David Campbell is an experienced organisation and workforce practitioner specialising in people, workforce planning, solutions and implementation.
He has a wealth of strategic and operational experience across the corporate sector, not-for-profit, state and federal government, defence and the intelligence community.
Before joining Brand Rebellion, David spent the last decade at a multinational consultancy. In this role, he delivered progressive workforce planning solutions and outcomes across both large-scale transformations and corporate functions using a data-driven approach that is accurate, dependable and holistic.
David is passionate about helping businesses thrive and is an agile contributor with an aptitude for problem-solving and an ability to seamlessly navigate complexity.
Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
I’m David Campbell, a Partner at Brand Rebellion (BR). My background is as an organisation and workforce practitioner. I specialise in people strategy and workforce planning. My career has taken me across the corporate sector, not-for-profit organisations, state and federal government and defence.
Before joining BR, I spent a decade at a multinational consultancy, delivering innovative workforce planning solutions in projects ranging from large-scale transformations to operating models for corporate functions.
I absolutely love what I do, but my greatest pride comes from my family. I have two beautiful children, Eliza is 4 and Hugh is 3, along with two very lazy cavoodles – Frankie and Stanley. On top of the business, they keep things very busy but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffett, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Brand Rebellion is a consultancy with a twist – we’re all about people and their interactions with businesses, from employees to customers.
We blend the creative spark of agencies with the strategic expertise of consultancies to create organisations that people are excited to join and support, whether as employees or consumers.
Our edge lies in transforming organisations through deep insights into the unique people dynamics, giving them a competitive advantage. Our biggest strength is the unique blend of creativity and strategy, aligning brand and organisational behaviour with human interaction to foster meaningful connections and sustainable growth.
The question to business is ‘do you truly connect and resonate with the people who matter most?’
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, is an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
People are complex, but at the heart of it, we’re all looking for a meaningful value exchange. This means companies need to live up to their values and promises by building a culture of trust and mutual respect.
Employees thrive on autonomy, especially in a remote setting. When they own their roles, see how their work aligns with the company’s goals, and feel genuinely valued, engagement and purpose soar.
We’re adapting to these shifts by emphasising autonomy and clarity. By focusing on output rather than desk time, work-life balance and productivity are boosted, ensuring employees feel empowered and satisfied, which leads to better retention.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Digital transformation is no longer a destination but instead an ongoing journey. We’re all about harnessing this wave by focusing on the human element of digital strategies. Keep employees progressive by having meaningful innovation sessions, leverage the hot tech to optimise customer experiences and nail effective remote work practices.
In our fast-paced world, upskilling is key, but so is being concise – people are time-poor, so you’ve got to hit your point quickly to keep their attention.
We like to place emphasis on the human connection, even in a digital, dispersed environment. Be rebellious and go against the grain – if your people are champions and you give them some space to explore ideas, then you might just stay ahead of the curve.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
The real challenge right now is creating meaningful engagement for brands, organisations and individuals. With rapid technological advancements and short attention spans, maintaining genuine connections is tougher than ever.
But people are still at the heart of it all. They’re innately loyal but need alignment in values, fulfillment, connection and empowerment. If these aren’t met, they’ll move on to the next brand or organisation.
A job now needs to be more than just a place to work and a brand needs to be more than just what it delivers. When you create the right environment and crack these challenges then individuals become your biggest champions and advocates and when everyone is moving in the same direction the opportunities for growth will follow.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
The most underestimated part of running a company is realising that you’re contributing to people’s lives and livelihoods. It can be a heavy load to carry and it’s hard to take the emotions out of business.
Not only are people individuals with different backgrounds, needs and wants, but the workforce of today is more diverse and dispersed and you need to place a strong emphasis on areas such as health and wellbeing, work-life balance, sustainability, progressive policies and career development.
People are the only unique differentiator across all businesses, so tailoring benefits and rewards to truly create value for your workforce is crucial.
For example, when we developed our Employee Value Proposition (EVP), we gathered ideas for both financial and non-financial benefits from our team. We then voted on what was most meaningful and built our EVP around those results. This ensured our offerings genuinely resonated with and were valued by our employees.
What does “success” in 2024 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Success in the coming year means seeing Brand Rebellion thrive by helping more organisations embrace meaningful engagement and navigate the complexities of the brand and workforce landscape.
Over the next 12 months, we’ll focus on boosting productivity and innovation by creating environments where employees feel truly engaged and valued. Our goal is to build brands and organisations that people are excited to align with, whether as employees or consumers, and support those committed to making a positive change.
We want to drive business growth and positively impact our network. Above all, we’ll do it with a smile and a positive outlook.
We chose this path out of passion, and despite its ups and downs, we’re grateful to be where we are and enjoy every aspect of our journey.
Originally posted on ValiantCEO.
