The Impact Room - Conversations That Shape Exceptional Leadership

The People Keeping Us Safe: Satia Rai on Safety, Visibility and Purpose 

Security professionals are everywhere.

In our hospitals, shopping centres, supermarkets, workplaces, transport hubs, major events and some of the UK’s most sensitive infrastructure.

Yet the scale, capability and importance of this workforce is often overlooked.

In this episode of The Impact Room, Michelle Ansell is joined by Satia Rai, CEO of the International Professional Security Association (IPSA) and Founder and CEO of Women in Protective Services (WIPS).

Having started her own career on the frontline around 30 years ago, Satia has experienced first-hand both the opportunities within the security profession and the barriers that can prevent people from seeing it as a long-term career.

She shares why professionalising the sector means more than licensing. It means better training, development, working conditions, recognition and career pathways for the people entrusted with public safety every day.

The conversation also explores Satia’s drive to bring more women into protective services.

Through WIPS, she wants to make successful women more visible, connect women across security, policing, fire and other protective services, and build stronger pathways into leadership.

Satia also discusses an area particularly important to her: violence against women and girls.

With security professionals often among the first people to notice when somebody is vulnerable or at risk, Satia believes this workforce could play a much greater role in public protection through awareness, training, empathy and partnership.

Her own story runs throughout the conversation too. From frontline security to CEO, from feeling underrepresented to becoming a visible industry leader, Satia describes finding her purpose through people and learning the importance of authenticity, representation and belonging.

As she puts it:

“It’s important that we reflect the communities that we protect.”

A conversation about security, certainly, but also about leadership, visibility, opportunity and what happens when people finally see somebody like themselves succeeding.

Learn more about this episode here: 

Contact Satia https://www.linkedin.com/in/satia-rai/

More from IPSA https://www.ipsa.org.uk/

Learn More about WIPS https://www.ipsa.org.uk/wips

AI is moving quickly, but many organisations are still struggling to turn experimentation into genuine business value.

In this episode of The Impact Room, Michelle Ansell speaks with Maggie Sarfo, who helps growth-focused organisations and leadership teams connect AI ambition to measurable commercial outcomes.

Rather than starting with the technology, Maggie starts with the business problem. She explains why so many AI pilots fail to scale, why adoption is more than usage, and why leadership teams need to understand their readiness before investing further.

The conversation covers AI maturity, AI literacy, governance, ethics, data readiness, culture, trust and the changing skills leaders need as AI becomes embedded into the way organisations operate.

One of Maggie’s most striking observations is:

“If you add AI on top of the chaos, it will become more chaotic.”

Michelle and Maggie also explore the future of work, the rise of agentic AI, the risk of cognitive overload, and why leaders may need to rethink the foundations of their business rather than simply adding AI tools to existing systems.

This is a practical and thought-provoking conversation for senior leaders, founders and transformation teams who want to move beyond AI pilots and start building the foundations for sustainable growth, better decision-making and measurable impact.

Maggie is the Founder and CEO of Meres Consult Learn More about Meres Consult,

website: https://www.meresconsult.com/

Complimentary AI Readiness & Maturity Assessment: https://meresconsult.com/ai-assessment.html

Complimentary AI Exploration Consultation: https://tidycal.com/maggiesarfo/explore

Connect with Maggie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-sarfo/

Global business growth and AI adoption consultancy

Watch the Full episode on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/2FOicTBmWGw

Learn more about Douglas Jackson Executives Search and Leadership Advisory for Permanent and Fractional AI leadership and direction. https://www.douglas-jackson.com/executive-search-proven-diverse-leaders-headhunters/

Sean Keane, Co-Founder of Service Economics, joins Michelle Ansell on The Impact Room to discuss why many organisations are unintentionally designing inefficient service systems, and how this is impacting cost, customer experience and operational performance.

Drawing on extensive experience in regulated industries, Sean introduces the concept of service effectiveness, challenging traditional approaches focused purely on efficiency, automation and cost reduction.

Key themes include:

Sean highlights a critical shift in thinking:

“If you chase quality, the cost takes care of itself.”

This episode is essential listening for leaders responsible for customer operations, transformation, cost management and service delivery in complex, customer led and regulated organisations with real world examples for Housing Associations, Utilities and Banking, Financial Services and Insurance.

To learn more about Service Economics please go here: Service Economics - The experts in Effective Service

To learn more about Sean Kean, Managing Director and Co-Founder go here. Seán Keane, CCXP | LinkedIn

In this episode of The Impact Room, Michelle Ansell speaks with Hannah Awonuga, award-winning culture, talent and inclusion expert, LinkedIn Top Voice for Gender Equality and advisor to leaders navigating organisational growth.

Hannah specialises in helping scale-up businesses design and embed inclusive cultures where organisational growth strengthens both people, performance and enterprise value. Her work focuses on integrating inclusion into leadership behaviours, operating systems and organisational design, rather than treating it as a standalone initiative.

Drawing on almost two decades of experience across the banking sector and global organisations, Hannah has led cultural transformation programmes, global colleague listening initiatives and remote teams across the UK, US, Europe and APAC.

In this conversation, Michelle and Hannah explore:

• Why conversations about diversity and inclusion are evolving toward leadership and organisational culture

This episode offers thoughtful insight for CEOs, founders, HR leaders and executives looking to build organisations where culture, talent and business performance grow together.

Together they explore:

The retreat from traditional DEI roles and what it really signals

Why inclusive leadership requires new skills — empathy, bias awareness and strategic alignment

The “frozen middle” and its impact on progression

Fractional and advisory models for culture and inclusion support

Intersectional leadership at board level

Practical next steps for growth-stage organisations

This episode is essential listening for leaders navigating culture, governance, talent retention and long-term performance in a rapidly changing workforce.

If you would prefer to watch the full video you can do that here: 

Follow and learn more from Hannah here. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahawonuga/

More Information on The Inclusive Foundations Programme here https://www.theinclusivefoundationsprogramme.com/

Learn more about Douglas Jackson who are Executive Search Consultants passionate about Diversity, Inclusion and Retention of Executive Directors show are more successful. 

https://www.douglas-jackson.com/services-retained-executive-search-firm/

Dr Abbey Atkinson joins Michelle Ansell to unpack the structural, cultural and historic forces that shape gender inequality in the UK insurance sector. Drawing from extensive doctoral research and her own industry career, Abbey explains why progress is slowing, what organisations misunderstand about EDI, and the practical steps leaders can take to build equitable, high-performing workplaces.

Topics include:

For boards, HR leaders, and executives committed to building better systems — this episode provides grounded, research-led insight with clear recommendations.

Listen today - if you would prefer to watch the recording you can do that here: https://youtu.be/Ny8Ht-nfQxE

For more information on Abbey's thesis and company go here https://www.insightchange.co.uk/ 

Follow Abbey Atkinson here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbey-atkinson-phd-88460257/

If you are looking for a Executive Search firm with a passion for Diversity, learn more about Douglas Jackson and their work here. https://www.douglas-jackson.com/diverse-leadership-recruitment-hire-more-diverse-leaders/

In this episode, The Impact Room welcomes Thomas Moore, COO at Custom Connect, to discuss the realities of operational leadership and the evolving outsourcing landscape.

Thomas shares his journey from frontline call-centre agent to COO, offering practical insight into:

Packed with grounded experience and strategic insight, this episode is essential listening for leaders in CX, operations, BPO, transformation and customer-led industries.

Listen now, or if you prefer you can watch the full recording here. 

Learn more about Custom Connect here: https://www.customconnect.com/

Follow Thomas here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-m-0659b84/

Learn more about Douglas Jackson for your Executive Search and Recruitment Leadership services. https://www.douglas-jackson.com/

In this episode of The Impact Room, Michelle Ansell is joined by Carole Layzell, an experienced banking, digital and customer leader who built her career from leaving school at 16 to becoming a Managing Director at Barclays before moving into NED and advisory roles.

Carole shares candid reflections on her 30-year career across Barclays, Nationwide, Salesforce and Medallia, discussing how customer experience, digital innovation, and people-first leadership shaped her approach.

She also explores what boards are really looking for today, how leaders can stay relevant, and why curiosity and continuous learning have been foundational throughout her journey.

We cover:

If you're interested in leadership development, customer strategy, banking innovation or building a portfolio career, this episode offers practical wisdom and real-world experience from someone who has lived it. Not sure whow to get the best from your own career then this is a must listen episode.

Powered by Douglas Jackson, helping organisations hire more diverse, impactful leaders who stay longer and perform better, for growth, scale and transformation.

If you would prefer to watch this episode you can do that here. 

https://youtu.be/_pJd7fE1FAo

Connect or link with Carole. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-layzell/

Learn more about Douglas Jackson and their Banking Financial Services and Insurance Solutions for quality and professional Executive Search and Recruitment, helping you hire more impactful, diverse leadership for Permanent, Interim, NED and Fractional support. https://www.douglas-jackson.com/insurance-banking-and-finance-executive-and-professional-search-recruitment/

Is SEO still relevant in an AI-driven world?

Build a reputation that scales, and equip your teams for the dual-speed marketing era.

Follow Ben here. https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrees/

Learn more: https://www.bjrees.com/services/

Find out more about Perry Fletcher and how he can support your Operational Support Recruitment Functions including Resource Planning, AI, Analytics, Insight and Data Transformations, scale and growth. https://www.douglas-jackson.com/operational-support-ai-data/

If you would rather watch this episode you can do that here. https://youtu.be/ZlSuKrYDqjU

#aeo #geo#seo#marketing #onlinevisibility #cmo #answerengineoptimisation #generativeengineoptimisation

In this episode of The Impact Room, Michelle Ansell speaks with Lyndon Purnell, a seasoned Chief Information Officer and fractional technology leader with more than two decades of experience across digital, cyber security, data and large-scale transformation.

Together they cover:

Lyndon helps unpack 

Perfect for CEOs, COOs, operational leaders and boards who want to strengthen resilience, make better technology decisions, and avoid the risks of an increasingly digital world.

Follow Lyndon Purnell here. https://linkedin.com/in/lyndonpurnell

If you would prefer to watch this episode you can do that here: https://youtu.be/DbYkh2QV_e0

Learn more about Douglas Jackson, the independent boutique recruitment and executive search firm who hire more impactful, diverse leaders on a Permanent, Interim, NED and Fractional basis to help your business, thrive, scale, transform and grow. https://www.douglas-jackson.com/services-retained-executive-search-firm/

#hireachiefinformationofficer #cio #fractionalhires

Are customer surveys still fit for purpose?

Adam Elliott, proven Customer Insight Director, Operational Excellence and CX Leader working with brands E.On, Aviva, National Grid joins Perry Fletcher in The Impact Room to explain why traditional survey-based metrics like NPS are becoming obsolete, how can we continue to base our customer strategies and roadmaps on so few survey results? And shares an alternative approach, predictive modelling, is this a better future.

This episode explores:

Packed with practical value and strategic direction, this episode is essential listening for CX, Voice of Customer, Customer Insight, Operation Efficiencies and transformation leaders building the next era of customer-centric organisations.

Powered by Douglas Jackson experts in hiring diverse, impactful leaders for growth and transformation.

If you would prefer to watch this episode you can do that here. 

Follow Adam Elliott here. https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-elliott-59a63a4/

Learn more about Douglas Jackson, who can help you hire CX and Customer Insight specialists and leadership talent. An independent boutique Executive Search and Recruitment Consultancy and Our Operational Support Practice Area for Insight, AI, Analytics and Strategic Planning. https://www.douglas-jackson.com/operational-support-ai-data/

#customerinsight #voiceofthecustomer #voc #cx #podcast #adamelliott