This episode features an interview with Donald Knight, Venture Partner at Valor Ventures and Miriam Connaughton, Chief People and Experience Officer at Simpplr. Donald’s expertise is in creating a culture where employees thrive and has a proven track record of constructing scalable global strategies that support international expansion. Miriam utilizes her three decades of HR consulting experience to shape and deliver a great employee experience, through dynamic HR strategies and AI-powered technology.
In this episode, Shawn, Donald, and Miriam discuss the concept of high-performance cultures, how fostering human connection and empathy in the workplace can combat loneliness, and the impact of AI on workplace dynamics.
Playlist
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02:35Getting to know Donald and Miriam
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08:46Being an intentional leader
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17:56High-Performance Index and the ripple effect
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27:28Loneliness in the workplace
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46:56Incentivizing human-centric leadership
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53:29The role of AI in enhancing employee experience
Guest information
Donald Knight
Donald Knight is a Venture Partner at Valor Ventures. He is known for his transformative leadership and people-first philosophy. He excels in creating a culture where employees thrive and has a proven track record of formulating scalable global strategies that support international expansion. Donald made a significant impact at Greenhouse as Chief People Officer and held key roles at Edelman, Equifax, Southern Company Gas, and the Defense Commissary Agency. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master’s from the University of Richmond, with further executive education from Cornell University. A Virginia native now residing in Greater Atlanta, Donald is also dedicated to community and industry progress through active board memberships and philanthropic efforts.
Miriam Connaughton
As Chief People & Experience Officer for Simpplr, Miriam gets to work on their belief that when work is good, life is better. Simpplr, a leader in modern intranet software, is fueled by a mission to transform the work experience for billions of people around the world. Miriam gets to apply her three decades of experience in HR consulting, to shape and deliver a great employee experience at Simpplr, through forward-thinking HR and the application of Simpplr’s AI-powered technology.
Miriam also helps innovate Simpplr’s solution for the HR user, leveraging her years of consulting experience supporting organizations to transform their HR service delivery, and adapt to the ever-changing world of work. Miriam has worked across a range of industries, from start-ups to Fortune 100 organizations.
Miriam was previously a partner in EY’s People Advisory practice, and a Senior Leader at Willis Towers Watson. Miriam has a MBA, with an emphasis on Organizational Behavior and HR Strategy, a MSc in Applied Geophysics, and a BSc in Physics and Geology.