Episode 20:  Leading Through Complexity: In a Major Spin-Off 

In this episode, Martin Barner, Head of Employee Experience and HR Transformation at Sandoz, shares his experience of leadership in complexity – the reality of performing under pressure when the spin-off of Sandoz out of Novartis required scaling the organisation from 12,000 to 23,000 people, and where decisions, execution, and delivery happened at the same time. 

He describes how this was an opportunity he was too curious not to pursue in the kind of environment he relishes – dynamic, fast-moving, operating at scale, and sitting at the intersection of people, technology and performance. 

So how do you lead in that environment? 

What follows is a grounded account of leadership in motion. Building an organisation while running it. Shaping culture, systems, and capability – all at once. 

His approach is clear. 

Start with the team. Nothing happens without it.
Plan the work – and work the plan.
Be explicit about priorities.
Control what you can, especially when everything else is shifting. 

Treat it as a marathon, not a sprint. 

And he highlights that sustaining performance at this level depends on the basics: sleep, nutrition, movement and mindset.

If you’re interested in what leadership looks like when complexity, scale and performance all come together, there is a lot here to take away.