How do you maintain a people-first culture while scaling a global organization to over 41,000 employees across 50 countries? In today’s episode, John Duisberg sits down with Joe Cronin, Chief Human Resources Officer at ICON, to explore how ICON has grown from a small team of five in Ireland in 1990 to a global leader in clinical research and healthcare intelligence.

Joe shares insights into:
ICON's Mission: Accelerating the development of life-saving drugs and devices by supporting over 1,300 clinical trials in 2023 alone.
Maintaining Culture Through Growth and M&A: How ICON preserves its core values—collaboration, agility, inclusion, and integrity—while integrating over 30 acquisitions, including the significant merger with PRA Health Sciences.
'Own It at ICON' Philosophy: Fostering a culture of ownership that empowers employees to embrace challenges and contribute proactively.
Global Initiatives: The annual "Wake Up to Culture" day that unites employees worldwide to celebrate and reinforce ICON's values.
Digital Innovation in HR: Leveraging AI and technology to enhance recruitment processes, candidate experience, and streamline HR operations.

Joe also discusses the complexities and contradictions in today's workforce, emphasizing the need for flexibility, personalization, and deeper connections in a post-pandemic world.

Resources Related to This Episode
ICON Website: iconplc.com
Connect with Joe Cronin on LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/joe-cronin-7540073
Learn More About The Cooleaf Podcast: cooleaf.com/resources/podcast

Credits
Theme Music 🎵DPMusic from Pond5.com
Produced byChat With Leaders Media

How do you maintain a people-first culture while scaling a global organization to over 41,000 employees across 50 countries? In today’s episode, John Duisberg sits down with Joe Cronin, Chief Human Resources Officer at ICON, to explore how ICON has grown from a small team of five in Ireland in 1990 to a global leader in clinical research and healthcare intelligence.
Joe shares insights into:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">ICON's Mission: Accelerating the development of life-saving drugs and devices by supporting over 1,300 clinical trials in 2023 alone.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Maintaining Culture Through Growth and M&amp;A: How ICON preserves its core values—collaboration, agility, inclusion, and integrity—while integrating over 30 acquisitions, including the significant merger with PRA Health Sciences.</li>
<li aria-level="1">'Own It at ICON' Philosophy: Fostering a culture of ownership that empowers employees to embrace challenges and contribute proactively.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Global Initiatives: The annual "Wake Up to Culture" day that unites employees worldwide to celebrate and reinforce ICON's values.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Digital Innovation in HR: Leveraging AI and technology to enhance recruitment processes, candidate experience, and streamline HR operations.</li>
</ul>
Joe also discusses the complexities and contradictions in today's workforce, emphasizing the need for flexibility, personalization, and deeper connections in a post-pandemic world.
Resources Related to This Episode
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">ICON Website:<a href="https://www.iconplc.com"> iconplc.com</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Connect with Joe Cronin on LinkedIn:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-cronin-2757263"> </a>linkedin.com/in/joe-cronin-7540073</li>
<li aria-level="1">Learn More About The Cooleaf Podcast:<a href="https://cooleaf.com/resources/podcast"> cooleaf.com/resources/podcast</a></li>
</ul>
Credits
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Theme Music 🎵DPMusic from Pond5.com</li>
<li aria-level="1">Produced by <a href="https://chatwithleaders.com">Chat With Leaders Media</a></li>
</ul>

At the heart of every successful business is a strong culture.

That’s why the team at Cooleaf created this podcast – to unravel the intricacies of building supportive workplace communities that foster genuine connections between people.

In this new series, Love Your People, Cooleaf Co-Founders Prem Bhatia and John Duisberg dive deep into the heart of human-first workplaces, exploring employee engagement, leadership development, and organizational well-being and their impact on a business’s growth.

Tune in to explore the intersection of compassion and success – because when you love your people, your organization thrives.

At the heart of every successful business is a strong culture.
That’s why the team at Cooleaf created this podcast – to unravel the intricacies of building supportive workplace communities that foster genuine connections between people.
In this new series, Love Your People, Cooleaf Co-Founders <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/premcbhatia/">Prem Bhatia</a> and<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-duisberg/"> John Duisberg</a> dive deep into the heart of human-first workplaces, exploring employee engagement, leadership development, and organizational well-being and their impact on a business’s growth.
Tune in to explore the intersection of compassion and success – because when you love your people, your organization thrives.

At the heart of every successful business is a strong culture. Find out how high-achieving people leaders are putting their employees first - and why it makes all the difference.

The Cooleaf Podcast

Joe Cronin, CHRO at ICON, shares how the company maintains a people-first culture while scaling globally to over 41,000 employees, leveraging digital innovation and fostering ownership and collaboration across 50 countries.

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