The Leadership Learns Podcast

In this episode of the Leadership Learns Podcast, host Peter Rabey interviews Christiaan Carstens of Leogistics. From the German Air Force to SAP to scaling an already founded small logistics tech startup, Christiaan has lived a leadership journey defined by bold decisions, transformation and focus. Here he shares how Leogistics grew from a boutique startup into a major player in supply chain tech...

In this episode of The Leadership Learns Podcast, Peter Rabey sits down with Angela Johnson-Walia, Program Planning & Controls Head at Ares Corporation, a key partner supporting NASA’s most ambitious missions. Angela shares her extraordinary journey from leading complex ERP transformations across global platforms like SAP and Oracle to operating at the heart of NASA’s Artemis programme, helpin...

In this episode, hear from Professor Hanns-Christian Mahler, a visionary in pharmaceutical innovation and culture building. As CEO, Chief Enablement Officer, and Board Member of ten23 health, he’s redefining what it means to lead with purpose in the life sciences sector. With a career spanning Merck KGaA, Roche, and Lonza, alongside academic roles at the University of Basel and Frankfurt am Main,...

In this episode, Peter Rabey sits down with Michelle Beyo, CEO and Founder of Finavator, an award-winning payments and future-of-finance consultancy. With more than 20 years of experience across payments, loyalty, telco, digital identity and open data, Michelle is a global thought leader who has spoken on stages worldwide, including TEDx and is a Money20/20 RiseUp Alumna, Mentor and trusted adviso...

Hear from Kieran Draper, CEO of B4B Payments in the USA, as he reflects on the opportunities and challenges of entering new markets, what it takes to build teams with an international mindset, and where he sees the future of payments headed. With over 25 years of experience driving business and technology transformation across banking and capital markets, Kieran brings a global perspective shaped...

Hear from Chris Watts, CEO and Co-Founder of The Tonic Consultancy, a firm reshaping expectations of what a consultancy can be. Starting his career in collateral consulting at Deutsche Bank and Rule Financial, Chris went on to launch Margin Tonic in 2018, a business that has since evolved into Tonic, expanding far beyond collateral to cover the full front-to-back trade lifecycle, digital assets, s...

In this episode, hear from Ranjan Singh, Co-founder & CEO of HealthHero, Europe’s leading digital telehealth platform, as he shares insights from his journey as a serial entrepreneur to leading one of the fastest-growing digital health companies. From the evolution of telehealth to the leadership principles driving meaningful change, Ranjan reflects on what it takes to transform healthcare thr...

In this episode, we’re joined by Stephen Critchlow, the Founder and Executive Chairman of Evergreen Life. Stephen began his career as a clinical pharmacist before founding Ascribe, a health IT company that was later successfully sold to EMIS in 2013. Following his exit, he went on to launch Evergreen Life, a company that is reshaping healthcare through digital innovation. Under his leadership, Eve...

Hear from Felix Hughes, Co-Founder and Director of GetBueno.com, as he shares the story behind building an award-winning fintech platform that simplifies life for foreign property owners in Spain. From navigating complex cross-border banking issues to launching a customer-obsessed subscription model, Felix offers a behind-the-scenes look at Bueno’s growth journey and the future of tech-enabled pro...

In this episode hear from Nikola Mrkšić, a pioneer in conversational AI and the driving force behind PolyAI, a London-based startup revolutionising conversational AI for customer support.  As Co-Founder and CEO, Nikola and his co-founders started PolyAI in 2017 as a spinout from the University of Cambridge, where they developed state-of-the-art conversational AI technology. Their mission was to cr...

Hear from Neil Evans, Head of Credit Risk at OakNorth Bank as he shares his journey from the established world of traditional banking to the agile, fast-scaling environment of OakNorth. Since joining in 2014, he’s helped shape one of the UK’s most resilient and data-driven lending models designed specifically for SMEs. Discussions in this episode: Background to OakNorth Bank, founded by Rishi Khos...

In this episode, we welcome back Maren Schlieper, an experienced startup and scaleup executive, for her second appearance on the podcast. Maren dives deeper into the realities of sustainable growth, the future of leadership and how founders and executives can build companies that scale effectively. With over 14 years of experience in the European startup and scaleup space, Maren has achieved major...

Hear from Romi Savova, a trailblazer in fintech and one of the most influential voices in modern pension reform. As the founder and CEO of PensionBee, Romi has transformed the way people save for retirement by making pensions accessible, transparent and easy to manage online. With a background in finance and a passion for solving complex problems, Romi shares her journey from a personal frustratio...

Hear from Joy Adams, Chief Operating Officer at Deutsche Bank, as she shares her journey into the digital asset space, offers insights on the rapidly evolving fintech landscape, and reflects on leadership, innovation, and diversity within financial services. Joy is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and holds an executive education certificate from the Oxford University Fintech Progra...

Hear from Malcolm Graham, Managing Director at Control Union, as he shares his leadership journey, the values that have shaped the company’s evolution and his vision for the future of the Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry.  As the youngest Managing Director in the company’s history, Malcolm has played a pivotal role in expanding Control Union’s global footprint, while maintainin...

Hear from Dr. Shahram Maralani, Senior Vice President & Chief Technical Officer at Nemko Group, as he discusses how the role of a CTO has evolved, the transformative impact of AI in the Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) industry and the future of technology leadership. With over 25 years of experience across sectors including certification, consulting, automotive, packaging and inve...

This episode hear from Tom Robins, Chief Executive Officer at Switchee, a company on a mission to improve the quality of life for residents in rented homes through smart, data-driven technology. Under Tom’s leadership, Switchee now partners with over 100 social housing providers across the UK and the Netherlands, and was recently recognised in The Times Top Tech 100 Fastest Growing Companies list...

Hear from Dave Sherwood, Co-Founder and CEO of BibliU, as he shares his journey of making learning materials more affordable, accessible, and equitable, transforming how students and universities engage with educational content.  As a visionary leader in edtech, Dave’s impact earned him a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Under his leadership, BibliU has experienced significant growth, developi...

Hear from Dame Dawn Childs, CEO of Pure Data Centres Group, as she discusses her leadership journey, the evolution of engineering and technology, and the challenges of building and operating hyperscale data centres.  With a distinguished career spanning the Royal Air Force, Merlin Entertainments, Gatwick Airport, and National Grid, Dame Dawn has led multi-billion-pound transformation programmes. S...

Hear from Dr. Soum Rakshit, Co-Founder and CEO of MV.Health, as he shares his journey of merging medicine and engineering to develop groundbreaking medical devices that adapt to the human body. As a thought leader in MedTech, Dr. Soum has led MV.Health to recognition in the Times Tech 100 list as one of ‘Britain’s Fastest Growing Tech Companies.’ Under his leadership, the company has scaled global...

Hear from Matt Rudolf, CEO of SCS Global Services, as he shares insights on attracting top talent in a competitive market, the critical role of certification and testing in everyday life, and drive impacting in business. With a legacy of 40 years, SCS has been a pioneer in third-party environmental, sustainability, and food quality certification, auditing, and testing—working behind the scenes to...

As we launch into this Fifth Series of the Leadership Learns Podcast, we kick off by meeting Sebastien Breteau, Founder and CEO of QIMA, a global quality and compliance solutions provider for the consumer goods, food, and life sciences industries, employing over 6,000 people worldwide. Sebastien discusses the importance of trust, reveals the number one thing business founders can do to scale their...

Hear from Spencer Jones, a globally renowned healthcare leader and former executive at Bristol Myers Squibb. With over two decades of experience in digital health and medical affairs, Spencer has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of innovative technologies to improve patient care and empower healthcare professionals. Discussions in the episode: Unique strategies to enhance customer expe...

Hear from Dave Hickey, the EVP & President of BD Life Sciences, as he shares how leaders can cultivate high-performing teams and innovate at scale. From how to apply the servant leadership framework, to his insights gained from leading the global operational, commercial, and financial performance of BD Life Sciences; this episode is a must-listen for aspiring leaders. Discussions in the episod...

As the founder of a UK retail bank and two FCA regulated financial technology businesses, find out from Mark Hipperson how to successfully scale a startup within a turbulent market and the importance of succession planning in times of volatility. Discussions in the episode: Advice to entrepreneurs Predictions for crypto over the next year Learns from raising capital How to build trust in a volatil...