In this episode of The Impact Room, Michelle Ansell is joined by Carolyn Blunt, Managing Director of Talent Solutions at Sedgwick, to explore the evolving world of leadership development, inclusion, and talent sustainability.

Carolyn shares her journey from contact centre L&D specialist to leadership advisor and explains why closing the gender gap isn’t just about fairness, it’s about business performance.

Carolyn shares her experience, journey and also some of the initiatives they are developing, to unpack how women can build confidence, develop strategic skills, and break through career ceilings, and how organisations can rethink their approach to learning to create environments where every leader can thrive.

This conversation covers:

• Women in leadership: why representation still matters and how to accelerate progress.

• The importance of mentoring, coaching, and community.

• How confidence, mindset, and self-talk can transform career trajectories.

• The future of learning and how technology can support leadership development.

If you’re passionate about leadership, talent, leadership across insurance and the future of work, this is a must-listen episode.

Follow Carolyn here: (27) Carolyn Blunt FCIPD | LinkedIn

Learn more about Sedgwick Talent Solutions here.

Building future-ready teams for the insurance industry

Sedgwick talent solutions offer flexible, fully integrated resourcing and education expertise tailored for the insurance sector.

Douglas Jackson are an independent boutique Recruitment Consultancy and Executive Search helping Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) organisations hire exceptional leaders who make a lasting impact. Helping organisations, scale, overcome obstacles and transform.

#diversity #leadership #femaleleaders #thrivingleaders #performance #futurereadypipelines #leadershipdevelopment #sedwicktalentsolutions #sedgwick #carolynblunt #douglasjackson

In this powerful episode of The Impact Room, Michelle Ansell sits down with the remarkable Donna Scully, Joint Owner and Director of Carpenters Group, one of the UK’s leading providers of legal and insurance services.

From the tenement streets of inner-city Dublin to the top of the UK legal sector, Donna’s story is one of courage, resilience, and unapologetic ambition. Leaving school at 16 with just GCSEs, she defied the odds and proved that social mobility isn’t just possible, it’s essential for building truly inclusive businesses and leadership teams that reflect the real world.

With refreshing honesty, Donna speaks about:

• Her working-class upbringing and the battles she faced navigating professional spaces.

• How she built her career without the “right” background or connections.

• Why we must rethink traditional hiring, qualification pathways, and what "professionalism" really looks like.

• How kindness, integrity and hard work still matter in today’s cutthroat business world.

💥 Donna's Quote: "I'm the social mobility poster girl. I’m grateful for every opportunity, and I’ve worked hard because I know how lucky I am – but it shouldn’t be about luck."

This episode is a must-watch for business leaders, HR professionals, educators, and anyone passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion. Donna’s journey challenges us to see people’s potential beyond their postcode or qualifications and to rebuild access routes into business with heart, fairness, and intention.

💡 The Impact Room is brought to you by Douglas Jackson, a founder led, independent boutique recruitment consultant and Executive Search firm. We help organisations hire more impactful, diverse leaders who stay longer and succeed.

👉 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/6DAPJ9scVRc

Follow Donna here: (35) Donna Scully | LinkedIn

Learn more about Carpenters Group https://www.carpentersgroup.co.uk/

Learn more about Douglas Jackson and the regulated sectors we serve including, Banking, Financial Services and Insurance here. https://www.douglas-jackson.com/practice-areas-douglas-jackson-executive-search/

#TheImpactRoom #DonnaScully #SocialMobility #WomenInBusiness #LeadershipWithHeart #DiversityandInclusion #KindnessInLeadership #CareerInspiration #LegalLeadership #DouglasJackson

AI is everywhere – from Spotify recommending your next playlist to hospitals diagnosing conditions faster than ever before. But what does it really mean for businesses and leaders? In this episode of The Impact Room, Perry Fletcher talks with Ahmed Khan, Co Founder of Edge vision AI an AI expert, technologist with over 20 years of experience, about separating hype from reality and finding the true value of AI.

Ahmed shares how companies can leverage AI for efficiency, strategy, and customer experience – and the pitfalls of adopting it blindly. He also explores cutting-edge uses in medicine, transport, and nanotechnology that show the future is already here.

Quote from Ahmed: “The biggest mistake is treating AI like a magic wand. Without strategy and the right data, it won’t work. Get those right, and it can transform your business.”

Whether you’re a CEO, COO, or future-focused leader, this episode gives you clear insights into what AI can do today – and what’s coming next.

If you would prefer to watch this episode go here: https://youtu.be/uZubTbvN3-c

Follow Ahmed here: (9) Ahmed M S Khan | LinkedIn

Learn more about Douglas Jackson, an independent boutique recruitment and Executive Search firm and how to hire more impactful leaders who stay longer and are more successful in AI, Data transformation, Operational Support, Tools Tech, Insight, Analytics and Resource Planning.

https://www.douglas-jackson.com/services-retained-executive-search-firm/