Rachel Bennett
The Workplace Cultureologist™ Author | Speaker | Researcher | Consultant
For more than 20 years, I have been exploring one question:
Why do some organisations thrive while others struggle?
Through books, research, speaking, podcasts, leadership roles and consultancy work, I have been fortunate to contribute to conversations that help organisations create healthier workplace cultures and better experiences for the people within them.
A Career Built On Curiosity
Long before I became an author, speaker or consultant, I was fascinated by people.
Why do teams succeed?
Why do good organisations sometimes struggle?
Why do talented people become disengaged?
Why do cultures develop in ways leaders never intended?
These questions have shaped my career and continue to influence the work I do today as a Workplace Cultureologist™.
Turning Experience Into Ideas
Those questions eventually became books.
Shadow Cultures (2023)
Exploring the hidden behaviours and unwritten rules that shape workplace culture.
From Red Tape to Real Change (2026)
Exploring why culture must now lead the way in social housing.
Together, these books bring together years of experience, research, observation and practical learning from working with leaders and organisations across multiple sectors.
Influencing The Profession
In 2021, work I helped lead was featured within the CIPD's national Resourcing and Talent Planning Case Studies publication.
Being recognised by the UK's leading professional body for HR and people development was a proud moment and reflected the incredible work delivered by the wider People Services team.
National Award Recognition
The work undertaken by the People Services team received national recognition through multiple award shortlists.
Personnel Today Awards
🏆 Employee Experience Award Finalist
🏆 Change Management Award Finalist
🏆 HR Impact Award Finalist
These awards recognised the impact of a significant employment offer programme designed to improve employee experience and organisational performance.
HR Director of the Year Finalist
One of the proudest moments of my career came when I discovered I had been shortlisted for HR Director of the Year.
What made this particularly special was that the nomination came from my own team.
While the award carried my name, it reflected the commitment, passion and hard work of an incredible group of people who achieved great things together.
Researching What Makes Organisations Thrive
Cross Functional Collaboration: The Key To Transformational Performance?
In partnership with There Be Giants, I co-created a thought leadership paper exploring one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today:
How do we improve organisational performance without simply asking people to work harder?
The research explored collaboration, organisational silos, leadership and performance, helping organisations understand how stronger cross-functional relationships can unlock better outcomes.
Sharing Ideas More Widely
Over the years I have been invited to contribute to podcasts, interviews and professional discussions covering:
• Workplace Culture
• Leadership
• Strategic HR
• Organisational Development
• Employee Experience
• Change Management
Featured appearances include:
🎙 There Be Giants Podcast
🎙 Business Success Network
🎙 Newton's Nuggets
🎙 Business Brains
🎙 Author Spotlight
🎙 People & Culture Association Book Club
I also host my own podcast:
🎙 Let's Talk Culture
Speaking About Culture
I have delivered presentations, workshops and keynote talks to audiences ranging from small leadership teams to large organisational events.
Highlights include:
✔ Presenting culture survey findings to audiences of more than 900 employees
✔ Delivering The Shadow and Me keynote
✔ Leadership conferences and away days
✔ Housing sector webinars
✔ Team development events
✔ Professional networking events
✔ Training and learning programmes
Why I Continue To Share
I don't share ideas because I have all the answers.
I share them because I genuinely believe workplaces can be better.
Every book, article, podcast, presentation and research project is driven by the same goal:
Helping organisations create cultures where people can thrive.
Media Enquiries
Whether you're looking for a podcast guest, conference speaker, article contributor, panel member or industry commentator, I'd love to hear from you.