Pauline McNulty prioritised career progression above everything else in her life until about 18 months into a role as Chief Risk Officer. The role was meaningful and important but something wasn't working for her. She got really curious about what was motivating for her and came across an article about three primary intrinsic motivators - potential, purpose and play. And she says the way they talked about play is enjoying the act of the work itself. Pauline and I talk about how play shows up our workplaces and in the act of the work itself. We talk about the benefits of play - using play can unlock hidden potential and get more creativity from people. People make better decisions. And generally, you'll be more resilient for whatever challenges are coming down the track. Pauline is not saying this play is a silver bullet. It's an activity, it's also an experience, and it can also be a mindset. How do we design work in a way that feels like play because we're going to get better results?

Pauline McNulty has executive-level leadership experience that spans transformational change, risk and assurance. After graduating with a 1st class degree in Computer Science, Pauline trained as an accountant with KPMG. Her ambition led to Head of Internal Audit by her early 30s and Chief Risk Officer of a $3bn organisation by 35. Since the beginning of 2020, in conjunction with co-founding Playfilled, Pauline has built a portfolio focused on enabling sustainable success for people and organisations as a coach, advisor/NED, and advocate. Passionate about inclusion and mental well-being, Pauline was recognised for her work as LSM Executive Sponsor for D&I when she was featured on inaugural 2019 InsideOut Leaderboard.