In this excellent interview, Brigid sits down with Kat Hayes.

Kat is the Senior Director of People at Boden, the iconic British fashion brand. With a commercial mindset and a passion for practical, human-centred change, she works closely with the executive team to shape culture, strengthen leadership, and build sustainable talent across the UK and US.

In this episode, Kat shares the story behind Boden’s highly successful "In Conversation With" series, a masterclass in driving employee engagement through storytelling and external perspective. She offers a practical guide for L&D leaders looking to replicate this impact, including:

1. The Power of External Voices: Kat explains why bringing in speakers from outside the organisation—like fashion editors, Olympians, and industry experts—can often resonate more deeply with employees than internal messaging, especially on topics like career growth, resilience, and diversity.
2. Building a Culture of Permission: Discover how Boden’s executive team actively role-models learning by attending sessions themselves and explicitly giving their teams permission to take an hour out of their week to listen, learn, and be inspired.
3. Connecting People to Purpose: Hear the moving story of how a chance conversation between a guest speaker and a long-serving warehouse employee highlighted the deep human connection and sense of belonging that these events can foster.
4. Crowdsourcing Creativity: Kat reveals how tapping into the personal networks of employees—from the exec team to affinity groups—has been the secret sauce for finding diverse and relevant speakers without a huge budget.
5. Learning Beyond the Classroom: Learn how Boden is expanding its development initiatives, from using the Insights Discovery model to improve team collaboration to launching a cross-functional "Boden Academy" that connects head office staff with the reality of the factory floor.
6. Practical Steps for Implementation: Kat offers actionable advice for any organisation wanting to start their own speaker series: start small, listen to what your people actually want to hear about, and don't be afraid to be creative with who you invite.

Kat offers an inspiring and achievable blueprint for creating a learning culture that is engaging, inclusive, and deeply connected to the wider world. If you want to spark energy and conversation in your organisation, this is a must-listen-to episode.

Connect with Kat on LinkedIn: Kat Hayes

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