In this video, part of our Leadership Perspectives series, Heidrick & Struggles’ Susie Clements speaks to Rebecca Grattan, the chief people and culture officer at Avast, a Czech multinational cybersecurity software company. Grattan, who joined Avast right before COVID-19 became a pandemic, in February 2020, shares what leadership skills have been essential for those who are able to be flexible and adapt through challenging times, and argues that she has seen a paradigm shift: that leadership by presence has been replaced through inspiration, involvement, and engagement. She also shares how Avast has adapted to the new norm of hybrid working, the ways in which that has helped them in working toward their diversity and inclusion goals, and how the process of developing leaders has changed as a result.

About the interviewer

Susie Clements (sclements@heidrick.com) is the regional managing partner of Heidrick & Struggles’ Corporate Officers Practice in Europe & Africa, responsible for the Financial Officers Practice in the region; she is based in the London office.