Leading with Joy: How Daisy Watts Is Redefining Workplace Culture at Denzel's
Part of our Women Building Better Workplaces series - A conversation with Daisy Watts, Head of People and Culture at Denzel's, about balancing transparency with strategy, scaling authentic culture, and proving that work really can be fun.
This interview is part of our ongoing Women Building Better Workplaces series, where we explore how female leaders are reshaping organizational culture, championing inclusive practices, and creating environments where everyone can thrive.
Daisy Watts leads People and Culture at Denzel's, a challenger brand in the pet industry that's built around celebrating "the joy of treating dogs ridiculously." In this conversation, Daisy shares how her team navigates the balance between transparency and strategic decision-making, maintains their playful culture during rapid growth, and creates an environment where both two-legged and four-legged team members can thrive.
From impromptu dog birthday parties to achieving an impressive +89 eNPS score, Daisy offers practical insights into building a people-first culture that doesn't compromise on performance. She discusses staying authentic while scaling, the importance of psychological safety in leadership, and how Denzel's predominantly female leadership team has shaped their open, empathetic approach to management.
Whether you're leading a growing team, championing workplace culture, or simply curious about bringing more joy into professional environments, Daisy's experiences offer valuable lessons on creating workplaces where people genuinely want to be.
As Head of People and Culture at Denzel's—a company driven by creating premium, all-natural products that "celebrate the joy of treating dogs ridiculously"—how do you navigate the tension between staying true to your playful, joy-focused culture and making hard strategic decisions required for business growth?
This came up recently. We had to make a call that didn't totally align with how we normally operate. We're big on being open and honest - it's one of our core values - and usually that means sharing updates regularly, being transparent, and keeping everyone in the loop through our weekly 'All Paws' meetings.
But when we decided to pivot strategy earlier this year, moving away from our previous focus and doubling down on our new mission to celebrate the joy of treating dogs ridiculously, it was such a big shift that we had to pause and get the positioning clear before involving the whole team. Honestly, that felt uncomfortable. Holding back didn't sit easily with me or our culture. But we knew drip-feeding half-baked updates would only create confusion and panic. So we made the call to hold off until we had something solid to share - a clear direction we could all get behind.
Once we got to that point, we leaned into our value and brought it to the team properly. We were open about why the change was happening, what it meant, and how it came together. We invited questions, gave people space to react, and tried to be as transparent as we could from that moment forward. We've also made a point to keep it fun and inclusive by taking time for little launch moments, celebrating early wins, and sharing how positively customers were responding to the new direction. It was a compromise - not being as immediately open as we usually would - but in the end, it helped us stay aligned as we moved forward. The balance is definitely hard at times, but ultimately the way we handled it came from a place of care and respect for the team, which is what matters most.
As Denzel's transitions from startup to high-growth challenger brand, how do you ensure that your commitment to both sustainability and celebrating the pure joy of spoiling our dogs translates into your people practices? What specific strategies do you use to maintain this authentic, playful company culture while scaling rapidly?
When you start growing fast, it's easy for things to get lost, or become corporate when you have to bring in policies and processes. We've worked hard to keep the fun, joyful energy of the brand alive in how we work together.
One thing that helps maintain our authentic, playful culture is weaving our core values throughout every stage of the employee journey. Every candidate goes through a values-focused interview during hiring, and we make sure they understand our mission from day one. Every person has proper onboarding - our "Freshers Week" - which includes a buddy system, sessions with every area of the business, and a deep dive into the brand and strategy so people feel connected to the mission early on. It's important that new joiners get a full picture of how their role fits with the wider business and team.
We also make sure our values don't just sit on the wall. Everyone's performance is measured against them, so how people show up day to day really counts. Sustainability expectations are built into our values - even if it takes longer or costs more to source the right materials, that's just how we do things and is non-negotiable for us.
The pet food industry has traditionally been dominated by large corporations that often take themselves quite seriously. As a challenger brand led by women that's chosen to embrace the playful, unashamed joy of dog parenting, what unique approaches has Denzel's taken to create psychological safety and inclusive leadership practices?
The pet industry's full of big, serious players, but we've always done things differently (and are proud of that!). Our culture's intentionally less rigid and more real. The brand tone is playful, which gives people permission to be relaxed and themselves. You've got to be when you've got dogs running around the office, right? We keep that going with things like shoutouts based on our core values, peer recognition, and plenty of time together as a team.
One of our values is being open and honest – and that really shapes how we lead. We share what's going on across the business and encourage people to give feedback and speak up. That only works if there's trust, so we're intentional about building that into our day-to-day activities – whether it's listening surveys, individual check-ins, or team rituals.
Our leadership team is predominantly women, which I think has helped shape our open, people-first culture, and created a space where people can speak up. Psychological safety is about how people treat each other every day. It's baked into how we work, how we lead, and how we make decisions. We've also made sure our policies reflect that – including enhanced parental leave, hybrid working and plenty of flexibility so that women feel genuinely supported if they want to start or grow their families.
We try to build joy into our culture too, from impromptu dog birthday parties to surprise easter egg hunts. These little moments build connection and trust, and help remind us that work can be fun. We're a challenger brand, so we get to do things our way – and for us, that means showing up with empathy, energy, and joy. I wholeheartedly believe people really respond to that and want to be recognised as individuals, not just employees.
Denzel's mission centers on celebrating the joy we feel when we treat our dogs ridiculously, while maintaining your commitment to premium, natural products and sustainability. How do you connect individual employee development and wellbeing to this joyful, purpose-driven approach?
We talk a lot about joy when it comes to the brand – and we try to carry that through to how we work and treat our people too. It's not just about making fun products for dogs (although that helps!), it's about making sure the team actually enjoys being here.
We celebrate small wins too – like cake and coffee when we launched our cake-flavoured dog treats (the humans got cake too!). And every month at our All Paws meeting, we crown a Top Dog to recognise someone who's really lived our values.
We've built a culture around our core values, which show up in everything from how we measure performance to how we hire and celebrate wins. One of the things we care deeply about is making work feel human, playful and purposeful. So alongside flexible working, which we fully support, we've built regular rituals that bring joy and connection to the team. We do things like monthly "pack walks" – lunchtime team walks (four-legged included!) to get people out of the office and getting fresh air together. And we've got our annual 'Team Park Day', where we head to the park with all the dogs for a picnic and competitive games. We also give the team extended time off over Christmas, fully paid, because we know how important it is to down tools properly and spend time with loved ones. It's something we've done since the beginning and it's always appreciated.
That said, we do expect people to work hard in return. When you're growing fast, you have to move quickly, and we're ambitious about where we're headed. But what makes it work is the mutual respect: if we ask people to give a lot, we also want to give a lot back. At the end of the day, people want to work somewhere they feel respected, supported, and where they can have a good time doing meaningful work. For us, that means building a brand (and a business) that's as joyful and value-driven on the inside as it is on the outside. We work with dogs, after all – it should be fun!
In terms of measuring impact, we use listening surveys to understand what the team want (and act on them!). Last year we maintained an eNPS score of +89, which felt like nice validation that what we're doing is resonating with the team. In a competitive market, we've found that this kind of culture helps us not just attract brilliant people, but keep them too. When people feel valued, challenged, and have fun along the way – that's what makes them stick around.
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