The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ David Hui and Grace Gu speak to Peter Attfield, the former chief talent and learning officer at Jardine Matheson. Attfield shares how the Jardine Group has met the challenges of the last few years, how the company, the group, and the subsidiaries are preparing for the future, and what leadership skills or capabilities the group is focusing on in terms of both development and talent attraction. He also discusses the shifting of both employer and employee expectations, sharing his insights on the most effective way to communicate about those shifting expectations from both sides of the table, and what he sees are typical mindsets, attitudes, or reactions people should work on changing. Finally, Attfield shares the two or three things from a people strategy perspective he believes there needs to be absolute focus on.

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ Will Krents speaks to Dr. Bob Maughon, the executive vice president, sustainability, technology & innovation and chief technology and sustainability officer at SABIC, the global Saudi Arabia–based chemical manufacturing company, to talk about how Maughon has seen the greater chemicals industry evolve over the last five years, particularly in regard to sustainability and digital transformation. He shares what SABIC is currently prioritizing, some big achievements and goals, and also how he is thinking about continuing to build teams to deliver on those goals. Finally, Maughon discusses the benefits of the duality of his sustainability and technology role, and what skills and experiences he believes will be most important for the next generation of sustainability leaders in the chemical industry.

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ Ina Sood speaks to Maggie FitzPatrick, the founder of FitzPatrick & Co and former global chief communications officer and head of public affairs at Johnson & Johnson. FitzPatrick discusses how she has seen the chief communications officer role evolve, particularly given the higher societal expectations for corporations to take a stand on public issues in recent years as well as the growing range of contentious social and geopolitical issues. She shares the leadership capabilities that have been most important to her success navigating these complexities, highlighting the importance of being able to influence others and create followership. She also discusses the blurring of the lines between leadership roles in the communications, marketing, and digital functions, the benefits of having someone on a company board with a communications background, and what skill sets communications leaders should focus on if they are looking to join a board in the future.

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ Martin Holm speaks to Thomas Holm Pedersen, the CEO of NMD Pharma, a clinical-stage biotech company with novel treatments for neuromuscular disease. Pedersen shares how he founded the biotech company and became CEO, sharing the capabilities he needed to learn right away. He discusses the foundational strengths that technically experienced CEOs have that nontechnical CEOs may struggle with in leading a biotech, as well as how he keeps up with different aspects of the growth of the organization including fundraising, hiring key talent, and fostering that culture of growth. Finally, he shares his advice for other biotech founders coming from academia and how he sees the future of the biotechnology industry unfolding.

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ Victoria Reese speaks to Dr. Larry Richard, the leading expert on the psychology of lawyer behavior and the founder of LawyerBrain, a management consulting firm that exclusively serves the legal profession. Richard, who over his career has analyzed over 25,000 lawyers, shares what he thinks makes lawyers different and how they can best create relationships and environments for collaboration. He also discusses the biggest difference between a successful law firm partner and a successful general counsel and, for those in legal who may want to move into different roles—for example, general counsel or chief legal officer roles—what specific leadership skill sets and capabilities they should focus on developing the most. Finally, he offers advice to organizational leaders for how to best engage and communicate to ensure they are getting the best outcome out of the lawyers they work with.

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ Scott Bae speaks to Angella Alexander, CHRO at ATS Corporation, a leading industrial automation solutions provider listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and member of the board of CCL Industries, a global specialty packaging pioneer and the largest label company in the world. Alexander begins by sharing her journey to becoming a public company CHRO and board member, and then turns to the biggest challenges facing leaders responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining leaders, focusing on the balance between hiring externally and developing leaders internally—particularly in a decentralized business—and culture’s role in talent strategy and management. Finally, she discusses the most important areas of expertise that a CHRO can bring to a board of directors and offers advice to other HR leaders who want to serve on boards.

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ Sean McLean speaks to Jana Mosley, the president of ENMAX Power and a board member of the Western Energy Institute. Mosley, who has seen the electrical industry from multiple viewpoints, shares what she believes Canada’s leaders are doing well and where she believes they can improve, as well as how she and her team prioritize where to focus, what to learn, and which expertise to bring onto the team versus expertise to seek out form external experts. As an executive and board member, she shares what she sees as culture's role in an organization, what practices are most impactful in getting to or staying at a high level of board performance, and both what she believes leaders are doing well right now to accelerate progress on DE&I within their organizations and what more she believes must be done. Finally, she offers advice to emerging leaders on how to develop in their careers as well as advice to senior executives on maintaining their health and wellness.

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ Josh Clarke speaks to Caitlin Donovan, global head of Uber Health. Donovan shares what attracted her to an operational role and the healthcare ecosystem, what kept her engaged in the sector, and how she believes a strong operational focus has benefited her as a business leader. Speaking from her experience having worked with both early-stage start-ups and large-scale organizations, she also shares what leadership capabilities have helped her thrive in all these different environments as well as what new things she had to learn when starting out in each; her perspective on building thriving teams and striking a balance between functional expertise and general best athletes; and her approach to recruiting, engaging, and retaining talent in different market environments. 

In this next episode of The Heidrick & Struggles Leadership Podcast, Heidrick & Struggles’ Roberto Hall speaks to Angela Hurtado, JPMorgan Chase & Co’s managing director and senior country officer for Colombia and independent director at Bolsa de Valores de Colombia, the Colombian stock exchange. Hurtado, also the chairperson of Women in Connection, discusses the state of diversity, equity and inclusion in Colombian businesses, the challenges and opportunities of managing both executive and non-executive roles at once, and how leaders can foster a culture of allyship and inclusion at their companies.