We sat down for a chat with Martin Chilcott. Martin has founded the largest sustainable business community in the world. He’s devoted much of his career to helping businesses develop efficient and sustainable practices. He is now the founder and CEO of his own carbon reduction platform, Manufacture 2030. Here's what we discussed during our discussion: Clearly sustainability is a big part of your life, is that a drive that came from your younger years and what was life like for you growing up? (0...
May 17, 2022•40 min•Ep. 39
We sat down for a chat with Alice Stephenson: founder and CEO of Stephenson Law. Alice has shaken up the legal sector by creating a law firm that breaks down stereotypes, challenges the perception of who a lawyer is, and removed the stuffiness involved in the legal environment. She aims to empower lawyers to challenge tradition and encourage innovation in the legal sector. Here's what we discussed during our discussion: What made you interested in becoming a lawyer? (01:19) What was your journey...
May 10, 2022•29 min•Ep. 38
We sat down with Olympic mental performance coach Charlie Unwin. Unwin was an athlete and platoon commander in Iraq before becoming a mental performance coach for various GB Olympic teams. He is also a speaker and has recently released a book ‘Inside-Out: Train Your Mind and Nerve Like A Champion’, where he shares how anyone can program their mind to achieve their full potential. Here's what we discussed during our discussion: Your new book Inside Out: Train Your Mind and Nerve Like A Champion h...
May 03, 2022•48 min•Ep. 37
We paid a visit to Matt Hancock MP to get his views on all things business. Best known for his role as Health Secretary, Matt also says he is looking to come back to his roots in business – having previously worked at the Bank of England and seeing first-hand his parents’ experience of the ups and downs of running a company. In the interview, Matt talks about the work he is doing around dyslexia, FinTech and cryptocurrency; and the headwinds hitting the UK economy. Here’s what we covered in our ...
Mar 17, 2022•27 min•Ep. 36
Imagine sitting one desk over from Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos . What about being the former Executive Business Partner to Google CEO, Eric Schmidt. Or touring the world with high ranking Google executive and business icon Marissa Mayer? Ann Hiatt has worked with all of these legends of business, and her latest book catalogues the lessons she learnt from them. Ann Hiatt’s very first job was at 16 when she worked at a startup in Redmond, Washington called MusicWare – back when no one knew what a s...
Feb 23, 2022•35 min•Ep. 35
Not many business leaders can say they’ve had bullets sent to them through the post, been poisoned by their nanny and arrested on multiple occasions. In this edition of Business Leader Insight , we talk with Jacqueline Gold CBE, Executive Chair of Ann Summers, at her Surrey home to talk business, legacy, resilience and much more. Daughter of West Ham United chairman David Gold, Jacqueline has blazed a trail of her own in her business career. She took Ann Summers from a small, seedy sex shop with...
Feb 16, 2022•27 min•Ep. 34
From making vegetable wreaths and running local Christmas fairs to revolutionising the landscape of e-commerce and encouraging thousands of small businesses to thrive, Holly Tucker MBE is not your average entrepreneur. In this edition of Business Leader Insight , we sit down for a one-on-one interview with the founder of notonthehighstreet and Holly & Co. Holly’s obsession with changing corporate landscape and its outdated business ‘rules’ led her to create Holly & Co , a small business ...
Dec 01, 2021•28 min•Ep. 33
Having founded brokerage house Stratton Oakmont in the late 80s, Belfort quickly grew the company to become the largest of its kind in the United States. Under Belfort’s leadership, the firm was known as one of the most dynamic and successful sales organisations in Wall Street history. It also grew to an almost unprecedented level, employing over 1,000 stockbrokers and raising over $1.5 bn. These dizzying heights were followed by a spectacular and well-publicised fall from grace. But today, Jord...
Nov 18, 2021•33 min•Ep. 32
The youngest ever Dragon, the number one business podcast in Europe, author of a Sunday Times Bestseller. Not bad for a university dropout. In this edition of Business Leader Insight, we went to London to talk to the newest addition to the cast of the BBC show Dragons’ Den. Steven Bartlett has been in the public eye for a number of years; founding, running, floating and then selling Social Chain, one of the UK’s fasting growing companies. Having amassed a social media following of over 2 million...
Oct 20, 2021•23 min•Ep. 31
Serial founder, presenter, connector, host… These are a handful of the hats worn by Oli Barrett MBE. He is a humble man, who’s curiosity has sparked an impressive career as a host and presenter. Oli has hosted large events such as London Tech Week, Silicon Valley Comes to the UK and rubbed shoulders with an array of leaders from around the world. However, the most impressive element of his networking is Oli’s skill of connecting people from very different organisations to solve big problems. He ...
Jul 15, 2021•25 min•Ep. 30
Whether you know him from the BBC series Dragons’ Den, his Small Business Sunday Campaign or elsewhere, Theo Paphitis is one of the most well-known business figures in the UK. In this edition of Business Leader Insight, brought to you by Arbuthnot Latham, you will get to know Theo’s rise through business, what drives him and much more. Theo is known for his many appearances on television, including being a regular on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, Theo’s Adventure Capitalists, Britain’s Next Big Thing,...
Mar 19, 2021•33 min•Ep. 29
It’s not often you talk to someone who has worked on the CBeebies show In The Night Garden , performed as Mr T on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent and created a business with his 12-year-old son. But he is much more than this. In this episode of Business Leader Conversations, brought to you by Knightstone Capital , we talk to John Lashley; the ‘Main Dude’ and co-founder of the Brooklyn Brownie Co. It’s a big shift to go from a creative lead in production and film, and becoming a Mr T lookalike, to cre...
Mar 12, 2021•33 min•Ep. 28
Internationally known as one of the most influential entrepreneurs, Brad Sugars is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and says he is the #1 business coach in the world. We’re really proud to be talking to Brad on this edition of Business Leader Insight, brought to you by Knightstone Capital . Brad Sugars has become the CEO of over 9 companies over the course of his 30-year career. Brad’s drive to share, educate and motivate saw him launch ActionCOACH®, which has since grown to a multi-millio...
Mar 05, 2021•34 min•Ep. 27
A movement is growing. A global agency that's disrupting the search industry, formed out a vision and the passion and creativity of a 27-year-old. This is our conversation with the inspirational Carrie Rose. "She's too young", "it'll fade away", "it won't last"... The criticisms of this young entrepreneur have been plastered all over social media and whispered in the halls of agencies across the country. But this is not your average business leader. In June 2019, 27-year-old Carrie Rose launched...
Feb 19, 2021•31 min•Ep. 26
Mental health has been firmly thrust into the public discussion due to the pandemic and for good reason. But Richard Glynn isn’t just talking the talk, his company 87% is transforming the way businesses treat mental wellbeing and the changes are improving their balance sheets too. This is our conversation with the inspirational Richard Glynn, brought to you by Knightstone Capital . Beginning life in the world of corporate law, Richard Glynn has had a fascinating journey rising through the ranks....
Feb 11, 2021•26 min•Ep. 25
She spent just short of a decade honing her skills and rising through the ranks at Alipay, the Alibaba-backed fintech giant, before taking up the position as Chief Commercial Officer at the feisty fintech group Mode. This is our conversation with the inspirational Rita Liu, brought to you by Knightstone Capital . Rita joined Alipay in 2010 and was initially responsible for driving partnerships with major Chinese banks. In 2011, she became one of the founding members of the Alipay International B...
Feb 04, 2021•14 min•Ep. 24
In the first edition of Business Leader Conversations, brought to you by Knightstone Capital , we’re proud to be speaking with JobOppo founder, Kayam Iqbal. Kayam started his military career in the Royal Air Force as a medic, before specialising in languages and working with various specialist units across a number of NATO countries. Kayam’s achievements to date are numerous and include setting up the OppO Foundation, a charity supporting military personnel and their families, through the challe...
Jan 28, 2021•16 min•Ep. 23
In this fascinating Business Leader Insight interview, we were joined by Ellen Windemuth, founder of the WaterBear Network; the first interactive streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet. Ellen’s passion for nature and conservation led to the creation of the WaterBear Network . This unique, free streaming service provides access to award-winning and inspirational content that empowers members to dive deeper, learn more and take action. Prior to WaterBear, she was the owner and CE...
Jan 21, 2021•15 min•Ep. 22
Starting his first business at the age of 22 as a sole trader Joseph is the former CEO of the UK’s largest independent Boiler Installation business Impra Gas, spanning across the nation with over 150 staff and a multi-million-pound turnover. This growth was achieved in just 7 short years and Joseph has now sold this organisation at the age of 30. Joseph rose to fame at the age of 25 after winning the BBC’s The Apprentice the UK’s largest cash prize TV show and also gaining billionaire lord sugar...
Jan 14, 2021•24 min•Ep. 21
Chika Russell is an international entrepreneur, mentor and speaker. After 10 years working in finance and banking and qualifying as a management accountant, she went on to launch CHIKA’S. Born out of three simple principles: good food, good ethos and good causes – these are snacks with soul. The CHIKA’S range of African-inspired, boldly-flavoured snacks proved mainstream consumer demand for African foods that immediately struck a chord with retailers like Wholefoods, Waitrose, Holland & Barr...
Jan 05, 2021•31 min•Ep. 20
There's a new President on the other side of the pond and there are constant reports of the vaccines that are going to help us shed the COVID nightmare for good. We're honoured to be joined by Alpesh Patel OBE who will impart his expertise and give hints into the companies you should be investing in. Having recently penned an insightful look into the companies that stand out in the US, Alpesh joins us for a deeper look into the trends that he is seeing and companies you should look to be investi...
Dec 31, 2020•17 min•Ep. 19
Many will recognise Merlin Griffiths as the friendly barman and the first port of call for the nervous diners in the Channel 4 show First Dates , but there is more to him than meets the eye. Often referred to as the ‘King of Cocktails’, Merlin has been a mixologist travelling the world and whipping up delectable drinks for over 25 years. He also is the proud owner of a country inn in Northamptonshire, giving him firsthand experience of the difficulties in the hospitality sector. Thanks to Smart ...
Nov 19, 2020•20 min•Ep. 18
In this instalment of Business Leader Insight, we were honoured to talk to Chris Ormrod, Managing Director at The Flavourworks. Originally trained as an actor, Chris joined Mars as a salesman straight from university and subsequently worked for Haagen-Dazs, Ginsters, Findus and Virgin in a variety of sales and marketing roles. When Chris joined The Flavourworks was supplying several of the UK’s big supermarkets, but it needed to develop new sales initiatives to really grow. Fast forward to today...
Nov 10, 2020•31 min•Ep. 17
In this instalment of Business Leader Insight, we were honoured to talk to Bestselling author, investor, business guru & creator of the 10X Movement, Grant Cardone. Grant Cardone owns and operates seven privately held companies, and a private equity real estate firm, Cardone Capital, with a multifamily portfolio of assets worth over $2 billion. He is a New York Times bestselling author of 11 business books, including The 10X Rule, which led to Cardone establishing the 10X Global Movement and...
Oct 22, 2020•24 min•Ep. 16
In this instalment of Business Leader Insight, we spoke to Pete Lowe; former Head of Education and Performance Management at Manchester City, a leadership specialist and founder of First Team Ltd. As a professional speaker and thought leader on the global circuit, Pete draws on his experience of the high-performance environment of Premier League football to help businesses to create and sustain a culture of success. He proves that there are startling similarities between the pitch and the boardr...
Oct 01, 2020•24 min•Ep. 15
The Insight series is taking a break this week. Instead, we're bringing you a very special panel debate that we hosted on mergers and acquisitions. Many experts are predicting a surge of mergers and acquisitions activity in the coming months; as companies consolidation happens across various sectors and leaders take advantage of available capital to grow their operations. We assembled a prestigious panel for this discussion: • Richard Wilkey – Partner, Corporate at Harrison Clark Rickerbys • Ala...
Sep 24, 2020•59 min•Ep. 14
The Insight series is taking a break this week. Instead, we are bringing you a very special live event that we hosted with Funding London. The event featured three incredibly successful British business leaders. All three worked in multiple iconic start-ups and built companies generating tens of billions of dollars revenue. They created and led Unicorns before that term was invented. They started their career in Oracle when it was a start-up with a few dozen people. After over a decade with Orac...
Aug 20, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 13
In the latest instalment of Business Leader Insight, we spoke to Ollie Phillips; former England Rugby Sevens Captain and World Player of the Year-turned world-record-holding adventurer, business leader and motivational speaker. Across a distinguished 14-year professional career, Ollie reached a European Final, captained England at Twickenham and defeated the All Blacks in New Zealand, amongst many other honours. He has also worked as a pundit for Eurosport and Sky Sports, providing commentary an...
Aug 06, 2020•29 min•Ep. 12
In this instalment of Business Leader Insight, we spoke to Dr Alex Young, the CEO and founder of Virti: a Bristol-based tech firm using XR and AI to set a new gold standard for immersive learning. A trauma and orthopaedic surgeon by training, Alex built and sold his first company whilst still at medical school. He’s won multiple awards with Virti including the VR Healthcare Award at The VR Awards and ‘Best Startup’ at the Mayor of London’s Medtech Business Awards. Virti is also part of the NHS’ ...
Jul 30, 2020•32 min•Ep. 11
In this instalment of Business Leader Insight, we spoke to the ‘man who saved the BBC’, serial tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Seedlegals, Anthony Rose. Rose is best known for his work managing the launch of BBC iPlayer, for which Wired UK named him “the man who saved the BBC”. Anthony lead the team as CTO from 2007 until 2010, taking the BBC iPlayer from pre-launch to success. Since leaving the BBC, Anthony has founded 5 companies. He sold Beamly to COTY in 2015 and 6Tribes to the TopGear team...
Jul 23, 2020•34 min•Ep. 10
