From a working-class upbringing in South Derbyshire to Chief People Officer at Howden, Kirk Southern shares the experiences, lessons and leadership principles that have shaped his career.

In this episode of Beyond the Desk, Kirk discusses his unconventional route into HR, why curiosity and humility have been the biggest drivers of his success, and how the role of the Chief People Officer has evolved from operational HR into a strategic business partner.

The conversation explores the future of leadership in an AI-driven world, why insurance remains one of the City's best-kept secrets, and what tomorrow's leaders need to succeed.

Whether you're aspiring to the C-suite, leading teams today, or simply interested in the future of work, this episode is packed with practical insights.

• Kirk's journey from recruitment consultant to Chief People Officer at Howden
• Why taking a step backwards can sometimes be the fastest way forwards
• The importance of mentorship, curiosity and learning throughout your career
• How the Chief People Officer role has evolved into a strategic leadership position
• Why insurance is one of the most rewarding industries to build a career in
• How AI is changing work and why human judgement will become even more valuable
• The leadership skills organisations will need over the next decade
• Practical advice for anyone aspiring to reach executive leadership
• Why commercial understanding is essential for future leaders
• The leadership trait Kirk believes matters more than any other: humility

• Great careers are built through patience, not shortcuts.
• AI should enhance human capability not replace it.
• Commercial awareness is one of the biggest differentiators for aspiring executives.
• The best leaders remain curious, humble and open to feedback.
• Strong organisational cultures are built by investing in people first.

Guest: Kirk Southern

Chief People Officer at Howden

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-southern-mcipd-01788118/

Host: Mark Thomas

Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Invecta Group

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markthomas0/

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In this episode of Beyond the Desk, Mark Thomas is joined by Nigel Walsh, Global Head of Insurance at ServiceNow.

Nigel shares his journey from writing 210 letters trying to secure his first position at the start of his career to key leadership positions at some of the world's leading firms, including Capgemini, Deloitte, Google and his current position at ServiceNow.

The conversation explores Nigel’s early route into technology, his move into insurance, the lessons he drew from consulting and global technology organisations, and what it was like to help shape Google Cloud’s approach to the insurance market.

Mark and Nigel also discuss the next phase of AI in insurance, why the industry is moving beyond isolated pilots, and how agents, workflow orchestration and automation could reshape underwriting, claims and operations over the next 12–18 months.

Guest: Nigel Walsh

Global Head of Insurance at ServiceNow

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelwalsh/

Host: Mark Thomas

Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Invecta Group

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markthomas0/

Subscribe to Beyond the Desk for conversations with leaders shaping the future of insurance.

In this episode of Beyond the Desk, Mark Thomas is joined by Chris Pearce, Chief Data Officer at esure.

Chris shares his fascinating journey from a childhood love of video games to leading one of the UK’s most advanced data and AI transformations in the insurance industry.

We explore Chris’s academic path from mathematics to a PhD in epidemiology, his early career spanning banking, automotive, and aggregators, and his progression into insurance leadership. Along the way, Chris gives a brutally honest view on the evolution of the CDO role, the hype and reality of AI in production, and how esure has embedded over a dozen generative AI use cases into the frontline of its business.

Key topics discussed:

• Why video games sparked Chris’s interest in problem-solving and led to a career in data
• What a PhD in epidemiology taught him about resilience, research, and learning how little you know
• His early career in banking, Mercedes-Benz, and MoneySuperMarket and how each built his leadership toolkit
• Entering insurance with Hastings Direct and building data science teams across pricing, fraud, and claims
• Becoming CDO at esure and building an enterprise-wide data and AI capability
• The differences between 1st-gen and 2nd-gen Chief Data Officer roles
• What most people misunderstand about driving value from data science
• How to thrive as a leader without losing your technical edge
• What 16 GenAI use cases in production actually looks like in practice
• Where the CDO role is heading, and why agentic AI is next

This is a brilliant insight into the mindset and career history of a modern, new CDO and what's next for data leaders in the insurance sector.

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• Chris on LinkedIn: Connect Here

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New episodes drop every Tuesday. Stay tuned for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of insurance and InsureTech. Thanks for tuning in - see you next time on Beyond the Desk! 🎧

Sponsor:

This episode is brought to you by Invecta Search, the brand new leadership search product from Invecta Group, which leads the insurance industry in building best-in-class technology and transformation leadership teams.