Ep32. Toni Cairns, Global HR Director at JDE Professional

On this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Global HR Director for Jacobs Douwe Egberts – Toni Cairns.

With a Degree in Psychology and a Masters in Organisational Psychology, Toni has developed an impressive career within the industry spanning the past 18 years. She is also extremely passionate about the development of talent, leadership and culture – and has led numerous business transformations, M&As, cultural projects & capability programs.

This week, Toni joins me from Amsterdam where she is based. We kick off this episode by discussing her personal love and passion for food and drink, and how she first got into the industry. She tells us about the traits and attributes that she believes has contributed to her success – including positivity and energy, pragmatism and courage to make hard choices. We also talk about the pivotal moments in her life – moving to a new country for a new role, and the rewards that come from taking opportunities.

We also hear from Toni about her ‘WHY’ and the best career advice she has ever received. We discuss what great leadership looks like to Toni, which she lists as having a good level of self-awareness and the balance between head and heart in decision-making, along with a focus on people and the future.

Join us in conversation as we learn how empathy and flexibility are the makings of a good leader, why more companies need to prioritise well-being and Toni’s career advice to those just starting out in the industry.

Here are some key topics we discussed through the episode:

02:15 What the past 18 months have looked like for Toni 04.15 Key traits and attributes that have contributed to Toni’s success 06:17 Toni’s pivotal moments in her career 11:27 Toni’s ‘WHY’ and the best piece of career advice she received 22:48 Toni’s Wellbeing Framework and mentoring with The Female Factor 34:48 Career advice for those just starting out

As ever, if you’d like to get in touch for any reason you can reach me at Jonathan.ohagan@leaderexecutivesearch.com

Enjoy Listening!