In this special episode of HR insights, Stuart Elliott is joined by Ilona Jurkiewicz and Roshan Jayawardena to draw on insights from their recently published white paper, ‘Evolving skillsets of HR leaders’, which combines qualitative interviews with 80+ HR leaders and quantitative data. They explore how the HR function is rapidly evolving in response to significant external forces and how the expectations of HR professionals have expanded far beyond traditional responsibilities; today’s HR le...

We’re back again this week with another new episode! If you have been following HR Insights, you would have seen, we are currently running our HR Resilience Survey to better understand how resilient the function truly is and what HR professionals most need to focus on right now. So far, one of the clearest themes that emerged was the challenge of managing worry and finding calm, highlighting the widespread sense of burnout across the profession. Today, we are joined by Rebecca Reed, Founder o...

In this episode of HR Insights, we sit down with Friska Wirya, founder of Future Fit and a globally recognised change management thought leader, to unpack what real change leadership looks like in today’s ever-evolving business landscape. With more than a decade of experience transforming some of the world’s most conservative organisations, Friska brings raw honesty, strategic insight, and a touch of humanity to the prominent topic of change. From managing layoffs with empathy to future-proof...

Welcome back to another episode of the HR insights: podcast! In this episode, our CEO and host, Stuart Elliott, chats to International Benefits Strategy Leader Maggie Lester at Merck Group, to discuss the evolution of employee benefits and how they mould the brand and culture of the organisation. Maggie shares insights spanning her 20 years of international experience, highlighting the shift from pensions to more inclusive benefits. She notes the impact that cultural differences have on...

In this episode, we explore the shifting landscape of DEI with Nikki Davies, a globally recognised DEI strategist, coach, and entrepreneur based in Hong Kong. Drawing from our recent UK HR Trends Report, which revealed a shift in DEI's priority amongst organisations, Stuart Elliott asks: why is this happening—and what does it mean for the future? Nikki shares insights from her 30-year career in coaching and consulting, and how organisations are facing a "day of reckoning"—separating those tru...

You may have noticed a brief pause in our HR Insights: Podcast episodes. This break was part of our broader initiative to elevate the Elliott Scott brand. We're excited to return with enhanced content and a renewed focus on delivering insightful, topical discussions that support and inspire your career growth. We recently partnered with Cappfinity on a whitepaper focused on gathering the trends in the UK HR world at the beginning of 2025. Cappfinity is the world leader in measuring and develo...

It's our mid-season finale! In this episode, Stuart Elliott sits down with DN Prasad, Executive Coach, transformational HR Leader and founder of Noetic Step to discuss his career. Originally from Bangalore, Prasad’s journey is one of intentionality, growth, and impact. Over his impressive career—including 12 years at Google—he has shaped cultures, built high-performing teams, and led transformative initiatives across India, the US, and Singapore. Prasad shares the defining moments that unde...

Today's guest is Thierry Moschetti, Co-Founder and Managing Partner Europe for the Resilience Institute. Thierry is a long-term friend of Elliott Scott HR and has been sharing his insights in the resilience space with our community in past podcast episodes and events. Today, we asked Thierry back on the show to talk through new trends in the resilience space, the idea of top-down imperative, which only works when leaders walk the talk in their capacity to balance performance and care fo...

In this episode, Stuart Elliott sits down with Ngozi Cadmus, an inspiration in mental health, anti-racism, and leadership research. With 17 years working in mental health, Ngozi shares her journey from social worker to founder of Happiworkers, an anti-racist, culturally sensitive mental health platform designed to support employees—especially those from racialised backgrounds. Ngozi discusses her experiences as an approved mental health professional, her groundbreaking doctoral research on di...

In this episode, Stuart Elliott sits down with John Gates, a former recruiter turned internationally bestselling author of Act Your Wage, to uncover the art and strategy of pay negotiation. John shares his journey from humble beginnings, working his way through college, to becoming a trusted advisor for C-suite executives and senior leaders through his business, Salary Coach. Over the years, he’s developed a proven method to help candidates secure better compensation packages without risking ...