Thinking in public
The Multiplier Effect
Promoting a woman into senior leadership does not fill one seat. It strengthens the entire layer beneath her. The data on engagement, development, and team performance makes the commercial case.
Driving Organisational Performance
Companies with top-quartile people practices grow 1.5x faster. Yet people investment still often shows up as a cost line. Here's how Chief People Officers close the gap.
The Budget Paradox
Boards want AI transformation and cost reduction simultaneously. But both require people investment. The paradox destroying financial services strategy in 2026.
The Conduct Question
The FCA's new non-financial misconduct rule treats culture as a regulatory signal. Boards that ignore it are exposed. Here's what CPOs need to do.
The Credibility Equation
70% of companies report more CHRO board engagement. Only 12% pay them like it. The credibility gap is real — and it's ours to close.
The Culture Balance Sheet
Wells Fargo spent seven years under a Federal Reserve cap because of a culture failure nobody measured. Every bank needs a culture balance sheet. Here's what one looks like.
The Eighty-Seven Percent Problem
87% of organisations are not fully AI-ready. The gap isn't technology — it's infrastructure, governance, and a skilled workforce. Closing it may be the biggest commercial opportunity in financial services.
The Eighty-Seven Percent Problem: What to Do About It
The readiness gap is a people gap. Here's what Chief People Officers can do about it — redesigning work, rebuilding management, and reshaping culture — and why the commercial case is a board-level conversation.
The Flexibility Dividend
Hybrid schedules reduce voluntary turnover by 33%. Yet most banks still treat flexibility as a concession. The Chief People Officer who reframes this as talent economics changes the conversation.
The Great Flattening
41% of organisations have already removed management layers. But flattening without strategic redesign often costs more than it saves. Here's what boards should ask first.
The Resilience Blind Spot
Key person dependencies destroy operational resilience. The PRA framework misses the people risk. Here's what boards need to address.
The Succession Deficit
Only 21% of directors rate their succession planning as excellent. CEO succession destroys £1 trillion in market value annually when mismanaged. Here's what boards should actually do.
The Talent Hoarders
83% of companies cite talent hoarding as crucial friction. The most expensive recruitment problem in banking isn't in the market — it's inside the building.