled and happy life (oh, and also, why buying a porsche is never...

 This is a must-listen for anyone thinking about hanging onto to the Christmas break zen into the new year.  An expert in neuroscience, high performance and burnout prevention, I hung on every word that Vanessa Bennett had to say! Vanessa is a high performance coach who has worked with athletes, executives and teams to support them in their growth and success.  Previously, she has had a huge executive career within financial services, climbing the ladder and achieving great success herself....

I loved this chat! Natalie is such an impressive human - she has been a CEO of a tech start up, Chief People Officer, hosts her own podcast, has just started a big new role within government, has started a number of side hustles, and is also studying a masters in psychology on the side, with her spare time!  This conversation covers the importance of being authentic in work, Natalie’s own recent experience job hunting, and why it’s important (yet terrifying) to fail. I hope everyone enjoys...

Abbie is a force of nature. After a highly successful corporate career in sales, Abbie founded her own consultancy focusing on educating businesses and effective selling and why “sales” isn’t a dirty word. This is a must-listen to anyone in business with Abbie believing that every person in a company is responsible for selling and customer experience. Touching on how much consumer behaviour has changed, why recession creates opportunity, and the impact of hyper-personalisation, this is a must...

I loved this conversation with Josh - he is a high energy, passionate advocate for mental health awareness, diversity (and representation) and inclusion and openly shares his journey living with ADHD and as part of the queer community. As self aware and funny as he is caring, this conversation was a delight! His passion for the recruitment industry and his love of the work he does shines through and I hope everyone enjoys this chat as much as I did!  Follow Josh McCole below - LinkedIn:...

In this episode, I am joined by Sinead Newman, a mental health first aid practitioner, counsellor and business owner.  Sinead has had an impressive career dedicated to supporting people and businesses in managing their mental health. This conversation covered a range of topics from identifying burnout, putting mechanisms in place to avoid it, feeling psychologically safe at work and what to do if you don’t and how those with the care factor in their work need to work harder to avoid mental...

It's Mental Health Awareness Month! I am excited to share that we are doing a 4 part mini-series to raise awareness for mental health month in Australia. For our second episode, we are welcoming back Laura Hopes to the podcast! Our most downloaded episode last season was with Laura so we’re thrilled to have her back to go deep on some really important topics. In this episode, we dive straight in and get really vulnerable, really fast – speaking about our own experiences with hormones, our...

It's Mental Health Awareness Month! I am excited to share that we are doing a 4 part mini-series to raise awareness for mental health month in Australia. For our first episode,  I am thrilled to welcome our very own Eva Child (Principal Consultant) and Michelle Barrett (Associate Director). Eva and Michelle are long-standing Lotus People employees, both hugely successful in their own right and both know a bit about managing career success with balance and wellness. As well as their own...

I LOVED this conversation! Bek is as warm and hilarious as she is intelligent! Bek Day is a successful freelance writer and journalist and a podcast host of amazing podcast - I Swear I Never on news.com.au. Grabbing her on a short visit to Sydney for the podcast awards, I was lucky enough to talk through her career and passions as well as getting some invaluable insights for anyone thinking about a career in media. There are some serious gems in this chat that I know everyone will enjoy!...

On today's episode of When Work Isn't Work, we welcome Sean Anderson, CEO and Founder of Hoxo Media! An episode that will be of particular interest to anyone within the recruitment industry, this was a great chat with Sean. He embodies personal development and growth and you can hear from his story why his business has been such a success. Providing marketing services to the recruitment industry globally, Sean is host of the hugely successful RAG podcast (LINK) and works with agencies all...

Today, my guest is Danielle Whitford from Pioneera - Pioneer is a start-up tech business who have created technology to identify burnout before it happens! Adopted by some of Australia’s biggest businesses, Danielle and the team are bringing the conversation around mental health into the workforce. Before founding Pioneera, Danielle had a super successful corporate career before being faced with burnout herself. Knowing that she wanted to do what she could to bring awareness (and a solution)...

My guest for today's episode is  Luke Shepherd, the recruitment team lead at Hubspot, an American software business. Luke has embraced the new way of working and leverages his strong personal brand online to recruit the best talent for Hubspot. Luke is extremely active on LinkedIn and has had posts go viral regularly, particularly in relation to his experience as a working father. In this conversation, we spoke about the importance of setting boundaries between work and life in a hybrid...

My guest today is the incredible Alex Hattingh, Chief People Officer of Employment Heroes, and a passionate advocate of people-first leadership and the future of remote working. In this conversation, Alex and I talked about how happy employees are the key to a successful and thriving workplace, and the value of following a purpose-led career. Alex and Employment Hero have inspired all of us here at Lotus from the beginning of their journey. Watching them go from a start up to one of...