We Need to Talk About...

Hosted by Felix Mitchell and Louise Fraser

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139

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Everything is changing! Hosted by Felix Mitchell and Louise Fraser, We Need to Talk About… brings together HR and AI. In one feed, we explore how growing businesses are evolving people practices and adopting AI to meet new expectations, new ways of working, and rapid change. Expect honest conversations with HR leaders, tech experts, and scaling SMEs using AI to enhance human capability. No hype, just real solutions for real businesses. New episodes every Thursday.

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60 recent

June 11, 202630 min

Talent Reviews That Actually Change Things with Aleksandra Kucza

Aleksandra Kucza, Senior Global HR Director at ACAMS, joins Louise to talk about why talent reviews are one of the most underrated business processes out there - and how to run them well when your workforce is scattered across the globe. From getting CEO buy-in to tackling proximity bias, Aleksandra shares practical advice on making talent conversations meaningful, why the annual review shouldn't be a surprise, and how internal recognition can make the invisible visible in a remote-first world.

May 28, 202628 min

Neurodiversity Is Not a Strategy - It's a Culture with Tim Mitchell

Tim Mitchell, Chief People Officer at the Institute of Cancer Research, joins Felix to talk about what it takes to build a workplace where different ways of thinking aren't just accepted - they're essential. As a parent of a neurodiverse child and executive sponsor for disability at work, Tim brings both a personal and professional lens to the conversation. They dig into why encouraging mistakes leads to better outcomes, how ICR is rethinking performance frameworks for a research environment, and why creating psychological safety isn't at odds with high performance - it's the foundation of it.

May 21, 202626 min

Stop Reinventing the Wheel - Keeping HR Simple with Ellie Evans

Ellie Evans, seasoned Chef People Officer, joins Louise to challenge whether HR is guilty of over-complicating things - from rebranding part-time work as "fractured roles" to dressing up internal mobility as "talent fluidity". They get into what actually makes change stick, why people management is still the biggest unsolved problem in most organisations, and how apprenticeship-style academies might be the future of graduate development. Ellie also shares her take on what HR looks like in five years - and whether it becomes more of a technology function than a people one.

May 14, 202633 min

Redesigning Organisations Around AI, Not Just Restructuring Them with James Zhang

James Zhang, a global HR professional with a background in mathematics, joins Louise to explore how AI is reshaping the way we think about organisational design, graduate careers, and what makes someone hireable in 2025. From using AI as a mentoring buddy for junior hires to rethinking whether you still need as many managers, James shares a practical and refreshingly honest perspective on what the future of work actually looks like, and why the human skills of communication and curiosity still matter most.

May 7, 202625 min

HR Is the Emotional Backbone of Your Business with Kameka McLean

Kameka McLean, Group Head of HR at Walker Crips Investment Management, joins Felix to talk about why HR professionals are burning out in silence - and what needs to change. With burnout among HR professionals reportedly hitting 82% in 2024, Kameka shares her own experience of pushing through when she should have stepped back, the moment she finally prioritised her own wellbeing, and why HR leaders need to stop shrinking themselves to fit into how others see the function. A raw and honest conversation about integrity, resilience, and the strategic power of HR.

April 30, 202628 min

From Big Corp to SME - Making the Leap in HR with Joanna Holmes

Joanna Holmes, HR Director at Wilsons Solicitors, joins Louise to talk about what it's really like to move from big corporate HR into an SME. After 25 years in the profession - including stints at KPMG and B&Q - Joanna shares what she gained from large organisations, why she ultimately craved something different, and the lessons she's learned about getting stuck in, protecting your thinking time, and resisting the urge to change everything on day one.

April 23, 202631 min

Why 95% of AI Projects Fail - and What to Do About It with Sami Aintaoui

Sami Aintaoui, CEO of MBA Group, joins Felix to talk about what it actually looks like when a mid-sized business gets AI adoption right. From running an AI amnesty poll to uncover what tools people were already using, to building AI into their product set and pursuing ISO 42001 accreditation, Sami shares a refreshingly practical take on transformation. They also get into why the org chart is changing shape, how to interview for AI competency, and why 350 brains are always better than one.

April 15, 202633 min

Why Is Everyone So Miserable at Work?! With Isabel Berwick

Isabel Berwick, the Financial Times' Working It editor and author of The Future Proof Career, joins Felix to unpack why workforce happiness has taken such a nosedive. From job hugging and the disengagement crisis to the retreat from 'bring your whole self to work', Isabel shares her take on what's driving the malaise - and what leaders can actually do about it. They also get into the middle management problem, why Gen Z need mentoring more than ever, and whether the office might just be the answer to some of this.

April 10, 202628 min

Building Multiple Companies Simultaneously - Lessons from a Venture Builder with Jasper Joyce

Jasper Joyce, COO of Blenheim Chalcot, joins Felix to discuss what you learn building dozens of companies instead of just one. Jasper shares how they create learning feedback loops across their portfolio, why disciplined operating cadences drive pace, and where defensible moats still exist when AI can replicate software overnight. A masterclass in pattern recognition from seed stage to scale, and why the marginal cost of cognitive skills is now negligible.

March 26, 202628 min

Building Psychological Safety and Employee-Centric Workplaces with Jig Ramji

Jig Ramji, HR Director at Informa, joins Felix to discuss whether the employee-centric shift from Covid is here to stay or regressing. Jig shares why work-life integration matters more than balance, how to actually create psychological safety (not just talk about it), and why leadership outcomes matter more than competencies. A thoughtful conversation about flexible working, consistent leadership, and meeting people where they are on AI adoption.