MAD Leaders Podcast · 2026-04-14 · 30 min
If you’re in any doubt that Reward & Benefits can transform culture, or how, and looking for creative inspiration to replicate BA’s success at your organisation, then this episode is a must-listen. Josephina Smith is Reward and Recognition Director at the airline and has boundless enthusiasm for this topic. A former CPO, she sees herself as not a “reward professional” but as a “reward change professional”. This distinction informs the way she operates and, particularly, her drive to communicate the discipline’s strategic advantage across the company, from function to function. Time stamp of conversation: 00:00 Welcome to Leaders Podcast 00:44 This Week’s Challenge 01:06 Meet Josephina Smith 03:18 Reward as Culture Change 04:50 Cost Conscious Not Cutting 06:57 Trends Shaping Benefits 09:21 BA Global Benefits Overhaul 11:11 Trust Through Face Time 12:16 Reward Psychology and Creativity 13:18 Cross Functional Influence 14:54 Comms Clarity and Personalization 18:11 Personalized Total Reward Video 22:04 Digital Buzz and Suppliers 24:27 AI Powered Benefits Future 26:42 Advice for Reward Pros 28:04 The Alien Budget Question 29:28 Wrap Up and Subscribe
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