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Henry Stewart 😊
Chief Happiness Officer and Founder of Happy Ltd
Henry Stewart is the Chief Happiness Officer and founder of Happy Ltd, a company dedicated to creating productive and enjoyable workplaces. His career began with a challenging job experience that motivated him to explore what makes work environments effective and fulfilling. In 1987, he established Happy Computers, which evolved into Happy Ltd, focusing on workplace happiness and employee engagement.13
Career Highlights
- Founder of Happy Ltd: Originally started as Happy Computers, the company has gained recognition for its exceptional workplace culture, being rated among the top workplaces in the UK and Europe. It has also been identified as one of the world's most democratic workplaces.23
- Author: Henry has written two notable books: The Happy Manifesto, which was shortlisted for the UK Business Book of the Year, and Relax: A Happy Business Story. His writings emphasize the importance of happiness in business.13
- Speaker and Influencer: He is a sought-after speaker on topics related to workplace culture, employee well-being, and effective management practices. His talks often include interactive elements aimed at engaging audiences.34
Educational Background
Henry Stewart holds a BA in Economics from the University of Cambridge, which he completed between 1978 and 1982.2
Recognition
He has been featured in the Guru Radar section of the Thinkers50 list, highlighting his influence as a business thinker shaping future workplace practices.13
Through his work at Happy Ltd, Henry Stewart continues to advocate for creating environments where employees can thrive both personally and professionally.
Highlights
Today's podcast is Vanessa King of @actionhappiness.
Check it out wherever you get your podcasts or google Happy Manifesto podcast. https://t.co/0nWC3TzxNN

Happy is one of the 50 most progressive organisations in the world!
That is according to Corporate Rebels, who have traversed the world looking for the best workplaces.
Some of the other ones are:
😊 Buurtzorg, the Dutch care provider 😊 Morning Star, the US tomato producer 😊 WWF Brazil, the environmental non-profit 😊 Latro, a Turkish chemical company 😊 Net Protections, a Japanese software development company 😊 Codewave, an Indian design-led company
And I am about to go to China for the conference of the most progressive organisations in the world.
A lot of people have asked me, why China? How is that progressive?
Well the conference is based on Haier, which is a white goods manufacturer who employs 80,000 people, based on a non-hierarchical approach.
It was introduced at the Thinkers50 London 2019 Conference as “possibly the most innovative company on the planet”.
“We replaced the bureaucratic model with a model based on self-employment, self-motivation, and self-organization”, explained Zhang Ruimin, the CEO. “Our goal is to let everyone become their own CEO.”
Speaking at the Thinkers50 Conference in London in 2019, Zhang explained that Haier had split its 80,000 staff into micro-enterprises of 8. Instead of needing 13 levels of approval to spend, they now decide for themselves.
When they got rid of 12,000 managers (some of whom stayed as entrepreneurs), growth went from 8% to 30%.
There are now only two layers of management, even with 80,000 employees, between the CEO and front-line staff.
I will tell you more when I get there!
