Jazz Shapers

Charlie Jardine is the Founder and CEO of EO Charging, an electric vehicle charging company. Charlie joins Elliot to chat about overcoming scepticism and his journey from designing his first charger in a pig shed on his grandfather’s farm, to having their technology used by some of the world’s largest businesses.

Lauren Scott-Harris is the Founder of communications company Scott Ideas (now The Re-Agency) and the Co-Founder of EARNT, an initiative rewarding good deeds with bespoke, money-can’t-buy items and experiences. Lauren joins Elliot to chat about how she's redefining what it means to be a VIP.  

John Wood is the Founder of 2 nonprofit organisations: Room to Read (supporting children’s literacy) and U-Go (helping women in low-income countries to attend University). John joins Elliot to share how a hiking trip to Nepal was the spark that drove him to raise over $750 million in philanthropic capital and bring Room to Read's education programs to over 30 million children.

Will Guidara is a restaurateur, former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, (which rose to number 1 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List) and author of “Unreasonable Hospitality” - his tales of service and leadership. Will joins Elliot to talk about how a 2 dollar hot dog changed his life and gave birth to the strategy that would guide them to three Michelin Stars and the number 1 spot.  ...

Cameron Leslie is the co-founder of fabric the iconic London nightclub and record label. With the club now 25 years old, Cameron joins Elliot to share his tales of surviving administration and the loss of their licence as they built a platform for the unsung heroes of electronic music.

Amy Taylor is the Co-Founder and Director of Tap Social, a craft brewery & social enterprise, employing and supporting people in prison and prison leavers. Amy joins Elliot to chat about taking on a broken system and their aim to prove that employing people from prison works as a business decision. 

Chip Conley is the founder of Joie de Vivre, the US boutique hotel operator, and co-founder of Modern Elder Academy, the midlife wisdom school. Chip joins Elliot to chat about growing the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the USA, and how mentoring a small tech startup (called airbnb) led to an epiphany about how we could re-imagine the 2nd half of our lives.   

Josh White is the co-founder and Global Brand Director of the water brand, Cano Water - a fully recyclable alternative to single-use plastic bottles. Josh joins Elliot to talk about how a holiday in Thailand with his best friends led to the 3 of them taking on the corporate giants of plastic pollution.

Melissa Odabash MBE is the Founder & Creative Director of the eponymous luxury swimwear brand, Melissa Odabash. She shares with Elliot the stories behind her successful, global modelling career and how she grew a business creating - as Vogue describes them -  ‘The Ferraris of the bikini world'. 

Elliot welcomes back a past business shaper - Richard Hilton - who first joined him in 2013. Richard is the Founder of Gymbox, the fitness brand, and now the Co-Founder and CEO of Fairgame, a first-of-its-kind immersive, fairground experience.   He shares with Elliot why his retirement plans didn't quite work out - thanks in part to the waltzers and whack’a’moles at Hampstead F...

Sean Dixon is the co-founder and Managing Director of Richard James, the Savile Row tailors. Sean joins Elliot to chat celebrities and burglaries, and what happened when they brought bold, disruptive design to London's most famous tailoring street. 

Andrei Papancea is the Co-Founder and CEO of AI platform NLX. Andrei joins Elliot to share his journey from running his own business in Romania - while still at primary school - to operating on the edges of technology in New York.  

Jazz Shapers is back!  To kick off the new season,  Elliot is joined by James Brown, journalist, Founder of Loaded (the men's lifestyle magazine) and author (most recently of his autobiography ‘Animal House'). James shares his tales of passion and addiction and how a single-minded focus on writing for music magazines took him from fanzine-creator, to features editor for the NME, to...

Joining Elliot for the last Jazz Shapers of 2023 is Luke Boase, Founder of Lucky Saint, the alcohol-free beer brand. Luke tells his story of how, against the advice of many (and despite having no experience in the industry) he chased a dream to overcome the pre-conceptions of alcohol free lager, and build a better tasting, aspirational brand.

Connie Nam is the Founder of Astrid & Miyu, the contemporary jewellery brand. Connie joins Elliot to talk about disrupting the stale jewellery market with personality,  innovation and storytelling, and she shares the benefit of having felt like an outsider as a child.

Rupert Younger is the co-founder of PR firm The Finsbury Group and founder of the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation. Rupert joins Elliot to share what he feels is the secret to success, and why you've got to believe you're doing the right thing.

Chris Parnell is the co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Kairos Group, the global gaming media group, connecting businesses to gamers. Chris joins Elliot to talk about how a professional gamer and a Youtube content creator (on a business degree) became shapers of influencer marketing.

Deirdre O’ Neill is the Co-Founder of Hertility, the at-home hormone and fertility test, and clinical service provider. Deirdre joins Elliot to chat about her and her twin sister's journey to revolutionise reproductive healthcare 

Gori Yahaya is the CEO & Founder of UpSkill Digital, a company providing inclusive, equitable learning programs to empower people in the digital age. Gori joins Elliot to share the catalysts that drive him to shape a better, smarter future.  

Serial entrepreneur Paul Mankoo is the founder of UNIFIED, an eDiscovery business, and an investor in early stage technology. Paul joins Elliot to chat about riding the early waves of the digital revolution and he shares the key ingredients that helped him launch 5 successful companies.

Maxine Laceby co-founder of Absolute Collagen, the liquid collagen supplement. Maxine joins Elliot to chat about how a bone broth discovery led her and her daughter Darcy to launch a business from their kitchen, and grow it into a multi million pound success.

Dan Garrett is the Co-Founder and CEO of Farewill, the wills, probate and funerals company on a mission to change the way the world deals with death. Dan joins Elliot to talk about how he's modernising the ‘Victorian’ funeral care industry with a far more empathetic, personal experience.

Shosh Kazab is Co-founder and CEO of Kidswear Collective, the luxury resale platform for baby and kids fashion. Shosh talks to Elliot about turning her ‘eureka moment to tackle waste' into a growing business, and how she's squaring the need for both profit and purpose.

Melissa Snover is CEO and Founder of Remedy Health,  home of the brand Nourished - creators of 3D-printed, personalised gummy vitamins. Melissa joins Elliot to talk about creating her own 3D-printing technology and why they chose Birmingham as their base from which to disrupt the vitamin supplement world.

Ayman Rahman joins Elliot to talk about what really drew him to the high stakes pressures of the trading floor, and the role that risk, failure and money now play in his life as he grows his business to include renewable energies.