In this episode of The Mindful CIO Podcast, host Nathalie Heynderickx is joined by Angela Anthony, Executive General Manager of IT & Digital at DuluxGroup. With over three decades of global tech and transformation experience, Angela offers an inspiring and practical view of what human-centred leadership looks like in the modern CIO role.

Angela reflects on her multicultural family, global career, and what it means to lead with presence, empathy, and humility. She discusses the core values of the Mindful CIO Manifesto — particularly diversity, sustainability and humanity — and how they guide her leadership every day.

She unpacks the true meaning of diversity — going beyond gender to embrace diversity of thought, background, and neurodiversity. Drawing from roles in aviation, health, and manufacturing, Angela shares how diverse teams outperform by covering blind spots and building richer solutions.

We also explore self-care as a leadership practice. Angela reveals her daily rituals — Pilates and regular dog walks — and the importance of reclaiming time for wellbeing in order to show up fully for her team and strategic challenges.

A passionate mentor and people developer, Angela shares stories about the leaders who saw her potential before she did — and how she now pays it forward. We discuss how mentoring and coaching aren’t just altruistic — they create stronger, more resilient organisations.

From navigating complex stakeholder relationships to driving global transformation, Angela speaks candidly about the non-technical side of tech leadership. She highlights the power of storytelling in building buy-in and bringing change to life across all levels of the organisation.

She also tackles the challenges of cybersecurity, data readiness, and the ethical adoption of AI — calling for shared accountability, clear role clarity, and keeping humans firmly in the loop.

Angela’s leadership mantra? Be humble, be present, and be a great storyteller.

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🎬 IN OUR EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome to The Mindful CIO Podcast

01:47 Meet Angela Anthony: Global Tech Leader at Dulux Group

03:15 Personal insights: A “United Nations” family story

04:47 Why diversity, humanity, and sustainability matter more than ever

05:46 Diversity beyond gender - culture, thought, and neurodiversity

06:26 Avoiding the “mini-me” trap in leadership

10:21 Self-care rituals: Pilates, dog walks, and walk-and-talks

14:00 Leadership role models from Barack Obama to workplace mentors

17:00 Mentoring future leaders and quieting the inner critic