Leadership in Practice Not Just in Title with Hayley Ingram from Zellis | EP 5

How do you become an authentic leader without mistaking management for control? Hayley Ingram, Property and Procurement Director at Zellis, shares how listening, human connection and practical problem-solving shaped her procurement leadership journey. Hayley explains why she moved from law into commercial procurement and how asking detailed questions helped her build credibility in unfamiliar environments. She reflects on stepping beyond her formal role, transforming a greenfield procurement practice and learning that a management title does not automatically make someone an effective people leader. The conversation covers stakeholder influence, change-management mistakes, assessing an inherited team before acting and setting clear expectations without hierarchy. Hayley also discusses how illness changed her perspective on work-life boundaries, why mentoring reopened her ambition and how practical training helps people build confidence. IN THIS EPISODE • Leaving law for a commercial procurement career • Building trust by listening before offering solutions • Turning regulation into a better customer journey • Stretching beyond the boundaries of a formal role • Transforming a greenfield procurement practice at Zellis • Learning from early people-management mistakes • Assessing an inherited team before making changes • Reframing work-life boundaries after illness • Using mentoring and practical training to rebuild momentum ▶ WATCH NEXT Nikki Wright on authentic leadership, people-first transformation and helping teams succeed:    • The Leadership Mindset That Makes a Differ...   🎙 EXPLORE JOURNEY OF A CPO Watch all full episodes:    • Top of the Chain | Journey of a CPO   CHAPTERS 00:00 Episode highlights 01:43 Hayley Ingram and leadership in practice 05:43 Leaving law for commercial procurement 09:27 Slowing down, listening and asking questions 16:37 Building credibility through authentic influence 20:46 Turning regulation into a better customer journey 24:46 Stretching beyond your formal role 27:52 What first-time management gets wrong 34:54 Learning from a change-management mistake 40:26 Assessing an inherited team before changing it 46:24 Illness, perspective and work-life boundaries 48:59 Returning to an ambitious career 51:06 Mentorship and staying open to opportunity 57:19 Developing skills through practical training 01:04:20 Future procurement and constant challenge 01:07:13 Outro ────────── ABOUT JOURNEY OF A CPO Journey of a CPO explores the careers, decisions and leadership lessons of procurement and supply chain leaders. Follow Procurato on LinkedIn:   / procurato   Visit Procurato: https://www.procurato.co.uk/ #JourneyOfACPO #ProcurementLeadership #StrategicProcurement #Procurato #Zellis