Chief Change Officer
#77 Nellie Wartoft: The Chief Change Officer Behind Leaders and The McDonald’s Effect — Part One
Sat, 23 Nov 2024
Part One. I’m joined by Nellie Wartoft, someone I like to call the chief change officer behind change leaders. Originally from Europe, she’s spent years in Asia—especially Singapore—working across cultures. Now based in the U.S., Nellie is the founder and CEO of Tiger Hall, a tech-driven platform helping organizations navigate change more effectively. This is part one of a two-part series. In these episodes, we’ll dive into navigating cultural differences across three regions, why most change initiatives fail, and how to set up for success. If you’ve ever struggled with change—whether in your career, company, or life—this series is for you. Key Highlights of Our Interview More Cows Than People: The Swedish Small-Town Origin Story “Growing up in a small village in southern Sweden—population: lots of cows, not many humans—instilled an early drive to explore bigger horizons. For professional and cultural reasons, leaving was a must.” The McDonald’s Effect: Discovering Professional Passions “The guest credits their time flipping burgers at McDonald’s as a pivotal moment in shaping their career. It was there they discovered their love for three key elements: a high-paced environment, the thrill of commercial success, and the art of leadership. These ‘professional addictions’ would become the foundation of every role they pursued.” Resilience and Identity: Anchoring Yourself Beyond Titles “Basing your identity on external factors like job titles or status is a risky game—what happens if they’re taken away? Instead, ground your sense of self in unshakable traits: hard work, learning, good intentions, or resilience. These are constants, no matter what life throws your way.” Life of Adventure vs. Life of Leisure “Challenging societal norms, the guest recounts a thought-provoking quote: ‘A life of leisure is hell, and a life of adventure and purpose is heaven.’ From childhood, we’re often told to seek rest and relaxation, but the guest argues that purpose and adventure are what truly give life meaning.” _________________________ Connect with us: Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Nellie Wartoft Chief Change Officer: Make Change Ambitiously. Experiential Human Intelligence for Growth Progressives Global Top 3% Podcast on Listen Notes World's #1 Career Podcast on Apple Top 1: US, CA, MX, IE, HU, AT, CH, FI, JP 2 Millions+ Downloads 50+ Countries --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.18 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 1.5% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>170,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
Chapter 1: Who is Nellie Wartoft and what is her background?
Absolutely. Yes, I grew up in Sweden, in a small village in southern Sweden. I usually say more cows than people. It's hard to describe that small town. And I wanted to get out as quickly as I could for professional reasons and cultural reasons. And I decided to move to Asia.
On my 18th birthday, I went to singapore.com, booked a one-way flight, packed everything I had in an ice hockey trunk and moved across. And I've been very obsessed with Asia since a very young age. I started studying English when I was around 11, 12 years old. I thought the education system was way too slow in how it taught English. It was like, Thomas is one pear, Mark is one apple.
And I was like, I want to work in this language. I need to pick it up quicker. So I started reading more international media. And that's when I discovered there's a whole continent out there called Asia. And there is China and India and Japan. And I was just like so fascinated.
So I did every single school project on Asia and Singapore and Hong Kong, where you are, and just was super, super fascinated by this part of the world. So I decided when I was about 14, 15, that I want to live in the capital of Asia. And that's when I decided it's probably Singapore.
and that's why i moved to singapore when i was 18. so landed in singapore before that back in sweden started working very early i was started mcdonald's when i was 14 before that i was supporting stroke patients with their physical exercise i've been working since around age 12 and continued that throughout my time in sweden and in singapore and then spent a bit of time in london south korea
was in headhunting for a good part of my corporate career and thereafter started a couple of companies and which ended up being tiger hall which is the business that i'm running now and that is what ultimately took me to la so that's a very quick brief overview and happy to dive into any of those details that you might find more interesting would you call yourself adventurous
I think a risk taker, like risk addicted or excitement addicted. Yeah, I need to have constantly new things happening. I'm not very good with standard, just daily routines. That's not the kind of person I am. I need adventure and I need risk taking. I think that's a big part of my personality.
Two weeks ago, I interviewed a guest who described himself as a change addict. That phrase stuck with me. When you mentioned being a risk taker and not following a standard playbook, choosing to carve your own path, it reminded me of that mindset. It also explains why you do what you do now, which we'll dive into shortly. You and I are not the type to settle in a comfort zone
When everything seems calm and everyone around us says, why change? Everything is just fine. For us, it's not about comfort. It's about growth, progress, and doing things differently, better. While others may not fully understand, we see opportunities where they don't. and we create our own paths forward. That's why I come up with the term called growth progressive.
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Chapter 2: What was Nellie's pivotal experience at McDonald's?
Chapter 3: How does Nellie define a life of adventure versus a life of leisure?
So if everything was taken away from me tomorrow, I would still be, I'm a resilient person with good intentions who will always learn and work hard. And that's who Nelly Wartoft is. It's not the CEO of Tiger Hall or this and that. So that's another big piece of resilience that I think is incredibly important.
I like what you said about identity is so true. Many of us, whether we realize it or not, we are in some kind of identity crisis. You see it all the time. People giving themselves titles like CEO when they've just started a venture. or crafting these polished personal brands on social media that don't always align with their real actions or true values.
It's like they're trying to create this facade, but underneath, they've lost the direction. They are part of a herd mentality. whether it's in their career or even in knowing who they are. And that ties directly to resilience, like you said. It's about holding on to something real, something solid. It's not just about revenue, growth percentages, and fleshy titles.
It's about asking, what have I learned? Who have I met? How have I grown? So with that in mind, let's talk about your venture, Tiger Hall. Tell us as if we know nothing about it. What's the story behind this company? What problem are you solving? Who are you solving it for? And how are you tackling it?
So we're solving the problem that large enterprises have in engaging and getting buy-in from their employees during large transformations. So think of it like this, like a big enterprise is going through a culture transformation or merger or acquisition or technology implementation, like any kind of big change that is affecting a large part of the company.
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Chapter 4: What are the professional passions Nellie discovered?
Chapter 5: How did Nellie's experiences in Asia shape her career?
On my 18th birthday, I went to singapore.com, booked a one-way flight, packed everything I had in an ice hockey trunk and moved across. And I've been very obsessed with Asia since a very young age. I started studying English when I was around 11, 12 years old. I thought the education system was way too slow in how it taught English. It was like, Thomas is one pear, Mark is one apple.
And I was like, I want to work in this language. I need to pick it up quicker. So I started reading more international media. And that's when I discovered there's a whole continent out there called Asia. And there is China and India and Japan. And I was just like so fascinated.
So I did every single school project on Asia and Singapore and Hong Kong, where you are, and just was super, super fascinated by this part of the world. So I decided when I was about 14, 15, that I want to live in the capital of Asia. And that's when I decided it's probably Singapore.
and that's why i moved to singapore when i was 18. so landed in singapore before that back in sweden started working very early i was started mcdonald's when i was 14 before that i was supporting stroke patients with their physical exercise i've been working since around age 12 and continued that throughout my time in sweden and in singapore and then spent a bit of time in london south korea
was in headhunting for a good part of my corporate career and thereafter started a couple of companies and which ended up being tiger hall which is the business that i'm running now and that is what ultimately took me to la so that's a very quick brief overview and happy to dive into any of those details that you might find more interesting would you call yourself adventurous
I think a risk taker, like risk addicted or excitement addicted. Yeah, I need to have constantly new things happening. I'm not very good with standard, just daily routines. That's not the kind of person I am. I need adventure and I need risk taking. I think that's a big part of my personality.
Two weeks ago, I interviewed a guest who described himself as a change addict. That phrase stuck with me. When you mentioned being a risk taker and not following a standard playbook, choosing to carve your own path, it reminded me of that mindset. It also explains why you do what you do now, which we'll dive into shortly. You and I are not the type to settle in a comfort zone
When everything seems calm and everyone around us says, why change? Everything is just fine. For us, it's not about comfort. It's about growth, progress, and doing things differently, better. While others may not fully understand, we see opportunities where they don't. and we create our own paths forward. That's why I come up with the term called growth progressive.
I call my show a space designed for growth progressives. People who stay in their comfort zones still seek growth, but they follow a traditional framework, a standard playbook. Those I call growth conventionalists. But people like us, we push boundaries. We explore the uncharted, take risks, and figure things out as we go. That's what being a growth progressive is all about.
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Chapter 6: What does Vince mean by 'growth progressives'?
So base your identity on something that cannot be taken away from you, that is there regardless of external circumstances, regardless of Your job title, which company you work for, what investors you have, who your friends are, like just everything that is external.
Take that out of your internal identification and just think about who are you without all of those things and then build your identity based on that. So for me, I've built it on resilience, on always learning, always trying my best, always working hard, always having good intentions. So that's who I am and that's how I see myself.
So if everything was taken away from me tomorrow, I would still be, I'm a resilient person with good intentions who will always learn and work hard. And that's who Nelly Wartoft is. It's not the CEO of Tiger Hall or this and that. So that's another big piece of resilience that I think is incredibly important.
I like what you said about identity is so true. Many of us, whether we realize it or not, we are in some kind of identity crisis. You see it all the time. People giving themselves titles like CEO when they've just started a venture. or crafting these polished personal brands on social media that don't always align with their real actions or true values.
It's like they're trying to create this facade, but underneath, they've lost the direction. They are part of a herd mentality. whether it's in their career or even in knowing who they are. And that ties directly to resilience, like you said. It's about holding on to something real, something solid. It's not just about revenue, growth percentages, and fleshy titles.
It's about asking, what have I learned? Who have I met? How have I grown? So with that in mind, let's talk about your venture, Tiger Hall. Tell us as if we know nothing about it. What's the story behind this company? What problem are you solving? Who are you solving it for? And how are you tackling it?
So we're solving the problem that large enterprises have in engaging and getting buy-in from their employees during large transformations. So think of it like this, like a big enterprise is going through a culture transformation or merger or acquisition or technology implementation, like any kind of big change that is affecting a large part of the company.
Then what they do today tends to be they go out. So after the strategy and planning side of things, they go out and they're trying to activate this across the organization, right? What do they do? They would send math emails. So they maybe send a couple of emails a day bombarding people. They would put up SharePoint site number 50,000.
They would put something on the intranet that nobody goes to look at. They would put something in the... LMS platform and then the CEO suddenly talks about it in the town hall and people have no clue what he's talking about or she's talking about. And it's all over the place. It's very messy. It's very difficult for employees to follow and make sense of.
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