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About this Episode
In this HR in Review episode, Bill Banham talks with Doug Field OBE, Joint CEO at East of England Co-operative Society Ltd. They talk about how CEOs can use data to inform people-focused decisions as a business leader.
Guest: Doug Field OBE
As Joint CEO of the East of England Co-op, Doug Field OBE protects and nurtures the member’s legacy for this generation and the next.
Doug is passionate about living and working in the East and has previously been Chair of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and Chair of their Agri-Food Industry Council. He became a Trustee of Green Light Trust in December 2020 and is currently Vice Chair.
He was awarded an OBE in the 2021 New Year’s Honours List for his work supporting businesses across Suffolk and Norfolk.
Outside of work, three school age children keep Doug awake and active allowing him to unleash his imagination.
Questions include:
- You’re a Joint CEO – that’s an unusual structure at the top of a business. Tell me about the division of leadership responsibilities at the top of Co-op East of England
- Leading from the top down – what is your leadership style to ensure direction from the top gets shared with all employees?
- Have you had mentors who have shaped your leadership style?
- Owned by its members, over 260,000 of them, the East of England Co-operative Society is the largest independent retail business in East Anglia with more than 200 trading outlets located in over 70 towns and villages throughout Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. Talk about Co-op’s unusual business model (owned and controlled by its members – including employees etc).
- What are the problems you are experiencing recruiting people at the moment?
- Managing during turbulent times: How are you dealing with the economic uncertainty, cost of living crisis etc, in terms of colleague retention?
- How do you use data to help inform your colleague journey processes?
- You’re presenting at the November 3rd DisruptHR relaunch meetup. Can you talk about your session and some of the hoped-for learning outcomes?
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Podcast Host and Guests for this Edition
Host: Bill Banham
Guest: Doug Field OBE
Joint Chief Executive of the East of England Co-op, Doug Field, has been awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the New Year’s Honours List for his work supporting businesses across Suffolk and Norfolk.
Having spent three years as Chair of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Doug helped to drive economic growth for Norfolk and Suffolk, as the UK’s designated ‘clean growth region’, raising its profile both nationally and globally.
Doug joined the East of England Co-op in 2008 as a Financial Controller, becoming Joint Chief Executive a few years later. With over 20 years’ “bean counting” experience across a variety of both professional services and industry, Doug was delighted to be able to use his skills and expertise on the Board of the LEP, having joined in December 2014 and becoming Chair in September 2017.
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Bill Banham is Editor at HR Gazette, Host of the popular HRchat Podcast, Associate Editorial Director with HRreview, and co-organizer of such HR, Talent, and leadership-focused events as InnovateWork, Hacking HR Toronto, and DisruptHR London. He has interviewed inspiring leaders across the globe from such brands as NASA, the US Government, Simon Sinek, UPS, ADP, SAP, Salesforce, and the United Nations. Bill has 15+ years of experience in editorial, events management, marketing, SEO, advertising, business development, data management, research, and professional development.
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