HR Most Influential Podcast

Are workplaces more divided than ever? And what can HR professionals do to meaningfully address polarisation of opinion at work?

Season six begins with expert advice from Binna Kandola, co-founder and senior partner of business psychology consultancy Pearn Kandola, who topped HR magazine's Most Influential Thinker list in July 2026. 

In this episode, Kandola discusses division in the workplace, why employers should care about this right now, and exactly how to tackle bias, difficult conversations at work, and more.

If you’re in need of neuroinclusive success strategies and advice, look no further. This episode of HR Focus features insights from the founder and CEO of an award-winning business in which nearly half (47%) of the workforce identifies as neurodiverse.

In conversation with HR magazine's editor, Emma Philpott MBE, who founded the cybersecurity firm IASME Consortium, offers practical advice for attracting, supporting and retaining neurodivergent talent. She also explains exactly how nurturing neurodivergent talent has supercharged IASME’s workplace culture – IASME currently ranks among the top 100 medium-sized organisations on the UK’s Best Workplaces™ List 2026.

The episode addresses:

• The importance of accommodating individual needs, rather than making and acting on generalisations;
• Why labels relating to neurodiversity aren’t always helpful;
• Philpott’s personal motivation to build a neuroinclusive and diverse organisation; and more.

Listen to the full podcast episode below, or wherever you source your podcasts.

Many thanks to our sponsor Great Place To Work UK for this episode.

Oliver Henry, head of inclusion and wellbeing at the airline easyJet, joins the podcast to discuss why leaders should change the way they talk and think about workplace wellbeing – and how to make that change.

Should the word 'wellbeing' be replaced? Henry states his case, urging HR leaders to focus on healthier conversations.

Henry ranked third on the HR Most Influential Practitioners list 2025, is a sought-after TEDx speaker, and is an engaging, trusted voice on culture and people experience.

What defines great leadership? And how can HR support the leaders of the future?

Business leaders are facing rising pressure to take on a growing list of responsibilities, and employees’ expectations of people in leadership roles are rapidly evolving.

To help navigate these changes, and outline how organisations can best equip the leaders of tomorrow, we spoke to Danny Harmer, chief people officer for the insurer Aviva.

Harmer joined the HR Most Influential Hall of Fame list in 2025, after being recognised seven times as one of HR magazine’s most influential practitioners.

Does flexible working actually work? Or are today’s ways of working stuck in the past? 

Alex Hirst and Lizzie Penny, who jointly ranked at #4 in our HR Most Influential thinkers list 2025, call for a radical rethink of our approach to work, to better meet employee and business needs in the digital age.

Hirst and Penny – business partners, authors and changemakers – co-founded the consultancy Hoxby, and created the concept of ‘workstyle’, ensuring that people have the autonomy to choose when, where and how they work. 

Listen to Hirst and Penny challenge the current status quo, arguing why and how personalisation can boost workplace performance. 

Are employers doing enough to support the nearly three million people in the UK who juggle unpaid care and work? Natalie Quilter, HR magazine’s #4 HR Most Influential Practitioner 2025, addresses this question and more, drawing from both her personal and professional experience.  

Quilter – currently head of reward, wellbeing and benefits for housing provider The Hyde Group – is a passionate advocate for unpaid carers. In this episode, she shares her expertise to help HR leaders better understand what being a working carer means, and the practical ways in which HR can support them.

Tim Pointer, HR magazine's #1 Most Influential HR practitioner for 2025, focuses on the transformational power of agility in business, offering tips on how to adapt to succeed.

Pointer, who is portfolio chief people officer and operating partner for the asset management business Three Hills, argues that, to stay ahead of the curve, HR must supercharge transformation and become even better at navigating change. 

Drawing on his extensive experiences of boardrooms around the world, Pointer offers tips for HR leaders on how to become more agile, and how to adapt to succeed in business.

Chief people officer Jacky Simmonds shares how Experian has fostered a thriving culture of innovation throughout the business, offering tips that other businesses can learn from.

Since Simmonds joined the global data and technology company Experian, in 2020, Experian has celebrated a fourth consecutive year on the UK’s Best Workplaces™ list and was recognised as a World’s Best Workplace™ for the first time in 2024. Experian's continuous improvement programme, which boosts innovation, has delivered annual savings of $140m. 

In a thought-provoking discussion, Simmonds addresses: 

·         How to maintain cultural alignment;

·         Why hackathons aren’t just for tech experts;

·         The value of HR professionals tailoring their approach when engaging different stakeholders, and more.

Many thanks to our sponsor Great Place To Work UK for this episode.

Episode six of the HR Focus podcast features insights from Anna Oliver, HR director (UK) for biopharmaceutical company AbbVie, who shares what she’s learned from the organisation’s cultural transformation journey.

AbbVie has spent 11 of its 12-year existence on Great Place to Work UK's Best Workplaces™ List, so Oliver is well-placed to deliver top tips and best practice: from how to cultivate a robust workplace culture, to ensuring that your HR team keeps its fingers on the pulse.

It all starts with culture, Oliver highlights, outlining how AbbVie supports and empowers its managers and staff. 

In this exclusive episode of HR Focus, Oliver explains:

• The importance of having key cultural pillars,
• How employee-led resource groups can bolster a positive culture,
• Why talent strategy is key, and more.

Listen to the full podcast episode, wherever you source your podcasts.

Many thanks to our sponsor Great Place To Work UK for this episode.

As HR professionals face ever-increasing scrutiny for delivering high performance in the age of AI, it’s never been more important to talk about shaking up performance management.

And who better to discuss this topic than David Liddle, CEO of the global consultancy TCM Group and founder of the People and Culture Association?! 

This episode was recorded before David nabbed the number one spot in HR magazine’s Most Influential Thinker list 2025. He also received the Consultant of the Year 2025 award on the same day.

In this episode, David shares his award-winning insights with HR magazine editor Charissa King, delving into why transformative justice matters, how to manage dispute resolution, and why the way in which we manage conflict needs to change.