People and Performance Podcast

Today we are joined by Karl Dickson, a globally acclaimed figure in the realm of rugby, celebrated for his dual roles as a professional Rugby Union referee and a former England and Harlequins player. 

His illustrious refereeing career reached new heights during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, where he officiated the quarter-final between Wales and Argentina and served as the assistant referee in the final between South Africa an...

In the latest edition of this sports and business focused season, Chris and Bill are joined by Corey Samuels, Corey Samuels, a professional basketball player on the Bristol Flyers Men's Basketball team with a keen interest in business, HR, and inspiring others to perform at a high level. 

Corey’s experiences on and off the court provide a great lens into teamwork, adaptability, and the drive to achieve excellence. His...

Our guest this time is Felicia Rickards, an executive coach and leadership development consultant.

Felicia has worked with both sports stars and corporate C-suite leaders, making her uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between these two worlds. 

She’ll unpack how coaching strategies in elite sports can empower corporate leaders to unlock their full potential. 

Felicia is also co-organizer of events for...

In this episode, Chris and Bill chat with Steve Mellor, a high-performance Coach at GrowthReady and Host of The GrowthReady Podcast. 

Steve is a former top 50 globally-ranked swimmer and swim coach to olympic champions, All-Americans, and SEC medalists. Steve founded his company to serve executives, business owners, athletes and emerging leaders looking to attain optimal performance within their respective careers. 

Our guest this time is Zoe Thompson, who was once Britain’s second-strongest woman. After dealing with personal tragedy, Zoe Thompson embarked on a mission to change her life for the better. 

Zoe’s story is one of grit, determination, and relentless pursuit of goals. Her perspective on building mental and physical strength and how these traits can translate into professional resilience will leave you inspired.

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In this episode, Chris and Bill talk with Emma Ross, a trailblazing leader in sports science, a staunch advocate for women's empowerment in sport, and Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at The Well HQ. Emma was formerly the Head of Physiology at the English Institute of Sport, where her mandate included nurturing Team GB talent across the hugely successful Rio and Tokyo Olympics. 

Emma brings a wealth of knowledg...

Welcome to a very special preview episode of the People and Performance Podcast! Bill and Chris are thrilled to share a sneak peek into our upcoming Season 14. 

We’ve got an incredible lineup that’s going to take us in a slightly different, but super exciting, direction this season.

Usually, we bring you insights into the strategic competencies, behaviors, and results needed to boost workforce performance—from attraction an...

In the first People and Performance episode of 2025, we consider company culture and high achievement in the hospitality sector.

Our guest today is James Ferguson, speaker, employee engagement expert, and Corporate Director of Culture at The Wurzak Hotel Group, a Philadelphia-based, vertically integrated owner, developer, and operator of premium branded full-service, extended stay, and lifestyle hotels.

James is a...

In this episode of the People and Performance show, Dani Saadu, Head of People and Culture at Wavemaker, joins Bill and Chris to share some key strategies behind transformative workplace learning. 

Dani is co-author of The CAPEX Formula for Learning and Performance: Mega-Trends Driving the New World of Work, Learning, Skills, and HR.

With over 15 years of experience as a people and culture, talent management, and organisati...

In this episode of the People and Performance show, we consider systems thinking, ways to define strategic capabilities, and we review UNLEASH 2024 in Paris.

Chris and Bill are joined this time by Mary Glowacka, Global Head of Learning & Leadership Development at Rolls Royce, the aerospace and defense company.

With 15+ years of strategic practitioner experience and an unusual journey from operations into HR, ...

In this People and Performance episode, we hear from Enrique Rubio, Top 100 Global HR Influencer and speaker.

Enrique is the founder & CEO of Hacking HR, a global learning community at the intersection of the future of work technology and business with thousands of members from all over the world. 

In addition, he is Head of Global Community at Transform. 

Questions for Enrique include:

• You did not start in HR. You we...

Our guest today is Angela Cheng-Cimini, SVP, Talent & CHRO at Harvard Business Publishing.

Angela is a global executive Human Resources leader with over 30 years of comprehensive experience in both Generalist and Specialist competencies, partnering with C-suite leaders. 

Tune in to hear Angela's thoughts on ways new managers can get over imposter syndrome. Angela also shares tips for how mid-level manage...

Today’s leaders must navigate uncertainty and act with clarity. What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow, and future success requires innovation, decisive action, and the ability to influence change.

Bill is joined by Judith Germain, a multi-award-winning leadership catalyst and speaker at next week's Disrupt London event in partnership with HR Zone's Culture Pioneers Leadership Forum. 

The Forum is ...

Welcome to a brand new season of the People and Performance Podcast! In this episode, we consider some of the greatest challenges facing leaders today when it comes to attracting and keeping high-performing talent.

Joining Chris and Bill on the show is Dr. Patrick Simon, Senior Partner at McKinsey and Company, the global management consulting firm.

Patrick advises clients in Europe, the U.S., and Asia on a broad a...

Welcome to another episode of the People and Performance Podcast. Our guest today is Dr Dieter Veldsman, Chief Scientist: HR and OD at AIHR (Academy to Innovate HR).

Listen as we discuss ways to improve the credibility of HR pros plus we ask "What does it mean to be a T-shaped HR professional?"

Questions for Dieter include:

• Let's talk about "HR Competencies for 2030: A Future Standard"...

In this episode, we welcome Tara Furiani to the show. Combining a razor-sharp wit with over two decades of expertise in the people business, Tara fuses scholarly depth with battle-tested experience, making her a tour de force in HR, executive team-building, DEI, and corporate culture.

Outside the professional sphere, Tara doesn’t just talk work-life balance; she lives it. A loving parent to five kids, Tara also hosts the ...

In this episode, we focus on employee motivation and its connection with performance levels.

Our guest today is Paul Yoachum, co-founder & Managing Partner at FindMojo, the creators of the Motivators Assessment, the workplace motivation assessment. As a cofounder, managing partner, and CMO Paul is responsible for overseeing the company’s growth, customer acquisition, content, and product strategy.

Paul is a f...

Welcome to another People and Performance episode. Our guest today is Natalie Massey, Operations Manager at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and former Area Executive Assistant to the NASA Deputy Administrator at NASA.

Questions for Natalie include: 

• What challenges can admin and HR staff better tackle together? 
• Given ChatGPT etc, what does the admin professional role and job description look like in the ne...

In this episode, we discuss ways to maximize performance in the security sector.

Our guest today is Sarah Hayes, HR Director at Securitas UK and Co-founder and Director at Running on Empty.

With over 25 years of HR experience, Sarah is an award-winning fellow of the CIPD. Having worked in senior roles in various sectors including retail, financial services, and railway.

Sarah has worked at Securitas for 8 years and has been...