Confessions of a CEO (Carl Swansbury)

In this episode of Confessions of a CEO, Carl chats with internationally renowned keynote speaker and author, Geoff Ramm.

Geoff’s journey is one of grit, creativity, and an unwavering passion for exceptional customer experiences. From his humble beginnings in the North East of England to running a successful agency, OMG Marketing, and becoming a globally sought-after speaker, he understands the power of delivering celebrity-level service.

Geoff shares why treating every customer like a VIP isn’t just a nice-to-have but the secret sauce to business success. He also opens up about the evolution of his business focus from marketing to customer experience consultancy.

If you're looking for inspiration, motivation, and practical tips, this episode is a must-listen!

Connect with Geoff

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/customerservicespeaker/?originalSubdomain=uk

Website: https://www.geofframm.com/

Connect with Carl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-swansbury-fca-33b21923/?originalSubdomain=uk

Website: https://ryecroftglenton.com/team/carl-swansbury/

This podcast is brought to you by Recognition PR.

In this episode, Carl Swansbury chats with Professor Nick Bacon, Professor of Human Resource Management, Bayes Business School, City, University of London and Professor Kim Hoque, Professor of Human Resource Management, King’s Business School, King’s College London.

The academics discuss how leveraged buy outs and not only how they benefit Senior Management Teams and workforces, and some of the key differences between leveraged MBOs, funded by private equity or those funded by debt.

They also discuss the impact leveraged buyouts have on the workforce and the cultural changes they can bring.

In this episode Carl chats with Joanna Kingston-Davies, the co-founder of the MAPD Group, which powers the growth of local law firms nationally, through acquisition.

Following more than 20 years in leadership and management roles within the legal sector in both France and the UK, she set up the MAPD Group in 2020.

In her conversation with Carl, she tells a very personal and fascinating story about her life and career and how she, through the business, aims to make a positive difference for its people, clients and communities.

CEO of Shard Credit Partners, Alastair Brown has a wealth of experience is supporting the growth of SMEs. He founded the direct lending fund, which provides transformational capital to SMEs. 

Carl and Alistair have worked closely on a range of business transactions, including MBOs and MBIs, and helping business fund growth, but in this episode they go deep into Alastair’s background, to discover why he went from big corporate institution to setting up a small and dynamic direct lending fund. They also discuss his aspirations and ambitions as an individual as the leader of a business that is focused on achieving growth for SMEs.

In this latest episode, Carl chats with successful businessman and Non-Exec Director Mark Dixon, From the beginnings of his career with Rolls Royce through to starting his own business, which went through two private equity transactions before eventually being sold to Costain.

Having then, unsuccessfully trying to retire, Mark continued his business life working as interim chair, a NED and interim CEO of several enterprises, he gives a detailed and fascinating insight into his career and what inspires him to work with boards, shareholder groups and management teams.

Ever wished you could get some top business tips from a real-life Dragon?

Carl Swansbury sits down with TV star and business icon Sara Davies to delve into her extraordinary journey from launching her crafting business Crafters' Companion, to becoming a household name in our stores and on our screens.

Sara opens up about her entrepreneurial triumphs, the challenges she faced in overcoming self-doubt, and her unwavering passion for helping others embark on their own business ventures. Her journey has even led her to the Den, where she’s inspired and invested in countless entrepreneurs.

Together, Carl and Sara explore the resilience and innovation behind successful business ownership, including the secrets you'll need to fuel your own entrepreneurial aspirations.

This is an episode NOT to be missed.

Connect with Sara:

Website: https://sara-davies.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-davies-mbe-7406854/?originalSubdomain=uk

Connect with Carl

Website: https://ryecroftglenton.com/team/carl-swansbury/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-swansbury-fca-33b21923/?originalSubdomain=uk

This podcast is brought to you by Recognition PR.

In this episode of Confessions of a CEO, Carl sits down with the fascinating and sometimes controversial Gary Goldsmith.

A multi-millionaire from his business career in IT recruitment, Gary is known to most people as uncle to Catherine, Princess of Wales and the first evictee from the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2024.

However, his story goes much deeper than that and in this detailed and frank conversation with Carl, Gary reveals the challenges and struggles of his life, that have included a police conviction and drug issues.

Gary shares his personal and professional journey through the highs and lows of his life, and talks about his current business enterprise, RDLC Pirates, which he co-founded and is CEO. The RDLC is the leading global network for recruitment CEOs, MDs, founders, shareholders and directors.

For the inside track on one of business’ most colourful characters who gives a very open and honest account of his life, this episode is a must-listen!

Connect with Gary

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garygoldsmith/

Website: https://www.rdlcpirates.com/

Connect with Carl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-swansbury-fca-33b21923/?originalSubdomain=uk

Website: https://ryecroftglenton.com/team/carl-swansbury/

This podcast is brought to you by Recognition PR.

Charlie Hoult is one of the North of England’s most prolific and successful entrepreneurs.  A specialist in leadership, investment finance, strategy, entrepreneurship, tech and marketing, Charlie speaks to Carl about his fascinating career and his core beliefs to create, challenge and drive, which has helped not only his businesses, but others he supports.

Carl chats with Gary Lumby MBE, one of the most prolific Non-Execs in the North of England.  As MD of Focus on Success Ltd he acts as a Non-Executive Chairman or Director  for several SMEs in the North East, Yorkshire and London.

He also runs three other family businesses and mentors on the Goldman Sach 10000 Small Business Programme.

In this episode Carl delves into Gary’s life and career to discover what drives him, how he helps SMEs and what advice he has for small business owners.

In this episode, Carl chats with Kevin Beales, the founder and CEO of MySalesCoach, the expert sales coach, which is offered as a subscription service.

Kevin gives an insightful look into his entrepreneurial career, providing a very interesting and highly personal view on taking a business from start up to sale and the sometimes emotional stories that come with that process.

In this episode Carl speaks to Michael Hall, CEO of eQS Group.  Interesting ind 10 years a Barclays before choosing to treain to become a qualified accountant, which enabled him to move into a Finance Director role at a facilities management business before more recently becoming CFO and now CEO of eQS Group, which is a leading national equality, inclusion and diversity consultancy.

It’s not common for CFO’s to make the move to become CEO, so Carl gains an insight into Michael’s journey and how he managed a significant acquisition programme.

In this latest episode, Carl sits down with Lucy Armstrong, one of the North’s most successful chairpersons. She supports CEOs and boards of a range of businesses across the public and private sectors, as well as not-for-profit organisations.

She is also CEO of The Alchemists, a boutique consultancy focused on supporting fast-growing entrepreneurial businesses.

Currently chair of a number of companies and organisations including the Port of Tyne and Everflow, Lucy has a significant amount of experience helping CEOs scale businesses.

Lucy has a high level of interest and knowledge in helping CEOs to become leaders over managers and helping to create more successful sustainable and successful businesses.

Carl sits down with Neil Stephenson, a highly experienced NED who helps tech founders unlock their potential and build great businesses as a coach, investor and advisor. 

Neil helped build and subsequently sell IT Services business Onyx  and has gone on to become a serial investor, NED and board advisor working with a range of businesses. 

He tells the story behind his entrepreneurial career….

Andy has been an MD and CEO in a variety of businesses throughout his career, before more recently pursue a career in becoming a NED and advise to a number of high growth, predominantly privately owned businesses.

He tells Carl about his transition from full time MD to NED, that many people look to try and achieve and in this episode he gives his insight into that journey and what others can learn from his experiences.

Ian Kinnery is the Scale Up Coach.  Since 2005, he’s been helping business leaders to grow themselves and their businesses with highly personalised coaching solutions that guarantee results.

As a Scaling Up certified coach with over three decades of personal experience starting and scaling businesses, Ian has, in this episode, volumes of advice and experience to share with listeners.

In this episode Carl Swansbury sits down with entrepreneur Peter Kirkham. A former professional footballer, Peter built a property portfolio before losing it all and being declared bankrupt due to the ‘credit crunch’. He bounced back to build a successful business which he sold for millions of pounds just a few years later.

This is a fascinating insight into the challenges of overcoming adversity in business to become successful for the second time.

In this episode, Carl Swansbury chats with Paul Cheetham Karcz, founder and Managing Partner of Sedulo, to discuss his remarkable journey from humble beginnings to building a respected and privately owned independent accounting advisory business.

Paul shares how his working-class background and early education shaped his ambition and fuelled his drive to build a successful business. He reveals why attitude beats process every time, why workplace culture isn't just a buzzword, and how a little bit of honest feedback (even when brutal) can be a game-changer for personal and professional development.

As a passionate advocate for creating opportunities, Paul also highlights his foundation's mission to support underprivileged children, reinforcing that success should have a purpose beyond business.

The conversation also explores identity, legacy, and the delicate balance between business and family life. Paul's shares powerful insights on self-awareness, resilience, and the importance of building trust within teams.

If you're looking for motivation, practical advice, and a fresh perspective on leadership, this episode is for you.

Connect with Paul:

Website: https://sedulo.co.uk/team/paul-cheetham-karcz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-cheetham-karcz/

Connect with Carl:

Website: https://ryecroftglenton.com/team/carl-swansbury/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-swansbury-fca-33b21923/

This podcast is brought to you by Recognition PR.

In this episode Carl sits down with Jo Whitfield, fund director at FW Capital.  Jo has built a successful business in the North East of England within FW Capital providing much needed funding to privately owned, high growth, aspirational SMEs as they make their next steps in their scale-up journeys.

They discuss Jo’s career history, what drives her and her passion for helping SME’s achieve their growth ambitions.  

In this episode Carl sits down with serial entrepreneur and investor Jeremy Middleton. Co-founder of the multi-billion-pound Homeserve, Jeremy established a private equity business, Middleton Enterprises, supporting founder-led entrepreneurial businesses across a range of sectors including tech, hospitality and leisure. During the podcast Jeremy tells his story and offers insight into business success, and advice to start-ups, growing enterprises and the investment landscape for firms targeting growth.