The Convex Conversation

Expert mountain guide Dawa Geljen Sherpa grew up in a big family in Lukla in Nepal – known as The Gateway to Everest.   As a young boy he worked hard tending his parents’ livestock with no access to school until he ran away from home aged ten in search of an education, funded by work he did on Everest as a kitchen porter.   After travelling the world guiding expeditions on some of the world’s most...

Oli France is back home in Wigan after completing the first of seven extraordinary expeditions – to travel under his own steam from the lowest to the highest point of every continent - an extreme challenge which has been five years in the planning.   He’s just cycled the equivalent of London to Moscow through Africa – facing furnace-like temperatures in Djibouti; hostilities & traffic chaos in...

If you watched the King’s Coronation Concert, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee music extravaganza, or were one of the millions tuned in to Prince Harry’s wedding, you’ll have heard some of choir director Mark De-Lisser’s arrangements.   Mark puts bespoke choirs together for major events, liaising with artists like Lionel Ritchie, Alicia Keys, Katie Perry and Andrea Bocelli. But he tells Helen it took...

Olly Williams and Suzi Winstanley – known simply as Olly and Suzi – have travelled the world together tracking, painting, sketching and photographing endangered species in the wild.   Their unique method of creating their art has led to powerful interactions and encounters with bears and buffalo, sharks and seals, hyenas and wild cats, and more.   They’ve trekked through jungles, deserts, the pole...

Acclaimed Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska opened this year’s prestigious First Night of the Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall and went straight to Glyndebourne for a run of Benjamin Britten’s iconic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.   But in-between her high-profile musical appearances, Dalia – who was born in Ukraine - has been driving trucks into the war-torn city of Lviv, delivering generators, sl...

Find out how Theresa Patricios, Head of Investments at Convex, and Cam Parker from Swiss Re overcame extreme mental and physical challenges to complete the World’s Toughest Row in record time.      The Pacific Discovery 2023 four-strong team rowed 2,800 miles in just 34 days, 8 hours and 22 mins – the fastest mixed team ever – and have become the first reinsurance team to complete the race.   Ther...

Journalist John McCarthy was held hostage in Lebanon for more than five years. Now, three decades on, he’s helping others in similar situations through his role as Patron of Hostage International.   The charity was originally founded by John’s former cellmate and great friend Sir Terry Waite who himself was held for more almost five years, much of it alone.   John reflects on the fanfare he came h...

YouTube star Geoff Marshall reveals how and why he started making great quality, informative, interesting, fun transport films which have attracted more than 82 million views on his channel and are appreciated by his 314,000 plus subscribers.   Geoff travelled to all 2,563 trains in the UK followed by Ireland's 198 and held the Guinness World Record twice for visiting every London Underground stat...

Dr Who celebrates 60 years in November with special new episodes featuring former Time Lord David Tennant and Catherine Tate, and the release of an audio book voiced by impressionist Jon Culshaw in which the third and fourth Doctors meet and work together.   A life-long Dr Who fan, Jon came up with the idea for The Box of Terrors, written by Lizzie Hopley, based on Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker's time...

On this week’s podcast we hear from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, King Charles, Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis and former PM Boris Johnson, thanks to the incredible talent and wit of impressionist Jon Culshaw.   Jon, who is busy rehearsing two shows for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe – LENA and Imposter Syndrome – stops off for a chat and some laughs on his way to record the latest episode of BBC Ra...

Scott Mitchell talks about his life loving Dame Barbara Windsor - one of Britain’s national treasures - and their heart-breaking battle with dementia.    Scott is an Ambassador for Alzheimers' Research UK and is involved in campaigning, fundraising, and taking part in trials to help find a cure for a disease which affects more than a million people in Britain.    Scott says he feels blessed to hav...

Acclaimed British painter and Academician David Remfry confesses he thought he’d never be asked to coordinate the Royal Academy's world-famous Summer Exhibition. When the call came, the 80-year-old artist says he was over the moon and said yes immediately.     Helen catches up with David at his London studio surrounded by his stunning work to find out what’s involved; hear about his colourful life...

Twenty-five years ago, a young hat-maker secured a grant from The Prince’s Trust to help fund her own atelier.   So as milliner Jess Collett joined millions watching the King’s Coronation, she felt grateful for the help she’d received but also knew all eyes were on the stunning head pieces she’d designed for the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte in collaboration with Alexander McQueen. Jess...

Journalist Kate Silverton tells Helen why she left a hugely successful career in broadcasting to become a child therapist.   Since studying psychology at Durham University, Kate has been fascinated with the complexities of how the brain works and the role it plays in shaping behaviour as well as our future mental health.   She works closely with The Princess of Wales on Her Royal Highness’s Shapin...

Crime reporter Martin Brunt has covered some of the biggest and most notorious crime stories in British history for Sky News for the last three decades.  Still working in 24-hour breaking news, he’s finally found time to write a book - No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason – filled with previously undisclosed details and fascinating inside track. Martin shares gripping dispatches about hi...

Helen joins Chef Tom Sellers at his stunning new London restaurant, Story Cellar in Neal’s Yard, for an honest and open chat about his journey and the next chapter in Tom’s story.   From the age of 16, he worked unforgiving hours in the kitchens of some of the world's most influential chefs – Tom Aikens, Thomas Keller and Rene Redzepi – and earned his first Michelin star just 16 weeks after openin...

Daniel Wiegand shares the story of how he came up with the concept and architecture for the electric Lilium jet as a young engineering student inspired by the V-22 Osprey - a vertical take-off US military aircraft -- and how he’s grown the company from the ground up.   More than a billion euros and some of the finest minds in aerospace and engineering are behind the creation of the world’s first,...

Blue Marine Foundation’s co-founder and former award-winning British film-maker George Duffield explains how overfishing is destroying the ocean’s biodiversity and its ability to store carbon yet is one of the world’s most solvable problems.   George hopes robust data gleaned from Blue’s partnership with scientists from Exeter University and Convex in the five-year Convex Seascape Survey will reve...

Herbert Hall Winery in Kent produces just 20,000 bottles of English sparkling wine a year but can be found in some of the most prestigious places, including Fortnum & Mason, and King Charles’s Highgrove collection.   Herbert farmed in Marden at the end of the nineteenth century. His great-grandson Nick explains why the land is perfect for growing grapes like Chardonnay, Pinor Noir and Pinot Meunie...

Hot on the heels of his exciting new album release, Grammy winning Bluegrass fiddler Michael Cleveland wows Helen with his breathtaking playing, live from his studio in Indiana.    Michael was born blind and is partially deaf, yet has risen to the absolute top of his game, collaborating with music legends like Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck and Vince Gill. As a youngster he played alongside ‘the father...

Wim Hof Instructor Belinda Raphael explains the many health benefits and compelling science behind the famous Wim Hof Method, and shares stories from a recent expedition to Poland with The Iceman himself.   Belinda discovered cold-water therapy accidentally after she was left suffering chronic pain following a severe attack by a patient in her role as a critical care nurse practitioner.     Now sh...

The Metaverse is predicted to be a fast growing trillion-dollar industry by 2030, but how much do we know about it or understand how it might enrich our lives?   Vault Hill Founder/CEO Jimi Daodu and his team are building the first human centric virtual world designed to enhance human experiences.    Jimi takes us on a fascinating journey from his offices in Dubai through the endless exciting poss...

The Black Cop – winner of Best British Short Film at last year’s BAFTAs – is the story of Gamal ‘G’ Turawa’s life - growing up with a white foster family in Kent, abuse by his biological parents and his experiences in the Metropolitan Police.   Despite the racism he suffered in the force, including having his face painted white by fellow officers, ‘G’ is proud to have served 25 years in the Met. H...

Theresa Patricios - Head of Investments for Convex Insurance - and life-long friend Cam Parker talk about the mental and physical challenges of their upcoming 2,800-mile row across the Pacific, raising funds for mental health charity Mind.    As part of an organised race, their four-man team – Pacific Discovery 2023 – estimate spending 40 days at sea, rowing in two-hour slots, and carrying out res...

“Seeing John hold his bear made it really hit home that he was just a child when he was facing the Holocaust in Hungary” Rankin Holocaust Survivor John Hajdu describes life as a small boy in Budapest as Jews were rounded up & killed, and his parents taken to concentration/labour camps in World War 2. He describes the fear of hiding in a dark cupboard as four-year-old, surviving in a cramped ghetto...