The Business Leader Podcast

High performance. The buzz term du jour on LinkedIn and in the business community. The man who literally has a podcast on the topic has his doubts about whether people actually know its true meaning. Jake Humphrey is a former BBC and BT Sport presenter and the Founder of the Whisper Group, a multi-award-winning company that has emerged as the standout breakthrough broadcast production company of t...

“Rebel with a cause” is the term often associated with the president of Seat and Cupra. A quick glance at his LinkedIn reveals that Wayne Griffiths is not your usual business leader. He’s a vehement fan of David Bowie, despises suits and ties and is almost always seen sporting jeans and a leather jacket. In 2016, Luca de Meo, who was recently named the most influential and successful person within...

30 minutes a day on personal training and development methods, according to research from the Centre for Management & Organisation Effectiveness. Inspiration can come from books, Ted Talks, podcasts and many more sources. But what about improv comedy? Neil Mullarkey is a unique communication expert who has spent over two decades helping organisations large and small transform their thinking th...

If you haven’t heard of disruptive men’s health brand Numan, it’s time to start taking notice. Since its launch in 2018, the company has helped 430,000 men maximise their health. Having raised over $75m (£61.2m) in funding and boosting a team of over 150 people, the company offers personalised, integrated care in one digital platform and is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Sokratis Papaflorat...

“ I wasn’t taught money management at school. ” This is a long-held frustration by almost everyone who’s attended formal education. But one company has taken matters into its own hands, with the mission to “ make every kid smart with money ” and become a household name in the process. The entrepreneur behind GoHenry, the financial technology company founded in 2012, is Louise Hill.  Targeted...

Five years ago, AI education was provided by Hollywood. Fast forward to today and AI has smashed through the mainstream zeitgeist, and it’s estimated that over 77% of companies across the globe either use or are exploring the use of AI.   Working within a variety of industries, including banking, FinTech, and investments, TurinTech has solidified its place as the leader in AI-powered code opt...

She has an unstoppable global brand, her name has become a verb synonymous with class and style, she’s a former Dragon, a renowned presenter and author, and a champion of British enterprise, Kelly Hoppen is without doubt an icon.     However, Kelly’s story isn’t one of overnight success. She was relentlessly bullied at school, she’s dyslexic, she suffered from severely low self...

In the fast-paced world of digital transformation, Natascha van Boetzelaer shines as a prominent thought leader on all things related to digital talent and organisations. As a seasoned expert based in the Amsterdam office of global leadership advisory firm, Egon Zehnder, she has been instrumental in guiding both disruptive start-ups and established companies through the intricacies of digital capa...

Roc Nation is an undisputed juggernaut. Since Hip-Hop icon Jay-Z founded the company primarily with the intent of signing pop and rap artists in 2008, Roc Nation has grown into the world’s preeminent entertainment company. Boasting clients such as Rihanna, DJ Khaled, Jess Glynne, and Alicia Keys, the company announced the formation of a game-changing sports management division, Roc Nation Sports,...

Reviews can make or break a company. What about going on one of the biggest TV shows in the country and having a respected business say, “ I like it because it’s a good lesson on how not to run and set up a business.” That less-than-glowing review was by ex-career banker turned entrepreneur and business turnaround specialist, Jenny Campbell on the hit BBC show Dragons’ Den in 2018. One of the men...

Over 200 years since its first publication hit the streets, The Sunday Times business section has solidified its role in British culture as a must-read for business leaders and entrepreneurs. “With a nose for scoops”, Oliver Shah has risen to the role of Associate Editor at the publication, even writing a best-selling book along the way. In this exclusive interview, we talk to Oliver about the dem...

Harriet Green is the real deal. She’s run some of the world’s largest companies and has been banging the drum on the tangible benefits of inclusivity for over two decades. From 2018 to 2020, she served as the Chair and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific, where she focused on driving innovation-led growth within the organisation. Prior to that, she was the leader and founder of the IBM startup Watson Internet...

OCI is a trailblazing commercial process outsourcer that possesses the power to reshape supply chains and propel organisations to unprecedented heights of growth. In addition to bagging the prestigious Overall Scale-Up Business Award at the esteemed 2022 Scale-Up Awards, the company was also named the fastest-growing company in the UK and the third fastest-growing company in Europe. At the helm of...

Adversity. A word associated with so many high-profile business figures since the dawn of time. James Dyson had 5,126 failed prototypes before coming up with his now legendary bagless vacuum. Self-made multi-millionaire Inger Ellen Nicolaisen, Founder of Nikita Hair, overcame being raised by an alcoholic father and being a homeless 15-year-old with a daughter to care for. These inspirational stori...

Social media. Influencers. Gen Z. There are many businesses and their leaders who still don’t fully grasp the importance and scope of these influential terms. One young entrepreneur was on the ground floor of the social media revolution and built and sold a company worth tens of millions of pounds. Timo Armoo is a name you should get to know. We met with him at Servcorp’s beautiful office at The L...

Obediah Ayton was raised in the UK but began his professional career studying accounting in the United States of America. Upon his return to the UK, he got a job working at a Family Office under a German entrepreneur, learning about buying companies and becoming a keen Investment Analyst. He then set up shop in the Middle East with a dream of building his own companies. Despite starting with nothi...

Fred Reichheld is a legend in the field of customer loyalty. If you’ve ever received a text or email asking to rate a product or service, you can thank Fred for that. Although the system isn’t without its critics, it’s estimated that NPS (Net Promoter Score) is now used by two-thirds of Fortune 1000 companies. Since its initial development in the early ‘90s, Fred developed the NPS system to measur...

I don’t think there are many organisational psychologists in this world that can claim to be endorsed as a Jedi by Mark Hamill. Professor John Amaechi OBE can. On top of this, John is also an award-winning, international best-selling author, a sought-after public speaker, an executive coach, and the Founder of APS Intelligence. John’s CV and list of achievements is a fitting testament to this big...

Even if you’ve never heard of The Sidemen, there’s a teenager in your life who has. One of the world’s most renowned YouTube factions, this content group is a juggernaut but they need smart representation to make the most of their commercial opportunities. Enter Arcade Media and its Co-Founder, Jordan Schwarzenberger. Jordan’s savvy representation has seen The Sidemen launch three fast-growing bus...

Making the trip to meet with John Caudwell, founder of the Caudwell Group – which included mobile phone retailer Phones4u – at his house in Mayfair, showed just how far this young “ginger curly-haired boy” from the streets of Stoke-on-Trent has come. We talk to John about his career, his new book Love, Pain and Money: The Making of a Billionaire , selling his baby, why anyone could do a better job...

Built and sold a company, struggled with alcohol and mental health and launched an investment firm – and he’s still under 30. Dominic McGregor co-founded the award-winning marketing agency behemoth Social Chain, boasting clients such as Apple, McDonald's, BBC, and Boohoo. Social Chain grew to a business worth over £300m with 700 staff, alongside Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett. After exiting the...

Marmite: beloved by some, and loathed by others. Over the past few years, Matt Gubba has solidified himself as social media Marmite. What began as outspoken talk about the Government’s handling of the Covid-19 lockdowns developed into a rallying cry about the potential for Governments around the globe to limit personal freedom. But there is much more to this business leader than many soc...

It’s safe to say that firing yourself is a rather unique experience in business. But this is an entrepreneur that has made a career of challenging the norm and thinking differently. Whether it’s taking on the male-dominated insurance industry or questioning the culture of high company valuations (AKA “Ponzi schemes”), she’s not afraid to blaze her own trail. With refreshing honesty and unwithering...

This week’s guest on The Business Leader Podcast rose to fame on Dragon’s Den having founded the male cosmetics brand War Paint. Danny Gray's most recent venture is JAAQ, an interactive mental health platform that gives users access to knowledge from experts and known figures with lived experience. We talk to Danny about building a brand in the face of hate, revolutionising an entire industry, and...

This week's guest on The Business Leader Podcast is Ezechi Britton MBE, a tech founder, early-stage investor and a seasoned NED. In addition to roles as chairman of Uome and Strategic Board Advisor for Venture Studio from Crisis, he is also a founding member at VC firm Impact X Capital and Code Untapped, which aims to help coding and tech professionals from minority and ethnic backgrounds access r...