In this episode of Business & Beyond, Sanjay Chari sits down with Caryn Katsikogianis, former Chief People Officer at Woolworths, for a conversation on leadership, culture, and the future of work.​

Drawing on her decades-long career in people leadership, Caryn reflects on what it takes to build trust, lead with purpose, and navigate change in complex organisations.​

The conversation also explores how AI is reshaping the way work gets done — and why the next wave of transformation will depend not just on technology, but on the teams closest to the work.

Chapter markers:

00:00 Introducing Caryn Katsikogianis​

04:24 Leading through challenge and what great leadership lookslike in a crisis​

09:14 Can empathy and connection be learned?​

10:32 Calling out poor leadership and finding courage​

13:48 How business culture has changed​

15:40 Why AI is fundamentally changing work​

18:47 Building AI confidence across teams​

20:58 Why AI needs to start with strategy​

22:51 From top-down change to team-led transformation​

23:51 Balancing AI speed, risk and governance​

24:45 How successful organisations will scale AI​

25:40 What AI means for talent and future skills​

27:10 Why Caryn is optimistic about the future of work​

28:09 Caryn’s next chapter​

29:18 Advice for the next generation​

30:19 Final reflections