Nicola Mendelsohn oversees the vast $100bn-a-year advertising business at Meta, the social media giant known until recently as Facebook. She is one of the most senior women in UK tech, now heading to New York to take up her new role. Business is booming for Meta, which also includes Instagram and Whatsapp, as it plots a push into virtual reality worlds. But so are critics’ voices, especially after damaging leaks suggesting the group knew its products contributed to violence and mental health pro...
Nov 08, 2021•35 min
Laura Tenison is the always-on founder and CEO of JoJo Maman Bébé, the children’s clothing, gifts and maternity wear chain which brightens dozens of UK high streets. The business now stretches to 88 shops, a strong online presence, 900 employees and an annual turnover of £70m. Laura joins James Ashton to discuss: The life-changing car accident that led to the foundation of her business in 1993; Rolling up her sleeves to join her warehouse workers during the Covid-19 pandemic; The mentorship she ...
Oct 11, 2021•39 min
Patrik Frisk is CEO of Under Armour, the US sportswear brand worn by top boxer Anthony Joshua, rugby star Maro Itoje and taekwondo champion Jade Jones that goes head-to-head with Nike and Adidas every day. Frisk joined UA in 2017 to help get it back on track after sales growth stuttered. He oversees a global team of 15,000 and annual revenue of $5bn. He joins James Ashton to discuss: Taking the helm from UA’s long-serving founder Kevin Plank, who created his first T-shirt in 1996; What he learns...
Sep 30, 2021•38 min
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin is First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, overseeing more than 30,000 personnel and a fleet of aircraft carriers, assault ships, submarines and more designed to protect UK interests at sea. He joins James Ashton to discuss: The new investment and recruitment needed to tackle changing threats abroad; Taking life threatening decisions and fulfilling our duty in Afghanistan; His career so far, including three command tours of Iraq; The importance of not second guessin...
Sep 21, 2021•46 min
Bill Sweeney is chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, English rugby’s 150-year old governing body that oversees half a million regular players and strives for elite international success. Sweeney joins James Ashton to discuss: Bringing back the fans and steadying the finances in the wake of the Covid-19 closedown; Making your own luck on and off the pitch; Instilling a team ethic in the athletes who brought back a record medals haul from the Rio Olympics in 2016 when he led the British Ol...
Jun 21, 2021•41 min
Katie Bickerstaffe is joint chief operating officer at Marks & Spencer. She is part of the top team tasked with reviving the retailer’s clothing and home business while capitalising on the appeal of its expanding food operation and the shift towards shopping online. Bickerstaffe joins James Ashton to discuss: Her quest to make daily improvements to the business that still frustrates customers; Career confidence and experience gathered at Dixons, Dyson and SSE; How she makes a four-day week w...
Jun 14, 2021•48 min
Poul Weihrauch is global president of Mars Petcare, the largest division of the family-owned food empire still best known for its chocolate bars and chewing gum. Selling brands including Whiskas and Pedigree, the business also runs thousands of pet hospitals and comprises a workforce of 85,000 operating across 55 countries. Weihrauch joins James Ashton to discuss: Keeping up with demand as pet ownership boomed during lockdown; Concerns over rip-off vets' fees; Navigating his way up through a glo...
May 24, 2021•41 min
Hilary McGrady is director-general of the National Trust, keeper of the nation’s treasures including the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, Sir Winston Churchill's family home Chartwell in Kent and Scafell Pike in the Lake District. With 5.5m members and more than 50,000 volunteers in normal times helping to keep stately homes, parks and coastline open and maintained, everyone has a view of what the boss should be doing. McGrady joins James Ashton to discuss: Her plan for recovering from the ...
May 09, 2021•55 min
Darren Henley is chief executive of Arts Council England, the public body that distributes £700m every year to support galleries, theatres, museums, dance studios, music venues and libraries. He joins James Ashton to discuss the challenge of restarting the arts post-pandemic and their importance on the world stage. Henley’s background is in radio, having risen from weekend newsreader to managing director during 22 years at Classic FM. After leading reviews of music and cultural education for the...
Apr 26, 2021•46 min
Moray MacLennan is chief executive of M&C Saatchi, one of the most famous names in advertising. He joins James Ashton to discuss taking over the reins at the start of 2021 at a critical time – after a boardroom exodus and accounting crisis rocked the business. MacLennan joined Saatchi & Saatchi in 1983 and followed the brothers Maurice and Charles when they set up their breakaway agency M&C in 1995. He made his name overseeing key accounts British Airways, Silk Cut and Famous Grouse ...
Apr 13, 2021•46 min
Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston is Chief of the Air Staff, the leader of the Royal Air Force, defender of the UK skies. He joins James Ashton to talk about managing the fast-changing defence threat to the UK and leading through the toughest times when lives are lost. In 35 years of service, Sir Mike has flown at seven miles a minute in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. Now he’s trying to speed up the RAF’s adoption of new technologies – including unmanned aircraft – and he’s dete...
Feb 15, 2021•54 min
Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia and Richard Harpin join James Ashton to discuss starting a business in a pandemic, coping in a crisis, long-term ambition and being kind to yourself. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia is the founder and executive chair of Snoop, a banking app designed to help consumers save money on bills and day-to-day spending that recently raised £10m via crowdfunding. Dame Jayne-Anne spent six years at Norwich Union, before founding Virgin Direct and then Virgin One, which was acquired by Royal B...
Dec 18, 2020•41 min
Stephen Kelly and Chris Yeh join James Ashton to discuss what UK tech leaders can learn from Silicon Valley – and vice versa. Plus, how to harness the sector’s current growth spurt and the relentless reinvention of successful bosses including Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky and Marc Benioff of Salesforce. Stephen Kelly is chairman of Tech Nation, the state-backed organisation that supports the growth of the UK’s most promising technology firms. Set up in 2014, Tech Nation speaks ou...
Dec 13, 2020•51 min
Javed Khan and Simon Levine join James Ashton to discuss tough decision-making caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, prejudice at work and inspirational role models. Javed Khan is chief executive of Barnardo’s, one of the UK’s largest charities which supports over 350,000 vulnerable children, families and carers each year. With roots going back to 1867, Barnardo’s today has 700 shops, 8,000 staff and 14,000 volunteers looking after children who have suffered from abuse or violence. The impact of Covi...
Dec 07, 2020•54 min
Ewan Venters and Rita Clifton join James Ashton to discuss retail under pressure, tackling self doubt, the importance of kindness and knowing when it’s the right time to move on. Ewan Venters is chief executive of Fortnum & Mason, the Queen’s grocer which was founded in 1707 and is famous for its luxury hampers, teas and preserves. In charge since 2012, Venters has boosted online delivery and opened new stores in Hong Kong and Heathrow Airport, but the Covid-19 pandemic has dealt trading a s...
Nov 30, 2020•47 min
Sir Ciarán Devane and Kate Lee join James Ashton to discuss communicating in a crisis, diplomacy at work and when personal and professional lives collide. Sir Ciarán Devane is chief executive of the British Council, the organisation which projects the UK’s image on the world. Since 1934 it has aimed to forge trust and understanding with other countries through arts and education programmes, and is the number one specialist English language teacher. Last year the British Council reached almost on...
Nov 23, 2020•50 min
Navina Evans joins James Ashton to discuss life leading a key division of the NHS, the challenge of attracting and retaining a giant workforce, why she kept treating patients after becoming chief executive - and overcoming workplace sexism even after rising to the top. Navina Evans is chief executive of Health Education England, a unit of the NHS that plans, recruits, educates and trains the health workforce of the future. Currently there are more than 160,000 NHS students including doctors, nur...
Nov 17, 2020•39 min
LEADING talks to leaders at the top of a wide range of organisations to discover how they learnt to lead, the big decisions they’ve taken and the advice they offer to others. From the worlds of business, charity, the arts, sport, technology and healthcare, CEOs share their take on leading vital causes, famous brand names, multi-million-pound enterprises and fast-growing start-ups. The podcast is presented by the journalist James Ashton. This time, hear from Claire Horton, chief executive of Batt...
Nov 09, 2020•46 min
LEADING talks to leaders at the top of a wide range of organisations to discover how they learnt to lead, the big decisions they’ve taken and the advice they offer to others. From the worlds of business, charity, the arts, sport, technology and healthcare, CEOs share their take on leading vital causes, famous brand names, multi-million-pound enterprises and fast-growing start-ups. The podcast is presented by the journalist James Ashton. Tony Danker joins James Ashton as he is about to take on on...
Nov 01, 2020•45 min
In another lockdown episode, Richard Parry joins James Ashton to discuss safeguarding staff and visitors, developing new income streams and swapping commercial for charitable leadership at the helm of one of the UK’s largest not-for-profit organisations. Richard Parry is chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, the charity that looks after 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales. He became leader in 2013, a year after the organisation was created to replace the state-run British...
May 25, 2020•47 min
In another lockdown episode, Matthew Chamberlain joins James Ashton to discuss trading through the crisis, swapping an investment banking career to become CEO and respecting tradition at his 143-year old organisation. Matthew Chamberlain is chief executive of the London Metal Exchange, a City institution since 1877 that last year traded $13.5 trillion of metals including aluminium, copper and zinc. After financial roles at Citibank, Perella Weinberg and UBS, Chamberlain joined the LME in 2012 as...
May 18, 2020•45 min
In another lockdown episode, Martin Houghton-Brown joins James Ashton to discuss battling Covid-19, dealing with the latest financial pressures, reorganising for the future and finding time and space to switch off. Martin Houghton-Brown is the chief executive of St John Ambulance, the medical charity that has been saving lives since 1877 and gives vital support to the NHS. In 2018 it gave first aid training to 382,000 people in schools and workplaces and treated 104,000 people taken ill at 22,00...
May 11, 2020•46 min
In this special lockdown episode, Evelyn Bourke joins James Ashton to discuss leading through crisis, working closely with the NHS, the future of healthcare and early career failure. Evelyn Bourke is the chief executive of Bupa, the private healthcare insurer and provider with 33m customers and clinics, dental centres, hospitals and care homes in major markets such as the UK, Australia and Spain. Founded in 1947, the private company does not have shareholders and reinvests profits in the busines...
May 04, 2020•44 min
Kevin Ellis and Matthew Shaw join James Ashton to discuss trust in business, audit quality, shattering hierarchy and lifelong learning. This episode was recorded before the coronavirus lockdown. Kevin Ellis is UK chairman and senior partner of PwC, the largest of the professional services firms which advises on tax, company audit, restructuring, technology and deals. PwC employs 22,000 people. Last year revenues rose to £4.2bn. Ellis joined the firm in 1984, specialising in insolvency work. He w...
Apr 13, 2020•46 min
Lynda Thomas and Elizabeth Kiss join James Ashton to discuss supporting the NHS, funding future leaders, career pivots and imposter syndrome. This episode was recorded before the coronavirus lockdown. Lynda Thomas is the chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, one of the most trusted charities in the UK. Macmillan is famous for its 6000 nurses who care for thousands of people coping with cancer. It also campaigns for better NHS cancer provision. In 2018 the charity raised £231m and supporte...
Apr 07, 2020•49 min
In advance of some new episodes, here is a compilation of our best nuggets of leadership advice so far. Put together before the coronavirus crisis, it features leaders of arts institutions Royal Albert Hall and English National Opera, clothing and food brands Amanda Wakeley and Leon, big employers Anglian Water and University of Liverpool, digital challengers Trainline and Pharmacy2U and the RSPB wildlife charity, among others. Bosses talk about the importance of having a vision, managing change...
Mar 23, 2020•46 min
Chris Jones and Chris Grigg join James Ashton to discuss battling adversity, Olympic legacy and fixing company culture. Chris Jones is chief executive of England Athletics, the sporting organisation that supports over 1500 affiliated running clubs which count more than 180,000 registered athletes between them. England Athletics recruits and supports coaches, officials and other volunteers with the aim of broadening participation in the sport. Jones joined in 2006 as head of strategy and took the...
Jan 27, 2020•39 min
Mark Livingstone and Geeta Nanda join James Ashton to discuss their biggest challenges, merger tactics, building a team and getting lucky. Mark Livingstone is chief executive of Pharmacy2U, the online prescription delivery company that despatches 1.2m medicines direct to patients every month. Livingstone has led the Leeds-based company since 2016 when it merged with ChemistDirect.co.uk, his previous venture. In a career spent growing start-ups, he was chief executive of the Scoot business direct...
Dec 02, 2019•45 min
Clare Gilmartin and Chris Hirst join James Ashton to discuss fostering creativity, staying resilient and reinventing yourself at Harvard. Clare Gilmartin is chief executive of Trainline, the fast-growing rail and coach app that processes more than £3bn of tickets every year across 45 countries. This year she led the technology company onto the stock market, 22 years after it was set up by a Virgin Trains-led consortium. Trainline is headquartered in London and employs 600 people. Gilmartin joine...
Nov 25, 2019•43 min
Alice Bentinck and Beccy Speight join James Ashton to discuss campaigning conservation, fashioning leaders from founders and megalomaniac tendencies. Alice Bentinck is the co-founder of Entrepreneur First, a venture that turns talented individuals into entrepreneurs. Since it began in 2011, more than 1,200 people have been through the EF programme, creating 230 start-ups worth a collective $1.5bn. Bentinck began her career at the consulting firm McKinsey and chose founding EF over a job at Googl...
Nov 18, 2019•49 min
