How to be a CEO

William Reeve knows a thing or two about how to sell a successful start-up. His first, Fletcher Research, was bought for around £20m in 1999. He followed that up in 2011 with a reported £200m sale of LoveFilm to Amazon. Since then he’s worked with household names like Secret Escapes and PaddyPower, helping to develop their businesses. Now he’s CEO of digital property lettings platform Goodlord and...

Euan Blair’s company Multiverse, which offers apprenticeships as an alternative to University, has been valued at $875 million. The son of former PM Tony Blair has built an enormous, multinational, firm that’s disrupting how companies like Morgan Stanley and Microsoft are finding, and keeping, the best staff.  In this episode we talk about: How universities control access to the top jobs&nbsp...

Sarah Friar, CEO of Nextdoor, tells us about the challenges of building a multinational company whose entire purpose is keeping things local.  In this episode we talk about: Why becoming a CEO's like going full circle to your first job.  How Nextdoor developed a global business by focussing on the high street.  The opportunities for SMEs on the platform and how they stand shoulder-t...

It’s been 35 years since Terry Waite was kidnapped while trying to negotiate the release of British hostages in Lebanon. In this episode of 'How to be a CEO' he joins psychologist Dr Wolfgang Seidl to talk about how he coped in solitary confinement. They also discuss the pandemic, workplace wellbeing and the power of a simple gesture. Mr Waite and Dr Seidl are appearing the Watercooler event in as...

This Morning presenter, and former Saturdays singer, Rochelle Humes launched her baby hair and skincare business My Little Coco just as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world. In this podcast she tells us:   Why entering business was harder than breaking into showbiz The learning curve she faced, including an early challenge by Chanel over the word "Coco" Why she partnered with Boots to get he...

Ella Mills is the founder of UK wellness brand Deliciously Ella - focused on plant-based food and improving health, which marks its ten year anniversary this year. In this episode Ella discusses how her business started as a health blog, and snowballed into a lucrative and varied business. Ella talks about: Marking its ten year anniversary (1.19) How Deliciously Ella started as a blog (2.48) How E...

Dr Murray Ellender is CEO and co-founder of eConsult, an online consultation system for GPs currently in use in more than 3,200 practices around the country. In this episode we talk about: Disrupting tradition and work practices How to persuade people to try something new The methods eConsult used to set a price point for something didn’t exist The dilemmas faced by doctors during the Covid-19 pan...

Fiona Cannon is the director for Sustainable Business at Lloyds Banking Group, where she's responsible for inclusion and diversity. In this episode we talk about: Why diversity in some companies hasn't hit the leadership levels yet The importance of agile working in the post-lockdown era What's being done to improve opportunities for minority groups The importance of supporting those with mental h...

Erik Torstensson, co-founder and creative director of denim designers FRAME, invites us to their brand new store in London. How do you succeed in the fast-moving world that is fashion? In this episode we talk about: -Ten years of FRAME -The importance of hustling, even after international success.  -The ruthlessness of the fashion industry -Environmentally conscious fashion -How to go from gr...

As a passionate video gamer, Damian Burns has his dream job: EMEA SVP of streaming platform Twitch. It's a job that didn't even exist when he was a kid, and as a pioneer in streaming he's often venturing into areas where the rules haven’t been set. In this episode we discuss: -Twitch's rise as a streaming giant -Its evolution from video gaming to areas including sports -How to keep control of rapi...

How do you cope with workplace stress, and what can companies do to help employees? Professor Sir Cary Cooper is the founding director of workplace wellness specialist RobertsonCooper and 50th Anniversary Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at the University of Manchester. In this show we talk about: The deprivation in LA that led him to give up ambitions of being a tax lawyer to hel...

How do you create an icon? In this episode we talk to David Abrahamovitch, CEO of Grind, the coffee company behind those now famous pink tins and pods that are popping up in kitchens everywhere. We talk about: How the company turned the pandemic into an opportunity Why they chose pink for a beverage more often packaged in brown tones Advice on how to use crowdfunding to get secure money for your b...

This is an Invitation to Meet Anna Chokina, CEO of Cellular Goods. They’re a cannabinoid wellness start-up, trying to make headway in an emerging market, where competition is already fierce and getting stronger all the time. They’re offering CBD and CBG products from health supplements to skin care, but how do you persuade customers to try something new? It’s a problem Anna’s had to overcome befor...

This week we talk to Andy Shovel, co-founder of vegan food brand  THIS  about his business, and how he swapped a burger brand for his new plant-based venture. THIS has become one of the fastest-growing vegan brands in the UK, and this year it’s targeting £20 million pounds in annual revenue and launching what a “huge” range of products. In this episode we discuss: Why he swapped a beef b...

Debbie Wosskow OBE is a business leader on a mission to support more female entrepreneurs. The founder of Love Home Swap, which she sold for around £40 million, has been working hard on her Allbright community, providing help to women trying to get ahead in their field. In this show, she reveals the shockingly low amount of capital investment given to women, the barriers some face when trying to s...

The CEO of Huel, James McMaster, invites us to their HQ in Hertfordshire for a fascinating chat about how the meal replacement company has grown from a garage to international success. We talk about the astonishing speed of growth in 6 years, that’s taken the company to a revenue run rate of $100,000. How did they do that? And did anything go wrong on the way? James also tells us about his route t...

Is it possible to create a multi-million pound business without losing your ideals; even the ones you’ve held since childhood? This is An Invitation to Meet... Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder of sharing app Olio. Originally a way for communities to share unwanted food, it’s now expanded to include much more. Saasha tells us about the negotiations to raise $43 million dollars in round B funding la...

Former Youtuber turned entrepreneur Caspar Lee joins the show to talk about his incredible career as one of the first-ever social media stars and his new job as co-founder of the Influencer marketing company. Caspar turned his back on creating videos with tens of millions of views, including many featuring A-list Hollywood stars, to pursue a long-held passion to build a start-up with his business...

When Des Gunewardena teamed up with Sir Terence Conran to open up a restaurant in London, people told them they were “totally, totally stupid”. What does a “finance guy and a designer” know about the hospitality trade? Today, the company that evolved from that partnership, D and D restaurants, operates more than 40 establishments in London, Paris and New York. In this episode, Des tells us they se...

How do you sell an idea that’s so innovative, a lot of people don’t understand it? This is an “Invitation to Meet…” Holly Tucker MBE, who founded the Not on the High Street marketplace 16 years ago, when Amazon was still a bookseller and Etsy didn’t even exist. Now running the Holly & Co small business advice company, she tells us how she used the power of story-telling to drum up finance and...

What happens when you find yourself in a position of influence perhaps unimaginable from when you were young? This is an invitation to meet Peter Flavel, the CEO of Coutts – the Queen’s bank. We’re going to talk about how a kid who grew up in Adelaide became the boss of one of the UK’s largest private banks, with an office looking down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. Since taking the helm six years...

From the horse-drawn carriages of George IV, to the rise of the modern city, and through the work from home era, the Evening Standard’s been covering business in London for nearly 200 years. We’ve got the contacts book to prove it – and now we want to share it with you. We’re giving you an invitation to meet some of the most influential and powerful people in this city, so they can give you the ad...