Connor Conversations: Recent Episodes
Connor Consultancy
Welcome to Connor Conversations. This series is designed to look at the important issues and items that are high on the HR agenda at the moment.
In this episode of Connor Conversations we are incredibly fortunate to speak to Steve Brown - Paralympian captain, wheelchair rugby player, television presenter, public speaker, and coach. We discuss Steve's incredible journey, how he overcame adversity, how he has successfully pivoted his career, and how he has made the most of the many transferable skills he has built up over his amazing career. A truly inspiring story.
In this episode of Connor Conversations we speak to Bill Banham, Editor at HR Gazette, Host of the popular HRchat Podcast, Associate Editorial Director of HRreview, and co-host of DisruptHR London. Bill provides his unique perspective on HR, his hopes for HR in 2023 and the opportunities that exist for today's HR leaders.
In this episode of Connor Conversations our Director of Organisational Change and HR Services, Steve Foulger, speaks with Birmingham born artist Carrick Siddell, following the release of the Birmingham Art Book for which Carrick is one of the selected artists. It completes our trio of podcasts on successful people from in and around Birmingham. Instead of sport being the link in to the business world, in this episode we use the world of art as our canvas to explore a key concept in successful businesses – organisational design. To get there we explore what a business design looks like for one person, we talk about areas they may want to consider to be successful and we get under the skin of areas that may not appear as important as commercials, but ultimately will determine if the business survives or ideally thrives.
We kicked off the Commonwealth games with a podcast all about Birmingham’s own Nick Baxter, his experiences of being a trail blazer for Rugby Sevens and how competing in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpar in 1998 gave him such a great platform. Today, we mark the close of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Birmingham you did us proud. And so did one of its home-grown talents. Our guest for this episode, Myles Hesson, Professional basketball player, Globetrotter, Trend-setter and Gold medallist at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth games.
With the Commonwealth Games coming to the UK we wanted to mark this wonderful event with a one-off and very special podcast.
Our guest is Nick Baxter, a former professional Rugby player. Loved by the fans, Nick got the opportunity to represent England in the Rugby sevens at the Commonwealth Games, which in 2000 enjoyed exhibition status. Nick’s team reached the Quarter Finals, where they lost to David Campese’s Australia. Nick scored both of Englands tries in that game and can give us a unique perspective on the balance and contrast between individual and team success.
Since leaving his playing days behind, Nick has become a serial entrepreneur. He has an infectious energy and knows more about networking, recruitment, and leadership than most people have forgot.
In this episode, our Director of Organisational Change and HR Services, Steve Foulger, speaks with Anjanette Fraser, a qualified menopause specialist, about an alternative approach to supporting women through the menopause, why businesses need to act now, and how the carrot approach is far better than the stick.
Anjanette plays a starring role at the British Menopause Societies AGM and is the host of the Bitesize nutrition podcast, the Bitesize Nutrition Youtube TV channel, and Nutrition Director for Natural Alternative Health and Wellbeing Limited.
In this episode of Connor Conversations, Cathie Donaldson, Connor's Director of People Development, speaks to Greg Van Der Gaast, author, and CISO at scoutbee, about bringing technology and people together in the workplace. Greg shares his experience, stories, and predictions for the future of technology at work.
In this episode of Connor Conversations, Cathie Donaldson, Connor's Director of People Development, speaks to Nel Woolcott, Managing Director of Anne Corder Recruitment. Cathie and Nel explore the challenges of employee retention and what organisations can do to strengthen the Employee Experience.
In this episode of Connor Conversations, Nicky speaks with two guests from Cavendish Education – Rachel Slevin, Group People Director, and Joanne Houston, Programme Leader for Cavendish Works. The pair discuss the importance of neurodiversity and its impact on recruitment, as well as how businesses can benefit from a neurodiverse workforce.
Glossary of terms
Neurodiversity – The infinite variation of human cognitive function
Neurodivergent – Used to describe somebody whose thinking style is different to what is considered typical, or “neurotypical”
SEND – Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
In this episode of Connor Conversations, Nicky speaks with Rebecca Corker, Head of HR at McLaren Automotive, on the topic of parental returners. Rebecca discusses her own experiences as a working parent, explores the different experiences that working parents face, and sheds light on the factors that affect the success of parental returner programmes.
For our first episode of Connor Conversations, Nicky Speaks with Richard Kleiner, CEO of Gerald Edelman, on the topic of sustainability. Richard discusses how to introduce sustainability initiatives, policies, and principles in SMEs, based on his own experience, and addresses the challenges you may face along the way.
Nicky Valmas, Connor's Director of Organisational Change and HR Services, introduces the Connor Conversations podcast series.