Leading Between the Lines

It’s time for another brand new episode of the Leading Between the Lines podcast, and this week, Rosanna, our series co-host and executive coach at alterniq inspired growth, chats with Felicity Winkley, the People Director at online stationery company Papier. Founded in 2015 by Taymoor Atighetchi, the fast-growing London-based company, who opened a New York office this year, is an e-commerce brand whose stationery collections invite people to uncover the possibility of a blank page. Having worked in FinTech previously, Felicity enjoyed the change and the challenge when she joined Papier last year. Full of confidence and enthusiasm about her work, Felicity is open and honest about the challenges they’re facing as they scale beyond start-up and how these challenges are being met. Felicity is not shy about identifying areas where the company needs to improve, and outlines how having a strong brand identity and mission can impact company values and employee culture at work. Felicity also talks about being comfortable not knowing everything, which is very handy at a fast growing company where many people are learning as they go. She also feels that one of the most important factors to success in the workplace is the ability to provide and receive negative feedback in a constructive manner, finding the right balance of positive and negative. We then delve into what a “no blame culture” means at Papier, and why this is so important for the psychological safety of their people. But how does all this tie in with Gong Bath Meditation? Tune in to find out!

Leading Between The Lines is back with a brand new series! And to kick things off we’re chatting to Ben Francis, the People Operations and Infrastructure Lead at one of the UK’s best rated startups, Infogrid. The company was founded in 2018 and they now have approximately 200 employees. Infogrid provides end-to-end connected sensor solutions designed to make buildings smarter. Ben’s team deals with the systems and processes of the people experience, which is vital as their team is growing super-fast adding around 20% more people each month. Ben tells us that the company is investing a huge 20% of its financial resources in the people function to help the company continue to grow effectively. And despite some people being stretched, the needs of the team are being met. What’s more, each member of the team has equity in the business to help it scale and the CEO wants everyone to feel they have a true sense of ownership. Ben’s driven by leaving the world in a better place than the way he found it, and he states the importance of learning, saying that he believes people should “get better at learning”. He also stresses the importance of being driven by more than just money, saying that the senior team at Infogrid could be on the beach in the Bahamas already. So why aren’t they? Listen to today’s episode to find out.

It’s time for another episode of the Leading Between the Lines podcast. This week we’re speaking to Brij Palicha, the Director of Learning & Development at Snyk. Snyk is an innovative tech business that was founded in 2015 by Guy Podjarny and has over 800 employees operating globally. They provide a developer-first cloud-native security tool that covers multiple areas of application security. Snyk’s value tripled in 2021, and the company was recently valued at 8 million dollars. Brij has worked at Snyk for two years. He has previous experience with larger public and private sector companies and has also worked in management consulting. In this episode he discusses the differences between working for a large corporate firm and a fast-growth startup business. He emphasises how important it is for fast-growth companies to employ people who have a hunger for change and are driven by doing things differently. As well as discussing how Snyk has coped during the pandemic, Brij also talks in-depth about learning and development within business both from a face-to-face and remote perspective. He also outlines how he believes learning and development should be approached and what it should aim to achieve for employees. On a personal level, Brij explains how working at different companies in a range of countries, whilst being surrounded by lots of smart people, has set him up well in his career. He ends by saying that he would be really proud if he could look back on his life and see that he had had a positive impact on someone's life.

This week’s episode of Leading Between the Lines brings us together with Michael Hamilton, founder of Hamilton Specialist Referrals, one of the UK and Europe’s leading veterinary hospitals. It’s special. Why? Because not only is Michael one of the best veterinary surgeons in the world, he also has a passion and a skillset around developing people that makes HSR an irresistible combination. Where technical excellence is a given, leadership and people management are valued and implemented to a level where the overall experience is off the scale. Michael talks openly about the development and opening of the hospital in 2018 with his wife Clare (“the Steve Jobs of the operation, she does things I can’t do”) and their attitude of “I don’t care what’s been done before, if we can do it better we will”. It’s highly unusual to find someone with such technical ability who has an equal passion for developing people - “my major thing is to help my guys achieve what they want to achieve in their careers”. Michael is humble, talented and passionate. If you don’t do anything else today listen to this, it’s, well, you decide how good it is…

In this week’s episode of the Leading Between the Lines podcast we sit down with the Head of People and Culture at Joint Academy, Sara Stjernquist. Founded in 2014 by father and son Leif and Jakob Dahlberg, Joint Academy is the world’s first successful digital osteoarthritis treatment app. The app connects patients with physiotherapists for one-to-one treatment, offering progress tracking, video exercises, and lifestyle guidance. Sara is an accredited “agile people coach” with 10 years of experience working in HR. She talks to us about how she operates within her current role and discusses her plans for the future, explaining what she feels are the most important things to keep hold of as a company grows. Like all businesses, Joint Academy faced its challenges throughout the pandemic. However, Sara believes that the company’s adaptability has been a key factor in helping them move forward and grow during that time. Sara also goes on to explain what attributes she feels a good leader needs. On a more personal note, Sara tells us that providing a sense of belonging and purpose in the workplace is what drives her in her role.

It’s a Leading Between the Lines first this week as we feature the first American company to appear on the podcast. In this episode we sit down with Rosy Bellorini, the Head of Talent at Process Street. Founded in 2014 by Vinay Pantakar and Cameron McKay, Process Street provides an innovative platform that helps businesses manage their team's recurring checklists and procedures. The company is entirely remote with colleagues checking in from all across the globe. Rosy is a smart and enthusiastic individual who is passionate about her role, and loves the fact that she’s trusted to do her job no matter where she is. In this episode Rosy takes us through some of the processes involved in recruiting for a remote company, outlining the differences between the approaches used in the USA and Europe. She stresses that when working with employees based in different time zones, it’s vital that you have the right mindset and an open mind towards technology. Rosy has a passion for people that extends beyond the workplace. She tells us how she has empathy for people from all backgrounds and shares how her own experiences have shaped her thoughts around equality in the workplace.

It’s that time of the week again, as we’re back with a brand new episode of our Leading Between the Lines podcast. This week we chatted with Michael Laws, Head of Talent at Pleo, an innovative fintech company co-founded in 2015 by Jeppe Rindom and Niccolo Perra. Based in Copenhagen, Pleo offers an online spending-solution and smart company cards that empower thousands of businesses across Europe. Michael is in charge of recruitment at Pleo and very much reflects the values of trust and authenticity that the company exhibits. He has a humble and authentic approach, both to the way he works and his outlook on life. Despite having been with Pleo for less than a year, Michael’s already having a big impact. Michael talks about his recruitment process, stating that he’s a big fan of references and a more traditional interview style in order to gauge competency. He’s going to be utilising his recruitment strategy a lot in the coming months as Pleo are aiming to double employee numbers by this time next year! Within the business Michael’s mission is to make people feel valued at work, placing emphasis on trust and keeping employees engaged. He sees these as core values that aid staff retention. Not motivated by status or position, Michael tells us all about what really matters to him and how he’d prefer to be remembered.

We’re back with another episode of the Leading Between the Lines podcast! In the hot seat this week is Maria Campbell “VP of People” at Griffin, a fintech startup that provides banking service solutions for companies that want to offer financial services products. Griffin was founded in 2017 by David Jarvis (CEO) and Allen Rohner (CTO). The company is currently seeking regulatory approval from the PRA and FCA in order to become the UK's very first platform bank. Maria has vast experience within her field and gives us her outlook on people management, explaining why storytelling and adaptability are so important to the role. She also believes that people management requires a unique skill set, meaning that it shouldn’t be in everyone’s career progression plan. She adds that for most people it in fact constitutes a career change! Working in two male-dominated fields at once, with Griffin being both a tech and finance company, Maria champions women in both industries. She tells us all about how she wants to bring about positive change for gender diversity in the workplace, being one of few on any exec team, she feels there is still work to be done to reflect the society we live in. We also get a glimpse into how Maria gets gratification from day-to-day life, and she opens up candidly about her struggles with mental health.

It’s time for another Leading Between the Lines podcast! This week we’re chatting to Bedford Thomas, “Head of Employee Experience” at innovative electric vehicle manufacturer Arrival. Founded in 2015 by Dennis Sverdlov, Arrival is now approaching 2000 employees. Based in London, the company is a truly global business operating in a number of countries including the U.S., Germany, Israel, and Russia. Arrival ensure that radical change is at the forefront of all they do. This approach not only drives the business forward, but also filters through to all aspects of their day-to-day, particularly within the People Experience Team. The company takes a progressive “lead” rather than “manage” approach, with no obvious hierarchy in place, meaning all employees have a voice. In this episode Bedford talks about the importance that Arrival puts on their “Microfactory” approach. He explains that each time they set up a new factory, they hire from within that community to help build a connection to the business and its mission. He also speaks about building the best work culture and employee experience possible, whilst striving to make a radical impact at the company. Bedford ends by outlining exactly what it is that he wants to be remembered for during his lifetime.

We’re back with another episode of Leading Between the Lines. This week we spoke to Carl Martin, People Development and Engagement Lead at Farewill. Founded in 2015 by Dan Garrett and Tom Rogers, Farewill is the UK’s largest will writing service. In the last couple of years the company has raised over £100m for charity, featured on the front page of a national newspaper, and expanded their team from 25 to over 100 people. Carl is an NLP qualified coach with a real passion for helping people reach their full potential. In this episode Carl discusses Farewill's broader mission to shift the narrative around talking about death, telling us how this key factor helps with employee retention. Farewill has a strong belief in coaching for execs and employees alike, and Carl goes on to tell us about the company’s desire to cultivate a meaningful growth culture whilst ensuring that people come first. Carl also talks openly about his own personal struggles with anxiety and how he is dealing with it. He is refreshingly open and honest in the episode, which we found to be very inspiring.

In this week's episode of Leading Between the Lines, we hear from Olya Yakzhina, the Head of People at Switchee as she speaks to our head coach Peter about aspects of culture, recruitment and the employee experience. Founded in 2015 by Adam Fudakowski, Ian Napier, Ed Warrick and Russ MacMillan, Switchee is an enterprise insight solution combining a smart thermostat with an analytical platform to provide safer and better housing for some of the largest landlords in the UK.   As the Head of People at Switchee, Olya knows the importance of a strong culture. She says that the culture of a company should be figured out before anything else. Her goal is to make the employee experience amazing for everyone, everywhere. As Switchee continues to grow, Olya will work to analyse skill gaps in the culture and employees. Listen in to hear how she plans to do so!

In today’s episode of Leading Between the Lines, Peter speaks to Gabriela Matias, the Head of People at Thriva Health. Thriva was founded in 2015 by Hamish Grierson, Eliot Brooks and Tom Livesey. Thriva’s mission is “to help you live healthier for longer,” and they do just that by providing regular health tests and checks through the mail. On the people side of things, Gabriela works to support the employee experience and journey of growing and developing while working at Thriva. She tells us about how she supports, enables and upskills managers with a personal touch. Gabriela hopes that in the future, Thriva will be known for their supportive and empathetic people leaders. Listen in to hear how Gabriela predicts Thriva will arrive at that destination through the power of imminent feedback and continuous learning.

After a two-week break, we couldn’t be more excited to share this week’s episode of Leading Between the Lines. We speak to France Bobet, the People Development Lead of Wolt, a Helsinki based food delivery company. Formed in 2014 by six co-founders, Wolt is currently headed by Miki Kuusi. They have grown to over 3200 employees, operate in 23 countries and have received over $900 million in funding with investors including Facebook and Twitter heads Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey. Given the increase in need for delivery services during the pandemic, Wolt has expanded greatly in the fast-growing environment. They are soon introducing their own grocery stores, “Wolt Market.” With their fast-increasing business and headcount, France has her hands full. She explains Wolt’s culture of human interaction and connection, as well as the company’s values which include the willingness to learn and to teach. France’s job responsibilities include handling all leadership and career development, as well as the engagement and performance management of Wolt’s more than 3000 employees. Hear how France was able to learn by doing while remaining true to Wolt’s values in such a fast-growing environment.

Today, we are pleased to talk to Napa Saengkrachang about her experience as Senior HR Manager at Oxford Summer Courses. She is an impressive rising influence in the industry and discusses with us the importance of adaptability and recognising progress. Formed in 2010 by Harry Hortyn and Robert Phipps, Oxford Summer Courses prides itself on offering the experience of learning at a world class university to motivated students all over the world. They prioritise excellence and innovation and have expanded to offer courses remotely as well as in person since the pandemic. Napa values the opportunities for direct personal impact that HR offers, and has taken advantage of spearheading using engagement surveys at Oxford Summer Courses to make direct change based on the needs of the staff. Since recording this, Napa has been headhunted by Taylor & Francis Group and is now working for them as a HR Business Partner. She discusses how she believes in applying data and listening to company culture in order to “champion change.” Napa describes more flexible approaches to retaining top talent and how prioritising diversity really means making everyone welcome in the workplace. An up and coming voice in her field, Napa has some great insights about optimising personal development. Tune in to find out more!

In the tenth episode of series 2 of our podcast, Leading Between the Lines, we speak to David Frost, the Head of Learning and Development at Curve. Founded in 2015 by Shachar Bialick, Curve is a hyper-growth fintech aiming to simplify customers' finances by housing multiple accounts in one smart card and app.   Curve announced recently its valuation tripled, ahead of a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign. Additionally, Curve grew from 160 employees in June 2019 to more than 400 today. From 2019 to March 2021, Curve has doubled their customers from one to more than two million (and is still growing fast) and the total value of the transactions processed on their platform has risen to over £2.2 billion within the same period. Clearly Learning and Development then is a huge job for Curve, and David Frost tackles it with passion, energy and enthusiasm. He is a highly innovative and commercial leader with extensive experience in Learning, Development and Talent Management. David has a strong track record of leading large, visible and impactful programmes in Global Learning, Leadership, Cultural Change and OD. He has experience over the past 15 utilising this knowledge, across both enterprise businesses and hyper-growth start-ups, including at Bowing, PatSnap and SHL. David truly understands that the culture of a company influences the success of its employees and he discusses the differences he has noted between larger corporations and start-up ventures. David believes in "elegant simplicity" when it comes to creating learning and development experiences and solutions, emphasising the need for true impact, intentionality and innovation. He has applied this approach within many areas of business, including leadership development programmes, orientation and career growth initiatives. Listen in to hear how he explains that "the spark of passion creates the fuel for innovation."