This week Verena is joined by Dr Jennifer Petriglieri, an Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD in France and the author of the brilliant book Couples That Work , to discuss how dual-career couples can thrive in relationships, at home and in work. We know instinctively that being in a relationship can have a massive impact on your career progress and long-term happiness. In this episode of Leaders With Babies, we focus on how couples in ambitious careers can successfully tack...
Feb 11, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 16
This week on Leaders With Babies Verena is joined by our first ever couple, Ruth and Colin Stuart. Ruth and Colin (who are parents to a young daughter) both have successful leadership careers in their own right. Ruth as Head of Strategy Development at the CIPD (the main membership organisation for HR Directors) and Colin as a respected astronomy author and international speaker. In order to progress your career and get to the most senior jobs, it can be essential to have a supportive partner. In...
Feb 04, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 15
This week Verena chats to the journalist, author, social media influencer and flexible working campaigner Anna Whitehouse - otherwise known as “Mother Pukka.” Using #flexappeal , Anna has been a pioneer in calling for flexible working for ALL and her mission is to help businesses breakdown the fear around flexible working. Anna shares how the #flexappeal campaign got started, plus some brilliant, real-life, flexible working examples from businesses such as BP, HSBC and Deloitte. Plus there is pl...
Jan 28, 2020•40 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Ever wondered what happens behind closed doors in HR when you submit a flexible working request? This week on Leaders With Babies, Verena is joined by Laura Harrison, a former HR Director who has worked for organisations including PwC, EY, Aviva and CIPD. Laura is a co-founder of the Human Change Agency and also a mentor on our Leaders Plus Fellowship Programme and is passionate about combining her love for her work with her love for her children. In this candid discussion, Laura shares her top ...
Jan 21, 2020•52 min•Season 2Ep. 13
This week on Leaders With Babies, Verena is joined by Dr Geraldine Strathdee OBE, the former National Clinical Director of Mental Health for NHS England. For over 20 years Geraldine has held senior roles in mental health policy, regulation and clinical management, at national and London regional levels. She advises internationally on mental health service design and quality improvement, all while working as a practising clinician and juggling her own children and now grandchildren. In this episo...
Jan 14, 2020•46 min•Season 2Ep. 12
In the first episode of Series 2 of the Leaders With Babies Podcast, Verena is joined by Tim Allen, a partner at PWC and a mentor on the Leaders Plus Fellowship . Tim is a pioneer in taking shared parental leave (SPL) and was one of the very first partners at PWC to take extended time off following the birth of his first daughter, Stella. There's important discussion on the practicalities of taking SPL when in a leadership position, including how to ensure you don't miss out when it comes to fut...
Jan 07, 2020•38 min•Season 2Ep. 11
This week in the tenth and final episode of Series One of Leaders With Babies, Verena talks to Poppy Jaman OBE, CEO and founding member of City Mental Health Alliance. Poppy openly shares her own struggle with post natal depression in her early 20's and how through that challenging period she founded and led one of the most successful and fastest growing mental health charities in the UK. There's important discussion on managing workload overwhelm as a leader with young children, plus why it is ...
Nov 26, 2019•48 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Joining Verena this week is headhunter Tanya Stevens, who shares her practical tips for parents of young children who wish to apply for a senior leadership role either today or in the future. Tanya, who is principal headhunter at Society's global not-for-profit practice, has some brilliant advice on flexible working. Including the best time to mention flexible working when applying for a new position and the factors that really make a difference when it comes to interview. Plus there is discussi...
Nov 19, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This week Verena is joined by joined by Ufi Ibrahim, Chair of the Hotels Energy Board and former CEO of the British Hospitality Association, who has had an illustrious international senior leadership career in the hospitality and tourism industry. Ufi shares her experience navigating single parenthood at a young age; why she never stops studying and how she developed the resilience and ambition to succeed whilst raising her son and progressing her career. Plus there’s inspiring discussion on the...
Nov 12, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In episode 7 of Leaders With Babies, Verena is joined by Susannah Hardyman; CEO and Founder of the award-winning educational charity Action Tutoring and a Leaders Plus Fellow. There's powerful discussion around miscarriage, the best way to ask for a pay rise post-maternity leave, managing workload and how to make a busy CEO job work in 4 days. Susannah also shares the positive impact of the Leaders Plus Fellowship and coming to the realisation that there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to c...
Nov 05, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This week Verena Hefti is joined by Consultant Rheumatologist and former President of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Prof Dame Jane Dacre. From working in one of the first-ever general medicine job shares to negotiating part-time work, in this insightful discussion, Prof Dame Dacre opens up about her experience juggling three small children with a very busy medical career. Including why hearing the words 'no, you can't' only spurred her career on further. There is also discussion on lead...
Oct 29, 2019•46 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Episode 5 of Leaders With Babies features Nick Wilkie, the first male Chief Executive appointed by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), the UK's largest charity for parents. Born in Manchester and raised in the Peak District, Nick now lives in London and is a father of three young children. In this brilliant discussion, Nick talks candidly about stepping away from his Chief Executive position at the NCT to be a full-time parent, allowing his partner to return a full-time leadership position and ...
Oct 22, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In episode 4 of Leaders with Babies host Verena Hefti chats to the wonderfully inspiring Dame Helena Morrissey, a financier, author, wife and mother of nine. As well as being Head of Personal Investing at Legal & General, Helena is Chair of the Diversity Project and Founder of the 30% Club , a groundbreaking initiative to get 30% of boards female. She is also the author of the brilliant book A Good Time to be a Girl . In this insightful interview, Helena shares the highlights of her fascinat...
Oct 15, 2019•40 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In episode 3 Verena Hefti talks to Professor of Law and author of the brilliant book ‘The Art of Life Admin’, Elizabeth Emens about managing the spiral of day-to-day tasks that can often overwhelm and exhaust us. Elizabeth explains how lifelines are essential in helping us navigate parenthood and return back to our original intentions. She also shares practical tips on better managing our life admin, so that we can steal back time in our day to do the things that spark joy and help us achieve ou...
Oct 08, 2019•42 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In Episode 2 of the Leaders with Babies Podcast CEO and founder of Leaders Plus, Verena Hefti interviews the brilliant Hannah Essex, Co-Executive Director at the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), a position she job shares with Claire Walker. Hannah shares her positive experience job sharing with Claire at the BCC and her essential advice for anyone who is keen to explore job sharing at their company, as well as the practicalities of making a job share work. Plus as a busy mum of 3 Hannah opens ...
Oct 01, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In Episode 1 of the Leaders with Babies Podcast CEO and founder of Leaders Plus, Verena Hefti interviews the inspirational Dr. Susie Minson, a consultant paediatrician at the Royal London Children's Hospital and Clinical Lecturer at St Bartholomew's Hospital and The London Medical School. Susie is also a proud mum of 3 young children and a past Leaders Plus Fellow. In this frank and open discussion, Susie discusses her biggest learning points when it comes to combining her ambitious leadership c...
Sep 24, 2019•52 min•Season 1Ep. 1
