Lyndsey Simpson on redefining what it means to grow older in the workplace
In 2019, the Center for Aging Better predicted that by 2025 there will be one million more people aged 50 and over, and 300,000 fewer people aged 30 and under, in the workplace, with one in three of the working age population aged 50 and over.But as we creep towards to halfway point of 2025, was this prediction correct?Lyndsey Simpson, founder of 55/Redefined, certainly thinks so. In fact, she says we've exceeded those levels. In this week's episode, we discuss the UK's ageing population and its affect on the workplace. Simpson argues that many employees who reach retirement age don't feel ready to stop working - but modern workplaces still impose a mid-60s retirement age. Through her work at 55/Redefined, she has seen an influx of people over the retirement age return to the workplace - and believes business leaders who are quick to dismiss older workers are missing out on critical return on experience.Credits:Presenter: Éilis CroninProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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30:56
Corporate sustainability strategies and cutting supply chain costs
On today’s episode, we discuss whether businesses are backtracking on their environmental commitments and Boston Consulting Group’s tips for cutting supply chain costs. Despite media reports of corporate backtracking on sustainability, the news on the ground is more complex. We discuss a piece by Paul Simpson, who argues that many companies are quietly advancing their environmental goals – not just because it’s the right thing for the planet, but because it’s good for business too.Chief operating officers (COOs) are under increasing pressure to proactively manage supply chain costs amid global disruptions, but reactive strategies won’t deliver lasting value. We discuss a piece written by consultants from Boston Consulting Group, who put forward five ways in which COOs should approach cost-cutting initiatives to deliver sustainable efficiency. Links:https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whats-next-corporate-environmental-agenda/indepth/article/1915218https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/five-ways-coos-reduce-supply-chain-costs/opinion-and-analysis/article/1915092Credits:Presenters: Éilis Cronin and Antonia Garrett PeelProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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9:45
Rule of three: the CEO of Hitachi Vantara’s formula for staying focused
“We as humans can remember three things,” says Sheila Rohra, CEO of Hitachi Vantara. It is this rule of three, then, that is central to her formula for “staying focused”, as well as her approach to devising a strategy the whole company can “rally around”.Rohra was appointed to her role in November 2023 after joining the data storage systems firm earlier in the year as chief strategy officer. As this week’s guest on Leadership Lessons, Rohra talks about how Hitachi Vantara is transforming its business, and the three-pronged strategy that is driving the company forward.Maintaining focus is also a key imperative in the age of rapid AI adoption.It’s crucial to keep a keen eye on the problem you were trying to solve with AI, says Rohra - and on whether you’re getting the ROI you were seeking. Otherwise, at a time when research suggests many organisations’ adoption of the tech is still being driven by short-term experimentation rather than long-term strategic planning, you risk overinvesting in the technology and causing “massive confusion, not to mention massive power consumption”.From her first foothold in the high-tech industry, working on a production line assembling computers, Rohra has diversified her CV with roles spanning strategy, business operations and transformation.Her first “significant” job focused on the latter was as chief transformation officer at data infrastructure company NetApp. This role taught her how much spearheading major organisational change initiatives is about “working with people, influencing”. With only five people on her direct team, the need to get wider employee buy-in and bring staff “along the journey” was immediately clear. “So that means listening, learning, providing a safe zone for conversations.” This recognition of the integral role others play in achieving your objectives is also central to Rohra’s belief in the importance of staying “humble”. “It’s not because of my accomplishments alone [that I’m CEO],” she says. “It took support from my team, friends and family for me to get here. I did not accomplish this alone.”Credits:Producer: Inga MarsdenPresenter: Antonia Garrett PeelArtwork: David Robinson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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16:27
Unilever’s new chief exec and how to achieve growth in a sluggish economy
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses Unilever’s recent CEO change and how to keep driving your business forward even in unfavourable market conditions.The ousting of Hein Schumacher after little more than a year and a half in Unilever’s top job seemed to many to come as a bolt from the blue. “We are gobsmacked,” was how one analyst at RBC Capital summed up the reaction among colleagues. But even in the announcement the company put out about the change there were clues as to the frustrations that had precipitated such a move. We explore the board’s rationale, what the company’s new chief Fernando Fernandez brings to the table, and his priorities in the short and long term.Companies that thrive, even when times are tough, “build resilience within their own internal economy”. That’s the contention at the heart of business scaling strategist John Mackin’s new piece for MT. We explain what this means and, against a backdrop of heightened economic uncertainty, bring you three tips on how to nonetheless continuously grow your business.Credits:Presenters: Éilis Cronin and Antonia Garrett PeelProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David RobinsonLinks: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/unilever-brought-new-boss-fast-track-its-turnaround-strategy-deliver-goods/indepth/article/1914508https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/sluggish-economy-doesnt-mean-cant-continuously-grow-business-heres-how/opinion-and-analysis/article/1912440 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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9:37
Wavemaker UK’s CEO and COO on how ‘dual leadership’ helped them spearhead a turnaround
Business wins and losses are part of life for a media agency, but sometimes the losses can start to outpace the wins and – for whatever reason – negative momentum takes hold.This was the difficult backdrop against which Kelly Parker and Katie Lee were appointed as Wavemaker UK CEO and COO respectively in 2022. In Parker’s words, the agency had had a “really bad year” in 2021, losing a “large number” of its top 10 clients. “I think it just lost its way as a business,” she says.Three years on and Parker and Lee have steered the business back to double-digit growth, a turnaround they credit in part to their unconventional working relationship, which they conceptualise as ‘dual leadership’. Recalling the challenging early days of that effort, Lee says: “I think because there were the two of us, it meant we could be making difficult decisions while at the same time building momentum and energy in the agency. I think if there had been one person, it would have had to feel negative…whereas having the two of us, we could both build and break at the same time.”This week’s guests on Leadership Lessons, Parker and Lee explain why their ‘dual leadership’ approach continues to pay dividends, helping them to get the best out of their teams, make the most of their respective talents and elevate the work they produce for clients.This episode was recorded in January 2025.Credits:Presenter: Antonia Garrett PeelProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: David Robinson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Management Today's Leadership Lessons podcast is aimed at entertaining, educating and inspiring people to be better leaders. The podcast delves into the world of leadership and management, bringing fresh insights, trends and advice to the ears of busy senior leaders. We interview CEOs, founders, authors, executive coaches, business professors and other experts to discover the real secrets to effective leadership. We also provide crucial insight into some of the biggest business stories of the day to help you stay ahead of the curve. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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