How to Become a Successful Chief People Officer: Insider Insights, with Kanika Mehra

In this episode of HR Coffee Time, I’m joined by Kanika Mehra, Chief People Officer at Frontiers – a leading science research publisher dedicated to making quality research openly accessible. Having built her HR career in fast-paced, global organisations, including Amazon, Kanika stepped into her first CPO position at Frontiers in 2022, bringing a calm, values-led, and commercially savvy approach to building a People strategy from the ground up. ☕ Whether you’re aiming to become a Chief People Officer or preparing for a more senior HR role, this conversation is packed with honest insights to help you grow your confidence, navigate complexity, and lead with impact. HR Coffee Time | Episode 147 🎧 We cover: • How Kanika got her first CPO role (and why she nearly said no) • The LinkedIn tips that helped her get approached • The mindset shift from Head of HR or HR Director to CPO • How to lead when you don’t have all the answers • The power of data, storytelling and commercial acumen • Her “two-way door” approach to decision-making • Why she wants her team to say no to her • How she maintains her wellbeing in a high-pressure role • Practical advice for aspiring and first-time CPOs ⏱ Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 02:12 – Meet Kanika Mehra 02:25 – How she got her first CPO role 03:23 – The role LinkedIn played – and how to improve your profile 07:00 – Differences between being a Head of People or HR Director vs a CPO 09:27 – Making big decisions 14:02 – Learning to lead without having all the answers 17:50 – Developing confidence and decisiveness 22:51 – Why business acumen is essential – and how to build it 27:45 – Becoming confident with data and storytelling 33:12 – Her biggest challenge as a CPO 34:03 – Balancing employee experience with business priorities 37:59 – Maintaining mental wellbeing in a high-pressure role 40:08 – The importance of values alignment 42:38 – Advice for anyone who’d like to be a CPO 45:41 – Advice for first-time CPOs 49:57 – Courses and books that have helped Kanika succeed 52:36 – Wrap-up and other HR Coffee Time podcast episode recommendations 🔗 Useful Links • Connect with me on LinkedIn:   / faywallis   • My website: https://brightskycareercoaching.co.uk/ • Connect with Kanika Mehra on LinkedIn:   / kanikasuri   🌟 Resources to support your career: 🎓 Inspiring HR Leadership – My accredited leadership development programme for aspiring and existing HR leaders: https://brightskycareercoaching.co.uk... 📘 The Essential HR Planner – Plan your goals, stay focused, and make a bigger impact at work: https://essentialhrplanner.co.uk/ 💌 Free Weekly Newsletter – Career tips, leadership ideas & podcast updates: https://brightskycareercoaching.kit.c... 📚 Book Recommendations from the Episode (Book links are Amazon affiliate links – if you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission) • My Life in Full – Indra Nooyi: https://amzn.to/4eiyRDd • Data-Driven HR – Bernard Marr: https://amzn.to/409FQIJ • Working Backwards – Colin Bryar and Bill Carr: https://amzn.to/462ysme • Excellence in People Analytics – Jonathan Ferrar and David Green: https://amzn.to/442dhxZ 🎙️ Other HR Coffee Time episodes mentioned or related: • Episode 22: How to handle conflict at work • Episode 31: 3 little-known LinkedIn features which will help you get your next job • Episode 35: Helping teams thrive with personal user manuals • Episode 47: Discovering your values to help your HR career • Episode 106: 7 types of posts to share on LinkedIn that will help your HR career 💬 What part of Kanika’s advice resonated most with you? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear your thoughts. 🔔 If you found this helpful, please like the video, subscribe to the channel, and share the episode with a friend or colleague in HR. Thank you for supporting the show!