Podcast – CPO Talk!

Building Family-Friendly Cultures through Employee Networks with Fiona Hnatow, Chief People Officer, The University of Portsmouth

In this episode, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, speaks with Fiona Hnatow, Chief People Officer, The University of Portsmouth, for an inspiring and practical conversation on the role of employee networks in shaping truly family-friendly workplaces.

Drawing on her own experience as a working parent, Fiona shares why networks have become a vital resource — not just for connection and support, but as a powerful driver of organisational change. Together, they explore how well-supported, well-connected networks can influence policy, inform leadership decisions, and create environments where employees can thrive both professionally and personally.

Enabling Careers to Thrive Through Caregiving, Disability and Supportive Workplace Cultures with Jenny Hinde, Chief People Officer, Personal Group

In this honest and inspiring episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, is joined by Jenny Hinde, Chief People Officer, Personal Group to explore the realities of balancing senior leadership, parenting and caring responsibilities. Jenny shares her personal journey of raising three children, including navigating a rare genetic condition in her daughter, and reflects on how these experiences have influenced her approach to leadership, disability inclusion and creating genuinely inclusive, family-friendly workplaces.

From Toxicity to Trust: Creating Psychologically Safe Cultures with Tarinee Pandey, Chief People Officer, Puma Capital Group and Puma Investments

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, is joined by Tarinee Pandey, Chief People Officer, Puma Capital Group⁠ and ⁠Puma Investments to explore the critical role psychological safety plays in creating family-friendly workplace cultures. Drawing on her experience transforming workplace culture, Tarinee shares insights on addressing toxic behaviours, supporting underrepresented employees, measuring cultural impact and helping leaders create environments where people feel safe, valued and able to perform at their best.

Neuroinclusive cultures: supporting employees and families to thrive with Zoe Brunswick, Group HR Director, RSK Group

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of ⁠Parent and Professional⁠, is joined by Zoe Brunswick, Group HR Director, ⁠RSK Group,⁠ to discuss the practical steps organisations can take to move beyond awareness and create genuinely neuro-inclusive workplace cultures. Zoe shares her personal connection to the topic, the wider social impact of RSK’s neurodiversity initiatives, and the lessons learned from building support networks that help employees and families thrive.

Together, they explore why small changes can have a significant impact on the experiences of neurodivergent employees, how leaders can foster cultures built on understanding, flexibility and inclusion, and the important role employee networks play in creating connection and belonging. They also discuss measuring the impact of neurodiversity initiatives, listening to employee feedback and creating workplaces where people feel supported and valued. Zoe shares her belief that organisations that go above and beyond for their employees can see that investment returned tenfold through loyalty, retention and discretionary effort, a hidden value that is often underestimated but can have a profound impact on culture and performance.s.

The Future of Family-Friendly Workplaces Starts with Early Careers with Anne-Marie Butts, Chief People Officer, LHi Group

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of ⁠Parent and Professional⁠, is joined by Anne-Marie Butts, Chief People Officer, ⁠LHi Group⁠ to explore how family-friendly workplace culture is becoming increasingly important for attracting, developing and retaining early careers talent.

Anne-Marie shares how LHi Group is building a culture focused on community, flexibility, internal mobility and leadership support — helping young employees navigate andachieve both their career and life ambitions in harmony. The conversation also explores LHi Group’s “The Younger You” and “Future You” philosophy, recognises the importance of supporting employees not only in the role they hold today, but in the person and professional they are becoming — and how they can support others coming through the journey too.

How Flexibility Drives Inclusion with Libby Jones, Chief People Officer at mydentist ⁠

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, is joined by Libby Jones, Chief People Officer at mydentist, to explore what it takes to build a truly family-friendly workplace culture.

Drawing on her own experience as a working parent and leading a diverse workforce, Libby shares how trust, flexibility and inclusive leadership can help employees thrive. She discusses supporting parents and carers through key life transitions, embedding flexible working across different roles, empowering managers to lead with empathy, and creating workplace cultures where people feel valued, connected and able to perform at their best. If you’re looking to create a workplace where flexibility, inclusion and performance go hand in hand, this episode offers practical insights and inspiring leadership lessons.

Making Values Matter: Creating a Culture of Trust and Flexibility with Alix Bolton, Chief People Officer at Smollan Europe⁠

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, is joined by Alix Bolton, Chief People Officer, Smollan Europe to explore how organisational values can be translated into a genuinely family-friendly workplace culture.

Drawing on both personal experience and Smollan’s work across 63 countries and a workforce of 90,000 employees, Alix shares how leadership, compassionate policies and everyday behaviours can build greater trust, flexibility and connection. They discuss supporting parents and carers through significant life moments, making flexibility work for field-based teams and using employee insight and data to influence leadership decisions.

Beyond Reasonable Adjustments: Creating a Culture Where Health Doesn’t Limit Ambition with Denise McMurray, Chief People Officer at RSPB⁠

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, is joined by Denise McMurray, Chief People Officer at RSPB, to explore how organisations can support employees living with long-term health conditions to sustain fulfilling and successful careers.

Drawing on her own experience of managing long-term health conditions alongside a senior leadership career, Denise shares how supportive leadership, flexibility and inclusive workplace practices can make a real difference. She discusses the importance of reasonable adjustments, creating psychological safety, equipping managers to have sensitive conversations and recognising employees as whole people with health, family and caring responsibilities alongside their careers. Together, they explore why wellbeing and performance are not competing priorities, how leaders can role model sustainable ways of working, and why creating a family-friendly culture is not simply an HR programme, but a leadership commitment.

If you’re looking to create a workplace where people can manage their health and life responsibilities while continuing to develop, contribute and thrive in their careers, this episode offers practical insights and valuable leadership lessons.

Leading with Humanity: Creating Family-Friendly Cultures Across Borders with Deborah Borg, EVP and Chief People and Culture Officer at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF)

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, is joined by Deborah Borg, EVP and Chief People and Culture Officer at IFF, to explore what it takes to build a family-friendly culture across a diverse global workforce of 22,000 employees across 63 countries.

Deborah shares how organisations can create a strong and consistent global culture while recognising that family life, caring responsibilities and cultural expectations can look very different around the world. She explores the role of empathetic leadership, flexible policies and human connection in creating workplaces where employees feel trusted, supported and able to thrive.

If you’re looking to build a family-friendly culture that works across countries, cultures and communities, this episode offers valuable insights into how leading with humanity can strengthen belonging, engagement and performance across a global organisation.

Returning to Work: Why Feeling Valued, Supported and Missed Matters with Zoe Odusina, Chief People Officer at Reassured

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, is joined by Zoe Odusina, Chief People Officer at Reassured, to explore what it really takes to support employees through parental transition and create a culture where becoming a parent doesn’t mean putting your career on hold. Drawing on her own experience of returning to senior roles after maternity leave twice, Zoe shares the stark contrast between a return where she felt unsupported and one where she felt welcomed, valued and missed. She discusses the impact returning to work can have on confidence and identity, why her second return was emotionally harder than her first, and the difference the right support can make.

Zoe also shares how Reassured has strengthened its support for parents through enhanced policies, parental transition coaching and practical guidance for managers before, during and after parental leave. She explains why policies alone aren’t enough and how simple actions that help people feel connected, included and wanted can have a significant impact on the return-to-work experience. Together, they explore the skills and fresh perspective parents can bring back into the workplace, the impact of a supported return on performance, retention and reputation, and why organisations need to recognise parenthood as a life stage that can enhance rather than interrupt someone’s career.

Fathers, Flexibility and Equality: What We Can Learn from Norway with Tove Selnes, Chief People Officer at Storebrand⁠

In this episode of CPO Talk, Helen Letchfield, co-founder of Parent and Professional, is joined by Tove Selnes, Chief People Officer at ⁠Storebrand, to explore what organisations can learn from Norway’s approach to supporting working fathers, shared parenting and gender equality. Drawing on her own experience as a working parent, Tove shares how family role models, shared parental leave and supportive leaders have shaped her career. She explains why encouraging fathers to take an active role in caring from the very beginning can help create greater equality at home and at work – while recognising that there is still more progress to be made.

Tove also shares how Storebrand is creating a culture where flexibility and caring responsibilities are normalised, from leaders openly leaving to collect children to protecting salary progression following parental leave. She discusses the importance of visible role models, trust and what Storebrand calls “coordinated flexibility” — balancing the needs of individuals and families with those of teams and the business. Together, they explore the business case for supporting working parents, including retention, engagement, leadership pipelines and long-term loyalty, and the practical steps organisations can take even without Norway’s public policy framework. From examining parental leave and progression data to developing managers and combining data with lived experience, Tove shares why creating lasting change requires culture and structure to work hand in hand.