The Rethinking Work Show

Lara Vandenberg, founder and CEO of Publicist, discusses her journey in creating a platform that connects companies with top-tier freelance marketing talent. She highlights the importance of agility in workforce models and how the pandemic reshaped hiring dynamics. Lara explains the shift from traditional worker classifications to flexible W-2 solutions, and the benefits of having a talent 'bench' for quick access to specialists. She also dives into the role of AI in transforming job functions and anticipates exciting new marketing roles for the future.

What if the corporate job is no longer the default path to a meaningful career? Alex McCann, founder of TrueNorth, explains why so many young professionals feel lost at work, how Gen Z is redefining success, and why the future may belong to those who start with self-discovery instead of job titles.Alex McCann is a writer, community builder, and founder of TrueNorth, an AI-powered career coach designed to help people build meaningful careers by starting with self-discovery, not job titles. Through TrueNorth, his MidWeek events in London, and his newsletter Still Wandering, Alex helps people in their 20s and 30s navigate uncertainty, question outdated career narratives, and define success on their own terms. His work is grounded in a simple belief: you can’t build a fulfilling career until you understand what meaning means to you. Alex now focuses on giving Gen Z and Millennials the tools, language, and community to design lives and work they can truly stand behind. EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.    

What if culture was the key to competitive advantage? Alastair Creamer and Doug Milliken, co-founders of Creamer Milliken, share why accelerating culture change is essential for growth, how leaders can make transformation stick, and why the companies that thrive tomorrow will be the ones that reinvent from the inside out.Alastair Creamer is a cultural change consultant and co-founder of Creamer Milliken. He began his career at Unilever, where he created Catalyst, an award-winning program that ran for seven years and transformed creativity across the company’s UK operations. Since then, Alastair has worked with leaders, teams, and organizations worldwide, helping them unlock creativity and accelerate meaningful cultural change. In 2012, he co-founded Eyes Wide Opened, a coaching program supporting people at professional crossroads—from quarter-life crises to later-life reinventions—guiding them toward clarity and personal purpose. His work continues to focus on enabling individuals and organizations to adapt to change with confidence and creativity. A lifelong creative, Alastair is also a musician, writer, and artist. In 2023, he published a book of prose-poems about his relationship with his son, Ollie. Today, he finds inspiration in the arts and in gardening, which he calls one of his most creative pursuits.Doug Milliken is a co-founder of Creamer Milliken and a seasoned transformation leader with over 35 years at The Clorox Company. During his career, he led marketing, innovation, and cultural transformation initiatives across the global organization. Most recently, Doug spearheaded Clorox’s Digital Transformation, shifting from mass marketing to personalized, data-driven approaches that generated over $50 million in incremental profit. He previously created the company’s brand-building process and redefined strategy, insights, consumer experience, and media across multiple teams worldwide. Doug is the only employee in Clorox’s history to win the CEO Award for Outstanding Leadership twice. He also co-led the company’s enterprise-wide “Growth Culture” initiative, designed to help 8,000 employees act simpler, faster, and bolder. With an MBA from Kellogg, Doug has also served as an adjunct professor at INSEAD. He lives in Northern California, where he enjoys music, hiking, biking, and restoring his property after the 2017 wildfires. EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.    

What happens when AI rewires the workflows of modern finance? Bin Ren, founder and CEO of SigTech, explains how artificial intelligence is transforming how financial institutions design, test, and execute investment strategies, and why the future of finance depends on smarter, faster, and more adaptive ways of working.Before founding SigTech at the start of 2019, Ren was the Chief Investment Officer of the Systematic Investment Group (SIG) at Brevan Howard Asset Management where he managed multiple quantitative investment funds. He started his career at Barclays Capital as an equity exotics trader managing quantitative investment strategies across all major asset classes. Before university, Ren skipped two grades in school and won three first prizes in the Chinese National Olympiads. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the national gifted education program of Shanghai Jiaotong University, Ren was directly admitted with full scholarship to the PhD program for computer science at Cambridge University, UK. While there he researched Xen which was chosen by Amazon as the cornerstone of the world’s first cloud-computing platform AWS that generates over $100 billion annual revenue 20 years later. EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.    

What if the most important approval you’ll ever need is your own? Author and coach Jillian Reilly discusses her book The Ten Permissions, and why we struggle to let go of others’ expectations, and how to start giving ourselves permission to live and work on our own terms.Jillian Reilly is a founder, author, and keynote speaker. Having spent her 30-year career working in social, organizational, and individual change across Africa, Asia, and Central Europe, Jillian’s focus is on helping people unlock their ability to navigate change and accelerate growth and learning. Jillian’s upcoming book, The Ten Permissions, guides readers in permitting themselves to update how they operate in the 21st century and design lives that fully leverage the possibilities of this disruptive world. Jillian is a TEDX speaker and podcast host who has been published on international affairs in the Washington Post, Newsweek and the LA Times. Her memoir, Shame: Confessions of an Aid Worker in Africa, chronicles her early career in international development and the profound lessons it offered on the failings of the aid industry to drive growth across the developing world. To learn more about Jillian and where to purchase her book: https://tenpermissions.com/ EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.    

How is AI reshaping who holds power in the knowledge economy? Sangeet Paul Choudary, the best-selling author of Platform Revolution and Reshuffle explains how artificial intelligence is re-stacking the way knowledge is created, distributed, and monetized, and what this means for workers, companies, and the future of competitive advantage.Sangeet Paul Choudary is the best-selling co-author of Platform Revolution and the author of Reshuffle. He has advised CEOs at more than 40 Fortune 500 companies as well as pre-IPO tech firms. Sangeet has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and his work on platforms has been featured four times in the Harvard Business Review Top 10 Must Reads compilations. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and was formerly the co-chair of the MIT Platform Strategy Summit and a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. He has served on the advisory boards of leading financial institutions including the ING Group, Standard Bank, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore. As a frequent keynote speaker, Sangeet has presented at leading global forums, including the G20 Summit, the World50 Summit, and the World Economic Forum.Order Sangeet's new book Reshuffle here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTKW6NQV EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.    

What if the key to the future of work isn’t jobs themselves, but the skills that unlock them? David Timis, Global Communications & Public Affairs Manager at Generation, shares why building adaptable skills is more important than chasing job titles and how organizations like Generation are helping people prepare for meaningful, resilient careers in a changing world.David Timis is a Global Communications & Public Affairs Manager at Generation, one of the largest skilling and employment nonprofits in the world, where he oversees the organisation's storytelling globally and advocacy work at a EU level. He speaks regularly about AI and the risks and opportunities it presents for people, businesses and society. He is also the Community Champion for the BeNeLux & France region, Co-Lead for the 2025 edition of SHAPE Europe & Eurasia, and Longevity Economy Taskforce Member within the Global Shapers Community (a young leaders initiative of the World Economic Forum). He previously led the EU Civics Outreach efforts at Google during both the 2019 and 2024 EU Elections, and before that he was a UN Youth Delegate representing Romania. His career spans a range of public, private and third sector organisations including L'Oreal, Mars Inc., Burson (formerly known as BCW), Chatham House, and the Council of Europe. With a career at the crossroads of technology, workforce development, and policy, David has been deeply involved in shaping conversations on skilling, education, AI governance, and digital transformation. His work spans from advising companies on their AI strategy to navigating the complexities of AI training for some of the world’s most influential brands. Whether discussing the ethical implications of machine learning, the future of work in an AI-driven economy, or the regulatory challenges facing big tech companies, David brings a unique perspective grounded in both leading research and real-world implementation. EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.    

What happens when work stops being about full-time jobs and starts being about outcomes? Paul Suchman, Freddie Laker, and Juan-Carlos Morales of Chameleon Collective share how the rise of fractional leadership is reshaping companies, giving professionals more flexibility, and challenging traditional ideas of careers, culture, and collaboration.Freddie Laker is a serial entrepreneur, growth strategist, and founding partner of Chameleon Collective, where he leads the firm’s global Private Equity and Venture Capital Value Creation practice. For more than two decades, he has worked at the intersection of digital, brand, and business transformation, helping organizations unlock potential and drive sustainable growth. At Chameleon Collective, Freddie partners with PE and VC firms worldwide to build elite teams, solve complex go-to-market challenges, and embed senior leaders inside client organizations to deliver lasting impact. His career also includes interim executive roles, such as Chief Digital Officer at Bugaboo, SVP of Consumer Marketing & eCommerce at Nixon, and CMO of World Airways, and alongside founding startups and advising global brands. Beyond consulting, Freddie co-founded Collective OS, a SaaS platform for scaling professional services, and owns Enviro Design Products, a specialized manufacturing and distribution firm.Juan Carlos Morales is an accomplished Executive Creative Director known for blending creativity with strategic foresight to transform brands and digital experiences. With a career spanning experience architecture, design consultancy, and creative direction, he has led projects that redefine identities and foster meaningful customer connections for global organizations including Bugaboo International and Atlantis Bahamas. At the heart of Juan Carlos’s approach is empathetic leadership and a commitment to collaboration, scalability, and innovation. He thrives in environments that leverage flexible talent pools and networked partnerships, aligning seamlessly with models like Chameleon Collective and Collective OS. His leadership style empowers teams to realize their “hyphenated” potential, where creativity and strategy are deeply interconnected. By integrating AI-enhanced tools and unified resource management, Juan Carlos continues to push the boundaries of digital transformation, helping companies deliver impact at scale while maintaining clarity, authenticity, and human connection.Paul Suchman helps companies break through growth plateaus by transforming how they connect with customers and unlock brand value. A growth catalyst and demand strategist, he works with executive teams and CMOs to align brand strategy, demand generation, and customer experience into one high-performance engine that drives measurable results. Paul brings deep leadership experience as CMO at Audacy, global brand leader at CBRE, and agency-side leadership at BBDO, Ogilvy, and Agency.com. He has guided brands across industries, including media, real estate, tech, and retail, to unify fragmented efforts, design customer experiences that build loyalty, and turn strategy into action. Known for his ability to build brands that truly convert, Paul bridges silos, accelerates pipelines, and drives sustainable growth. Beyond business, he is a conservation advocate, serves on the board of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication, and pursues passions for ocean health, landscape design, and surfing.  EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.    

How do you spot and grow the kind of leaders who can thrive in the age of AI? Jay Haines, co-founder and global president of Grace Blue, shares how expectations for leadership are shifting, what skills will define success in an AI-driven world, and why human potential still matters most.  EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.    

What if you could tap into top talent, anywhere in the world, exactly when you need it? Luke Smith, CEO and co-founder of Croud, unpacks how the “talent on demand” model is reshaping teams and blending speed, scale, and flexibility without sacrificing culture or creativity.Luke Smith  is the Global CEO and co-founder of Croud, a leading independent digital agency. Since 2011, Luke has helped grow Croud into a full-service powerhouse, serving clients like Amazon Prime Video, Nespresso, and Ford. The company now spans 600 employees and a global network of on-demand experts known as “Croudies” across 118 markets and 86 languages. EPISODE CREDITSProduced, edited and mixed by Ria TobaccowalaArtwork designed by Ben DamianoAdditional music licensed through Premium BeatsLINKSExplore more about the new frontiers of work at Rethinkingwork.ioFor more actionable insights that inspire subscribe to Rishad Tobaccowala's free weekly substack: The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past. This show is also available on YouTube which includes visual supplements. Rishad's Book Rethinking Work is available in print and audio. Click here for where to buy.