16th February 2021
Stories from an Inspiring Leader – Magnus Schoeman
Magnus Schoeman, Head of Financial Services, UK, Atos IT Services
Magnus is a fantastic example of a strong leader in Atos […] he is a role model across the organisation. During lockdown he spoke authentically about sharing childcare responsibilities, on occasion not joining calls as he was home-schooling his children. He managed this brilliantly, still excelling at work, whilst showing his employees it was normal and accepted, even writing a case study about it for the wider business. He champions gender diversity and speaks openly about his commitment to equality. As a diversity ally and menopause ambassador, Magnus’ visibility demonstrates his commitment to diversity & inclusion, and he has added diversity objectives to his teams’ development plans, recognising their hard work and rewarding the value that this brings to Atos.
Magnus supports the Atos disability network, Adapt, as part of its leadership team. He is a business ambassador of the charity Ambitious about Autism, and as part of this role he has worked on bringing a young intern with autism in for an internship with our company.
He is an active change agent in helping drive gender balance, supporting the action plan by speaking at leadership conferences on this topic and interviewing many women across the business to really help us understand what it’s like to be a woman in Atos so we can learn where we can do better.
Being a leader can bring with it some huge responsibilities, but Magnus always remains grounded to his responsibilities and shares his learning, offering development through mentoring which he also encourages others to do too.
Magnus is willing to spend time investing in the learning of his employees, empowering them to learn by suggesting books or news stories to read and encouraging the team to take time out to focus on their learning & development. He is able to motivate and inspire, sharing his vision and bringing his employees on the journey with him.
Endorsement
“Magnus’s passion for people and in driving the D&I agenda is infectious and he is a true trailblazer in driving forward progress. He is an inspiring leader to me and is always a go-to person who I can rely on to partner and to truly embrace any culture, diversity or charity work in which we embark. I truly value him as a colleague and think he is fully deserving of this accolade.”
About Inspiring Leaders
The extract above is taken from the Inspiring Leaders 2020 initiative which recognised exceptional leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can download the full eBook with all the leader stories here.
Inspiring Leaders was created as a vehicle to recognize people who stepped up to help individuals, teams and organizations navigate personal and business challenges, and make a contribution to make their business, their community and the world a better place.
Due to the success of IL 2020, we have brought it back in 2021. We are now open for nominations. For more information about how to enter Inspiring Leaders, dates and fees – click here.