What happens when a leader walks onto a stage to accept an award and walks off holding a tie because no one imagined a woman could be leading the company? In this episode of I Know I Belong When…, host Christopher Bylone sits down with Simona Scarpaleggia, former CEO of IKEA Switzerland, United Nations co-chair, author, and a leader whose career has redefined authentic leadership when the room was not built with you in mind.

Through first-person storytelling, Simona shares how her grandmother’s words, “if you want to lead, you need to learn, and anything can be learned,” shaped a career spanning boardrooms, global panels, and social enterprises. She introduces her framework of "care, share, and embrace," showing why standing firm on values during backlash is essential. From transforming IKEA Switzerland into a loved brand to empowering women in rural India, she connects belonging to inclusive culture and human-centered innovation.

This conversation reframes belonging vs inclusion, positioning workplace belonging as the outcome of strategic inclusion and intentional IDEA work. It offers clarity and language for leaders seeking to create a true sense of belonging at work.

Must-hear insights and key moments

• A grandmother’s ring and the phrase that shaped a global leadership career: “anything can be learned.”
• Care, share, embrace: a leadership operating system rooted in trust, transparency, and people experience.
• The tie story: what happens when bias shows up on stage and how Simona responded.
• How a 500-person store opening, a flood, and a team that said “you go, we have got this” became a defining moment of belonging
• Transforming a brand from need to loved through values-driven culture, refugee inclusion, and strategic inclusion.
• Building belonging through social enterprise: how 52 women embroiderers in India grew to over 2,000 through sustainable partnership.
• Why certification is a foundation, not a finish line.

Simona’s standout quotes

• “If you want to lead, you need to learn, and anything can be learned.”
• “Care, share, and embrace are the base of my leadership approach.”
• “They did not even think for a second that a woman could have a leadership position in such a big company.”
• “I did not have to ask. They told me, you go. We organize everything.”
• “Standing behind the values gives us strength.”
• “Those 52 women were proud. A completely different personality came out of them.”
• “I know I belong whenever I encounter beauty, not only in an aesthetical point of view, but in a meaningful conversation, a spontaneous smile, a little step towards a better world.”

Why this episode matters

Organizations talk about building belonging, yet struggle to connect values to daily leadership behavior. Simona's story gives leaders practical language and lived examples for creating belonging at work through courage and systems that honor people. It reframes the sense of belonging at work as something leaders build through how they show up, not what they announce. For anyone navigating love and belonging needs in modern organizations, this conversation offers direction rooted in decades of global impact. 

Who should listen

HR leaders, DEI and IDEA practitioners, executives, and people managers shaping inclusive culture—especially in hybrid or remote environments—and anyone seeking to lead with values and create belonging at work.

An Innovation Unbiased Production

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