News
We’re pleased to announce the release of Hive Learning’s list of the 40 Most Influential Heads of Leadership in Finance for 2023.
Our list spans leaders driving innovation in the leadership development space across the globe. In our challenging economic environment, nowhere is developing critical capabilities in our leaders more important than in the financial services sector. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of ones to watch, listen to, and learn from in the finance industry.
They’re helping to develop high performing teams, embed lasting behaviour change, and make a mark on overall business objectives.
Check out the full list below to learn more about our Influential Leaders and how to follow them.
Vice President of Leadership Development,
Morgan Stanley
Alyssa Bryant is the Vice President of Leadership Development at Morgan Stanley, the American multinational investment management and financial services company
Why them?
Alyssa boasts a wealth of knowledge in the learning and development space particularly within the financial services industry with past experience at the investment management organisation OppenheimerFunds.
Alyssa has been working in people development at Morgan Stanley since 2018, quickly developing to VP of Leadership Development in 2022, heading up an ambitious leadership development strategy for an influential global leader in investment banking, making her an influential leader to follow.
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Director – Global Head of Leadership, Strategy and Development,
Deutsche Bank
Anu Vishwas Sarkar is the Director and Global Head of Leadership Strategy and Development at Deutsche Bank, the multinational investment bank and financial services company.
Why them?
With 17 years of experience at Deutsche Bank, moving through a variety of remits including Talent, Diversity and eventually Leadership Strategy. Anu has lived in a range of countries which she says loans itself to her appreciation for diversity and cultural sensitivities and ability to translate this into work. Anu has experience leading flagship global programmes to bespoke 1:1 development, working at regional and global scales, making her an incredibly knowledgeable and influential leader to follow.
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Head of Regional Talent Management & Development,
Munich Re
Beth O’Keefe is the Head of Regional Talent Management and Development at Munich Re, the German multinational insurance company.
Why them?
Beth boasts 20 years of experience within the Learning and Development space, with previous experience at Gap Inc and the American Modern Insurance Group. Beth leads the talent management and development strategies across Munich Re’s North American region, responsible for high potential programs, succession planning, executive coaching and much more across the organisation. Beth is a knowledgeable and driven people leader to keep an eye on for 2023.
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Global Head of Leadership Development and Careers,
Experian
Brad Haime is the Global Head of Leadership Development and Careers at Experian, multinational data analytics and consumer credit reporting company.
Why them?
Brad has lengthy experience at many large enterprise organisations including Verizon, PepsiCo and Bank of America specialising in people development, and this year he joined the Experian team driving the leadership development strategy.
Brad drives a focus on human capital practices to develop and move high-potential talent across organisations to enable people development and contribute to overall business objectives. Brad is an influential Leadership Development influencer boasting a wealth of knowledge and experience making him a key leader to follow.
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Group Director of Culture & Strategy, Global Human Resources,
Banco Santander
Dan Strode is the Group Director of Culture & Strategy, Global Human Resources at Banco Santander, the multinational financial services company.
Why them?
Dan is an innovative culture leader and ‘culture evangelist’, sharing best practices across his network through his blog, LinkedIn and also his recently released book, “The Culture Advantage: Empowering your people to drive innovation.” Dan is a key driver for Santander’s global corporate culture across 32 countries and over 200,000 employees, strengthening the group’s innovation focus and cementing its collaboration with new financial tech companies.
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Vice President – Head of Leadership & Learning,
BNP Paribas
Danen Grey is the Vice President and Head of Leadership and Learning at BNP Paribas, the French international banking group.
Why them?
Danen Grey is an influential leadership and L&D expert, working at various large organisations and industries including Michael Page, Indeed.com and now BNP Paribas, driving the leadership and learning strategy. Danen is passionate about change management and process improvement around leadership and learning, making an influential impact.
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Head of Leadership and Management Development,
Finastra
Ed Fothergill is the Head of Leadership and Management Development at Finastra, the financial software company headquartered in London.
Why them?
Prior to starting at Finastra in 2020, Ed led the leadership strategy at O2 Telefonica for just over 7 years, responsible for creating and shaping a successful learning culture amongst the organisation’s leaders. Ed is an experienced leadership development expert, now heading up leadership and management development at Finastra, creating prominent behaviour change.
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Head of Group Leadership Development,
UniCredit
Firas Salim is the Head of Group Leadership Development at UniCredit, the international banking group.
Why them?
Firas boasts close to 20 years of experience helping leading enterprise organisations including AstraZeneca, Astellas Europe and now UniCredit, to successfully scale culture change and strategic change programmes. Firas’ expertise around change management and leadership development make him an influential leader to follow for creating high performance teams and successful leadership.
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Executive Director of Leadership Development & Management Training,
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Gail Bigley is the Executive Director of Leadership Development and Management Training at JP Morgan Chase & Co., the American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company.
Why them?
Gail is an influential expert on organisational development, having worked in various roles whilst at JP Morgan, from HR to corporate training. Currently, Gail leads the firm’s Coaching Center of Excellence, supporting executive and leadership development training for around 45,000 managers across multiple functions. Alongside her professional expertise, Gail studied Executive Coaching and Human Resources Development at Columbia University.
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Head of People Development Experiences and Innovation,
Legal & General
Gemma Paterson is the Head of People Development Experiences and Innovation at Legal & General, the multinational financial services and asset management company.
Why them?
Gemma has extensive experience in the Learning and Development sector within large organisations including Aviva and BP. Currently, Gemma is driving culture change at L&G to achieve future-focused organisational development with a strong focus on leadership development.
Since 2020, Gemma has been working alongside our team at Hive Learning to connect its leaders through a digital platform, giving them practical tools and behaviours to respond to ever-changing workplace needs. Off the success of this initial partnership, Legal and General and Hive Learning won the Gold Award for ‘Best use of social and collaborative learning technologies’ at the 2021 Learning Technologies Awards. Gemma has been instrumental to the success of this partnership throughout the years and continues to drive innovation and change across Legal and General through making it her personal mission.
Read more about the story here.
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Head of Strategic Projects,
Nordea
Gitte Rosholm is the Head of Strategic Projects at Nordea Bank Abp, the European financial services group.
Why them?
Gitte is a passionate leader focused on delivering sustainable culture change strategies ranging from leadership to DEI. Gitte’s experience in consulting and working within large corporations, have made her an expert designing successful people management processes and award-winning leadership programmes. Beyond her incredible work, Gitte is also an influential voice on LinkedIn for culture change practices and inspiration making her an inspiring leader to follow.
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Principal and Manager of Leadership Development,
Intuit
Greg Gifford is the Principal Manager of Leadership Development at Intuit, the American business software company that specialises in financial software.
Why them?
Greg is an influential people leader who possesses a fruitful career within the learning and development space in a variety of industries, from Universities and educational institutions to now software development. Greg drives and develops leadership development programs at a global scale at Intuit across 1300 people managers, providing influential strategic direction and guidance for leadership teams. During the pandemic, Greg successfully created over 100 virtual learning resources focused on leadership development and managing the challenges of hybrid teams.
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Senior Vice President of Human Resources,
Citigroup
Gregory Davis is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Citigroup, the multinational investment bank and financial services corporation.
Why them?
Gregory has been at Citi for just over 20 years, prior to his current position as the Vice President of Leadership Development. Gregory was also an associate partner at Accenture for a majority of his career, specialising in change management, education consulting and human performance. Gregory is a recognised people leader with incredible experience of scaling large, global and strategic organisational change which in hand has a track record of improved business performance.
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Managing Director and Global Head of Leadership Development and Head of Talent,
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
James Bland is the Global Head of Leadership Development and Head of Talent at JP Morgan Chase & Co, the American multinational financial services company.
Why them?
James boasts nearly 30 years worth of experience in the financial services industry, specialising on a global scale in areas such as Leadership and Organisational Development, HR transformation and talent management.At JP Morgan, James has developed and implemented innovative strategies to attract and retain top talent, leading to a stronger and more diverse workforce. He has also been instrumental in developing training and development programs to enhance the leadership skills of the company’s employees.
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Senior Manager of Leadership Development,
TSB Bank
Jenny Perott is the Senior Manager of Leadership Development at TSB Bank, the British retail and commercial bank.
Why them?
Jenny is an organisational and leadership development expert, capable of creating and supporting strong development strategies for a range of teams and functions. With almost 10 years of experience driving TSB leadership development and learning strategies, to align with business objectives. Prior to moving to TSB, Jenny worked within the Talent and L&D space at Lloyds Banking Group for almost 5 years, demonstrating expertise across large financial organisations and a range of multi-functional development strategies.
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Vice President of Field Learning and Development,
Northwestern Mutual
Kevin Crawford is the Vice President of Field Learning and Development at Northwestern Mutual, the American financial services mutual organisation.
Why them?
Kevin is an experienced learning and development expert, with an impressive background across industries and large organisations. Kevin’s career started in the US Army as an intelligence officer before working for the likes of Mckinney Rogers, Hudson’s Bay Company and most recently Northwestern Mutual, working in a range of leadership consultancy and learning and development roles across large teams. Kevin’s impressive career has made him into an influential leader capable of creating mass change and reaching development goals across large organisations and teams.
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Head of Leadership Capability,
Standard Chartered
Kim McMurdo is the Head of Leadership Capability at Standard Chartered, the multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services.
Why them?
Kim has over 15 years of experience in leadership development and change management. Kim is a strong advocate of developing people through continuous learning and development initiatives. She has a track record of successfully executing leadership and capability programs across multiple geographies, cultures, and industries. Kim is passionate about enabling leaders to reach their full potential, and has a holistic approach to supporting this.
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Vice President of Learning and Leader Development, Production Manager,
Huntington National Bank
Kimberly Wright is the Vice President of Learning and Leader Development Production Manager at Huntington National Bank, the American commercial banking company.
Why them?
With almost 20 years of experience in the Training and Development space and as a Instructional Designer, Kimberly combines her expertise to create and lead enterprise-wide learning and training initiatives. Kimberly values the power of peer learning and her designing background to create innovative and blended learning initiatives across 5000+ employees at Huntington, driving a learning culture across leadership and throughout the organisation.
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Director of Learning and Development,
Gallagher
Laura Griffiths is the Director of Learning and Development at Gallagher, the American global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm.
Why them?
Laura has worked for a variety of leading financial services organisations, including Willis, as Head of HR and Aldermore Bank as Director of Organisational Capability. Laura possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in HR, leadership development and culture change with a proven track record of successfully implementing HR strategies which meet business objectives, making her an influential people leader.
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Director of Leadership and Development,
Fidelity Investments
Le’Tasha Hollins is the Director of Leadership and Development at Fidelity Investments, American multinational financial services corporation.
Why them?
With over 20 years of HR expertise within the financial services industry at leading organisations including GE Capital and now Fidelity Investments, Le’Tasha boasts a wealth of knowledge in change management, training initiatives and leadership development. Fidelity Investments has been listed as one of the best places to work in the US, an ode to the influential and positive learning culture promoted throughout the organisation. Le’Tasha ensures leadership is best equipped and trained to successfully lead large and complex business units and meet their goals.
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Director of Learning & Development,
SEI
Lisa Proto is the Director of Learning and Development at SEI, the American financial services organisation delivering technology and investment solutions.
Why them?
Lisa is an affluent business expert with lengthy experience in the financial services industry, where she is focused on leadership development, driving training initiatives and strategic planning. At SEI, along with her team, Lisa oversees the professional development for over 4,000 global employees with a range of initiatives and programs across all levels.
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Vice President and Director of Talent Management,
Rabobank
Matt McLain is the Vice President and Director of Talent Management at Rabobank, Dutch multinational banking and financial services company.
Why them?
A highly experienced and dynamic professional with the ability to identify and implement strategies to increase revenue, strengthen customer service, improve business practices, drive profitable growth and enhance organizational culture. Matt possesses impressive business and technical qualifications and extensive experience partnering with all levels of leadership to build high performing teams throughout an organization.
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Leadership Development Manager,
Allstate
Matt Porter is the Leadership Development Manager at the American Insurance company, Allstate.
Why them?
Matt is an influential people leader, responsible for the development of Allstate leaders, driving a clear and impactful strategy and ensuring that leadership development is a top priority for business objectives. Within a team of four, Matt heads up a range of leadership development initiatives at Allstate including executive coaching, networking programs and rotational programs targeted at underrepresented leadership groups.
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Head of Leadership Development Execution,
Aon
Mina Patel is the Head of Leadership Development Execution at Aon, the British-American multinational financial services firm.
Why them?
Mina has been at Aon for nearly 9 years working in a variety of people development roles, previously the Talent and Inclusion Director as well as Global Inclusion and Leadership Program Manager. Mina is an expert in performance management, identifying HiPo talent and running leadership development programs. Mina is currently working in a global leadership development role, driving an inclusive leadership strategy and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to flourish at Aon.
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People Director of Talent, Leadership, Engagement & Inclusion,
Bupa
Naomi Attwood is the People Director of Talent, Leadership, Engagement and Inclusion at the international healthcare group, Bupa.
Why them?
During her time at Bupa over the past 17 years, Naomi has worked her way up in various people management roles, from Transformation Director to People Director and now People Director of Talent, Leadership Engagement & Inclusion. Naomi is an inspiring people leader who drives an inclusive approach throughout all aspects of business at Bupa through the initiative Be You at Bupa. Putting an emphasis on inclusion to foster a culture of openness and support, which is central to the leadership development strategy.
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Director of Enterprise Leadership Development,
Cigna
Natasha Hepburn is the Director of Enterprise Leadership Development at Cigna, the American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company.
Why them?
Natasha has been at Cigna for just over 12 years, working in a variety of functions, including HR, program management and most recently, leadership development.
Natasha is currently responsible for driving the enterprise leadership development strategy across Cigna; aiming to provide leaders with the skills-set to scale and develop and allow Cigna’s leadership pipeline to flourish. Natasha possesses a Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Management, from Drexel University, with a focus on creativity and innovation which she brings to her leadership development approach daily, making her an influential leader within the field.
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SVP of Leadership, Management and Professional Development Consulting,
Wells Fargo
Patsy Kiser is the SVP of Leadership, Management and Professional Development at Wells Fargo, the American multinational financial services company.
Why them?
Patsy has extensive experience in conducting leadership development workshops and seminars, as well as designing and delivering leadership development programs. She is a certified facilitator and coach, and has a passion for helping individuals unlock their potential in order to reach their goals. Patsy has a Master of Science in Human Resources from the University of St. Thomas, and is also certified as an Executive Coach by the International Coach Federation.
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Global Head of UBS Leadership Academy,
UBS
Peter Schneider is the Global Head of the Leadership Academy at UBS, the multinational investment bank and financial services company.
Why them?
Peter has close to 25 years of experience in training, development and organisational change, and has held various leadership roles within UBS since 2011. At UBS, Peter has been instrumental in developing and implementing a comprehensive in-house leadership development program. His efforts have resulted in a significant improvement in UBS’s organisational performance and have helped build a culture of continuous learning and development.
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Senior VP of Leadership Development Executive,
Bank of America
Philip James is the Senior VP of Leadership Development Executive at Bank of America, multinational investment bank and financial services holding company.
Why them?
Philip James has over 20 years of global experience in executive leadership, organisational development and employee engagement. He is passionate about helping leaders and organisations create meaningful cultures that drive engagement and performance.Through his leadership development initiatives, Philip has been able to foster an environment of trust, respect, and collaboration between the bank’s leaders and their teams. He has also been instrumental in creating an environment of communication and transparency across the organisation.
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Senior Manager of Talent and Leadership,
Scotiabank
Priyanka Khosla is the Senior Manager of Talent and Leadership at Scotiabank, the Canadian multinational banking and financial services company.
Why them?
Priyanka Khosla is a seasoned financial services professional with 10+ years of experience, currently driving the Talent and Leadership strategy across Scotiabank.
Priyanka has also held various roles within the people development space at other large organisations including, PwC Canada, Mahindra Group and EY. Priyanka is experienced in driving large transformation initiatives across enterprise organisations with a focus on developing high performance teams, competency mapping and harnessing the power of data. Whilst at the Mahindra Group, Priyanka was a two time winner of ‘Mahindra Excellerator Award’ for exemplary performance in Talent Management & People Analytics.
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Head of Leadership and Career Development.
LSEG
Richard Graham is the Head of Leadership and Career Development at LSEG, London Stock Exchange Group plc, the United Kingdom-based stock exchange and financial information company.
Why them?
Richard has worked in a range of industries within Talent, Leadership Development, Learning and Organisational Development roles at top organisations such as Vodafone, Burberry and Bloomberg LP. Richard is passionate about helping individuals and organisations to reach their potential.
He is committed to working with individuals to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to help them identify and act on their career goals. He is also passionate about creating and delivering innovative learning strategies to help organisations and their people to develop and grow.
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Head of Strategic Leadership Development,
Allianz
Ruth Bishop is the Head of Strategic Leadership Development at Allianz, the German multinational financial services company.
Why them?
Ruth boasts 20 years of experience in the field of HR and Organisational Development, helping organisations to reach their goals through strategic planning and change management. Ruth has a wide range of experience in business operations, coaching, change management, and strategic planning.
Whilst at Allianz, Ruth has been influential to Learning & Development and Leadership Development strategies, previously also the Head of Allianz University, Head of Global L&D and Global Head of Learning Design and Technology.
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Group Head of Learning, People & Organisation,
Swiss Life
Sandro Muri is the Group Head of Learning, People & Organisation Development at Swiss Life, the largest life insurance company of Switzerland.
Why them?
Sandro is an expert HR and Talent Specialist with over 17 years of experience driving large-scale leadership and development initiatives across enterprise organisations such as UBS, Holcim and currently Swiss Life. Sandro is a passionate advocate of employee development, and believes that investing in people is the key to organisational success. He is committed to developing programs that will enable Swiss Life employees to reach their full potential.
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Head of Global Talent & Leadership Development,
BNP Paribas Asset Management
Shona Stollsteiner is the Head of Global Talent & Leadership Development at BNP Paribas Asset Management, a part of the BNP Paribas Group, the French international banking group.
Why them?
Since 2008, Shona has been a key driver for BNP’s International Learning & Development and Leadership Development strategy. Shona is highly experienced in leading large-scale global programs, and has a proven track record of success in driving organisational development initiatives and creating lasting change. She is passionate about helping organisations to develop and grow their talent, and to create a more inclusive and diverse workplace.
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Vice President of Leadership Development,
RBC
Sean Bartman is the Vice President of Leadership Development at RBC, Royal Bank of Canada, the multinational financial services company.
Why them?
Sean is an innovative leader with over 20 years worth of experience in the financial services, management consulting and tech industries, developing high performing teams at the likes of KPMG, CIBC and now RBC.
Whilst at RBC, Sean has led Leadership Development, Human Resources and most recently Operational Excellence, identifying ways to drive efficiency and facilitating transformation. Sean is a highly experienced and dedicated leader, with a passion for developing people within organisations.
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Head of Leadership & Talent EMEA and the Americas,
Credit Suisse
Simone Liecthi is the Head of Leadership & Talent EMEA and the Americas at Credit Suisse, the global investment bank and financial services.
Why them?
Simone is responsible for the design and execution of Credit Suisse’s global leadership and talent strategies, which are designed to attract, develop and retain top talent. Simone has been at Credit Suisse since 2009 working in a variety of Learning & Development, Talent and Leadership Development roles, playing a crucial role in the organisation’s approach to behaviour change.
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Manager of Leadership and Learning & Development,
Aflac
SirMichael D. Jones is the Manager of Leadership and Learning & Development at Aflac, the American insurance company and is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States.
Why them?
SirMichael D. Jones leads a team of professional trainers and consultants who drive all learning and development opportunities and strategies at Aflac. As an executive coach and learning advisor, SirMichael designs business solutions to solve L&D challenges and help develop high-performance teams.
Moreover, as a leadership and development consultant, SirMichael has a deep passion for helping others reach their highest potential, and is committed to creating meaningful learning experiences that are designed to empower employees and increase their knowledge and skill.
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Head of Leadership Development,
Vanguard
Stephen Nessel is the Head of Leadership Development at Vanguard, the American registered investment advisor.
Why them?
With nearly 30 years of experience in human resources, organisational and leadership development whilst at Vanguard, Stephen is passionate about helping people reach their potential and grow as leaders. At Vanguard, Stephen is responsible for overseeing the development of all Vanguard’s leaders, from entry-level to executive positions.
He is an expert in the areas of leadership development, talent management, and career development, and has been instrumental in the success of the company’s leadership development initiatives.
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Head of Leadership Development,
HSBC
Steve Marshall is the Head of Leadership Development at HSBC, the British multinational banking and financial services organisation.
Why them?
Steve is an experienced senior leader in leadership and organisational development, having worked at HSBC for nearly a decade, driving large-scale global culture change as well as providing effective development initiatives for executive leaders.
Steve is passionate about developing people’s potential and helping organisations achieve their full potential. He has a proven track record of success in developing and delivering cutting-edge leadership development solutions that are tailored to the needs of the organisation and its people.
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Head of Talent and Executive Development,
Nationwide Building Society
Sue Beddow is the Head of Talent and Executive Development at Nationwide Building Society, the British mutual financial institution, the seventh largest cooperative financial institution and the largest building society in the world.
Why them?
Sue has over 25 years of experience in Human Resources, leading teams across multiple industries. Sue has a strong track record of success in developing and nurturing talent, driving cultural change and creating an environment that empowers employees to reach their full potential.
Sue is an experienced leader with a deep understanding of the importance of developing a team that is committed to making a difference. She is a highly respected member of the Nationwide team, and a mentor to many.
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