Pioneer stories

Jul 23 2020 6

Pioneer stories Podcast artwork

Pioneer stories is a podcast series in which we interview business founders and leaders who are pioneering new management practices and ways of working to create inspiring organisational cultures. It’s a podcast for business founders and people leaders who are striving to make their own workplaces deliver for their people and who want their culture to be a source of strength that drives the future growth of their company. We interview business founders and leaders who we think we can all learn something from. We get past the conceptual ideas to bring you the day to day habits and practices these businesses use to create and sustain their cultures. We’ll bring you one pioneer each episode so tune in for 30 minutes of wisdom and practical ideas for you to test in your own organisation each week.

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Wazoku: enabling people to share and act on their ideas

Jul 23 2020 25 mins

In this episode Bee interviews Simon Hill, Founder and CEO of Wazoku. Wazoku builds idea management software and as you might expect – ideas are central to the way things work at the company. Listen to hear how enabling people to share and act on their ideas has driven the evolution of Wazoku’s culture through it’s early growth and now a major acquisition.

National Emergencies Trust: creating culture through a crisis

Jul 16 2020 32 mins

In this episode Bee interviews Helen Killingley, Head of People and Values at the National Emergencies Trust. Helen shares how NET essentially created a culture from scratch as they grew from 3 to 80 people in a matter of weeks during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Social Element: giving people choice in how they work

Jul 09 2020 35 mins

In this episode Bee interviews Tamara Littleton, founder and CEO of The Social Element. Tamara saw an opportunity to help brands create online communities before social media was a thing. And unlike the swanky offices of the social media giants nowadays, remote working was the only viable option for her bootstrapped business. As the business grew, Tamara focused on giving people ch

The River Group: nurturing a company culture through growth, sale and buyback

Jul 02 2020 27 mins

An interview with Nicola Murphy, founder and CEO of The River Group – a content marketing agency. Nicola knows what it’s like to create a business from scratch, sell it and buy it back again. In this interview she graciously shares the lessons she’s learnt about leadership, people and culture along her journey.

SmartRecruiters: putting purpose at the centre of decision making and action

Jun 25 2020 30 mins

An interview with Jerome Ternynck, founder and CEO of Smart Recruiters. Jerome is on a mission to eradicate unemployment and it’s this sense of purpose that drives the caring actions of the people at Smart Recruiters. Jerome shares how he's kept the company true to its purpose through rapid growth.

Honest Burgers: putting your people first during a global pandemic

Apr 08 2020 24 mins

An interview with Dub Lee, Learning Architect at Honest Burgers. From the day they opened their first doors in Brixton Market, Honest Burgers has been famous for their food and customer experience and recently they've been working hard to bring their employee experience up to the same level. Discover how their People Team have handled the Covid-19 pandemic and why it's be

Culture Amp: taking your business to a new geography

Jun 20 2019 33 mins

An interview with Nick Matthews, VP and General Manager of Culture Amp EMEA. Culture Amp was founded, and remains headquartered, in Melbourne, Australia. Nick was brought in to launch Culture Amp in Europe. Learn how he's grown Culture Amp in a new geography without losing the core identity and values of the business.

Costello Medical: growing your people and your company at the same time

Mar 15 2019 36 mins

An interview with Sophie Costello, founder and CEO of Costello Medical. Before they’d even hired their first employee, Sophie was determined to create a company where people could find their niche and fulfil their potential. By listening to what people want at every stage of the company’s growth, she’s built a culture in which people flourish.

MAMA.codes: making flexible working work for everyone

Feb 28 2019 27 mins

An interview with Liane Katz, Founder of MAMA.codes, a company that’s transforming the way children (and their parents and teachers) learn to code. Liane's thrown out the notion of a 9 to 5 job and has given a community of people opportunities to work in ways that fit their lifestyle. This podcast gives you an insight into the practical ways one company uses technology and t

Northcott Global Solutions: putting military principles into practice in civvy street

Feb 21 2019 27 mins

In this episode Bee interviews Ted Jones, Founder and CEO of Northcott Global Solutions. NGS applies military principles not only to the services they offer their clients, but also to the way they run their teams – starting with having an ex Drill Sergeant of the Grenadier Guards as their Head of HR. Listen in to discover what this means in practice... they have a culture that&ap