Richard Cotter is the Head of Organisation Development and Research at Allianz Ireland and is a published academic researcher who holds a PhD in Management Learning. He shares what happens at the intersection of culture & strategy, why he recruited a business anthropologist, the power of ethnography over surveys, how they turned the research into culture change, and how your organisation can have better meetings. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Richard on LinkedIn

Dr. Emmet Oliver is an academic, journalist and broadcaster. Drawing from his recent book Irish Nation Building: Government, Business and Power (1922–1958), Emmet reflects on the lessons modern corporate leaders can learn from history — from flexibility in decision-making to naming the uncomfortable truths others avoid. Emmet uncovers lessons in courage, adaptability and the art of learning from failure every corporate leader can apply today. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Emmet on LinkedIn

Returning guest Dean McAlister, EVP, Inizio Biotech, has spent over 35 years in Fortune 500 pharma leadership, including nearly 3 decades at AstraZeneca. Hear how to focus on your people while scaling for growth, how to balance performance and cost control, why leadership needs to happen at all levels, how to approach feedback in today’s world, and whether empathy is still relevant. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and LinkedIn, and Dean on LinkedIn