Can HR be both the conscience of the organisation and a champion for the people who work in it? In this episode, Helen Beedham sits down with seasoned C-suite executive Vivian Leinster, whose 30-year career as a Chief People Officer and People Director has spanned sectors from telecoms and technology to healthcare and insurance. Together, they peel back the layers of what it means to humanise HR, moving beyond rigid policies, challenging combative workplace dynamics, and encouraging genuine conversations that build trust and flexibility.

Helen and Vivian chat about:

⭐️How standardisation is making HR less human and what real flexibility could look like

⭐️ Why conversations, not just policies and processes, are the secret to unlocking genuine connection and accountability in organisations

⭐️ How the instinct to “fix” or manage people can actually take away autonomy and choice, and what leaders need to do instead

⭐️ The vital skills HR professionals (and all leaders!) need to know

⭐️ Practical ways organisations can champion transparency, encourage autonomy, and help people feel truly valued even amidst difficult change.

About Vivian Leinster:

Vivian is a seasoned C-suite executive who helps boards and executive teams align business strategy with culture to unlock step-change results. With over 30 years’ experience across HR, change and transformation, she is known for cutting through organisational complexity and surfacing the hidden assumptions that shape behaviour. She has led global culture transformations from case-for-change to embedding culture champions, coaching leaders to find authentic styles that inspire confidence and deliver outcomes. Her track record spans listed, private and PE-backed firms across telecoms, technology, infrastructure, insurance, healthcare and professional services. Now enjoying a portfolio career, Vivian combines psychological acuity with commercial edge, honed through senior roles in the UK and Australia.

Links:

Visit Helen’s website www.helenbeedham.com.

Check out Helen's award-winning business book: The Future of Time: how 're-working' time can help you boost productivity, diversity and wellbeing.

Leave a book review on Amazon here.

Get in touch about Helen’s Time-Intelligent Teams workshops or view/download a flier here.

Join her mailing list here.

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Pre-order my new book People Glue: hold on to your best people by setting them free (out 26 Jan 2026) and become a book supporter to gain exclusive book-related invitations and offers.

Follow Vivian on LinkedIn.

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