Who's Your Captain?

In this episode of the ActionCOACH Business Spotlight Podcast, Mark Francis sits down with Ben Almond, author of Judo Thinking, to explore how the principles of judo can transform leadership, teamwork, business decision-making and personal development. Ben Almond shares how more than 50 years of experience in judo, combined with his career in investment banking, real estate and international leade...

Mark Francis visits one of enfinium’s major operating sites for a fascinating conversation with Mike Maudsley, Chief Executive Officer of enfinium, on leadership, operational excellence, waste-to-energy, decarbonisation, carbon capture, innovation, and the future of energy infrastructure. In this episode of Who’s Your Captain?, Mike Maudsley takes Mark behind the scenes at Ferrybridge to explore h...

In this thought-provoking episode, Mark Francis sits down with Cheryl Smith, Owner of The Self-Led Leader™, to explore what it really means to lead with humanity, authenticity, resilience, and self-awareness. Cheryl shares her powerful leadership journey, including her experience leading a COVID ward during the pandemic and how that extreme environment shaped her understanding of self-leadership....

How do you turn around a struggling business, rebuild customer trust, invest in your people, and create a platform for long-term growth? In this episode, Mark Francis sits down with John Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer at Powerleague, to explore the remarkable transformation of one of the UK's best-known small-sided football businesses. John shares how Powerleague went from facing serious finan...

In this episode, Mark Francis sits down with Michael Lorimer, Chief Executive Officer of DCS Group (UK) Ltd, to explore the leadership, values, people and growth strategy behind one of Britain's most successful distribution businesses. Michael shares how DCS Group has achieved consistent year-on-year growth for more than three decades, driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence, strong partnersh...

What does it take to rebuild your life after adversity? In this inspiring conversation, Mark Francis sits down with Vicki Anstey, 2x World Record holder, Keynote Speaker, Human Performance Coach & Author to explore resilience, leadership, personal growth, and the courage to create a life on your own terms. A double world record holder, extreme endurance athlete, author, keynote speaker, and am...

What does it really take to become a successful football agent? In this episode, Mark Francis sits down with Danny Carr, Founder & Owner of DC Sports & Talent, to explore the realities of representing footballers, building careers, and supporting athletes both on and off the pitch. Drawing on a background in finance with Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch, Danny shares how he transitioned int...

What does it really take to become a confident manager? In this episode, Mark Francis sits down with Susannah Brade-Waring, MD & People Development Specialist at Aspirin Business Solutions Ltd, to discuss practical leadership, building confidence, motivating teams, and why great managers are made through curiosity, not perfection. Drawing from her journey of teaching herself finance, HR, and l...

What does it really take to become your best self? In this inspiring episode, Mark Francis sits down with Laura Warburton, Head of Talent @ Tishman Speyer, author of *Becoming Your Best Self: The Toolkit*, yoga teacher, and mindset coach, to explore personal growth, career transitions, resilience, and building a meaningful life. Laura shares her journey from a successful global recruitment career...

What separates successful entrepreneurs from everyone else? In this episode, Mark Francis sits down with Thomas Coles, Director of Growth Solved and Solve Referrals, to uncover why referrals remain one of the most overlooked yet powerful drivers of business growth. Thomas shares practical strategies for building a referral system that delivers consistent results instead of relying on luck. From ov...

What makes a truly great leader? In this insightful episode, Mark Francis sits down with Ben Farrell MBE, CEO of CIPS, Chairman at the Forces Employment Charity & The Invictus Games Foundation Programme Board, to explore the principles of leadership, emotional intelligence, trust, and influence. Drawing from his distinguished military career, including service as a Colonel in the British Army,...

In this inspiring episode, Mark Francis sits down with Shola Kaye, Communication and Empathy Keynote Speaker, author, former investment banker, IT consultant, professional singer, and internationally recognized expert on empathy, leadership, communication, and workplace culture. Shola shares her remarkable career journey, from teaching and corporate consulting to building a successful career as a...

Mark Francis speaks with Lycia Lobo, Chief Operating Officer at the Design Museum, about building a high growth cultural organisation through people first leadership, strong operations, and long term vision. In this conversation, Lycia Lobo shares how the Design Museum balances daily operations with strategic growth, how teams stay aligned across multiple functions, and how leadership, rhythm, and...

In this episode of Who's Your Captain, Mark Francis sits down with Victor Mraz, Chief Operating Officer of Diverse Logistics & Distribution LLC, to explore what it really takes to run and scale a complex final mile logistics business. Victor breaks down how leadership in logistics goes far beyond operations. From managing large frontline teams and contractor networks to ensuring customer exper...

Mark Francis speaks with Sue Day MBE, Director of Women’s and Para Football at The Football Association, about the rapid rise of women’s sport, leadership across rugby and football, and what it takes to build a sustainable future for the game. Sue shares her unique journey from elite rugby player and England captain to senior leadership roles at KPMG, the RFU, World Rugby, and now the FA. The conv...

Mark Francis sits down with Bonita Norris, Motivational Speaker at BONITA NORRIS LTD, for a powerful conversation about resilience, self belief, leadership, motherhood, mental health, and climbing Mount Everest at just 22 years old with no previous mountaineering experience. Bonita shares the emotional story behind becoming the youngest British woman to summit Everest at the time, how she overcame...

What does it take to lead a successful family business into a new era of growth, innovation, and long term success? In this episode of Who's Your Captain?, Mark Francis speaks with Paul David Munnelly, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Munnelly Group, about taking over a highly respected family business and building the next chapter with confidence. Paul shares how Munnelly Group has embraced cultu...

In this episode of Who’s Your Captain, Mark Francis sits down with Steven Meersman, Founder Director of Zenobe Energy Limited, to explore one of the most important shifts happening in global energy today. Steven shares the story behind Zenobe Energy Limited, from its early days connecting batteries to the UK grid to becoming a major force in electrifying transport systems across multiple countries...

What does it take to build a company culture where growth, innovation, and accountability happen every day?  In this episode of Who's Your Captain?, Mark Francis speaks with Brian Dyer, President at Sterling ATM, about leadership that works in the real world. From leading in the trenches with employees to building systems that drive momentum, Brian shares the exact mindset and methods that helped...

In this episode of Who's Your Captain, Mark Francis is joined by Simon Hawtrey-Coombs, Head of Happiness, Co-Founder @ peer2peer Boards & President of Bournemouth Rugby Football Club, for a powerful conversation on leadership, belief, and building high-performing teams. Simon shares his journey as an entrepreneurial leader across industries including property, logistics, and sports. From trans...

In this episode of Who's Your Captain, Mark Francis sits down with Jay Zapata, CEO & Co-Founder of Satokie, for a deep dive into leadership, scaling a startup, and building in a fast-moving industry. Jay shares the journey of growing Satokie from a small startup into a rapidly expanding data center and infrastructure company. From Bitcoin mining and colocation services to AI and high-performan...

In this episode of Who’s Your Captain, Mark Francis sits down with Dominique Roddier, CEO at Ocergy, to explore the future of offshore and floating wind energy and what it really takes to scale renewable power on a global level. Dominique shares his journey from engineering and offshore oil and gas roots to leading innovation in floating wind technology. He explains how energy from the ocean works...

Neil Mullarkey joins Mark Francis for a high energy conversation on leadership, communication, confidence, and the skills needed to succeed in 2026. As Chief of Improvyourbiz Ltd, Neil shares practical lessons from decades of experience in improv, business coaching, and helping professionals become stronger presenters and better leaders. In this episode, Mark Francis and Neil Mullarkey discuss how...

What does it take to lead a global movement with a team of just 15 to 20 people? Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council, joins Mark Francis to unpack the art of influencing without authority across governments, multilateral institutions, industry giants, and philanthropic funders spanning every continent. From her early days as a press officer to five years in the European Parliament and se...

Mark Francis sits down with his own publisher, Brenda Dempsey, founder of Book Brilliance Publishing, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to write a book that lasts. Brenda brings over 25 years in education, a coaching background, and hard-won life experience including raising four children alone while homeless in her final year of university to a publishing approach that is anyt...