Leadership Discoveries

Hosted by Dr. Shirley Kavanagh

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Leadership Discoveries™ explores how accomplished leaders exercise judgement, navigate complexity and create impact. Drawing on her experience as a senior executive, executive advisor and leadership scholar, Dr Shirley Kavanagh brings listeners inside candid conversations with CEOs, founders, board leaders and innovators, exploring the decisions, experiences and leadership thinking that shape organisations and careers.

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28 recent

June 29, 2026Episode 2837 min

From HR to Strategic Leadership: Steve Widdoss on Earning a Seat at the Table

In this episode, I speak with Steve Widdoss, Chief People Officer of One Physics, about what it takes for HR to become a truly strategic leadership function. Drawing on senior HR leadership roles across global organisations including JPMorgan Chase, Capital One and Barclays, Steve reflects on why commercial credibility is essential for today's Chief People Officer, how HR earns a genuine seat at the executive table, and why understanding the business is just as important as understanding people. We also explore leading through growth, organisational transformation and acquisition, the importance of helping leaders manage themselves through uncertainty, and how AI is reshaping the future of work without diminishing the importance of human leadership. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn. To learn more about Steve’s work, connect with him at OnePhysics.com and on LinkedIn

June 22, 2026Episode 2740 min

Leading & Advising in Complex Environments: Terri Moloney, Chartered Director

In this episode, I speak with Terri Moloney, Chartered Director, about leading & advising in complex environments. Terri is a seasoned business leader with over 3 decades of international experience across private and public sectors, currently serving as an Independent Non-Executive Director at RTÉ and Enterprise Ireland. Hear how important values are to an organisation, what good HR really looks like, what leaders need to be focusing on in a period of transformation, how to step into a board position, and what leaders can improve on today. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn. To learn more about Terri’s work, connect with her on LinkedIn

June 8, 2026Episode 2630 min

Building Businesses and Backing Futures: Rob Wood

In this episode, I speak with Rob Wood, Portfolio Investor and Founder of the Rob Wood Enterprising Futures Academy, about entrepreneurship, scale, reinvention and widening access to enterprise. Rob founded STEM Healthcare in 2007, scaling it internationally before its acquisition by UDG Healthcare. Today, he is an active portfolio investor, working with technology-enabled pharma services and AI-driven healthcare businesses, including AdvanceAI. Through the Rob Wood Enterprising Futures Academy, created in partnership with Newcastle University in the UK, he is also helping young people build the confidence, tools and support to succeed in life and business. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn. To learn more about Rob’s work, visit the Rob Wood Enterprising Futures Academy or connect with him on LinkedIn

May 18, 2026Episode 2551 min

Leading with Courage, Compassion, and Resilience: Deirdre Garvey, Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross

In this episode, I speak with Deirdre Garvey, Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross, about courage, compassion, and resilience in leadership. Deirdre leads the staff team, supports the Board, and works alongside thousands of volunteers in an organisation dedicated to saving lives, alleviating suffering, and helping communities respond to emergencies and disasters. With senior leadership experience in the charity and nonprofit sector since 1995, Deirdre shares her reflections on taking risks, transitioning well between leadership roles, managing the deep emotion and purpose that characterise humanitarian work, and caring for yourself while caring for others. We also explore what people-centred leadership means in a world increasingly shaped by AI. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Deirdre at RedCross.ie and on LinkedIn

April 13, 2026Episode 2431 min

Board Leadership with Sylvia Cronin, Chartered Director

Sylvia Cronin is a highly experienced Chairperson and Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) with an exceptional leadership career spanning financial services, insurance, governance, and regulation. She also currently holds a number of major board roles, including Chairperson of Mercer Global Investments Europe and AIB Life, and Senior Independent Director of FBD Insurance and Canada Life. Hear her advice for board members of tech companies, how a board role differs from an executive leadership role, how to prepare leaders to lead through crises, whether organizations are maximizing their use of AI, and where we’re at in terms of diversity of thought at the board level. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Sylvia on LinkedIn

March 30, 2026Episode 2333 min

The Leader as an Emotional Capitalist with John Broderick, RocheMartin

John Broderick, MSc is a Senior Psychologist with considerable experience in assessment, training, and coaching in emotional intelligence assessment, leadership development, and psychometrics. He is a qualified trainer in a range of psychometric tools, the Emotional Capital Report (ECR) and ECR 360, the MMPI-2, and NEO Personality Inventory. He is a Founding Director of RocheMartin Ltd, a leadership development company. Hear how women & men often differ when it comes to emotional intelligence (EQ), how emotional intelligence can be developed, what emotional intelligence can add for leaders, the best way to measure your EQ, and how we should be thinking about AI from a leadership standpoint. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and John at RocheMartin.com and on LinkedIn

March 23, 2026Episode 2238 min

Thriving Talent: How Great Leaders Drive Performance, Engagement, and Retention with Aoife O’Brien, Happier at Work

Aoife O’Brien is a Workplace Culture Strategist, Podcast Host, and the Founder of the award-winning podcast Happier at Work. Her upcoming book, Thriving Talent: How Great Leaders Drive Performance, Engagement, and Retention, explores how leaders can create environments where people feel valued, aligned, and equipped, and where performance follows as a result. Hear how leaders can lift & sustain engagement levels, the important role of self-awareness, how to let your team have autonomy, the reality of hybrid work environments, and how tech & AI will continue to shape our relationships in the workplace. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Aoife at ThrivingTalentBook.com and on LinkedIn

December 22, 2025Episode 2133 min

Conscious Competence: The Leadership Upgrade for 2026 with Dean McAlister, Inizio Biotech

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 prepare to lead in an uncertain environment, how to develop conscious competence as a leadership skill, how to become more adaptable as a leader, how to stop your ego from getting in the way as a leader, and how to build the courage to say what needs to be said in meetings. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Dean on LinkedIn

December 8, 2025Episode 2040 min

Digital Literacy & Digital Fluency with AI: Dr. Kisito Futonge Nzembayie on Leading Digital Transformation

Dr. Kisito Futonge Nzembayie is an Assistant Professor at Trinity Business School, Director of the MSc in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and a serial EdTech founder. Hear how to build entrepreneurial spirit within your organization, why AI readiness (Artificial Intelligence) is about more than just technology, the importance of digital literacy & digital fluency when it comes to AI, what causes digital transformation efforts to fail, and what he learned about cultural intelligence & cultural awareness from his experiences in China. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Kisito on LinkedIn

July 28, 2025Episode 1915 min

Ailbhe Mc Namara - A Gen Z Take on Leadership

Welcome back to our special Gen Z mini-series of Leadership Discoveries! In this episode, you’ll hear Ailbhe Mc Namara, 1st Year Human Resources Management (HRM) Student at Technological University Dublin. Hear how leaders can provide more guidance & mentorship, what we can learn from bad leadership, why Gen Z has the reputation of being more outspoken, why a strong purpose makes a strong culture, and a surprising Quick-Fire round. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Ailbhe at TUDublin.ie and on LinkedIn