Purpose & Simplicity

Harry Blease from British telecom giant Virgin Media O2 started with the “why” of OKRs as the foundation for his implementation. He anchored on what leaders hoped to accomplish with OKRs – alignment, accountability, transparency – and then focused on making it very simple for teams to engage and reap the benefits. This powerful combination of purpose and simplicity led to fast wins including transparency on what teams are trying to achieve in the quarter and more honest conversations about challenges.

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About Harry Blease
Harry is a senior digital strategist with over a decade of experience delivering structured, impactful strategy across complex digital environments. As a Senior Digital Strategy Lead at Virgin Media O2, he owns the OKR framework across Commercial Digital, driving alignment, accountability, and strategic clarity. He ensures that OKRs are effectively embedded into the day-to-day operations, providing teams with clear objectives, the tools for success, and a consistent way to track and measure progress. His work plays a key role in connecting long-term strategic goals with real-time action, helping shape a culture of performance, transparency, and shared success. With a background that spans both agency and client-side roles, Harry combines strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, focused on making strategy actionable and impactful.

About Deidre Paknad
Deidre Paknad has founded and led three tech startups, acquired companies and been acquired, and led a high-growth business as an executive at IBM for several years; this affords her a unique perspective on using both speed and scale to drive growth. In her role as CEO at WorkBoard, she works with senior leadership teams at some of the world’s largest companies to clarify, align, and drive strategic priorities with greater speed and agility. She is a frequent speaker on Outcome Mindset™ and tapping into ambition.

Deidre has over a dozen patents and has twice been inducted into the Smithsonian Institution for innovation. Goldman Sachs named her one of the 100 most intriguing entrepreneurs of 2019. Deidre hosts The OKR Podcast, which focuses on accelerating outcomes and fostering an outcomes culture.

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