A disrupter and innovator in his industry, Callum Denyer has been elected as the ‘“CEO of The Year 2021, Future of Work UK” for his leadership of WHYNESS, an AI start-up empowering the modern workforce to find meaning and fulfilment in their work and lives.
The role of business in modern society is changing. So too is the relationship between employee and employer. With radical transformation required to protect the planet and its inhabitants, successful companies of the future will be those with solutions and services that create shared value, not just shareholder value. Indeed, the very notion of “success” must change, and WHYNESS believes that it can.
People are the foundation of every business, society and economy in the world. For businesses to make a positive impact, we need to develop new ways to support the development of people and unlock human potential. By helping individuals to grow in line with their personal values and motivations, WHYNESS seeks to improve quality of life and support the development of a fairer, happier, purpose-led society. As an early-stage start-up, WHYNESS is devoted to creating innovative solutions that empower sustainable societal development and positively impact all stakeholders involved.
WHYNESS is pioneering solutions and models to empower individuals to uncover new, measurable insights about themselves, to create fulfilling careers for the modern worker. WHYNESS’ world-first innovation uses advanced AI models to interpret an individual’s subconscious thoughts and behaviours as they interact with their digital companion app. These unique insights help users identify their personal values, strengths and purpose. WHYNESS helps the user to make sense of this new information about themselves and use it find employers and roles that are most likely to bring them long-term fulfilment and unlock new levels of motivation and productivity. With an initial focus on early careers management, WHYNESS is currently preparing to introduce the ultimate career launchpad scheme for entry-level jobseeker. Candidates will experience multiple placements with different employers, supported by continuous interaction with their companion app to iteratively refine their fulfilment “sweet spot” while accelerating their personal growth.
All of this has been made possible by the drive and dedication of CEO Callum Denyer. In essence, his ambition with WHYNESS is to cultivate a better future for the professionals of the UK and beyond, leveraging his status as a leader in technology, innovation, and strategy as well as his history of developing and growing high-performing teams to deliver innovation solutions. Having left his career as a Technology Consultant in 2022, Callum has carried his rich background of experience from a plethora of roles into the development of WHYNESS.
Callum’s leadership style is unique. He conscientiously adapts his approach to each person he manages. Without micromanaging, Callum guides his team as a coach would. He encourages career and personal growth for all staff – so that they may feel more fulfilled and in alignment with themselves, their path, and their values. Callum is commended by those who work with him as being a truly authentic leader, bringing his personality to work and staying true to his beliefs and strengths. He understands how to make decisions and develop his own talents constructively, whilst helping and inspiring others to do the same. Indeed, developing others is a key driver for Callum and allows him to live out his own values, strengths, and purpose. This is exactly what WHYNESS stands for – it teaches people how to find out what they want in relation to who they are and the unique strengths they possess.
With deep understanding of emerging technology and a unique capability to assess future societal and industry trends, Callum has created a way to sharpen our skills whilst holding our values close to our hearts. He isn’t hung up on long-term career goals, but focuses on embracing the here and now. He knows he is doing something he cares about, which motivates him to succeed and assures him that he is on a trajectory that is right for him. Given his passion for creating new ideas to solve hard problems, it is likely that Callum will embark on other entrepreneurial projects in the future.
But for now, Callum has won this prestigious award due to his compassion, empathy, creativity, and pure fire that pushes him to new heights and inspires those around him as he continues to develop this innovative, revolutionary technology. Proudly backed by Innovate UK, WHYNESS is a recipient of the highly competitive SMART Grant, and looks forward to bringing its technology to market to revolutionise the future of work and enable as many people as possible to love what they do and unlock their potential.
For business enquiries, contact Callum Denyer at Whyness Ltd via whyness.co.uk.