If It Moves, We Measure It: The Metrics of Culture and Crisis
Penny Weatherup joins us to unpack her 18-year journey shaping Volkswagen’s people strategy through industry upheavals – from emissions scandals to digital transformation. She reveals how data-driven talent programs and bold DEI initiatives became competitive advantages, why ‘People Director’ beats HR, and the stakeholder chess game of German automakers.
00:00
The episode's introduction
01:11
Penny Weatherup discusses her career from hospitality to financial services at AXA.
02:21
How she began at Volkswagen on a fixed-term contract and remained for 18 years.
04:00
Penny highlights the immense pride Volkswagen employees had in their tangible product.
05:02
The significant challenge of the 2015 emissions crisis and its effect on employee pride.
07:08
Penny defines "people director" as a more direct title than "HR director".
08:44
The complexities of working within Volkswagen's stakeholder-led environment.
10:30
Penny outlines a systematic approach to organizational change using communication and employee feedback.
13:58
The new skills required, such as data analytics, to adapt to industry changes.
16:29
How COVID-19 accelerated online training but shifted the focus to cultural change.
19:08
Penny states that commercial results are the key metric for measuring people-related initiatives.
25:26
Penny explains her passion for fairness and her work in diversity and inclusion.
31:10
Final career advice, emphasizing high aspirations and self-investment.
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