The Brave

In the first episode of our new season Bethan talks to Marcus Wang of Coda Global Ventures about building businesses in and across the US, the UK and China, and draws on his experience in discussing how to navigate the complex relationships and subtle differences across cultures and marketplaces. Links from the episode codaglobalventures.com Marcus on LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

In this episode Bethan is joined by executive coach and leadership mentor Anni Townend. Taking Anni's work as a starting point they discuss how senior leaders can create high-performing teams embedding psychological safety at the heart of their culture. Anni shares why curiosity, care and courage aren’t just good intentions: they’re the foundations of effective leadership. Links from the episode:...

In this episode Bethan chats with Gillian Ridley Whittle, founder of Peachaus , about her journey from a career in fast fashion to creating an ethical underwear and lifestyle brand. We talk about the industry's environmental and social issues and the lack of - and need for -  sustainable practices, and what the future might hold for the brands of today. Links from the episode Peachaus.com Pea...

In this episode Bethan talks with Phil Brunkard about developments in the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) with AI, and how AI can be used to make sense of IoT data.  They explore different use cases, such as monitoring temperature and humidity in agriculture and manufacturing, and security concerns, including firmware exploits and denial-of-service attacks.  Phil explains the...

Andy Callaghan was an experienced programmer and musician when we realised there was a significant gap in the music studio booking experience. Everything was either managed offline, or handled via one-size-fits-all booking apps that didn't cater to the specific demands and challenges of bands and studios.   If sometimes founders create a solution for themselves without an addressable market t...

Can capitalism and financial markets be a force for good? Rob Gardner certainly thinks so. Rob has a background in investment banking and pension funds, but as the founder and CEO of Rebalance Earth—an equity fund manager that invests in nature-based solutions—he believes that by redirecting capital towards the right things can help to create and maintain a world worth living in.   During thi...

Richard Dana has been working in finance, in one way or another, for two decades, so it's safe to say he knows a thing or two about money.   After starting out his career as a chartered accountant, Richard became Chief Financial Officer at Founders Factory Ltd in 2016, before launching Tembo Money in 2020. Tembo's mission is to democratise the concept of the 'Family Office'—a way for families...

Sometimes it can be difficult to feel optimistic about the future of the planet in the face of the threat posed by climate change, but Alex Robinson's positivity about how every single one of us can make a difference is infectious.   Alex is CEO and founder of Hubbub, an environmental charity with a mission to inspire action that's good for the environment and for all of us. In this episode,...

For two decades, Sarah Mukherjee was Environment Correspondent for the BBC across TV, radio and online, including presenting 'Countryfile' on BBC One and 'Farming Today' and 'The Food Programme' on BBC Radio. Today, Sarah is CEO at IEMA, professional body for everyone working in environment and sustainability, and promotes good science, better regulation and best practice—all while ensuring the li...

In this episode I had the pleasure of speaking to Sally Chalk, the founder and CEO of Signapse. Signapse is an organisation dedicated to breaking down barriers with an AI sign language translator.   In the midst of lockdown, a dynamic team of successful entrepreneurs, leading researchers, and deep tech experts joined forces to address the urgent needs of both hearing clients and Deaf individu...

In this episode we speak to Peter Briffett the founder of Wagestream, a company dedicated to transforming the way frontline workers access financial services through employer-based benefits. Peter delves into the impact of monthly pay cycles on employees in the UK, emphasising the company's dedication to reducing the "poverty premium" and its mission to enhance the financial health of workers. Lin...

In this episode, we sat down with Ankit, the Co-founder and CEO of Climajo, a cutting-edge procurement platform dedicated to conscious brands. Climajo empowers climate-aware businesses by uniting a curated community of sustainable suppliers and partners. The platform goes beyond by providing clear reporting and metrics, such as CO2 output per product, to enable effective tracking. Tune in to hear...

As we step into the week of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), we're excited to share our latest episode featuring an insightful conversation with Ian Ormerod, the Co-founder and CEO of @Switch2Zero. This innovative green-tech startup has set a global mission — to accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions for people and businesses everywhere. In this episode, w...

In this episode, I chat to Greg Lawton, co-founder of Nodes and Links, and delve into the transformative role of technology, particularly AI, in streamlining the delivery of large-scale infrastructure and mega projects. In an ever more complex operating environment, we examine what constitutes a world-class process and why it's crucial to effective project delivery. Our conversation extends beyond...

In the first of two episodes featuring Phil Brunkard, an experienced Technology Leader with a passion for Digital Transformation and Innovation, we slip the surly bonds of Earth to explore the revolution happening within commercial space technology. The low earth orbit (LEO) sector is currently experiencing significant expansion. In this episode we explore the new markets and spaces this is openin...

Something is changing. A great shift looms on the horizon, heralding the dawn of a new era for the internet as we know it. In this episode, I embark on a journey through the realms of the new online age, guided by the wise and insightful John Alderson, Head of SEO at Yoast. Together, we unravel the secrets of Google's intricate web, divine the patterns of evolving business trends and witness the f...

In this conversation, our guest Maury Shenk, founder and CEO of LearnerShape, and Director and General Counsel of PeopleCert, talks with Bethan about the importance of lifelong learning in the fast-changing world we live in. They delve into the need for education to prepare people for the types of work required in the 21st century and the significance of personalisation in the future of education....

In this episode we explore how AI, with the specific example of chat GPT, is shaking up the marketing and wider content sectors, what we can use it for, and what are its strengths and weaknesses. This episode is a conversation between Bethan Vincent, founder of Open Velocity, Jon Paget, one of our senior partners, and Katie Thompson, managing director of content marketing agency Katie Lingo. It wa...

The new year is a time when a lot of us think about making positive changes to our health and fitness. In this episode, we interview founder and CEO Toby Cannon about the motivations and challenges behind Myles, an app supporting fitness and wellbeing in a work environment. We talk about the inspiration behind Myles, the challenges workers face when breaking free from their desks and the risks of...

Is modern life driving driving insomnia? How do you build a trusted brand in a traditionally controversial space? How can D2C brands navigate recessionary and inflationary pressures? In a rather wide ranging conversation I ask Joe Welstead, CEO and Co-Founder of Motion Nutrition, about building a trusted health brand and how his experience as an athlete made him re-think the role of supplements. L...

Can we trust machines with commercial decision making? What are the advantages and limitations? Can we truly use data to get insights into irrational human preferences? In this episode I speak to Peter Denby, COO of Hyper Group, about decision intelligence. What is it? How are companies using it and how can machines augment human decision making. Links from the episode Find Peter on LinkedIn Find...

In an era of accelerating technological change and digital disruption, how do companies robustly respond to and adapt to uncertainty and rapidly shifting foundations? This is the question that preoccupies Tom Goodwin, Author, Consultant, Speaker, TV Presenter and guest on this episode. We speak about the meaning of Digital Darwinism (a term coined by Tom), adapting to cultural change, the potentia...

Welcome back to series three of The Brave! We're kicking things off with a really interesting episode which explores how we can use new technologies for good. In the first episode of our new series I speak to Katie Gibbs, Founding Partner at Emergence Partners , a tech consultancy on a mission to drive the thoughtful adoption of technologies including AI. Emergence has a bold manifesto which focus...

The recruitment industry has a divisive reputation, especially in the digital sector. Low barriers to entry encourage cowboy operators, misaligned incentives lead to low-quality hires and poor practices lead to poor candidate experiences. However many companies rely on recruiters to identify, access and tempt talent, a challenge that is ever-growing in candidate-scarce sectors. Companies and candi...

In this episode I speak to Dr Karen Parkhill about the different reactions the unfolding climate crisis has provoked across communities and governments and explore the fundamental role technology can play in both deepening and responding to the crisis. We also dig into the power of individual and community action, and contrast that with larger-scale, national and international approaches, includin...