Steven Bartlett has hailed the appointment of Harri Walsh as FlightStory’s new head of happiness and health as ‘one of the most important hires in the company’s history’.
The Dragons’ Den regular cherrypicked Walsh from a pool of 16,000 applicants to take up the role at the firm’s London office after she made a six-minute-long animated video explaining her view on culture, purpose, performance and people.
She also ‘flew through’ a rigorous process of interviews with five members of executive staff to land the role.
Walsh, who spent eight years at London-based MarTech Wiser, is a graduate of the University of East Anglia.
Her appointment is the latest in a string of hires for FlightStory, following the onboarding of Amy Golding as the CEO of Bartlett’s private office, Jules Davies Marriott as chief of staff and Leon Farrell as product director.
All three were highly praised by the Social Chain co-founder, and new hire Walsh is no exemption from Bartlett’s plaudits.
“We just made one of the most important hires in our company’s history. Not a CMO. Not a COO. A head of happiness and health,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
“Why? Because the science is clear: when people feel connected, healthy, and purposeful – they perform better.
“Brains literally function better. They’re 700 per cent more engaged when they have one real friend at work. Physically active teams are 12 per cent more productive. And companies that prioritise wellbeing outperform by 21 per cent in profitability.
“So we asked ourselves: Can we measure friendships? Can we build belonging into the walls of our culture? Can we design work to serve not just our goals, but our people’s minds and bodies too? And so much more…
“16,000 people applied. One person really stood out. Harri Walsh didn’t just send a CV – she went to the tremendous effort of making a six-minute animated video explaining her view on culture, purpose, performance and people.
“She has nearly a decade of experience, came with glowing 10/10 references, and flew through 5+ exec interviews.
“All companies are imperfect companies – we are no different – that is the reality of running a business, but even a small improvement in culture and performance can be the difference between success and failure.”
FlightStory began the search for a head of happiness & health around three months ago, with its founder posing the question: ‘is this the best job ever?’.
The Diary of a CEO podcast host has also revealed that over 100 people will be hired at his companies in the next 12 months, as he adjusts to life in Los Angeles after signing a deal with WME to represent him in the USA.
He confirmed that the role has not been created to achieve a better reputation with the public, quashing any doubts about the hire being a ‘politically correct corporate leadership bullsh*t story’.
Bartlett continued: “I understand the temptation to tell you a politically correct corporate leadership bullsh*t story that makes it sound like we’re doing this out of the goodness of our benevolent hearts – I know that will score us LinkedIn brownie points.
“But that would not be the truth. We are not doing this for optics or because we believe in workplace-as-family culture – we do not.
“We are a business on a mission – we are not a family – you already have one of those. This is about performance, profits and results.
“We’re building a happiness and health team because the science on team performance is unambiguous: when people have genuine community, clear purpose, and physical/mental well-being, their brains literally function better, they perform closer to their potential and they love their job more.”
Walsh has also revealed her secret to getting used to life in a new setting after nine years is by following four steps:
Giving yourself time to recharge and get your head in the game, in order to create some mental separation from your previous role. This, she says, will not only give your brain a rest but allow you to think of fresh new ideas.
Do your homework but don’t cram – think of it as reading the blurb before diving into a book.
Be open to being surprised – different doesn’t mean wrong, it just means different.
Remind yourself why you said yes – a reminder can go a long way in settling the nerves.
On her appointment, she added: “Thank you Steven Bartlett. Three weeks into my new role at FlightStory and I’m seriously impressed by the pace, focus, and sheer drive of the people here.
“Coming from Wiser, a place packed with sharp minds, high standards, and genuine care… I feel incredibly lucky to have stepped into another environment that values performance AND people just as much.
“I’ve spent the last few weeks getting under the skin of the business, speaking to as many people as possible to understand what motivates them, what they value, and more importantly where I can add value.
“Even before I joined, it was obvious from initial conversations that this is a team driven by real ambition and a clear vision – something many companies strive for, but only a few truly achieve (and maintain).
“Now it’s time to get properly stuck in – let’s get to work.”
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