Nottingham Business School Business Leaders (Nottingham Trent University)
Explore every episode of Nottingham Business School Business Leaders
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07 Feb 2025 | Marvin Cooke OBE – From apprentice engineer to European Vice President in the car industry | 00:33:33 | |
SUMMARY Marvin Cooke OBE – From apprentice engineer to European Vice President in the car industry Marvin Cooke OBE was Vice President of Manufacturing for Toyota Europe – responsible for more than 20,000 staff and the production of 800,000 cars, at factories in Britain, France, Poland, Turkey and the Czech Republic. He started out as an apprentice engineer. Today he is Professor of Entrepreneurship at Derby Business School. During a candid conversation for Episode 60 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, David talks to Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about the importance of mentors, the fascination of engineering, and the nagging fear of failure that drives him on. INTRODUCTION • Marvin Cooke was born and bred in Derby. He joined the Toyota factory, in Derby, in 1991 as a junior engineer • He previously completed an apprenticeship at Pirelli Tyres, in Burton upon Trent – and graduated from Nottingham Trent with a degree in Electrical Electronic Engineering. • He worked for Toyota for more than 30 years. In 2020 he was appointed Vice President, Manufacturing at Toyota Europe • As VP, Marvin was responsible for production of more than 800,000 Toyota vehicles a year, at plants employing more than 20,000 people, in Britain, France, Poland, the Czech Republic and Turkey. • In August 2024 he was appointed Professor of Enterprise at the University of Derby Business School. • In January 2025, he was awarded an OBE for services to automotive manufacturing, in the King’s New Year’s Honours List. LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS from Marvin Cooke, former Vice President of Toyota Europe On having a career plan… “As a 16-year-old, I knew that I wanted to be an engineer. I always enjoyed technical things. But at that age I never imagined going into leadership.” On being driven to succeed… “I’ve always had imposter syndrome – and quite a fear of failure. I want to do well for the people I work for. And for the people who work for me.” On the need to create contacts and networks… “I wish I’d talked to more leaders early in my career. Because when I started speaking to them, I found they had more in common with me than I thought.” On where to seek advice… “For leaders [and aspiring leaders] mentors are so important. And I don't always think your mentors should necessarily be in a higher position than you.” On what Marvin was looking for, when taking on staff… “Transferable skills are key. Of course, we were looking for the core competencies. But we often hired people not for everything they had now, but for what they could be in the future… people we thought had aptitude, energy, passion, and were willing to learn.” On why leaders need to talk to their staff… “There was nothing more enjoyable for me than being with the people doing the daily job. What people deliver when they feel that what they're doing is important, is a tremendous thing.” On the downside of remote working… “Hybrid working is very important. But I'm not convinced 100% remote working is healthy because culture is also important. In the past, we were able to develop culture by proximity… people working together. We're not in that same situation today.” On the thrill of being a leader… “I got into engineering. I ended up in leadership. That wasn't necessarily an easy decision or pathway. But I'm very pleased I did it because it's given me a lot of opportunities.” RELATED LINKS • There’s more about Marvin Cooke on his LinkedIn profile • Marvin Cooke’s appointment to Derby Business School is reported on Insider Media • Marvin Cooke is in conversation on the Process Management International YouTube channel If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Marvin Cooke, listen to previous episodes with… • The former CEO of ASOS Nick Beighton | |||
| 12 Oct 2021 | Ann Francke OBE - Why I champion gender diversity in the workplace | 00:24:37 | |
Ann Francke is one of Britain’s most high-profile women business leaders – and a passionate campaigner for gender diversity in the workplace. She has spent almost nine years as CEO of the Chartered Institute of Management, highlighting the business benefits of having more women in senior management. But her campaigning is also fired by her own personal experience as a woman executive in a world dominated by men. She tells the Nottingham Business School Business Leaders’ Podcast: “There were many instances where I was the first and only female on the executive committee or board and I felt very othered. “I was made to feel quite uncomfortable and excluded – whether consciously as it was in some cases or unconsciously, as it no doubt was in others.” Ann tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about an occasion when she decided to confront the sexism head-on. “I called it out…absolutely and directly… in front of everyone,” she says. “What I was really signalling (to my boss) was, we’ve gotten to a point where our values have diverged. What I value, is not how you are treating me. “Then there is a kerfuffle. People try to gloss it over. They say: Why don’t you just apologise? “In that particular instance I said, well I don’t really have anything to apologise for. And then, of course, you end up leaving the organisation.” But there is an interesting postscript to Ann’s story. She adds: “The good of it is that another very senior leader observed that incident. That senior leader later became CEO of the organisation. And when they did, they knew they had to change the culture. “I’d like to think that in a small way I helped that CEO.” One of Ann’s first roles was as a brand manager at Proctor and Gamble, leading the launch of the Always product that became the company’s first truly global brand. Since then, she has enjoyed a stellar career, including executive posts at Mars, Yell, Boots and BSI. Ann is also the author of The Financial Times Guide to Management and a former winner of The Louis Armstrong Award for outstanding leadership of a UK professional body. She has been CEO at the CMI since 2012 and in 2020 she was awarded an OBE for services to workplace equality. Ann uses her success as a platform to highlight how women are still consistently undervalued in the workplace. “Despite all the talk, there's been very little action,” she says. “There's been very little progress in 2021. It is still the case that only six per cent of FTSE CEOs are female in the UK and only eight per cent of the S&P 500 in the United States are female. “Yet 51 per cent of the population is female. Sixty per cent of university graduates are female. It’s actually pretty appalling. And it’s been stuck there for the last five or ten years.” Ann believes the answer may lie in legislation to force change. She adds: “We need transparency in the form of gender pay gap reporting… transparency with teeth. Companies need to be held to account, to have action plans. “If they don't make progress there needs to be consequences… financial fines. Business likes to achieve things voluntarily, but there needs to be transparency with teeth and consequences for those that don't meet targets.” And Ann’s advice to young women who are just starting out on their career? “Always be true to your values,” she says. “Because that's how you'll keep that fundamental self-confidence and self-awareness. “Find an environment that corresponds to your values, and that makes you feel valued. And if you get into a situation where you are very unsupported and feeling very devalued, don't blame yourself. Change the situation. [Switch employer!]” | |||
| 16 Feb 2021 | Sara Blair-Manning - Cultural and heritage leadership | 00:25:54 | |
Sara Blair-Manning has the job of turning Nottingham Castle into one of the biggest visitor attractions in England. The castle is scheduled to reopen in 2021, after a £30m redevelopment. In this episode of Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Sara talks to host Mike Sassi about her career – from bingo-caller at Nottingham’s Goose Fayre to stately home manager with the National Trust. Speaking at the castle during the summer of 2020, Sara talks about carefully planning and researching her career moves – but reflects on the importance of seizing opportunities. She is also candid about the mistakes she has made and the lessons she has learned. Outside of work, Sara talks about her love for singing and, unusually, her skills as a conductor. She also pays tribute to Nottingham Trent University, where she studied music as an undergraduate in the 1980s. At the end of the interview, Sara has tough things to say about the city of Nottingham, which she describes as being vibrant, brave and exciting during the 1980s – but now lacking in ambition. She hopes the reopening of the castle will help Nottingham “raise itself up”. This podcast was recorded late in 2020, before the third lockdown started in January 2021. | |||
| 05 Dec 2023 | Maggie Alphonsi MBE - Leadership insights from a World Cup winner | 00:24:59 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Maggie Alphonsi MBE - Leadership insights from a World Cup winner | Episode 36 Introduction:
Key takeaways:
Related links:
More about Nottingham Business School | |||
| 05 Oct 2023 | David Lloyd - Leadership lessons from 40 years in radio | 00:32:41 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast David Lloyd - Leadership Lessons from 40 years in radio | Episode 31 Broadcaster David Lloyd may now be best known for founding a national radio station Boom Radio. But during a 40-year career he has had executive roles with LBC, Century, Galaxy and Virgin, As he tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi in this episode of the Nottingham Business School Business Leaders’ Podcast, those four decades in commercial radio have given him a wealth of leadership insight. David says: “Somebody very wise told me: You don’t need to do it at pace – you can sit and think and watch. Leadership is about creating the right environment to get the best out of your people.” And there are many more leadership takeaways: On the importance of finding leaders to learn from… David says: “So many people who become leaders and managers today have never been lead or managed well. So how can you expect them to become good leaders or managers? You don’t realise what great leadership is until you’ve felt it and witnessed it.” On the need for leaders to look after themselves… David says: “You have to make sure you do the bits [of your job] you enjoy, as well as everything else. Make sure there’s enough in your day to fire you up and make you feel positive.” On the day the pressure became too much… David says: “I just couldn’t cope. I got to the meeting and resigned. I went in with a wonderful company car – I came out with a battered old Ford Fiesta! Leadership can be lonely. Mental health is talked about a lot now. It wasn’t then." On why leaders must take time out to think… David says: “The things that really make a difference to a business are the bright ideas, the changes in direction, the different perspectives. Leaders need time to sit and think about that.” More about Nottingham Business School: | |||
| 07 Jun 2022 | Professor Lynn Saunders OBE - Leadership lessons from the prison service | 00:23:54 | |
Prison governor Lynn Saunders worked every Christmas Day for twenty years. As the woman in charge of Europe’s biggest prison for sex offenders, she believed she had to lead from the front. “My staff in the prison had to go to work on Christmas Day – so I always worked on Christmas Day,” she tells the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast. “As a leader, you must be willing to get your hands dirty – to do the difficult and unpleasant jobs. I couldn’t tell other people to do them if I wasn’t prepared to do them myself. It was important for my credibility.” For more than 12 years, as Governor of HMP Whatton, Professor Saunders OBE oversaw more than 800 men who had been convicted of sexual offences every day. In Episode 21 of the NBS podcast she tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi that being a successful leader is all about being authentic. She says: “Prison is a theatre, and you are always on show. Many people choose to play roles, but – in terms of my interaction with staff or prisoners – I’ve consciously never done that. “In prisons people have a lot of time to sit and watch. So, if you’re not a genuine and authentic leader, they’ll know pretty sharpish. “I can’t emphasise this enough: leaders must be themselves. They need to be truthful to be credible.” Professor Saunders started her 35-year career in the criminal justice system as a social worker and went on to be governor of three prisons: HMP Whatton, HMP Lincoln, and Morton Hall Women’s Prison. Even at a young age, she was preparing for a leadership career. “I was always the sort of kid who was put in charge of stuff,” she tells the Business Leaders’ Podcast. “They say you’re only a leader if people follow you – and they always did [follow me]! So, my career was never a great surprise.” Last year, Professor Saunders swapped her leadership role in the criminal justice system for another in academia, when she was appointed Head of the School of Law and Social Sciences at the University of Derby. Her advice for aspiring young leaders, who are considering their options, is simple: “Do something you enjoy. Working life is hard if you don’t enjoy your job. “If you’re lucky enough to find something you enjoy, then leadership will come naturally.” | |||
| 05 Jul 2022 | Iain Blatherwick - Trust and integrity in leadership | 00:26:14 | |
Corporate lawyer Iain Blatherwick never intended to be a leader. But when the retiring Managing Partner at his law firm Browne Jacobson told colleagues there were no suitable internal candidates for the job, Iain recognised a challenge. Months later he was elected as the new Managing Partner – and went on to lead a decade of remarkable growth, during which the company’s annual turnover rocketed from £30m to more than £80m. Browne Jacobson now sits half-way up the list of Britain’s 100 biggest law firms. Iain tells the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast: “When my predecessor said he didn’t think any of the internal candidates [including myself] were up to the role… I thought, Hang on! I’m going to prove you wrong here!” Iain was originally reticent to put himself forward for the job. He had an old-fashioned idea that a leader had to be a “superhero figure” who expects people to follow them. He soon realised this wasn’t the case. “My view was that a leader was someone who had all the answers. Now I’d say leaders must be willing to listen and learn,” he tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi, in Episode 22 of the NBS podcast. “The key skills are around building trust – and there are several different ways you can do that,” Early in his leadership, Iain had to rely on the trust and goodwill he had already built with the firm’s 500-plus staff, when a banking glitch meant they didn’t get paid – in the week before Christmas! Staff were obviously concerned, and news reporters were calling to ask if the company had financial problems. Iain says: “That was particularly tricky… but it comes down to trust. At those moments you just have to speak to the workforce and say what has happened. If you’ve created an environment of trust, then they’ll believe you.” The technical issue was sorted, and the staff were paid. But it taught Iain a valuable leadership lesson. “If people inherently trust you, those moments – tough as they might be – are much easier,” he adds. Iain’s advice to today’s graduates starting out today in a career they hope might lead to leadership, is similarly straightforward. “Curiosity is a much under-valued attribute. If you’re really interested then that’s a good start,” he says. “And be willing to learn. If you understand the business [where you work] as a whole, you’ll understand the part you can play in it.” | |||
| 14 Mar 2023 | Alan Morris - Adapting from entrepreneur to leader | 00:32:24 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Alan Morris - Adapting from entrepreneur to leader | Episode 26 Tech entrepreneur Alan Morris knew he was entering a competitive market when he launched IT outsourcing company Retail Assist, in 1999. But he preferred it that way. “I like the idea of competitive markets, because it means there is a market,” he tells Episode 26 of Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast. “When there’s no competition, you’re either so far ahead of the game… or nobody really wants what you’ve got!” As it turned out, many retailers did want what Alan had got. And seventeen years after Retail Assist was launched, with one staff member and one customer, the company had a 250-strong workforce and a long list of big-name clients. So, what were the leadership skills that helped CEO Alan to turn Nottingham-based Retail Assist into a successful SME that he and his co-founders were able to sell, 17 years later? He tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi: “When we started, we were a small group and there was a real team spirit. People would do absolutely anything to get the job done. “But as the business grows you introduce new layers of leadership. “So, my leadership style had to adapt to ensure the things that made us stand out from bigger companies – people taking ownership… having pride in what they do – didn’t get watered down.” During 18 years with Retail Assist, Alan led the company’s successful development, as CEO and Chairman. In 2017, he left following a private equity-backed management buy-out. But three years later entrepreneur Alan was back in a leadership role, launching data company Clekt to helps businesses make the most of their digital information. He is also non-executive director of Retail 247, which provides tech solutions for the retail industry. Alan says the secret of good leadership is authenticity. He believes too many would-be leaders waste time trying to ape famous entrepreneurs or business leaders. “I’ve heard people say – I want to be the same as Jeff Bezos, or Richard Branson or Mark Zuckerburg! But you can only be you. “If you want people to work for you and engage with your vision then you have to be yourself. They won’t believe you if you’re trying to be someone else.” More about Nottingham Business School: • Visit the Nottingham Business School website | |||
| 29 Oct 2024 | Sean Bowles – Keeping calm and building resilience in a frontline construction business | 00:21:09 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 54 Sean Bowles – Keeping calm and building resilience in a frontline construction business SUMMARY Sean Bowles – Keeping calm and building resilience in a frontline construction business Sean Bowles is a Managing Director at construction company Morgan Sindall – an organisation that employs 3,000 staff and turns over one billion pounds every year. His teams have built everything from city centre primary schools and university student blocks to salt barns for road gritters… and even a museum display case for a Spitfire. In Episode 54 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Sean tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about the importance of team building, networking, authenticity… and the need for leaders to stay calm. INTRODUCTION • Sean Bowles is MD at Morgan Sindall Construction – Central and West, which is one of nine companies in the Morgan Sindall Group • Morgan Sindall Construction is a contractor that builds schools, universities, student accommodation, highways depots, hospitals and all aspects of the built environment • Sean was born and brought up in Nottingham – and graduated from NTU in 1997, with a BSc in Quantity Surveying • He has worked at Morgan Sindall since February 2016 KEY LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS FROM SEAN BOWLES He tells Mike Sassi: …how proud he is to be involved with new public buildings: “We drive past somewhere, and I say: We built that! My wife always raises her eyebrows…” …in his industry, communication is important: “Construction is a real ‘people-business’. Your social skills can really come to the fore.” …managing a sub-contracting business is an educational experience: “You learn at an early age how to deal with conflict!” …successful leaders are always making good contacts: “Networking is important, but it has to be authentic. You can tell when it’s not – and that can be off-putting.” …leaders need to put together high-performing teams: “It’s important to surround yourself with talented people. Don’t be afraid of working with people who are better than you.” …working environments are changing: “Construction sites can still be a harsh environment. But the working environment is completely different [to when I started]. Now [it’s recognised] that the more diverse the workplace, the better the outcomes.” …it’s important for leaders to have a plan: “Have a career plan It helps you to recover from short term knocks.” …successful leaders usually stay calm: “I spend a lot of my time toning down my natural emotional responses to situations. A lot of leaders do the same. You must be calm. In the most difficult circumstances. The best leaders appear calm and clear-headed – despite what might be going on just under the surface!” RELATED LINKS • There’s more about Sean Bowles on his LinkedIn page • The Morgan Sindall Construction website • Morgan Sindall is a strategic partner of NTU If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Sean Bowles, listen to previous shows with… • The Chief Marketing Officer of Boots Pete Markey | |||
| 07 May 2024 | Mary Storrie - Turning a tragedy into something positive | 00:21:47 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast. Episode 44 Mary Storrie – Turning a tragedy into something positive Introduction • Mary Storrie is CEO of international charity The Rosie May Foundation. • She and her husband Graham set up the Foundation after their daughter Rosie May was suffocated at a Christmas party near their home in Bottesford, Lincolnshire, in December 2003. • A 17-year-old boy, who the family knew, was sentenced to life in prison for Rosie’s murder. • In December 2004, Mary and Graham went on holiday to Sri Lanka, to escape memories of the previous year, and were caught up in the Asian Tsunami. • More than 230,000 people died in the tsunami. But the couple survived – as did a tiny palm tree they had planted in Rosie May’s memory the previous day. • In the last 20 years the Rosie May Foundation has raised more than three million pounds to educate children, empower women and help families lift themselves out of poverty. • It established organisations in Sri Lanka after the tsunami and in Nepal after an earthquake there in 2015. • It’s first project was building the Rosie May Home for Girls in Sri Lanka, for orphans who lost their parents in the tsunami. • The Foundarion has also had great success training single-parent mums in Sri Lanka to be tuk-tuk taxi drivers, through its Think Pink campaign. • Its staff rebuilt schools and established clean drinking water in Nepalese villages destroyed by the earthquake. • The Rosie May Foundation has offices in Nottingham; Seenigama, Sri Lanka; and Tennyson, Australia. Key takeaways • On why Mary set up international charity The Rosie May Foundation… “The charity has given me a channel for my grief – to turn something tragic into something positive. It’s given me a sense of purpose.” • On studying for a degree and Masters, while running the Foundation… “On reflection, [going to university] was the best thing I ever did. It gave me confidence. It opened so many doors for me.” • On the Foundation’s work to empower women in Sri Lanka… “We try to get to the root cause of the issue, which is always poverty. We try to get to women before they have no choice but to give their child to an orphanage.” • On helping women in Sri Lanka to become Pink tuk tuk taxi drivers… “We wanted to enable women to earn a man’s wage, in a man’s world.” • On bringing Think Pink taxis to Britain… “It’s always been my vision to bring the concept here. In the UK, less than three per cent of taxi drivers are women – for no good reason.” • On the need for leaders like herself to have a succession strategy: “I had a mentor who said: Tell me, what’s going to happen to your charity if you go under a Number 23 bus tomorrow? I said: Ah…” • Mary’s advice for other leaders and would-be leaders… “Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Every day!” Related links • Read more about Mary Storrie here • Read more about Mary’s story here • Read more about the Rosie May Foundation here | |||
| 02 Mar 2021 | Dr Jonathan Sims - Leadership in the construction industry | 00:18:32 | |
Jonathan Sims believes green technologies will be a good place to build a career in post-pandemic Britain. And as chief procurement officer with international energy company Engie, in Britain and Ireland, he should know. The Government has decreed its economic recovery plans will be spearheaded by clean technologies. And many big international businesses – including Engie, traditionally a utility company – have chosen to focus their global energies on “making zero carbon happen”. Jonathan tells the NBS Business Leaders’ podcast: “When I look at the evolution in the Engie business in the last two years, the pace of change has been enormous. “The (UK) Government has been very supportive in driving the green agenda – it has shaped our business activities. “It’s an exciting sector… And the organisational purpose of doing good is compelling.” Jonathan started his own career in the family construction business, after leaving school in Mansfield, in the 1990s. “Like a lot of young people, I was probably lost and unfocused about what I wanted to do – and where I wanted to be,” he tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi. “But I’ve always been driven by opportunity. And as a youngster in a construction business, surveying seemed like one of the most professional sectors open to me.” He began shadowing the company’s surveyors, studied for the first of his four degrees – then embarked on a business career that has taken him to half a dozen companies. Along the way he has picked up a wide range of business skills but believes most of his successes have been based on his ability as a manager. He says: “As a primary skill, good management probably comes first. The technical aspects of a role, you can acquire over time. “Good business acumen – the fact that solutions are delivered through people – is at the heart of all areas.” And, despite the pandemic, Jonathan is optimistic for young people starting out in business now. He says: “They will be trying to build their own personal brand over Teams or Zoom and that’s probably a challenge lots of managers have never had. “But remote working has also broken down geographical barriers, enabling people to work from anywhere, which is going to open up huge opportunity.” | |||
| 26 Sep 2023 | Professor Edward Peck CBE - The performance and discipline of leadership | 00:32:39 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Professor Edward Peck CBE - The performance and discipline of leadership | Episode 30 Professor Edward Peck deliberately wears a wristwatch that stopped working years ago. If he wants to know the time, the Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University looks at his phone. He uses the broken watch to remind him that he’s at work – and he can’t allow himself to fall back on habits he picked up from his wise-cracking Scouse dad. “My dad was a classic Scouser – the doyen of the smart put-down,” he says, in episode 30 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast. “It took me years to learn to stop it. One of the things I do is wear a watch… to remind me that I’m at work. It tells me: Apply your work discipline! “Everyone knows what it is in their make-up, that is their Achilles Heel – and part of our task, as leaders, is to make sure we keep it in check. “The rational bit of leadership is the easy bit. It’s the emotional bit that’s the hard bit. For me, it takes real discipline.” Professor Peck – who was appointed VC at NTU in August 2014, after several senior leadership roles in the NHS and Higher Education – was brought up on a farm in rural Skelmersdale, in Lancashire. “Much of my childhood was spent relatively isolated – that was quite challenging as an upbringing,” he tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. “Then when I was about ten, our farm was compulsorily purchased to build the New Town, so we moved into the centre of Skelmersdale, and I had more social interaction with my peers outside of school hours. That was the making of me. That’s when I developed some social skills.” But, decades later, the VC says he still catches himself being introverted. “No-one needs an introvert organisational leader, so I have to work really hard at being engaged and engaging,” he adds. He believes there’s no such thing as a ‘born leader’. “If you are slightly introverted, you can work on it and develop a way of interacting as a leader, which looks like an extrovert. “People often assume that certain personality types are better or worse as a leader – I don’t buy that for a second. “It’s about recognising what resources you’ve got and what you can develop… what you think works when you watch other people being an effective leader, that you can bring into your own leadership performance.” Professor Peck has previously researched leadership. In 2009, he and a colleague jointly published an academic book entitled Performing Leadership. He is quick to highlight what he believes is one of the big differences between true leadership and day-to-day management. He says: “Leadership is about mobilising commitment. It’s about getting to the point where other people are as mobilised and committed as you are. People need to feel that they’re doing something that connects with their core values. “Once you’ve mobilised commitment in a certain direction, lots of stuff can happen that you couldn’t make happen as a manager.” In a candid interview, the Vice Chancellor talks about the successes of his nine years at NTU, including a big increase in student numbers – from 23,000 to 40,000, five national University of the Year awards and a new 500-student campus in Mansfield. He believes that he and NTU are “a good fit”. Leaders often take on big roles too early in their careers, he says. “It’s all about judgement. People would be well advised not to rush their careers. I was in my mid 50s before I became a chief exec. “People asked why I hadn’t done this before. I told them; because I didn’t feel ready to take on the responsibility – I need to know exactly what I’m going to do, and I need to find the right place. “I’m [also] puzzled by leaders who want to move on quickly. If you find the right place and it’s a good fit, don’t assume that going somewhere else is going to work for you again. [Leadership] is about building relationships and these things take time.” During a graduation ceremony a few years ago, Professor Peck enjoyed another proud moment in his leadership career when he presented his own daughter with an NTU degree in Museum and Heritage Development. He says: “The vocational nature of the university is what sold it to my daughter. “But this is a great university. And it’s a great university for everyone’s kids – not someone else’s kids! It’s really important that you believe. Not only in the social mission, but also in the educational quality and the research activity. “You’ve got to believe as a leader that, if it’s the right fit, what you can do can help anyone.” More about Nottingham Business School: | |||
| 29 Sep 2021 | Sir Baz North OBE - Making unpopular decisions and embracing change | 00:20:23 | |
Air Marshal Sir Baz North faced one of his greatest challenges in the aftermath of the Mull of Kintyre Helicopter Disaster when a Chinook flew into a hillside killing all 25 security officers on board. It was the biggest peacetime loss of life in the history of the RAF. And Sir Baz – who was a Chinook Special Unit Commander in Northern Ireland, where the helicopter was based – tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast that dealing with the tragedy taught him a lot. “The challenge I had was ensuring the other operations we had going on elsewhere were successfully conducted… while ensuring right was done to the families of those bereaved,” he says. “One learned about handling one’s own feelings.” During a 35-year career with the RAF, Sir Baz took on a huge array of leadership roles, from commanding helicopter squadrons in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan – to leading flood relief operations in Mozambique. He tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi he threw himself into every job. “You only get one life and you’ve got to put as much into it as you can,” he says. “If you’re not enjoying it, you’re not putting enough in. “My first role as a pilot was flying Wessex helicopters, but I wanted to know more… to get a better understanding of what I wanted to do. “So, I spent time beyond my contracted hours learning more. If you have a passion for wanting to do your best, it doesn’t matter what your contract says, you’ll get stuck in – to amass knowledge.” Sir Baz also stresses the importance of team-building. He says good leaders must always be compassionate – and good team members supportive. But the Air Vice Marshal talks about “the loneliness of command”. He says: “Never be afraid of making unpopular decisions. Making the right decision is the thing to do. “Whether a decision is popular or not is not very interesting. “But mitigating unpopularity by explaining to one’s team the reason why… that brings them into a recognition of… ok… we don’t like it, but we’ve got to do it!” Sir Baz – who was seven years a member of the Air Force Board, until his retirement in 2016 – says would-be leaders must, above everything, embrace change. “Change is the only constant we’ve got in life – and that’s a thing that quite a few people can’t accept,” he says. “Get comfortable with change. Exploit it for the betterment of your own organisation and your own people. “Where there is change to be delivered there will be people who are resistant. So, move swiftly and exploit the ambiguity.” @ Sir Baz North is a member of the Nottingham Business School Advisory Board. In 2018 he was presented with an Honorary Doctorate by Nottingham Trent University. The ceremony and Sir Baz’s acceptance speech are HERE (between 43:45 and 55:00) | |||
| 02 Feb 2021 | Robin Foale - Why integrity is the most important character trait for leaders | 00:24:26 | |
Former banking executive Robin Foale enjoyed a hugely successful career with both Barclays and Santander. But, given his time again, he says he would probably follow a different path. He has been inspired by the young entrepreneurs he has met in recent years, as he coaches and mentors at universities, including Nottingham Business School. “If I’d known then what I know now I would have backed myself a lot earlier,” he tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast. “I’d have gone off and been an entrepreneur. I like the idea of risking everything in backing oneself as a business. ”After more than three decades in mainstream banking, Robin is now heavily involved in education, including as chair of the NBS advisory board. He is intrigued by the increasing number of young people he talks to who want to work for themselves. He is also impressed by both the quality of their ideas and the strength of their self-belief. The most important attribute they will need if they are to be successful as leaders is integrity, he tells podcast host Mike Sassi. During a fascinating conversation, he goes on to talk candidly about the dark days of the 2008 international financial crisis – and how he stood down from one role because he feared he was being asked to compromise his own integrity. Robin is now a director of the Reliance Bank, that was founded by the Salvation Army. He believes customers increasingly want to use more benevolent, compassionate organisations, including social enterprises. In his own industry, he sees the closure of High Street branches continuing. But he is certain the large volumes of data we give our banks every day mean we can still have a detailed – even personal – relationship with the people who look after our money. | |||
| 22 Jun 2023 | Errol Gardner - Why modern leadership is as much about EQ as IQ, at EY | 00:34:09 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Errol Gardner - Why modern leadership is as much about EQ as IQ, at EY | Episode 29 International executive Errol Gardner has more than 100,000 people working for him – across 150 countries. And last year his side of the business generated more than ten billion pounds, for professional services firm EY (formerly Ernst and Young). But as Vice Chair of EY (consulting), he is convinced that modern leadership is about so much more than having the right qualifications. “It’s not about IQ,” he says, in Episode 29 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast. “I went to university. I studied. I did professional exams. All of that is important. But in most cases, it's just a hygiene factor. In a lot of what we do, it [success] comes down to your EQ and how you relate [to other people].” Errol says that when he started in business, thirty years ago, social skills were not so important for leaders. Now, he believes, it is crucial for would-be leaders to develop their emotional intelligence. He tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi: “We know our school and university system focuses a lot on the accumulation of knowledge… but it is more about being curious. A lot of the knowledge you need in the world of work is about who people are and what makes them tick. “That's a very different skill set… and you need to be ready to embrace it as you enter into the world of work and leadership.” One of the reasons social skills are so important is that leaders now have to shepherd colleagues and customers through a constantly changing world, where “endemic change is the new business-as-usual”, says Errol. He highlights research that shows the most successful leaders are those who can best build “emotional connections” with the people around them. He adds: “I’ve been in this [change management] business for more than 30 years. You see success and failure, and you try to understand what makes a difference. We kicked off a study last year with leaders. It concluded that in most cases the major difference between success and failure is down to a human reaction to the change. “This emotional aspect comes from the fact that we're social animals – we like engagement with other people. We shouldn't imagine that, in the work environment, we can be successful without tuning into people’s desire to be more connected and to feel the people they work with are moving in the same direction. “So having those skills, but also being able to see when they’re not working very well… having the emotional intelligence to spot that… is a really important characteristic of leadership. Much more so than when I started my working career.” More about Nottingham Business School: • Visit the Nottingham Business School website | |||
| 14 Dec 2023 | Kathryn Wasteney - Leadership, fraud and the importance of being nosey | 00:23:00 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Kathryn Wasteney - Leadership, fraud and the importance of being nosey| Episode 37 Introduction
Key takeaways
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More about Nottingham Business School
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| 02 Nov 2023 | Tim Moody - Leading across borders at Fujitsu | 00:26:38 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Leading across borders at Fujitsu | Episode 33 Key takeaways
About Tim Moody
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More about Nottingham Business School | |||
| 11 May 2021 | Dr Peter Homa CBE - How leaders should look after themselves | 00:18:19 | |
Healthcare leader Peter Homa believes the most important thing for any leader is to believe in what you’re doing – even if it means walking away from a job to avoid being compromised. As Director General of the Defence Medical Services, Peter has been in charge of health care for every member of the British military for almost two years. But he also spent a quarter of a century running three of Britain’s biggest NHS teaching hospitals – and was founding chair of the NHS Leadership Academy. He told the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast: “Experience has taught me the fundamental importance of values – and not compromising them. “There was one particular occasion where I resigned. At the time, it felt like a very heavy decision. But… I was being asked to enact a role that wasn’t the one I’d applied for, in a way that I was profoundly uncomfortable doing. I chose to get out of it. “It was uncomfortable at the time, but it was entirely the right thing to do.” In this episode of the NBS podcast, Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi asks Dr Homa how successful leaders maintain transparency, even under intense pressure. Peter says: “In healthcare we exhort our clinical colleagues to be open when things go wrong. As managers we need to lead by example. So, when I’ve done something wrong, it’s very important I demonstrate the behaviour I expect of others. “Also, through sharing adversities and difficulties, we build up levels of trust and confidence in each other.” Peter, who is also a member of Nottingham Business School’s advisory board, believes the most successful leaders keep a watchful eye on their own health. He thinks this will be increasingly important in the future. “I sense younger colleagues have a deeper sense of looking after themselves… a better sense of balance,” he says. “Many are concerned with working reasonable hours. I didn’t. I worked every hour I could… with downsides in having lost really important, irreplaceable time with family. “Younger colleagues recognise time has got to be invested in home, family and loved ones, as well as work.” And this is reflected in the advice Peter offers the next generation of senior managers and leaders. “One of the first tasks of a leader is to look after themselves,” he says. “If they can’t look after themselves, they won’t be able to look after those people who are looking to them for leadership. “On occasions I’ve been completely knackered… I haven’t been able to devote quality attention to individuals or issues… and that has led to poorer outcomes and results. “So, take care of yourself. Focus on mind, body and soul. And enjoy!” | |||
| 09 Apr 2024 | Charlotte Henshaw MBE - Learning from your failures | 00:35:13 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Charlotte Henshaw MBE – Learning from your failures Episode 42 Introduction Charlotte Henshaw was born and brought up in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
Key takeaways – What Charlotte told the NBS podcast On having her legs amputated, at the age of 18 months… “I feel fortunate having never known any different from my disability… I don’t remember any time before I had my amputations. The earliest memories I have are of using my prosthetics.” On meeting Paralympic swimmer Emily Jennings – who won gold at the Atlanta games – at the age of ten… “It absolutely inspired me. Now I’m that person who people ask for a picture – and I know how powerful it can be.” On coming fourth (and missing out on a medal) as a swimmer in her first Paralympics, in Bejing 2008… “Maybe I wouldn’t have had the drive to carry on if I had achieved everything at that first Games. The thought I’d still got things to prove was the catalyst that set me off on a very successful, ten-year swimming career.” On transforming from a world class paralympic swimmer to a world class paralympic canoeist… “I had to put myself in a position I really wasn’t comfortable with… to try new sports. It was a real learning curve… but it has led me to a whole new career that I never anticipated.” On struggling to deal with nerves and the anxiety of expectation… “I’m a naturally anxious person. I’ve had to learn to be more rational… I find going into the gym and embracing the challenge of [physical] pain relatively easy. But working on the psychology of sport has been a real difficulty for me.” On having a ‘melt-down’ early in her paracanoe career… “I had all kind of thoughts and feelings… I went to counselling and off-loaded all those feelings to someone else who helped me learn the tools to deal with them. Now I feel more able to… navigate tricky situations. Learning to tackle my mental state has been one of the most impactful pieces of work in my career.” On managing to overcome every hurdle she encounters… “I have an in-built tenacity, stubbornness, whatever you want to call it… I have the will to see the positives and take the learnings from every situation.” On what she has learned looking back on her career (so far) … “It’s important to recognise that ‘failure’ isn’t always a bad thing – but you can always learn something from it.” Her advice for fellow leaders… “The most inspiring leaders have a willingness to collaborate, to be open… Being a good leader is about being part of a bigger picture; about recognising that it’s not just you driving – it’s actually a collaborative thing.” Related links: There are more details about Charlotte Henshaw here And her glittering career, on the Paralympic GB website here And on Instagram, here And her endometriosis diagnosis, on the BBC here If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast, listen to previous episodes with… Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi MBE | |||
| 23 Apr 2024 | Lorna Holder - How successful leaders reinvent themselves | 00:24:37 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Lorna Holder – How successful leaders reinvent themselves Episode 43 Introduction… • Lorna Holder is the Managing Director of the Full-Spectrum and Tuareg Productions companies. • She was born in Jamaica, raised in Nottingham, and became the first black fashion graduate of Nottingham Trent University in 1975 • Lorna started her career as a designer with Birmingham-based House of Lerose – and in the 1980s, was made Head of Fashion at dressmaker Davies & Fields. • In 2002 she was Executive Producer of the inaugural Black Film and Television Awards. • She has delivered six Heritage Lottery Fund productions, based on research and oral histories of Caribbean people and other communities in Britain. • Her productions have included collaborations with the V&A, British Museum, Rich Mix, BFI, Theatre Royal Nottingham and London Metropolitan Archives. • Lorna’s book, 'Style in My DNA,' chronicles 70 years of British Caribbean fashion. • Lorna has been a member of the Board of Governors at Nottingham Trent University for more than six years. | |||
| 29 Mar 2023 | Sat Bains - Be disciplined and choose the path less trodden | 00:30:40 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Sat Bains - Be disciplined and choose the path less trodden | Episode 27 It’s exactly 20 years since Nottingham chef Sat Bains was awarded his first Michelin star. His Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms now has two Michelin stars and is one of the most respected fine-dining restaurants in Britain. Last night (March 28, 2023), in a ceremony at the Silverstone Formula One circuit, he retained the Two Michelin Stars he was first awarded in 2011, for another 12 months. But Sat believes much of his success can be put down to his staff… and the freedom they are given to express themselves. “I’ve never taught them how to be the best chef, or best sommelier, or best front-of-house… I’ve taught them how to think,” he tells Episode 27 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast In the hospitality industry, young kitchen staff traditionally learn their trade by working at the best restaurants, closely following every move of the chef in charge. But Sat says his leadership style is different. He makes a conscious effort to ensure his staff don’t “lose their identity”. “We create people who are thinking rather than following,” he tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. “If you teach your guys that they can be expressive… if you treat them as individuals… they don’t see what they do as a chore. They enjoy it.” Sat and his wife Amanda launched their Nottingham restaurant in 2002, at an isolated spot near the end of pot-holed Lenton Lane, under the A52 flyover. “We always prefer to travel the path less trodden,” says Sat. During the last two decades, they've turned it into a place with a national reputation – and expert staff who pride themselves on their attention to detail. “I tell staff: You’ve got to look at the food in this restaurant, as though it is yours… you’ve got to be almost jealous of the guest eating your scallop,” he adds. During a candid podcast conversation, he offers future entrepreneurs his leadership lessons – peppered with memories of his early career in Nottingham and Derby, where he studied for a City and Guilds catering qualification more than 30 years ago. “Back in the day, you didn’t have to be very academic,” he says. “Cheffing was a dropout industry. On a split shift, you’d start at 8am, finish at 3pm, go to the pub, have five pints and 10 cigarettes… then back to work at 6pm. Today, the guys go to the gym, have their protein shakes… then they are ready to go. “They’re two different worlds. And I certainly prefer this one!” He also highlights how restaurant kitchens have evolved during the last thirty years. “It’s not how it used to be, but kitchens are still tough places and discipline needs to be adhered to,” he adds. “I try to lead by example; to be firm but fair; to tell people what is going on and why… but a good bollocking never goes amiss!” Sat’s career took off when he won the prestigious Roux Scholarship, in 1999. He is certain it is discipline and hard work that have made his restaurant one of only 20 in Britain to be awarded two Michelin stars. He tells the podcast: “My parents are immigrants who came over here from India in the ‘60s. I know how hard they worked. I know how hard I’ve worked! Working hard is really good for your spirit – and for your soul. There’s a part of me that really doesn’t like laziness. ” And the chef’s advice for the entrepreneurs and leaders of the future? “If you’re a chef and you want to become very good, you go and work for the best. So, my advice [to everyone] is look for the best. “But you still need to keep your individuality… because that will take you over hurdles later in life. “Build your character (make it bulletproof) and your convictions. And remember, your ideas could be the ones that change the world! More about Nottingham Business School: • Visit the Nottingham Business School website | |||
| 16 Mar 2021 | Judy Naake MBE - Building the St Tropez cosmetics empire | 00:20:45 | |
Judy Naake MBE is best known for the St Tropez fake tan empire that she sold for £70m. But she was also one of the first entrepreneurs to use celebrity endorsements to promote her business. Judy told stars like Victoria Beckham and Cat Deeley they could either pay for their new tan or, if they liked what they saw, they could have it free of charge by allowing her to use their names. Her PR strategy worked. The stars told their friends and fans, St Tropez became a huge success – and Judy was feted as a beauty business guru. However, before she signed a contract with its American manufacturer, no-one was interested in the tanning cream. “Everyone in the industry thought I was crazy,” she tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast. “Several distributors had turned it down… It was dark brown. I slapped it on my legs and thought, this is going to look like hell in the morning!” But it didn’t. In fact, Judy was so impressed she bought two plane tickets to Los Angeles, where she persuaded the manufacturer to make her St Tropez’s sole British distributor. Crucially, she also negotiated a distributor’s contract that laid the foundations for her future success. She says: “It was a very good contract. Because of my knowledge of the beauty business, I knew… if you’re not careful you can build a brand for someone then they say, ‘thank you very much, we’ll do it ourselves now’.” Judy now advises young entrepreneurs. In an entertaining interview with Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi, she explains how she honed her business skills working in sales promotion as a 1980s “John Player Girl”. She also talks about her 25-year entrepreneurial career before she started with St Tropez – including running her dad’s restaurant, in Nottingham city centre. Judy admits she doesn’t suffer fools – and she only trusts herself. Her experiences tell her that “women still need to work harder than men.” Despite her business success, she regrets not going to university. Her dad wouldn’t allow it because, in his view, university was a place where “they all took drugs”. Ironically, Judy was later awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Nottingham. But her advice to aspiring young entrepreneurs is to trust their intuition. “Never underestimate your gut [instincts],” she says. “If your gut isn’t happy, don’t do it!” | |||
| 03 Sep 2024 | Nick Beighton - The e-commerce pioneer who turned ASOS into an international success story | 00:38:23 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 50 Nick Beighton - The e-commerce pioneer who turned ASOS into an international success story Summary Nick Beighton transformed ASOS into a global e-commerce powerhouse. When he walked through the front door to take up the role of Chief Finance Officer in 2009, the company was a fledgling online fashion retailer, with 200 staff and £160m of revenues. When he stepped down as Chief Executive 12 years later, the company’s workforce was 3,500-strong… and its annual revenues were just shy of £4bn. In a special Episode 50 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Nick tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about the importance of values, the need for planning, and why it’s always better to use influence rather than exert control. Introduction Nick Beighton is one of Britain’s most celebrated e-commerce fashion executives – best known for the 12 years he spent on the board of online retailer ASOS (2009 to 2021). He was CEO of ASOS for six years, during which time he helped turn the company into a huge global success story. Nick was born in Nottinghamshire and started his career as a chartered accountant with KPMG, in Nottingham. He graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 1989 after studying accounting and finance. Nick went on to become Head of Finance at High Street retailer Matalan. He was also Chief Finance Officer at Britain’s biggest operator of late-night venues Luminar. For 14 months up to March 2024, Nick was CEO of luxury fashion retailer Matchesfashion. He is currently chairman of the Secret Sales online fashion retailer. KEY LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS FROM NICK BEIGHTON He tells Mike Sassi… …a leader must be the coolest person in the room when something goes wrong: “At ASOS, when something went wrong I would say – guys, it’s just another bump in the road. It’s not failure. It’s something new we’ve learned.” ...it’s important to listen to your mum: “[When I left school] I wanted to join the Royal Marines. My mum wasn’t blown away! So, when the opportunity came to work in an accounting office, she pushed me into it.” …successful leaders are always willing to experiment: “One of our values at ASOS was, never be afraid to turn left when others turn right. If it doesn’t work, you can [stop and] go again.” …as businesses get bigger, they become less entrepreneurial: “I was always asking [myself], how do I put entrepreneurialism into the organisation? The best ideas don’t come from the boardroom – they come from your team, and your customers.” …having a clear purpose helps leaders inspire their staff to follow them: “I’m an unashamed admirer of capitalism. But purpose drives profit – not the other way round. When you do this, your team understands and follows you.” …customers want to know about a company’s values and purpose: “At ASOS, people were wearing our clothes because they wanted to express themselves in a particular way. Customers want to be part of a brand that has something they believe in.” …a leader must be seen to embody the company’s values: “When your organisation gets its values right… then you, as the leader, have to adopt them. Otherwise, the organisation calls you out as being full of sh’t!” …it’s important for leaders to build their communication skills: “You don’t have to be an extrovert to be a leader. You can be a quiet leader. But you must be a good communicator.” And his advice to other leaders and would-be leaders? “Leadership is not a right, it’s a privilege. So, make sure you do something with your leadership. Don’t just sit on it. Use your influence to make change. Don’t wait to be asked what you think!” RELATED LINKS • There’s more about Nick Beighton on his LinkedIn profile • There’s also more about Nick Beighton on fashion news platform Drapers • Nick Beighton’s exit from Matchesfashion was reported in Retail Gazette If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Nick Beighton, listen to previous shows with… • The former Chairman and Chief Exec of Experian Sir John Peace | |||
| 27 Feb 2024 | Brendan Donnelly - Manufacturing on the side of a mountain | 00:20:00 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast. Episode 39. Brendan Donnelly: Manufacturing on the side of a mountain – small business leadership in a remote corner of England. Introduction
Key takeaways
Brendan said: “It’s incredibly difficult up here [on Coniston Old Man]. Not least because there are no roads. We drive our slate up and down a track.”
Brendan said: “The courier comes to the bottom of the hill… picks them [our pieces] up and takes them off to London. Our rolling pins sell very well in Fortnum and Masons!”
Brendan said: “Nowhere in my business plan did I write, Close for four months due to worldwide pandemic – and almost go bankrupt!”
Brendan said: “If you’re in business, you need sales. If you have a factory... and it's not producing anything, you’ll soon go out of business.”
Brendan said: “We know, to the final pound, how much we should be producing every week.”
Brendan said: “We’re one of the last five or six slate masons in England. This business, this way of life, is too important for me to allow it to vanish.”
Brendan said: “It’s very, very difficult to compete. We all want to reduce our carbon footprint. Let’s start by buying products made of slate from English quarries.”
Brendan said: “Every day, go an extra inch, not an extra mile. Make sure you’re better than everyone else. But remember, you only need to win the race by a nose!” Related links
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| 26 Apr 2022 | Dr Heather Melville OBE - Creating inclusive cultures and getting the best out of people | 00:25:26 | |
Banker Heather Melville remembers clearly the day she told senior colleagues at Royal Bank of Scotland about her idea to set up a women’s network for staff. “One male colleague said: What are they doing? Are they going to be talking about jam and burning their bras?” she tells the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast. More than a decade later, the innovative women’s network now has more than 12,000 members across 33 different countries – and Dr Melville has been awarded an OBE for her services to gender equality. She says: “To this day, I still think it’s quite comical. I paid no attention to the comments. But I tried to grab the attention and the ego of the person who made them by saying: This is a really important initiative and I need you to cast your eye over it. “When he did, he saw the business case. He came back and said: This is definitely something we should be doing. I’m going to retract my comment about the jam!” During more than three decades working in the City of London, Dr Melville was a senior exec at both the Royal Bank of Scotland and at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has been a great champion of women in business and chairs the Women in Management organisation CMI Women. In this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast, she tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi that many businesses still have much to do to create an inclusive culture that is welcoming for men and women. But she says their mindsets are being changed by the next generation of business leaders. “I often hear young men saying they will not work for an organisation that doesn’t treat women fairly,” she says. “Today’s young men are growing up with that value inside them. They recognise that their sisters, mothers, girlfriends, daughters, nieces… want equality.” In 2012, Dr Melville was named as one of the top 100 women in the world making a difference to the economic empowerment of women, in the International Alliance for Women awards. Five years later she was awarded her OBE, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, and she is now a senior managing director with the prestigious Ridgeway advisors, on London’s Buckingham Palace Road. Today, the IBM Business School graduate believes companies are increasingly recognising that all staff are much more likely to be loyal to a considerate boss. Dr Melville says: “Once upon a time people frowned on the idea of someone working three or four days a week, so they could take children to school or parents to appointments. “Now [modern leaders] recognise they get much better value from their staff if they appreciate them. “I know people who have been offered a lot of money to change their job, but they stay because their organisation looked after them when they were on maternity leave or when a relative died. “Leaders know that organisations benefit when they treat their employees well.” | |||
| 21 Nov 2023 | Michael Hayman MBE - Harnessing the power of purpose | 00:33:23 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Michael Hayman – Why our business leaders need purpose | Episode 35 Introduction
Key takeaways
Related links
More about Nottingham Business School Visit the Nottingham Business School website | |||
| 12 Apr 2022 | David Williams MBE - Leading as an introvert and confronting your fears | 00:19:27 | |
Respected lawyer David Williams spent almost three decades working his way up to the role of Chairman at of one of the country’s top 100 law firms Geldards. But, as he tells the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders Podcast, he is constantly having to battle shyness – and force himself to confront his worries. “If I've had success, it's come through challenging myself… putting myself in situations where I’m uncomfortable,” he says “I'm now doing things I think would surprise people who knew me as a kid. “And it's all been through just pushing myself to develop confidence – because confidence breeds confidence. “Once you've done something and found you can do it, then you grow.” David has been Chairman of Geldards for more than 15 years. He is also deputy chairman of the D2N2 Local Economic Partnership – and one of the most recognisable and well-connected business leaders in the East Midlands. In conversation with Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi, he says he believes young, would-be leaders now have to work harder than ever to have their talents recognised. “The expansion of access to higher education has created a challenge,” he says. “When I emerged from university, I knew I was in the top four per cent of the population, in terms of my education. “Therefore, employers would come and find us because they knew we were in that percentile. Now 25 per cent of young people go through higher education... it’s more difficult to stand out.” David – a governor at Nottingham Trent University – is certain young people who don’t try to stand out, run the risk of never achieving their ambitions. Offering advice to future leaders, he says: “If you hide, there’s a danger you’ll just disappear. “I'm a big believer in recruiting for personality. You need to get people to like you for what you are, then develop a trust in you. “And don’t ever be frightened to express an opinion. If you’re vanilla-flavoured you won’t be spotted.” Episode 17 of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast is dominated by David’s belief that future leaders are the people who are willing to “climb out of the trenches” and push themselves forward. He adds: “I've learned that despite being a shy person I've got to do things that are attention-grabbing, on a regular basis. “I often think [to myself], this is the time you've bitten off too much… this is the time it's all going to go wrong and you're going to make a complete fool of yourself! “But you keep going until you find you’ve survived… and sometimes succeeded.” | |||
| 09 May 2023 | Debbie Hewitt MBE - Resilience, perspective and accountability: Insights from The FA's first female chair | 00:41:14 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Debbie Hewitt MBE - Resilience, perspective and accountability: Insights from The FA's first female chair | Episode 28 Inspirational Debbie Hewitt has had a remarkable 40-year career in business. As Chair of the English Football Association and Vice President of world football, she is one of the most powerful people in the game. She is also non-executive chair of big-brand companies Visa Europe, CompareTheMarket and White Stuff. But her first job was on the shop floor at the Marks and Spencer store, in Newark. And as she tells Episode 28 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, she is still striving to impress one of her greatest critics – her 87-year-old dad! “My dad didn't have a career per se,” she tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. “He worked in a factory. He had no qualifications. When he left school at 14 or 15, he couldn't read or write. “He’s an example of a system that didn’t care. He was often made to stand at the back of class because he was the class clown. Why couldn't he read and write? Because he was always standing at the back of the class! How crazy was that? “He realised as he got older that actually he was bright. He became the union shop steward at the engineering factory where he worked in Newark. “According to my dad, unions exist because management is poor. If management did a great job, you wouldn't need unions. That was his mantra. “He's 87 now and still as sharp as anything. He’s my biggest critic – he keeps me very grounded. And he’s taught me a lot about leadership.” After leaving Marks and Spencer, Debbie went on to work for motor company Lex, where her early leadership career was almost over before it started, when she was given a well-deserved, final written warning. “For having a real chip on my shoulder…” she tells the podcast. At the age of 32 she was appointed as the first woman managing director of the RAC in its 120-year history. And in recent years she has had 18 non-executive roles on company boards across ten different sectors of business. She currently juggles her FA and FIFA positions with her three other non-exec chairs. She and her husband also have 14-year-old twins and Debbie is a parish councillor in the Cheshire village where she lives. But despite her great success, Debbie believes that good leaders learn as much from their failures as their successes – and her previous mistakes have helped prepare her for her role with the FA. “It’s the things I've got wrong – the bad judgments – that have prepared me for this more high-profile job,” she says. “They’ve made me able to deal with the highs and the lows – and that’s important.” More about Nottingham Business School:
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| 27 Apr 2021 | Sir Ken Olisa OBE - Living in a time of opportunity for young entrepreneurs | 00:34:38 | |
International businessman Sir Ken Olisa believes post-pandemic Britain offers young entrepreneurs more opportunities than at any point in his lifetime. Sir Ken – Chairman of the Restoration Partners technology merchant bank he founded, and Deputy Chairman of the Institute of Directors – is excited by the business revolution he says is taking place. And he tells the Business Leaders’ Podcast that young people who have just endured more than 12 months of lockdown may well be perfectly placed to take advantage. “If you are a young businessperson now, this is the best possible period,” he says. “We are coming out of an economic winter, into an economic spring. The things that were frail before we went into winter will die. The things that are vibrant and strong will survive. In my lifetime there has not been so great an opportunity for innovation and change.” Sir Ken, who grew up on a terraced street in Nottingham, started his career with American computer giant IBM, before enjoying a hugely successful series of senior executive roles with Wang Laboratories. In 1992 he founded the technology merchant bank Interregnum. He tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about a time when Interregnum tested his leadership skills. He says: “2002 was a terrible year for us. We must have nearly gone bust every month! “I gave a leadership speech to the board… when I said: You only notice the rocks in the water when the tide is out! My senior independent director replied: Rocks? I can see the expletive supermarket trolleys!” Interregnum survived and prospered. Sir Ken – regularly in news headlines as the Queen’s Lord Lieutenant of London – now runs Restoration Partners. He believes we’re heading into a period of unprecedented economic change. “Today, we’ve just had a pandemic and the tide has gone out completely,” he says. “All the things that were wrong are now there for us to watch on the beachfront. “Why did we make people do two and a half hours a day commuting? Because we’ve always done that. No other reason. Why did we think people working from home were skiving? Because we always have. “The pandemic has exposed things that have been in plain sight, but we haven’t tackled. Seriously competitive businesses will look at those things, reconfigure and compete. Others will not look at them, will not tackle them, will fail to compete and will fold.” Sir Ken was the first British-born black man to serve on the board of a major UK company, when he joined Reuters. He has since served on boards in Britain and North America and is currently chairman of Africa’s biggest e-payments company Interswitch. He believes disruptors – businesspeople who want to do things differently – will dominate markets in the coming years. “For disruptors, it’s all about opportunities,” says the businessman, who has an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University. “You already see it, for example, in food delivery across the country. An entirely new industry is being built as a result of the pandemic. This is a wonderful time for the disruptor.” Sir Ken predicts 5G will have as big an impact on our lives as the advent of the internet. He says: “We are in what I call the Age of Ubiquity. Everything is – or will become – a computer. Technology can do things that couldn’t be done before. “5G means we can now have an instant response to something. And access to the Cloud, means we have infinite computer power. “The applications this makes possible, across all sectors, are still largely to be designed, implemented and turned into businesses. “This is a revolutionary period of time… a new economic spring. It’s that big a step change.” | |||
| 13 Feb 2024 | Penny Briscoe OBE - Beyond the podium with the Chef de Mission of ParalympicsGB | 00:26:36 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders’ Podcast Penny Briscoe OBE – Paralympics GB team leader Episode 38 Introduction
Key takeaways
Penny said: “The leadership journey is a long one. Once the host city is announced we try to embed ourselves in its culture… make the important relationships.”
Penny said: “I have a very clear vision of how I think Paralympics GB should compete… engage… behave. We’re a world leading nation on the field of play. I want us to lead the world off it too.”
Penny said: “I never dwell on the negatives. We have to create an environment where 23 different sport teams can thrive.”
Penny said: “I competed [as a canoeist] for GB but never made the Olympics... I had regrets.”
Penny said: “I worried I wasn’t going to be able to have an impact. I thought, well I can either moan and groan or roll my sleeves up and try to make a difference.”
Penny said: “I was absolutely gutted. But I reflected on what a hypocrite I would be if I walked away. When you’re a leader it’s not about you – it’s about the team.”
Penny said: “The guy who didn’t appoint me in 2012 did appoint me in 2014. I remember it to this day. I was offered the job in Starbucks, in Birmingham New Street… I had a little cry!”
Penny said: “Ultimately, leadership is about inspiring and developing others. Never lose site of the privilege of being a leader.”
Penny said: “Leaders evolve… learn from your experiences. But be authentic. And treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.”
Penny said: “It was a very quiet games in Tokyo 2020, behind closed doors [because of Covid]. We’re hoping there will be lots and lots of Brits in Paris this summer, cheering us all on.” Related links: You can read… If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast, listen to previous episodes with…
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| 09 Nov 2021 | Eileen Richards MBE - Leading from the front in business and recruitment | 00:16:37 | |
Successful businesswoman Eileen Richards didn’t have a high-powered upbringing. But thirty years after she walked into a recruitment agency and asked to try as many temporary positions as possible, she is now one of the East Midlands most prominent business leaders. She has also been presented with an MBE by Prince Charles for the help she has given to other aspiring women business leaders. And in this episode of the Nottingham Business School Business Leaders’ Podcast, she talks about the importance of building relationships and developing expertise. “We all need KPIs in business, to measure and manage performance” she tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. “But the old saying that people buy from people, will last forever. “Then it’s your expertise as an individual that takes that relationship to a different level. “People pay for a service or product because they can rely on you to be an expert in a field.” Eileen runs the ER recruitment agency in Leicester and is President of the East Midlands Chamber. Much of her time is spent helping big companies recruit executives and non-executive directors for their boards. So, she knows what organisations are looking for in their leaders. She also recognises why mentoring future leaders is important. “Without realising it [early in my career] I had a really good mentor who saw something in me and gave me a long piece of rope that I could have done one of two things with! “Luckily it worked out for me. I desperately didn’t want to let him down.” Eileen also talks about the influence of her upbringing in a big Northern Irish family, in Leicester. She says: “Being one of seven children was absolutely fantastic. We didn’t have a lot of money. “But we also didn’t have mobile phones and laptops, so we weren’t distracted. We learned to communicate. “I went straight into a job from school – started as an office junior and ended up in a senior position. “But the company was moving to Bristol and I didn’t want to leave Leicester… so I walked into a recruitment agency and said I’d like to temp as many businesses as possible.” A few years later, she was in senior management with a recruitment agency. She adds: “When I was 30 years old [and I was first appointed as MD] this lovely car arrived and suddenly my salary went up significantly. “I remember my dad saying: Jesus! Things like this don’t happen to people like us!” That was more than a decade ago. Now, as an experienced business leader, Eileen runs her own company and has words of advice for up-and-coming leaders: “You can’t do it all, so surround yourself with the right people. And believe in yourself!” | |||
| 24 Oct 2023 | Neil Benson - A life in journalism | 00:27:05 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Neil Benson – A life in journalism | Episode 32 Key takeaways
Neil Benson’s career in local newspapers
Related links
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| 02 Jul 2024 | Ajay Sethi, Mr Tweezerman UK - The public face of a global beauty brand | 00:28:42 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 49 Ajay Sethi: Mr Tweezerman UK – the public face of a global beauty brand Summary Tweezerman is one of the world’s best-known beauty accessory brands – and Ajay Sethi is MD of Tweezerman UK. Ajay set up his business in the back bedroom of his family home, exactly twenty years ago. He became a joint venture partner with Tweezerman in 2018. In Episode 49 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Ajay tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about the pressures and pleasures of leading such a high-profile brand. He also explains why he installed a disco glitter ball in the staff toilets. Introduction • Ajay Sethi spent the first fourteen years of his career in sales, with Spillers, Sara Lee and Cork International. • In 2004 he set up his own business, QVC Global, in the back bedroom of his Nottingham home, selling TRUYU branded beauty accessories to major department stores and retailers. • German conglomerate the Zwilling Beauty Group bought QVS in 2013 and Ajay became a joint venture partner. • QVS changed its name to Tweezerman UK in 2018, when Ajay bought the rights to the Tweezerman brand in Britain. • Tweezerman UK now has 20 staff, based in offices in Edwalton, Nottingham. Last year its turnover was almost £8m. • Tweezerman’s beauty tools – including tweezers, eyelash curlers, cosmetic brushes and pedicure accessories – are used by A-list actors and celebrities around the world, from Margot Robbie to Molly Mae Hague • The brand sells in 67 countries. Tweezerman’s premium brand tools are on sale in Harrods and Sefridges. In London. • British customers have affectionately dubbed Ajay, Mr Tweezerman! Key leadership takeaways Ajay told this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast about: …being offered the chance to sell beauty accessories after he was made redundant from a book wholesaler. “At the time I would have said yes to anything. If you’d asked me to be a horse trader, I would have said yes!” …the importance, for businesspeople, of finding a gap in the market. “[When I started selling] I stood in front of the beauty fixture in a major store and had a bit of a moment… I realised they didn’t have any pedicure files – and I had six in my range. I rang the buyer and told her she had a gap… to cut a long story short, we’re still supplying them, 20 years later.” …the skills required to build a business. “People do business with people. I spend most of my time trying to get people to engage with me… The most important thing is authenticity.” …not realising, in the early days of his business, that traders need a VAT number to release imported stock to customers. “I was told it took up to four weeks to get a VAT number – and I needed the stock that day. I begged, I pleaded, I cried… within two hours I had the number. But I’d never known that kind of pressure. I went into survival mode.” …the role of a business leader. “What I do is set out the business culture… I’m a great believer that everything is driven by values. If your value relationships [with staff and customers] don’t work, your business won’t work.” …Tweezerman’s “funky” offices, with their neon lights, graffiti art and disco glitters balls in the loo. “I want it to be fun for staff to come to work… and it’s a focus of attention when buyers come to our office. Sometimes they don’t want to leave. We have such a lovely energy.” …the great potential for growth in his business. “We’ve grown revenues 300 per cent in the last six years. Revenues are now at £8m – they really should [soon] be £15m. New products, new categories, now customers… I just don’t want to stop!” …the pressures of being an entrepreneur. “I have one hundred business ideas a day. Some days I don’t sleep!” Related links There’s more about Ajay Sethi on his LinkedIn profile. The Tweezerman UK website is here. Ajay is also a trustee of Our Dementia Choir. Journalist Lynette Pinchess wrote this piece about Tweezerman, for Nottinghamshire Live. If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Ajay Sethi, listen to previous episodes with… Two Michelin-starred chef Sat Bains | |||
| 21 May 2024 | Andy Bostock - Leadership and career development insights from KPMG | 00:23:41 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Andy Bostock - Leadership and career development insights from KMPG Episode 46 Summary Andy Bostock manages more than 1,000 staff as a senior partner with one of the world's Big Four audit companies KPMG. He also leads the annual audits of some of the biggest local councils and hospitals in the Midlands (of the UK). In discussion with Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi, Andy reflects on three decades with KPMG - and on the need for better funding for local government and the NHS. He also highlights why local business people must talk up their cities; why staff who want to get on should spend more time in the office; and how the most successful leaders have built their careers on being kind to their colleagues. Introduction Andy Bostock is a Senior Partner with KPMG, one of the Big Four professional services companies. He has been with KPMG for almost three decades – and has been a partner for more than ten years. Based in Birmingham – from where he manages more than 1,000 staff – Andy’s expertise is in working with the Public Sector. In recent years, he has audited some of the Midlands’ biggest local councils and NHS hospitals. Andy is a season-ticket holder at Stoke City and has two sons who are professional and semi-professional footballers, at West Brom and Hanley Town. Key takeaways from the conversation with Andy Bostock: On the importance for staff to spend a wedge of their working week in the office… He says: “If you are a junior person at the firm, where do you get your learning? [From] other people! You don’t get it from a laptop, sitting on your own, at home.” On the long-running cuts to local, council-run amenities… He says: “We’ll have to put more funding into some of these services if we value them… and some stronger leadership.” On headlines created by the ‘bankruptcy’ of Nottingham and Birmingham city councils… “It’s beholden on us as business leaders to talk up our cities.” On the leadership benefits of taking on challenges outside your comfort zone… “When I was younger, I was seconded to the CBI for a year and ended up as bag-carrier to the Director General Sir Richard Lambert. It was a wonderful experience. It took me to a completely different place.” On what he looks for when he is recruiting new staff… He says: “It’s all about getting on with people… emotional intelligence and understanding… We focus too much on hard outcomes, like As and stars. It’s the personable bits that make the difference… People don’t appreciate how important these things are.” Andy’s advice to anyone starting out on a leadership career… He says: “Be kind! In the world of work… treat people as you would want to be treated yourself. If you’re collegiate and positive, people will always want to work with you.” Related links Read more about Andy Bostock on the KPMG website here Andy Bostock’s LinkedIn profile is here Andy Bostock’s appointment as senior partner was reported by The Business Desk here If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast, listen to previous episodes with… MD of global financial services company Experian Jose Luiz Rossi Forensic accountant at KPMG Kathryn Wasteney Global Vice Chair at professional services company EY Errol Gardner | |||
| 16 Dec 2020 | Lee Kidger - Leading iconic bike brand Raleigh UK | 00:18:39 | |
Lee Kidger was made Managing Director of Raleigh UK during the first coronavirus lockdown – at the age of just 31. He joined the world’s best-known bike brand as an account manager, less than ten years ago. Today he runs a company whose last annual accounts show it turned over £38m. “The opportunity certainly came earlier than I expected,” he tells the Business Leaders’ podcast. So early, in fact, that Lee is still studying for his MBA at Nottingham Business School. Lee first fell in love with both bikes and business, while working on the tills at his local Halfords store, in Essex. Now – aged 31, cycling for fun, in an urban environment – he typifies the type of customer Raleigh aims to attract. “I’m the target audience for where Raleigh should be going,” he says. Lee talks openly about taking a significant pay cut early in his career, to move into a job he knew he would enjoy more. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. Raleigh once employed thousands of workers in huge Nottingham factories. Most of its bikes are now made in Europe and its Nottinghamshire headquarter has around 120 staff. But Lee says Raleigh’s great history and heritage, is an opportunity rather than a challenge. The customers who bought the iconic Choppers and Grifters in the 1980s – what he calls Raleigh’s long-standing ‘brand fans’ – are now spending thousands of pounds on gleaming new ebikes. Lee believes ebikes, together with cargo bikes and the huge investment Government has pledged to build national cycling infrastructure, are helping to create a dynamic, innovative industry. And as MD of Raleigh UK, he is in the right place, at the right time, to take advantage. He says: “We’re in the midst of a Raleigh rebrand. Coming in the next 18 months to two years, will be some really exciting bikes that are going to be pushing the limits… “As a business leader you have to be passionate about what you are doing. You have to come to work and really enjoy it.” | |||
| 19 Jan 2021 | Charlotte Cox - Building unstoppable teams in global marketing | 00:17:03 | |
Marketing director Charlotte Cox is a woman who has had great success in the world of men’s international rugby union. She famously led the team that developed the Canterbury shirt worn by England in the 2019 World Cup, in Japan. The Nottingham-based global marketeer also helped develop a host of other international kit. Charlotte tells the Business Leaders’ podcast her most vivid memory of that World Cup was being sat in the Shizuoka Stadium watching Japan play Ireland, knowing she had been involved with the development of the shirts worn by both teams. “It was a really proud moment,” she says. Soon after, Charlotte won the Nottinghamshire Businesswoman of the Year award for 2019. There was then a promotion to the executive board of Pentland Brands, as President of Europe the Middle East and Africa. But she tells NBS podcast host Mike Sassi that her love of marketing started while she was at school, working as a Saturday sales assistant in a Kettering shoe shop. She would set herself personal sales targets – and make sure she improved her performance every week. Charlotte talks candidly about her career, highlighting the mistakes she has made – including a training manual for selling lingerie – the problems she has encountered and how she always needs to believe in the brands she manages. She also describes her methods for building “unstoppable teams”, that make the best decisions. “You have better outcomes with a more a more diverse group of people in the room,” she says. Charlotte sees her primary role as being to create a vision for her brands. But she is equally passionate about helping young women in business achieve their full potential. She coaches women, she says, to believe in themselves. Her aim is to give them enough confidence to say Yes, to every opportunity… before they have the chance to say No! Charlotte’s advice to any young person starting out in business? Focus on outcomes – on tangible, measurable achievements. And don’t rush your career. Building your skills methodically will give you a greater chance of success. Her specific advice for young women in business? Own your own career. Say yes to every opportunity. “Even the scary stuff!” she adds. “The moments when you feel most uncomfortable are often the moments when you are learning most.” | |||
| 22 Jan 2025 | David Edwards – Leadership and luxury in the watchmaking industry | 00:27:58 | |
Episode 59 SUMMARY David Edwards – Leadership and luxury in the watchmaking industry David Edwards is Managing Director of Seiko UK. He has been a senior leader in the British watchmaking industry for more than a quarter of a century, with brands including Seiko, TechnoMarine, Swatch and luxury Swiss timepieces Richard Mille. In Episode 59 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, David talks to Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about developing future leaders, marketing heritage brands, and dealing with customers who pay £100,000 for a diamond-encrusted wristwatch. INTRODUCTION • David Edwards is Managing Director of Seiko UK, part of the Tokyo Stock Exchange Listed Seiko Group Corporation • Seiko UK is a wholly owned subsidiary, operating in the UK, Ireland and South Africa • Since joining Seiko UK as MD in 2018, David has overseen the company’s strategic direction and operations • Last year Seiko celebrated 100 years since it made its first wristwatch • Seiko has been British retailers’ Watch Brand of the Year for four of the last five years • David has been a leader in the watch-making industry for almost a quarter of a century. His career spans globally recognised brands including Seiko, Richard Mille, TechnoMarine and Swatch • He was Commercial Director then Managing Director of Richard Mille EMEA, the maker of luxury Swiss watches that sell for more than £100k, between 2009 and 2018 • David studied for his MBA at Nottingham Business School, while working as a Marketing Manager at Raleigh UK, between 1997 and 2000 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS from David Edwards You don’t have to be an accountant to get to the top… “As a young marketeer I wasn't really sure if marketeers could become MDs or CEOs. Most of them seemed to be chartered accountants. But... there is a route. And I did it!” Would-be leaders need not be shy… “Looking back, I wasn't prepared to be as forthright as I should have been. Or as willing to share an opinion.” Aspiring leaders must connect and meet people… “Building networks inside and outside your business is something you need to do in the early part of your career. It's an essential skill.” Successful leaders listen… “I'm very open. I value input. I actively encourage my senior team to tell me exactly what they think. Always!” Leaders should always take time to develop future leaders… “Never forget that the people you are managing are looking for help from you to manage their own careers. You have to properly develop people. That's a big responsibility.” Advice to business people starting out in their careers? “Take an interest in other parts of the business, rather than just your own speciality. It will help you.” Working for a luxury brand like Richard Mille (where watches sell for £100k-plus) presents special challenges… “Every client is a high net worth individual. You’re not trying to find new customers – at that level, they find you. You manage allocation as opposed to finding sales.” RELATED LINKS Read more about David Edwards… • On his LinkedIn profile • On the NTU website • On the WatchPro industry news website If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with David Edwards, listen to previous shows with… • The CMO of Boots UK Pete Markey • The CEO of Capital One UK Lucy Hagues MBE • The Chair of the English Football Association Debbie Hewitt | |||
| 01 Oct 2024 | Alison Swan Parente MBE - Founding the School of Artisan Food, at the age of 60 | 00:24:07 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 52 Alison Swan Parente MBE - Founding the School of Artisan Food, at the age of 60 Summary Alison Swan Parente MBE is founder of the pioneering School of Artisan Food and the Welbeck Bakehouse. She set them up as second career, sixteen years ago, when she was 60. In Episode 52 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Alison talks to Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about the joys and challenges of her ‘new’ career. She also enthuses about creating a new generation of butchers, bakers, brewers and cheese-makers. Introduction • Alison Swan Parente was born in Sussex, just after the Second World War. • She enjoyed a 35-year career as a child psychotherapist, in Britain and America. • When she retired in 2007, at the age of 60, she set up artisan bakery The Welbeck Bakehouse, on the Welbeck Estate in north Nottinghamshire. • Soon after, she founded The School of Artisan Food. • Sixteen years on, the school has won industry awards and built a national reputation for its hands-on courses and world class tutors. • It teaches traditional skills including bread-baking, cheese-making, brewing and butchery. Its courses focus on healthy and sustainable food. • In recent years, the school has teamed up with Nottingham Trent University to deliver degree courses in artisan food production. • Alison was an expert judge on the BBC’s Top of the Shop show, with restaurateurs Tom Kerridge and Nisha Katona. • In 2017 she was awarded an MBE, for services to education and charity Key takeaways Alison Swan Parente told Mike Sassi… …she was interested in food and cooking from an early age: “My biggest influence was living in a communal household, in America in the 1970s, where the men cooked. I’d never seen that before. They’d learned [cooking] for political reasons. The women were fed up with cooking.” …one aim of the School of Artisan Food is to provide routes into employment for young people: “If you are thinking about how to make young people resilient, one thing you can do is help them to be creative - another is to give them a job.” …when artisan food producers enthuse about what they do, that’s good marketing: "Marketing is essential for any business. But the best marketing is authentic marketing." …it is important for leaders to be well-informed: “Leadership involves hanging around discreetly in the shadows of your institution, hearing about the things that are going on.” …it’s also important for leaders not to become micro-managers: “You have to know what’s going on – but you also have to trust the people you employ.” And Alison’s advice for leaders and would-be leaders? “You have to listen to people all the time. Do more listening than talking!” Related links • More about Alison Swan Parente MBE • Alison’s LinkedIn profile is here • Alison is trustee and founder of the School of Artisan Food • Alison Swan Parente presented the BBC’s Top of the Shop If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Alison Swan Parente, listen to previous shows with… • The Chair of the English Football Association Debbie Hewitt | |||
| 17 Sep 2024 | Nadeem Raza - Leading a management buyout, then floating on the stock exchange | 00:32:08 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 51 Nadeem Raza - leading a management buyout, then floating on the stock exchange. SUMMARY Nadeem Raza is CEO of transport technology company Microlise. He joined Microlise in the 1980s as a young software engineer and over the next three decades worked his way up through the company. In 2008 he led a management buyout – and in 2021 the company floated on the Stock Exchange, where it was valued at £156.5m. In Episode 51 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Nadeem tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about his love of writing software, his fascination with managing people… and why a quarter of all the trucks on Britain’s roads are empty. INTRODUCTION • Nadeem Raza is CEO at the Nottinghamshire-based Microlise company which provides software solutions for the transport logistics industry. • Microlise works with all four of Britain’s biggest supermarkets – Sainsbury’s, Tesco, ASDA and Morrison’s – and scores of others international brands from JCB to DFS and Eddie Stobart to Travis Perkins. • The company’s technology helps fleets of trucks and other vehicles move goods from manufacturers to warehouses; warehouses to shops and supermarkets; and from shops to customers via home deliveries. • Nadeem Raza led a management buy-out of Microlise in 1982, then floated it on the Stock Exchange in 2021, when the company was valued at £156m. • The company now has 750 staff, operating across six continents. Last year it turned over £71m, with a gross profit of £43m and an operating profit of £2.3m. • Microlise has won two concurrent Queen’s Awards for Enterprise – for International Trade in 2018, and Innovation in 2019. • The company was originally founded in 1982, developing warehouse management software. • Nadeem joined it as a software engineer in the late 1980s and worked his way up to the position of managing director. KEY LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS Nadeem Raza told Mike Sassi about... …why he became a software engineer: “I joined Microlise to do something I really loved – writing software. I’ve been writing software since I was 14. It was a hobby. ZX Spectrum, Atari computers, Commodore computers… that’s where I started.” …the importance of being curious: “I started as a software engineer. But because I’m always thinking, how can I do something better? or, how can I improve a particular process? I ended up being seconded to every other area of the business.” …leading a management buyout during a national financial crisis: “2008 was difficult. We completed our MBO at the beginning of the financial crisis. We got into debt problems and went through two or three years of challenging times. But we managed to get through it. If you can get through the tough times, then the easier times are just a walk in the park.” …how best to manage people: “The business is made up of many different areas… they have many different people and characters, with many different ways of working. Understanding that, helps you organise, manage, motivate and lead.” …why good staff are so important: “There is a lot of knowledge and experience among staff. Without them the software is just a tool that you don’t really understand how to use.” …looking after and retaining your staff: “If you treat people well and look after them and give them opportunities, then they will hang around.” …what motivates his leadership: “I’m always wondering how I can create value and benefit [for staff and customers], rather than thinking ‘what’s in it for me?’ That happens as a consequence. If you create value elsewhere, ultimately, you’ll benefit yourself.” …the company’s most recent international contract: “Woolworths is a big brand in Australia. We help them deal with home deliveries (mainly groceries) from their supermarkets, in new electric vehicles.” …the need for more collaboration between companies that use trucks: “25 per cent of the time trucks run with nothing on board. They’re empty. They’re just carrying air! In any other industry this amount of ‘waste’ would be an enormous figure to deal with.” RELATED LINKS • There’s more about Nadeem Raza on his LinkedIn page • Nadeem Raza also features strongly on the Microlise website • Nadeem Raza is a trustee of Nottinghamshire Community Foundation • Recent news stories about Microlise, from Insider Media If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Nadeem Raza, listen to previous shows with… • The former Chairman and Chief Exec of Experian Sir John Peace | |||
| 13 Apr 2021 | Stephanie Sirr MBE - Why leaders don't have to put on a performance | 00:21:19 | |
Theatre executive Stephanie Sirr has seen her leadership role change out of all recognition during the last two decades. “It used to be quite macho… never explain, never apologise,” she says. “Now your people skills and your emotional intelligence are absolutely paramount. It’s no longer about striding around invading small countries. “You’re trying to make something with longevity and relevance. And that involves talking to people and consulting with them.” The chief executive of Nottingham Playhouse tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast that back in the 1990s and 2000s – when she started in theatre management – being a “tough nut” was part of the job description. But since then, expectations of leaders have altered radically. She no longer has to “put on a performance”. “There was an element of needing to show how tough you were,” Stephanie tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. “All leaders have to make difficult decisions. The last year has been full of them. But now I don’t feel the need to make decisions just to prove that I can. “When you go back a bit, I think that was the requirement. That may have been because I was a female leader.” The Playhouse – like every other theatre in Britain – has been closed by the Covid pandemic for 12 months, with most of its 100 staff furloughed. The previous year it recorded an annual turnover of almost £5m. Stephanie says her leadership role is more about business planning than a love of the arts. She says: “A passion for theatre and participation is no longer enough. It has to be underpinned by rock solid financial and change management skills.” Stephanie believes the most important part of her role is employing the right people, then helping them develop and flourish. And her advice to young, would-be leaders is very clear. She says: “Don’t ever think you can’t be a leader just because you don’t come from a family of leaders. “Ask yourself: Are you the person who makes clear plans? Are you the person who people come to with their problems? Are you the person who likes organising things and taking an overview? “If the answer is yes, you may well be a really great leader. “Don’t let anyone tell you are the wrong type of person. That’s not how leadership works.” | |||
| 30 Mar 2021 | Shamshad Ahmed - Serial entrepreneur who founded a stem cell blood bank | 00:24:41 | |
Shamshad Ahmed is a serial entrepreneur. He’s tried everything from importing cotton bath robes to dabbling in discount retail stores. But it was while working in clinical drug trials that he spotted tens of thousands of potentially life-saving stem cells – used to treat conditions such as leukaemia and cerebral palsy – were being thrown away every year. He immediately recognised parents would pay to have stem cells from their new-born babies’ umbilical cords stored for use in the event of future illness. So in 2000 he founded the Smart Cells company, to store cord blood and tissue for 25 years at a private blood bank near Heathrow Airport. The Smart Cells owner – who graduated from Nottingham Trent in 1982 with a Business Studies degree – says: “I’m an entrepreneur. I’m a businessman. But I surround myself with people who are experts in their [medical] fields. “I’m never afraid to say, ‘I don’t know the answer, I’ll have to go away and ask someone and come back to you’.” Talking to Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi, Shamshad describes how, in the early years, his company faced opposition from NHS obstetricians and midwives. The Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians said there wasn’t enough evidence of stem cell transplant success, to support people being allowed to store their own umbilical cord blood and tissue. But the evidence has grown. “Well over 50,000 cord blood stem cells have now been used for transplants around the world,” he tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast. “You can’t now say that it’s a waste of time and it doesn’t work. And in the future, we’re going to find more and more applications for these stem cells.” Today many NHS hospitals are willing, for a fee, to have their maternity staff collect blood to be passed on to Smart Cells for storage. For other customers, Smart Cells sends in its own phlebotomists to collect the samples. The range of blood cancers, genetic disorders and brain infections that can be treated with stem cells is increasing. “In the last few months there has been work which has demonstrated the success of using cells to replace damaged tissue in the lungs once you’ve had Covid,” Shamshad says. “It’s very promising – and it’s another potential use of stem cells.” Shamshad started his career as a management trainee with Dupont, before moving into banking with CitiBank. A friend invited him to work in medical research, from where he went on to set up a joint venture company to conduct drug trials – and then to found Smart Cells. Smart Cells is now a successful, global business with offices and agents all over Europe and the Middle East. Customers pay an upfront fee, then an annual charge for storage. Shamshad admits that in two decades running the company he has made mistakes. He says he was too eager to outsource finance and laboratory functions – and too slow to realise the value of taking on high-quality staff. He also had to buy out family members from whom he’d borrowed £250,000, after relationships turned sour. “The experience almost wiped me out. I almost had to start all over again,” he adds, candidly. His advice to young entrepreneurs is unusual – but chimes perfectly with his dynamic career. He warns would-be businesspeople not to over-think. “I don’t see how you can make any projections beyond a year. And five-year projections are just pie in the sky,” he says. “Over-thinking is a disease. Success is all about activity!” | |||
| 26 Nov 2024 | Bal Bansal – Global technology strategist and local community leader | 00:21:20 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 56 Bal Bansal – Global technology strategist and local community leader SUMMARY Bal Bansal – Global technology strategist and local community leader Bal Bansal is Director of Global Technology Strategy at IHG Hotels & Resorts – a company with 6,000 hotels and 350,000 staff, around the world. He is an innovator and digital transformer. But he is also a leader who recognises the importance of community. In Episode 56 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, Bal talks to Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about Coke cans in Australia, hotels on Mars – and why he cooks meals for the homeless. INTRODUCTION • Bal Bansal has been director of global technology strategy at IHG Hotels & Resorts since July 2022. IHG has 6,000 hotels and 350,000 staff around the world. Bal digitises IHG’s hospitality and business processes. • Bal has worked in tech for more than two decades – across Europe and North America, specialising in managing multi-million-pound digital transformation projects • He started at photographic company Kodak, in Nottinghamshire, in 2002 • He subsequently spent 13 years in IT innovation and strategy at Coca-Cola • Outside of work, Bal spent four years as a councillor on Rushcliffe Borough Council, in Nottinghamshire • He is also a children’s football coach, where he encourages more Sikh youngsters to get involved in the game LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS FROM BAL BANSAL He tells Mike Sassi: Within ten years, there could be hotels on Mars… “It’s only a matter of time. Organisations have got to start thinking about that. People will be landing on Mars. And they’ll need a place to stay.” The most innovative ideas can come from anywhere… “You know about putting names on Coke cans? That idea [now used all over the world] came from an innovation team in Australia… from a supermarket out there.” When you manage teams around the world, you should make time to meet people in person… “When there is always a screen between you… you need have [at least one] in-person meetup. Some of my teams are in India. I struggled to get them to talk. Then I flew out there to meet them… now our relationship is great.” Online leaders must be particularly good communicators… “You have to make your goals very clear… so people are willing to take ownership and to collaborate.” The best leaders have a passion for their work… “Every morning I’m so excited to get out of bed! I love doing what I do.” And Bal’s advice to would-be leaders? “Make your mistakes while you’re young. You’re less likely to be forgiven when you’re older!” RELATED LINKS • Bal Bansal is on LinkedIn • Bal’s Instagram • Bal Bansal’s Tomorrow’s World blog is here If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Bal Bansal, listen to previous shows with… • The former CEO of ASOS Nick Beighton | |||
| 25 May 2022 | Selasi Gbormittah - Following my passion from banking to baking | 00:21:50 | |
Celebrity baker Selasi Gbormittah is preparing to combine the culinary skills he learned in Ghana with the business expertise he was taught in Nottingham… to open his own bakery. He tells the Nottingham Business School Business Leaders’ Podcast he wants his Selasi Bakery to be up and running, in London, in the next two years. The corporate banker – who attracted thousands of fans as he won through to the semi-final of series seven of TV’s the Great British Bake Off – reveals: “During my childhood I always wanted to own a restaurant. Now I know it is achievable. “I want to have the Selasi Bakery. In London first – but we might expand to Nottingham. “I’ve been in touch with a lot of real estate agents. [It’ll be open] within the next 18 to 24 months.” Selasi tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi that his original decision – as a teenager, born and brought up in Ghana – to study business rather than baking at university was tough. “I literally sat there for hours looking at both pamphlets [from Nottingham Trent University and a West London culinary school] debating which one would be best for me. “In the end I decided to go down the business and economics route, which brought me to Nottingham Trent.” But while he was studying at NTU’s Nottingham Business School, Selasi also developed the baking skills he learned watching his mother, in the kitchen at home in Ghana. He forged new friendships making pizzas and fairy cakes he shared with fellow students. “One of the things we used to do in the university halls of residence was bake loads,” he says. “I was a student. I was skint! That was when my love for baking kicked in.” Selasi graduated from NTU in 2008. He was enjoying a successful banking career with Deutsche Bank when, eight years later, he was selected from 20,000 applicants to appear on TV as one of the 12 Bake Off contestants, But, as he tells episode 20 of the NBS podcast, baking was still on his mind. And now – after securing commercial partnerships with food and drink companies following his Bake-Off success – he has made the decision to set up in business. He adds: “When I was growing up in Ghana I was surrounded by food and cooking. My uncles and aunties were always saying: You should open a restaurant! “Ghana is very entrepreneurial. Everywhere you go, everyone seems to have a business. There is always a drive to succeed and do well. “There is also a great desire to give something back to the community – and for me that is baking!” | |||
| 12 Mar 2024 | José Luiz Rossi - Staying relevant in a rapidly changing world | 00:33:58 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast José Luiz Rossi: Staying relevant in a rapidly changing world Episode 40 Introduction
Key takeaways: What José Luiz Rossi said…
“I like to win in the marketplace. The adrenaline of running a successful company is something very nice. I’m a competitive person. Winning by doing the right thing is something that motivates me.”
“When I started [40 years ago] management was all about hierarchy… command and control. There was no appreciation of softer skills. Today you need to think about being inclusive… giving autonomy to people.”
“A lot of my colleagues have left the market because they couldn’t adapt… more have become obsolete [as a result] of management change, than technology change.”
“It took me years to realise the importance of networking… and building your personal brand. I wish I had understood that earlier.”
“If you have a good job, it’s difficult to [force yourself] to move. You have a good salary; you are in a comfortable position you don’t move. Leaving gives you a compelling reason to change!”
“I would invest in mastering public speaking, earlier in my career. [Leaders] need the skills to talk to bigger audiences.”
“If we a do a good presentation to Americans, they say: That’s awesome… fantastic! The Brits will just say: That’s not too bad!”
“You need to show you care. I come from a very humble background. My great grandparents were peasants… they were illiterate. I know how important it is for people to be given opportunities. Being open and inclusive is the right thing to do.”
“The time of cheap money, cheap energy and cheap logistics is gone. There is no stability. Continuous change is the norm now. Leaders need to adapt to stay relevant.”
“Jobs end at 5pm – but careers don’t! You need to do more than the average person if you want to differentiate yourself.” Related links:
If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast, listen to previous episodes with… The former Chairman and Chief Exec of Experian Sir John Peace | |||
| 07 Jan 2025 | Dan Maher - Leadership in the construction industry, where public and private sectors meet | 00:28:48 | |
Episode 58 SUMMARY Dan Maher – Leadership in the construction industry, where public and private sectors meet Dan Maher has spent more than four decades in and around the construction industry. He is now MD of both Via East Midlands and Arc Partnership, two companies providing services for Nottinghamshire County Council. But he started his career as a teenage apprentice at Sheffield City Council. In Episode 58 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, Dan tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about people-centric culture, walking the business… and the differences between working in the public and private sector. INTRODUCTION • Dan Maher is MD of Arc Partnership and Via East Midlands. Both companies are Alternative Service Delivery Models established by Nottinghamshire County Council. • The companies employ more than 800 staff and have a combined annual turnover of more than £35m. • Arc Partnership delivers property design, consultancy, planning, regeneration, project management, emergency, reactive, compliance asset management and planned services on behalf of the council • Via East Midlands does third-party work with both public and private-sector organisations and is a public contracting authority. • Via delivers design and consultancy services, highway maintenance, construction, signals and lighting, environmental management, fleet services and road safety. It also provides highway management services to the council. • Dan has more than 41 years of experience within construction, across both the Public and Private Sectors. • He left school at 18, in 1983, and joined Sheffield City Council as a management trainee. The council subsequently sponsored him through an MSc in Human Resources Management at Sheffield Hallam University. • Later in his career, Dan joined Kier Group as a Development Director. He worked at Kier for 11 years, with his final role being Operations Director for the East of England. • In 2016 he was appointed MD Arc Property Services Partnership, a joint venture between Nottinghamshire County Council and Scape Group. • In 2022 Dan took on an additional role as MD of Via East Midlands. LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS from Dan Maher, MD of Via East Midlands and Arc Partnership… “First impressions matter. Your reputation is either won or lost within the first two or three weeks of a new job.” “It’s not always about being the brightest person in the room. But it’s often about having the strongest work ethic.“ “I’ve always tried to create a people-centric culture wherever I’ve worked. Because [as a leader] people are your greatest asset.“ “Early in my career I decided I had to appoint people who were better than me – and not be scared of that.” “My advice to future leaders? Be patient! I’ve seen too many people want to develop their careers too quickly. You are much better off getting a broad range of experience with a broad range of organisations. And trying to enjoy life at the same time!“ “Being a good leader is all about knowing when to take on another person‘s problems – and when to leave the problem with them so they can learn. Knowing when - and when not - to step in, is important.“ “As a leader, I have to work on the business rather than in the business. But there is still nothing better than walking the job… talking to architects, consultants, the guys who are mending potholes all day... They appreciate it.” “Having a car parking space with an MD‘s name on it is bureaucratic graffiti.” “Leadership is all about collaboration. It’s about having patience and taking the time to understand other people.“ RELATED LINKS If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Dan Maher, listen to previous shows with… • The CMO of Boots UK Pete Markey | |||
| 24 Jan 2023 | Leadership roundtable: Closing gender gaps in the workplace | 00:52:21 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Roundtable: Closing gender gaps in the workplace - Episode 24 It’s well-known that girls out-perform boys in GCSE exams. And A-Levels. And university studies, too. Young women are also much better communicators than their male counterparts, say educationalists. Yet Government figures show, on average, women still earn almost fifteen per cent less than men. So, when will women gain equality in the workplace - and the gender pay gap disappear? “It’s probably just a few more years of changing the demographic in organisations,” says Melanie Currie, Deputy Dean of Nottingham Business School, which has more than 8,000 students. She tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast: “I’m optimistic… there will come a tipping point. The wave of incoming super talent is really building… to change the workforce.” In this special episode of the Business Leaders’ Podcast, three respected women leaders discuss gender equality in the workplace in 2023, with Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. The Office for National Statistics says that on average, across the working population in 2022, women were paid 14.9 per cent less than men. Natalie Fahy, audience director for regional publisher Reach Plc, believes part of the role of leaders like herself is to encourage young women to push themselves forward and help bridge that gender pay gap. She says: “We need to get girls when they're young and say to them, look, you can do this job if you want! It's not just journalism… it's science, engineering... every job. We need to get girls to be more assertive. “There are a lot of men who come to me and say: Can I have a pay rise? There are not so many women doing that." Fellow guest Sian Hampton – CEO of the Archway Educational Trust, which has nine schools, 8,500 pupils and a £50m turnover – believes leaders have to embrace cultural change, for every woman to be given an equal opportunity to make the most of their career. “Leadership doesn't have to be aggressive and cut-throat,” says Sian. “It can be collaborative and empathetic. But it must be firm and clear. People must feel safe to make mistakes and ask questions, and know they are looked after, for them to be effective. “They've got also to be good at their jobs. So, this doesn't mean they’re not accountable and difficult conversations won't take place. “But that whole area of radical candour – where we can give people feedback to help them to get better – must be done within a cultural norm of ‘this is how we are in this organization’. “People must know what they need to do to progress and recognise that it's not just about who you know. It's about how effective you are.” Melanie Currie believes young women who aspire to take on roles in management and leadership, should recognise they’ll need courage to reach the top... but they shouldn’t feel the need to change their behaviour. She tells the podcast: “I remember when I took on the job of Deputy Dean I thought, ‘today I’m going to have to be different!’ “Then, two minutes after I had that thought, I realised I just had to be who I am. Being a leader is about being authentic. If you’re pretending, you get into trouble. “You also have to be brave because there are a lot of walls to knock down, there are a lot of battles to fight. A lot of flak will be coming your way. But you must stay focused on what is right.” More about Nottingham Business School: • Visit the Nottingham Business School website | |||
| 15 Oct 2024 | Pete Markey – Why Marketing can be a force for good | 00:28:48 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 53 Pete Markey – Why Marketing can be a force for good SUMMARY Pete Markey is Chief Marketing Officer of Boots UK. He has also been hailed as the finest marketer in Britain. He has held leadership roles with a clutch of stellar brands, including TSB, AVIVA, The Post Office, RSA and More Than. He has also won five national Marketer of the Year titles. In Episode 53 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, Pete tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about his love of knotty challenges, his determination to stay relevant and his passionate belief that marketing (and business) should be a force for good. He also reveals how improvised comedy classes have helped him hone his leadership skills. INTRODUCTION • Pete Markey has been Chief Marketing Officer at Boots UK since February 2021 • During a 30-year career he has held senior leadership roles with several brands including Boots, TSB, Aviva, The Post Office and RSA • He started his career as a sales team leader with British Gas • In July 2024, he was made President of The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA), the voice of British advertisers • Pete has a huge online following across most social media platforms and is lauded as one of the finest communicators in the marketing industry • In 2023, he was named Marketing Week’s Marketer of the Year • Pete graduated from Solent University in 1995, with a BA in Corporate Communication. In 2024, Solent awarded him an Honorary Doctorate KEY LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS FROM PETE MARKEY He tells Mike Sassi… How classes in improvised comedy have helped his business career: “In business, we’re often not spontaneous or creative enough… If we are more willing to break rigid structure, we see more momentum and growth in our business. “I’ve found [improvised comedy] incredibly useful in helping me to be more spontaneous and present in the moment… to think of new and different ideas… to bring a lightness of touch when it is needed. “Also, three quarters of the [improv comedy] scenes you do, you wish you could have done better. So, the biggest thing it does is [teach you] to pick yourself up from failure!” About recently going back to ‘performing’, as he had done when studying at university in the 1990s: “I rediscovered, thirty years on, that I’d become too corporate!” About the importance, for him, of helping to create future leaders… “When I look at my team I think, how can I be the person that inspires and moves them on? In the same way that other people have done that for me...” That, looking back, he might have done things differently… “If I started my career again, I’d definitely encourage myself to be more assertive… I was always too worried about offending people. “I’m a very positive and upbeat person. But I’ve learned that I can be assertive and questioning in a very natural style. I don’t have to turn into an ogre!” Why he is driven to deliver… “I absolutely love what I do, and I love Boots as a brand. But I feel a weight of responsibility. “The business is 175 years old. My job is to catapult it on for another 175 years. Eventually, I’ll just be a sepia-toned photograph in the archive!” Why leadership legacies are important… “When I’m dead, nobody will say; God, he made a cracking Christmas advert in 2022! Hopefully, they will say; he used the time he had to make a difference – and to make things better.” That leaders are often evangelicals… “I genuinely feel marketing can be a real force for good. “I live with a huge sense of legacy hanging over me. We’re only on this earth for a short period of time. I’ve got to live my life to do good. “We have to leave the companies we’re in, the people we interact with, in a better place than when we found them. That has to be our mission.” About the importance of finding a business in which you can grow and learn as a person… “I love knotty challenges. With almost every business I’ve joined, I’ve known nothing about their industry until I went in. “Insurance, banking, retail, telecoms… I love the challenge of learning something I know nothing about.” Why it’s important for leaders to stay relevant… “[Having a] restlessness and hunger to keep learning more is important. The danger [for more experienced leaders] is that you get stuck and start treading water. I never want to be like that. “I always want to be at the cutting edge of innovation, because that’s what keeps the brands I work for relevant.” And Pete’s advice for future leaders? “Be assertive, confident and believe in yourself, but not in an arrogant way. Particularly early in your career. Don’t be afraid to reach out, push boundaries, open doors… because you never know where they might lead.” RELATED LINKS • There’s more about Pete Markey on his LinkedIn page • Pete Markey's Instagram page • There’s also more about Pete on the Boots website If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Pete Markey, listen to previous shows with… • The former CEO of ASOS Nick Beighton • The former Chairman and Chief Exec of Experian Sir John Peace | |||
| 14 May 2024 | Leadership roundtable: The future of business education | 00:45:55 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Leadership roundtable: The future of business education Summary To mark the opening of Nottingham Business School’s new Postgraduate and Executive Education Centre, three experts come together to discuss the future of business education. They are, the President of the European Foundation for Management Development Professor Eric Cornuel, the Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools Flora Hamilton, and the Dean of Nottingham Business School Professor Baback Yazdani. In a candid discussion hosted by Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi, they talk about impactful research, challenging technologies and why business schools will only be truly successful if they embrace a higher purpose. They also agree that business schools should be proud to generate the revenues that underpin other university departments. Introduction • Professor Eric Cornuel has been President of the prestigious European Foundation for Management Development for more than 15 years. • During a career spanning more than three decades, Eric has helped establish world-class standards of management education and research in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. • His work has set new benchmarks for the impact of management teaching on business practice across the globe. • Eric has held leadership positions at management schools in Europe and Asia, including HEC Paris and the Catholic University of Louvain. • He is a fellow of numerous universities – and sits on the boards of several international business organisations. • In recognition of his outstanding contribution to higher education, Eric has been awarded France’s highest honour, the Légion d’honneur. • Flora Hamilton is Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools. • The chartered association is an organisation that promotes the UK business schools that offer the most effective support for small business. • Flora became CEO last year, having previously spent ten years as Director and Head of Financial Services at the CBI. • Professor Baback Yazdani has been Dean of the Nottingham Business School for 17 years. • NBS is now the fourth biggest business school in Britain and a global exemplar for the sustainability of its research and education. • It is also among the one per cent of business schools across the world, recognised by all three international accreditation bodies, EQUIS, the AACSB and the AMBA. • NBS is a global leader in experiential learning and personalisation of education. • NBS is also acknowledged as a major innovator in the delivery of its programmes and in its connectivity to business. Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Leadership roundtable: What is the future of business education? Episode 45 Summary To mark the opening of Nottingham Business School’s new Postgraduate and Executive Education Centre, three experts come together to discuss the future of business education. They are, the President of the European Foundation for Management Development Professor Eric Cornuel, the Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools Flora Hamilton, and the Dean of Nottingham Business School Professor Baback Yazdani. In a candid discussion hosted by Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi, they talk about impactful research, challenging technologies and why business schools will only be truly successful if they embrace a higher purpose. They also agree that business schools should be proud to generate the revenues that underpin other university departments. Introduction • Professor Eric Cornuel has been President of the prestigious European Foundation for Management Development for more than 15 years. • During a career spanning more than three decades, Eric has helped establish world-class standards of management education and research in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. • His work has set new benchmarks for the impact of management teaching on business practice across the globe. • Eric has held leadership positions at management schools in Europe and Asia, including HEC Paris and the Catholic University of Louvain. • He is a fellow of numerous universities – and sits on the boards of several international business organisations. • In recognition of his outstanding contribution to higher education, Eric has been awarded France’s highest honour, the Légion d’honneur. • Flora Hamilton is Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools. • The chartered association is an organisation that promotes the UK business schools that offer the most effective support for small business. • Flora became CEO last year, having previously spent ten years as Director and Head of Financial Services at the CBI. • Professor Baback Yazdani has been Dean of the Nottingham Business School for 17 years. • NBS is now the fourth biggest business school in Britain and a global exemplar for the sustainability of its research and education. • It is also among the one per cent of business schools across the world, recognised by all three international accreditation bodies, EQUIS, the AACSB and the AMBA. • NBS is a global leader in experiential learning and personalisation of education. • NBS is also acknowledged as a major innovator in the delivery of its programmes and in its connectivity to business. NOTES Key takeaways Eric Cornuel is an advocate for business schools to be moral institutions that perpetuate strong values… He said: “We [business schools] have to teach respect for stakeholders. We have to get back to our roots. A business school is an academic institution.” Professor Cornuel believes private business must be “more than just a cash machine”… He said: “Companies have a role in society… in the middle of an eco-system of stakeholders. Everybody has to take care of everybody[else], otherwise the system simply collapses.” And Baback Yazdani agrees… He said: “Companies today are more than just profit-making entities. They need to be guardians of the environment… to respond to societal needs… to play their part…” Flora Hamilton believes business schools should be proud of the prominent role they play in helping to underpin university finances… She said: “UK business schools enjoy a fantastic global reputation… That’s why they have been able to step in and bridge the gap where the absence of funding [for other university departments] has been… let’s celebrate that.” Baback Yazdani highlights how keeping up with technological change is one of the great challenges for universities… He said: “The time that elapses between invention and adoption used to be 30 or 40 years. It is now just months. Business schools need to understand this – and utilise it.” Eric Cornuel says management and leadership research undertaken by business schools is often too hypothetical… He said: “The connection with the reality of management is very doubtful sometimes… Research should be more connected to the current management of organisations.” Flora Hamilton agrees… She said: “We have to have a focus on impact… and ask [researchers], why are you doing this? What is the economic impact of that research?” As does Baback Yazdani… He said: “Research needs to be linked to the reality of what is happening in society… so we see that the ideas make a difference in the real world.” So, what does the future hold for UK business schools? Baback Yazdani said: “We need to be more connected to the world… to our regions… to the people we serve. At the end of the day, we are here to serve society, so our connectivity with it needs to be deeper… so we understand what to produce.” Eric Cornuel said: “We have to produce sense, through research, then disseminate this sense through the population. And that sense has to be much more than simply being profitable. It is about being a citizen that plays a full part in society.” Flora Hamilton said: “The future is bright for our world-leading [UK] business schools… because we are able to show the true societal impact of what they can deliver… Universities are about improving lives – and business schools sit at the heart of that.” Related links: Find out more about Professor Eric Cornuel here Read more about Flora Hamilton here There’s more about Professor Baback Yazdani here If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast, listen to previous episodes with… The MD of global financial services company Experian Jose Luiz Rossi Entrepreneur and broadcaster Michael Hayman MBE The Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University Professor Edward Peck NOTES Key takeaways Eric Cornuel is an advocate for business schools to be moral institutions that perpetuate strong values… He said: “We [business schools] have to teach respect for stakeholders. We have to get back to our roots. A business school is an academic institution.” Professor Cornuel believes private business must be “more than just a cash machine”… He said: “Companies have a role in society… in the middle of an eco-system of stakeholders. Everybody has to take care of everybody[else], otherwise the system simply collapses.” And Baback Yazdani agrees… He said: “Companies today are more than just profit-making entities. They need to be guardians of the environment… to respond to societal needs… to play their part…” Flora Hamilton believes business schools should be proud of the prominent role they play in helping to underpin university finances… She said: “UK business schools enjoy a fantastic global reputation… That’s why they have been able to step in and bridge the gap where the absence of funding [for other university departments] has been… let’s celebrate that.” Baback Yazdani highlights how keeping up with technological change is one of the great challenges for universities… He said: “The time that elapses between invention and adoption used to be 30 or 40 years. It is now just months. Business schools need to understand this – and utilise it.” Eric Cornuel says management and leadership research undertaken by business schools is often too hypothetical… He said: “The connection with the reality of management is very doubtful sometimes… Research should be more connected to the current management of organisations.” Flora Hamilton agrees… She said: “We have to have a focus on impact… and ask [researchers], why are you doing this? What is the economic impact of that research?” As does Baback Yazdani… He said: “Research needs to be linked to the reality of what is happening in society… so we see that the ideas make a difference in the real world.” So, what does the future hold for UK business schools? Baback Yazdani said: “We need to be more connected to the world… to our regions… to the people we serve. At the end of the day, we are here to serve society, so our connectivity with it needs to be deeper… so we understand what to produce.” Eric Cornuel said: “We have to produce sense, through research, then disseminate this sense through the population. And that sense has to be much more than simply being profitable. It is about being a citizen that plays a full part in society.” Flora Hamilton said: “The future is bright for our world-leading [UK] business schools… because we are able to show the true societal impact of what they can deliver… Universities are about improving lives – and business schools sit at the heart of that.” Related links: Find out more about Professor Eric Cornuel Read more about Flora Hamilton Here’s more about Professor Baback Yazdani If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast, listen to previous episodes with… The MD of global financial services company Experian Jose Luiz Rossi Entrepreneur and broadcaster Michael Hayman MBE The Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University Professor Edward Peck | |||
| 25 May 2021 | Sarah Walker-Smith - I'm not your average CEO | 00:22:00 | |
Sarah Walker-Smith isn’t a conventional company chief executive. She runs one of Britain’s Top 50 law firms, with an annual turnover of more than £70m. But in the middle of the pandemic, the CEO of Shakespeare Martineau decided to sing to her 900 staff. Accompanied by a company partner on the piano, she recorded her own ‘Christmas single’ version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. “It was an authentic representation of who I am – and my heart was aching, literally, for the world and for everybody in our business,” Sarah tells Episode 11 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders Podcast. “I’m definitely not your average chief exec in terms of my background… and how I speak and how I look sometimes. But what the pandemic has taught me is that you just have to be yourself.” It wasn’t the first time Sarah, who originally wanted to be an actress, had sung a song for her business. “In May last year I recorded a version of On My Own, from Les Miserables,” she said. “The response was unbelievable. I had 200 emails saying, ‘you’ve just made me cry’ and ‘we’re so in this together…’ It was best way I could say to people, we’re all going through some terrible stuff.” Sarah – a double alumni of Nottingham Trent University – started her career as an accountant before moving into marketing with Boots, then Browne Jacobson LLP. She became the first non-lawyer, woman CEO of a top 50 British law firm when she joined Shakespeare Martineau, in February 2019. Her leadership style is very open and she has established a big social media following during lockdown. But she believes, the most important thing for any leader is to let people know what they stand for. She tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi: “I’m not going to be restrained by what you’re supposed to say or what you are not supposed to say as a leader, because I’m also a human being and people want to see human leaders. “I’m sure at some point it’s going to get me into trouble… but employees and stakeholders and clients want to know who they are dealing with. “The pandemic has taught me they want leaders who are authentic.” During the podcast, Sarah talks about attempting to establish “bubbles of certainty” for staff, allowing colleagues to continue working from home and the difficulties of restructuring a business during lockdown. And her independence of mind is reflected in her advice to Nottingham Business School’s young leaders of the future. She says: “The world is changing at a rapid pace, so find your own way. Have the confidence to be yourself. “Nine times out of ten your own instincts will be right. You will be a so much better – and happier – leader if you do it the way you want to do it. “And tune in to people. Develop a sense of empathy… to connect with lots of different working generations… Find out where people are at. It will pay back in spades.” | |||
| 09 Jun 2021 | Sam Thorne - Adding Nottingham to the cultural map with Nottingham Contemporary | 00:23:21 | |
Sam Thorne says Britain can rely on its artists to help guide the country through post-pandemic economic and cultural change. The director of the Nottingham Contemporary believes one of the biggest challenges for modern leaders is dealing with uncertainty. And his experience – he was director at Tate St Ives in Cornwall, before arriving in Nottingham – is that artists are peculiarly well-equipped to plot a path into an unreliable future. “I enjoy uncertainty,” he tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast. “It’s often said we’re living in unprecedented times. I would imagine that anybody, in whatever decade of whatever millennia, would always think themselves living in uncertain times. “But it seems like there’s something particular about the current moment. It’s difficult to think a year or two ahead. Or even a month or two ahead. Because of the speed at which things are changing. We’re at a point now where we’re working in the dark. “This is when artists can really lead… when I would listen to artists most. Because artists are always in tune with not only what is happening now, but also what is going to be happening tomorrow. “Contemporary art centres have always, since their inception, been thinking about what happens next. It feels to me like this is a particularly resonant, particularly exciting time to be working with that kind of uncertainty.” Sam’s love of uncertainty – developed during a career as artistic writer, curator and critic – has served him particularly well as he attempts to raise £1m every year, to keep The Contemporary in business. (The museum does not charge visitors.) “Less than fifty per cent of our funding now comes from public money,” he tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. “A huge part of my role is about fundraising. Every year we have to raise more than £1m just to keep the lights on!” Aside from this commercial imperative, he believes leaders are also now more focussed on the wellbeing of their staff. He says: “Within the cultural field there has been more focus on mental health, on development, on progression. These are things that, when I first came into this field, were often overlooked. “It’s coming from a younger generation… people who were coming out of school or university in the wake of the financial crisis, into a very challenging jobs market. “There’s a real divide between people who graduated before 2008 and after. They [post 2008 graduates] have very different demands of their employers and the teams they want to the part of.” And Sam’s advice to Nottingham Business School graduates, who are starting out on their careers in this uncertain world? “Find your mentors. Build a family. If there is somebody out there doing work you admire, reach out to them,” he says. “Very few people are going to say no to the offer of a coffee or a phone call. And when you’re starting out, those conversations can be really helpful. “Don’t be shy! My experience is that leaders are really interested in what young people are thinking about.” | |||
| 12 Nov 2024 | Wendy Whewell and Polly Harrold - Leadership roundtable: How small businesses can become more sustainable | 00:32:11 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 55 Leadership roundtable: How small businesses can become more sustainable SUMMARY Small and medium businesses account for half of Britain’s turnover, 60 per cent of UK employment and 99 per cent of all our business enterprises. They also generate around half of Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions. But according to research by Santander, businesses are struggling to become more sustainable – and hit the Government target of achieving Net Zero by 2050. In Episode 55 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Wendy Whewell - Head of ESG and Climate Change at Santander, and Polly Harold - Senior Public Affairs and Public Policy manager at Santander, explain why climate change is such a big issue for businesses – and what they can do to become more sustainable. KEY LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS from the sustainability roundtable with Wendy Whewell and Polly Harold, from Santander They tell Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi… WW: “Climate change is happening so quickly… Businesses need to build resilience and adapt, to ensure they can continue to sell their products and services.” WW: “Sustainability means, how are businesses going to survive the challenges they face? [For example] None of us realised Ukraine produced 50% of all the sunflower seeds used in Western Europe. Suddenly, we’ve got to think, where are we getting our oil from?” WW: “It’s all about collaboration. Businesses have to work together… with banks, with universities… to make a difference.” PH: “There is also a role for Government here. There are things businesses feel Government could do to support them… What’s the plan for SMEs in the Government’s path to Net Zero?” WW: “For a small business such as a fish and chip shop, the cost rises have been staggering. One, is the energy prices. Two is the cost of fish. But three is the cost of finding the fish…. Fishing quotas and the price of cod mean what was previously a cheap meal is now very expensive.” PH: “I've done numerous pieces of public polling this year… overwhelmingly, you can see that that younger generations care more and more about the environment and are taking that into consideration when making all their decisions [as consumers].” WW: “Every single business needs to think about every single aspect [of what they do] and how it’s impacted by sustainability, climate change, and where they can make a difference.” PH: “When I think about leadership, I think about the skills that we need to transition to Net Zero and how you lead the workforce through that change. There’s a leadership role there – in the skilling.” WW: “This is the biggest behavioural change project the world has ever seen because we all have to change our own habits if we want to make a difference.” RELATED LINKS • Santander research into Net Zero transition • Santander’s own Net Zero aims • Wendy Whewell spoke about sustainability at this event If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Wendy Whewell and Polly Harold, listen to previous shows with… • The former CEO of ASOS Nick Beighton • The former Chairman and Chief Exec of Experian Sir John Peace | |||
| 18 Jun 2024 | Matt Wallace - Building your own business... and knowing the value of a good podcast | 00:27:24 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 48 Matt Wallace: Building your own business – and knowing the value of a good podcast Summary Fifteen years ago, entrepreneur Matt Wallace was an iMovie hobbyist in a university press office, trying to persuade his boss of the value of video. Today he runs his own company, Janno Media – making videos, creating podcasts and live streaming for dozens of commercial clients across Britain. In Episode 48 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Matt tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi how he turned his hobby into a business – and how lockdown paved the way for his expansion into podcasts. Introduction • In 2012, Matt Wallace founded Janno Media – a company that provides podcasts, live streaming, video, graphics and photography for commercial clients. • Matt is an alumnus of Nottingham Trent University and served as President of the NTU Student Union in 2004. • He went on to work in the press office at NTU. • Matt started Janno Media, aged 30, with a £3000 compensation windfall from being miss-sold a Payment Protection Insurance plan. He bought an iMac, DSLR camera, audio recorder and plug-in microphone. • Having initially rented an office, Janno started remote working in 2016 (four years before lockdown). • Janno now has eight staff members and 50 clients, including Santander. • In collaboration with NTU’s Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism – Janno offers the annual Janno Media Award £5,000 bursary, to a student podcaster who shows promise. Key leadership takeaways Matt Wallace said: On the importance of leading from the front... “There can be no better way of understanding how your business is evolving than being on the ground, meeting the clients and seeing your staff in action – seeing what works, and what doesn’t.” On building a business based around video… “Video used to be something that you wheeled into a room, in a steel cabinet TV with a VHS machine underneath… Once the iPhone became the device, it was clear to me how big video was going to be.” On the effects of lockdown… “Everyone had their hand forced in some way by lockdown. As a business owner you had a choice of sitting and taking the furlough payments, waiting for it to blow over… or leaning into the situation and capitalising on an opportunity.” On creating a podcast for a customer… “You can’t just assume it will become viral, instantly likeable or highly shareable. You have to understand what the intention is for your customer.” On the value of a well-crafted podcast… “It’s not the number of people who listen to it, but rather what you’re able to convey. Even if you only have ten people listening… but they’re all stakeholders or clients… and they understand what you’re saying… and it reinforces why you have value to them… then people appreciate it.” On the challenges of managing an online, remote workforce… “Our industry changes daily, with new means and methods of working. We have to keep teams excited about the industry they work in by constantly being responsive to those changes.” On entrepreneurs seeking a Higher Purpose for their business… “If your only motivation for running a business is pounds and pence then you’ll very quickly become unmotivated. Because cash ebbs and flows. You need a vision. [You have to ask] what is the wider contribution of what we do?” On the importance of using your time well… “Be generous with your time – to yourself, and to other people. Use your time to listen and learn, to develop and grow. Invest your time… and it will reap its own rewards.” Related links There’s more about Matt Wallace and Janno Media here… Matt Wallace chronicles the first ten years of Janno Media here… Chapter 3: Boring and conventional Chapter 4: Where our ‘why’ lives If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Matt Wallace, listen to previous shows with… The former Chairman and Chief Exec of Experian Sir John Peace The Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University Professor Edward Peck Broadcaster, entrepreneur and founder of Boom Radio David Lloyd | |||
| 14 Nov 2023 | Leadership roundtable: From engineering graduates to business leaders | 00:23:29 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders' Podcast Roundtable: From engineering graduates to business leaders. Reflections on leadership | Episode 34 Key takeaways
NTU engineering graduates - their leadership careers
Related links If you liked this episode, listen to David Lloyd – Leadership Lessons from 40 years in Independent Radio More about Nottingham Business School Visit the Nottingham Business School website | |||
| 04 Jun 2024 | Darren Cassidy - Leading digital transformation in a global brand built on paper and print | 00:33:36 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 47 Darren Cassidy: Leading digital transformation in a global brand built on paper and print Summary Darren Cassidy has been with global print tech giant Xerox for 33 years – in 18 different roles. He’s now the company’s MD in GB and Ireland – and President of its operations in Western Europe. But in Episode 47 the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Darren tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi that he is as excited now as he was on the first day he walked through the door at Xerox. During 30 minutes of insightful leadership chat, he talks about learning to change mindsets, the importance of younger staff and becoming an evangelist for transcendental meditation. He also reveals how, although he is now the MD, he was originally turned down by Xerox after he failed his first interview. Key leadership takeaways Darren said: On managing change in a business… “One of the biggest things your team needs during a period of change is clarity… clarity of where to place their attention, and where to focus.” On having the right mindset to perform and do business… “When you go into a situation you either see opportunities or problems – the difference is massive. Having the right mindset is a skill… [with the right training] we can all get better at it.” On being able to change the mindset of the people around you… “It’s one of the biggest skills leaders need today.” On becoming an evangelist for Transcendental Meditation… “During the one time in my career when things started to appear dark, my wife announced – You’re going to do this meditation course, I think it will be good for you! And it was. I now do 20 minutes meditation every day.” On the importance of leaders creating a culture of learning… “The pace of change means if we’re not learning we’re going backwards fast. Talk to people, be inquisitive. Spend time engaging with what you don’t know.” On why leaders should always be looking to take on young staff… “Xerox is a good company to work for… so one of our greatest strengths is the number of people who have been with us for 35 years or more – but at times it’s also our greatest weakness.” On recognising what you want to do… “I drifted through school because I wanted to be a professional sportsman… then I realised what I really wanted to do was selling – and everyone told me the best sales company in the world was Xerox.” On why selling should be better recognised as a skill in business… “Sales done well is tough to do – but it has high impact.” On celebrating the success of your staff when they move on… “I love it when people get bigger jobs and get promoted… it’s the biggest accolade.” On leaders not surrounding themselves with ‘yes men and women’… “I pick a team full of people who are brave enough and good enough to tell me to stop… slow down… to challenge me.” And his advice to young, would-be leaders… “Learning what you don’t like is just as important as learning what you do like – so go and try things. Don’t take the next, safe option. Take risks!” Related links • There’s more about Darren Cassidy’s leadership philosophy, on his LinkedIn pages here. • The website of Xerox – where Darren is MD of GB&I – is here. • Darren discusses the Red2Blue strategy of changing mindsets here. If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Darren Cassidy, listen to previous shows with… • The former Chairman and Chief Exec of Experian Sir John Peace | |||
| 26 Mar 2024 | Rob Swann - From trainee to MD, leadership in an SME | 00:27:36 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Rob Swann – From trainee to MD, leadership in an SME Episode 41 Introduction Rob Swann joined SME Termate as an engineering apprentice in 1989, when he was 16. Termate manufactures electrical insulating products at its factory in Nottingham, for customers all over the world. Rob graduated from Nottingham Trent Polytechnic (now Nottingham Trent University) after studying engineering, business and finance. He is now an Alumni Fellow of Nottingham Business School. Rob lead a management buy-out of Termate in 2007. Company growth since then has largely been based on international sales. Key takeaways: What Rob Swann said… On the benefits of starting his career as an apprentice engineer… “Engineering is very precise. It puts a discipline into your work process. Engineers tend to like a bit of order.” On leading a management buy-out – when his dad owned the company… “I saw an opportunity for the business to diverge from where it was. My dad was happy with where the business was. There was an element of disagreement. So, I bought him out.” On taking over the company while still in his early 30s… “I was young. I had young kids. There was a lot of risk involved. It was a scary amount of debt… and I felt the burden.” On his biggest leadership challenges… “Covid was the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. It was so unknown. There was no-one you could talk to… not a mentor, not anyone. No-one had any experience.” One being a leader who wears his heart on his sleeve… “I like opening cans of worms. I like turning over stones. I’m curious. And curiosity is a hugely valuable thing [for leaders and everyone in business].” On the importance of staff in small businesses having a variety of skills… “As an SME we often can’t afford to employ specialists. We need capable generalists. We can’t afford to have an SEO specialist, a content developer and someone who can do a podcast. One person has to try to do all of that!” On working himself to the verge of a nervous breakdown… “Just before I turned 40, I realised I was going to break if I didn’t give myself something outside of work. I tried rock-climbing and found it cleared my mind. It took every ounce of my mental capacity.” On persuading his wife to start rock-climbing… “My wife joined in – and now she is as passionate about climbing as I am. It’s a great shared experience.” His one piece of advice for leaders… “Look after yourself. You are a key asset of the business. So, don’t forget about looking after you!” Related links: There are more details about Rob Swann here. Termate’s company website is here. If you enjoyed this episode of the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast, listen to previous episodes with… The former Chairman and Chief Exec of Experian Sir John Peace The CEO of Capital One UK Lucy Hagues | |||
| 10 Dec 2024 | Sue Hayes – modernising a 174-year-old financial institution | 00:23:08 | |
Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast Episode 57 SUMMARY Sue Hayes – modernising a 174-year-old financial institution Banker Sue Hayes is the first woman CEO of the Nottingham Building Society in its 174-year history. She arrived in Nottingham via senior leadership roles at GB Bank, Aldermore Bank, Barclays and Santander. In Episode 57 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, Sue tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about the significance of data, her fascination with Nudge Theory and the problem with Robin Hood. She also tells him that women leaders are too often underestimated. INTRODUCTION • Sue Hayes became the first woman chief executive of the Nottingham Building Society in its 174-year history, in 2022. • The Nottingham is the ninth biggest mutual society in Britain, with 31 branches and 500 staff. • Sue started her career as a trainee legal executive, but soon moved into finance. • She went on to be MD of business banking at Barclays Corporate, group MD of retail bank Aldermore, then CEO of start-up GB Bank. • Sue has spent the first three years of her leadership at Nottingham Building Society focussing on team building, digital innovation and strategy. • The Nottingham has increased lending to 'non-traditional borrowers' who may have previously struggled to qualify for a mortgage • This group includes entrepreneurs, freelancers, the self-employed, gig economy workers and foreign nationals LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS from Sue Hayes: Leaders shouldn’t have too many priorities… “You need one good thing a year on your CV to build a story. Do one big thing and do it really well. Make it noteworthy. That’s much stronger.” Changing culture in a 174-year-old organisation is not straightforward… “What you want to do is keep the cute and cuddly but add some edge in terms of the execution of new approaches.” The Nottingham had a problem, in that few people recognised its brand… “It wasn’t about whether we did or didn’t have Robin Hood [on our logo]. It was more about how we could demonstrate we had a modern brand.” Leaders should build strategy from data and research… “What that shows me is that the world of work is changing considerably.” Using Nudge Theory can be helpful for leaders… “I find it utterly fascinating… When I worked at Barclays we looked at how people queued in a branch, so we understood what they were thinking and how they were likely to behave.” Life’s a lot about luck… “When I left school… my careers advisor had three options for me. One was a trainee legal executive, a second was a panel beater for cars, and the third was a pheasant farmer. I thought, I'd better go for the trainee legal executive then… “By coincidence, I ended up getting into financial services [where] I met some interesting people and was offered some interesting jobs. Life's a lot about luck.” Building a network of connections is important for future leaders… “Millennials and the Gen Zs are so much better at this than I was earlier in my career. [Future leaders need to] Get to know people, be interested, go to events… understand and connect.” RELATED LINKS Sue Hayes, Q&A with Mortgage Solutions Sue Hayes, interviewed on Beehive Money If you enjoyed this episode NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast with Sue Hayes, listen to previous shows with… • The CEO of Capital One UK Lucy Hagues MBE • The CEO of the Chartered Management Institute Ann Francke OBE | |||
| 28 Sep 2022 | Lucy Marie Hagues MBE - Building better banking at Capital One | 00:24:34 | |
Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast Lucy Marie Hagues MBE - Building better banking at Capital One | Episode 23 Banker Lucy Marie Hagues is a charismatic leader whose business skills have taken her right to the top of financial services company Capital One UK. But she still remembers the day when – as a junior member of staff – she was told her poor attitude was having a negative effect on colleagues. She tells the Nottingham Business School Business Leaders’ Podcast: “I was frustrated with my leader at the time. I thought I understood more about what needed to be done than they did. “I remember being taken to one side and told in no uncertain terms that I was getting in the way of the team. “Yes, my skills were great, but the sum total of my effect on that team wasn’t positive. I was shocked. It took me a while to realise that being easy to work with is a key skill.” But it was a lesson that served Lucy well. “You don’t get to be a leader if nobody wants to follow you!” she adds. Lucy’s original qualifications were in engineering, but in 2001 she joined Capital One as a trainee project manager, then data analyst. In June 2020 she was made head of the bank’s UK operation. She tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi that her Northern, working-class upbringing, may have given her an advantage. “The experiences we have growing up feed into the way we are as leaders in the future. They give you an understanding of people. “My parents left school at 15. My dad started out as a tea boy. My mom was an assistant in a pharmacy. It was a big Catholic family in Oldham. I was one of six children. “I had a real sense that I had to make the most of everything. It was a hugely privileged environment, with a lot of love, a lot of care, lots of access to education… and that sense of when you get an opportunity, you make the most of it!” During a candid conversation, Lucy says her background also means she is constantly striving to take advantage of opportunities. “When somebody underestimates you, they hand you an advantage before you've even started,” she adds. “If you are lucky enough to have the background I've had… first generation to go to university, growing up in in the north… you have awareness and understanding other people might not have.” Lucy also points out that true leaders don’t need formal titles. “Leadership is a choice,” she says. “Seniority is not the same as leadership. When ten people sit at a table and say ‘what shall we do?’, are you the person who is on the edge of your seat with an answer? If you are, you are a leader. “Lead from where you are - whatever level you're at. “I remember somebody telling me their success was driven by their leadership of the grey areas - by being someone who stepped in every time there was an absence of leadership.” And the banking executive advises young leaders of the future to grab every opportunity - including those that make them uncomfortable. “The ability to tolerate minor discomfort is a superpower,” she says. “If you can get through that next thing that makes you uncomfortable, then the personal growth available to you is huge. “Whether that thing is speaking in public or learning a bit of maths that means you'll understand a financial statement better, or going up to talk to somebody at an event… “You need to say to yourself: this discomfort is a good thing and I'm going to do more! “It's about relishing the uncomfortable opportunities. Those are the moments when you really develop. “Live your life through a series of minor discomforts!” More about Nottingham Business School: • Visit the Nottingham Business School website | |||
| 10 May 2022 | Dick Stone - Maintaining momentum and navigating change in national radio | 00:22:31 | |
Broadcaster Dick Stone started his career as a teenager playing music on local hospital radio in Derby. Two decades later he was running the Smooth Radio stations that broadcast to 10 million listeners nationwide. Now – having taken on managing editor and group editor roles across both the Global and Capital national radio networks – he is in a perfect position to offer leadership advice. “I’m just glad I did something I loved,” he tells Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders Podcast. “Radio and media have always been a great passion of mine. I’m so glad I do something I enjoy.” His love of broadcasting has helped Dick through the pressures and leadership challenges of helping set up 15 different radio stations, over the years – and closing another nine. Dick points out to Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi that managing costs and making redundancies are always among the most difficult part of a leader’s role. He says: “I remember at one point having to have difficult conversations with 21 different people in a single day. “It was a tough day. But you just try to do it with compassion and understanding… and treat people as you would hope to be treated.” Dick has spent most of his career directing programming across national radio networks. He believes his success as a leader has been built around his ability to plan. “The best leaders are always in a permanent state of readiness,” he says. “Your job as a leader is to think of the next thing that is going to happen and be ready so you can thrive and survive. “[For example] you should always hire people who are better than you because you will learn from them – and they will propel you into a far better position. “But because they are good, they will leave… so I have always been fastidious in trying to work out a succession plan. “The job of a leader is to think about the future plan.” And Dick’s advice for future leaders, starting out in their careers today? “Do something scary,” he says. “If you get an opportunity… grab it. You’ll find out things about yourself. “And you’ll do things that you didn’t think were possible.” | |||
| 23 Nov 2021 | Rob Darby - Building a brand at 200 Degrees Coffee | 00:18:34 | |
The chief executive of 200 Degrees is proud he only had to make three redundancies during 18 months of the Covid pandemic and lockdown. Because Rob Darby – whose coffee empire employs 200 staff across shops, barista schools and a major wholesale business – guards jealously his organisation’s reputation as a caring employer. “It’s a two-way relationship. Without the staff’s hard work and graft we would have no company. We depend on them,” he tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast. “But they’ve all got families and bills to pay. So, they depend on me too – and I take my side of that very seriously.” Like most leaders, Rob had to work harder than ever to guide his organisation through lockdown. He tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi that it was the uncertainty generated by the pandemic that was the biggest test of his leadership skills. “We were fortunate that we were a strong business holding a reasonable amount of cash on the balance sheet. And we had a really strong management team,” he says. “We had constructive conversations with landlords and pivoted the business to do more online. “I would like to be sat here saying I didn’t make anyone redundant. But I’m very proud it was only three (the wholesale sales team). “I did it in the August, with a long notice period because I thought there was going to be a flood of job losses in October and if I did mine early it would give the people involved the best chance of getting new jobs.” And he was right. All three staff secured jobs elsewhere before they left the 200 Degrees payroll. Rob and his co-owner Tom Vincent met while they were both studying engineering at university in Nottingham. After graduating, they spent more than a decade running bistros, pubs and cocktails bars. They first started brewing coffee at their roasting house on the banks of Nottingham’s River Trent because they couldn’t find a reliable supplier. Almost a decade later – and with 200 Degrees’ annual turnover having recently topped £10m – Rob believes opportunities for their wholesale business are increasing as organisations try to entice their staff back into the office with, among other things, high-quality coffee. However, he admits to being nervous about what the future might hold for the city centres where 200 Degrees has its shops. “Our out-of-town destinations are trading very strongly at the minute,” he tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast. “But some shops in community destinations are still well down on pre-Covid numbers. “I’m nervous of city centres. Not because I don’t think we can trade well there… I just want to see where the dust settles. There will always be a hub to every city, but it might shift over the next few years to a smaller focal point.” Rob also has advice for young entrepreneurs and leaders of the future. He says: “Do something you’re really passionate about. I was passionate about customer service and standards, which within coffee I felt weren’t happening. “That has driven us to make loads of great decisions. You have to be passionate about what you do.” | |||
| 14 Feb 2023 | Sir John Peace CVO - Leadership lessons from the former Chairman of Experian, Burberry and Standard Chartered | 00:25:32 | |
Nottingham Business Schools Business Leaders Podcast Sir John Peace - Leadership lessons from the former Chairman of Experian, Burberry and Standard Chartered | Episode 25 Businessman Sir John Peace says the best leaders are people who can communicate, take risks and adapt to change. But Sir John – who was Chairman at FTSE 100 companies Standard Chartered, Burberry and Experian – believes every truly successful leader has one other attribute… a moral compass. In Episode 25 of Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, he says real leaders are inspired by the thought that they can do some wider good. “Great leaders are driven to succeed not because it matters to them – how big their bonus is or what accolades they are going to achieve – but because they know it’s important for others,” he tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. “They’ve all got a good moral compass.” Since 2017 Sir John has chaired The Midlands Engine partnership, set up by the Government to bring business together to drive the region’s growth. For more than a decade he has also been Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, representing The Royal Family in the county. He says: “I took the role because it gave me an opportunity to help others.” Born to a mining family in Mansfield, Sir John has enjoyed a stellar business career. He was chief executive of retail and financial conglomerate Great Universal Stores between 2000 and 2006, then consumer credit company Experian from 2006 to 2014. “And every step of the way change has powered the decisions I’ve taken,” he adds. His advice to young, would-be business leaders is simple: “You must be aware of the speed of change in the environment around you. “It’s important not to have just one career… but multiple careers. I always knew, instinctively, when it was time to do something different.” In this episode of the NBS podcast, Sir John says leaders should have the confidence of their convictions. He tells the story of appointing a new chief executive at Burberry: “I brought in a lady from a very small retail business in the United States. “I had just lost one of the best retail chief executives in the world. Investors were expecting me to bring in a new big-hitter… someone I would have to pay millions of dollars to attract. “I didn’t. Instead, I brought in Angela Ahrendts from Idaho. For the first two years it was difficult… she wouldn’t talk to the press… she wouldn’t talk to investors… but she had something. She had qualities. And in the end, she became world-famous for her ability to build a luxury brand [Burberry]. “She stayed here for seven years… and only went back to America because Tim Cook paid her a very large sum of money to be his Number Two at Apple!” Sir John believes it’s also important for leaders and managers to carry people with them – to persuade others that their decisions are right. “All too often our politicians forget that,” he says. “They think that because they are in power… what they should do is give out orders. “I’ve never seen management like that. I used to have folks – at Burberry, or Experian or Standard Chartered – who would say to me, ‘Well what do you want us to do?’ “I’d say, ‘It’s not like that! It’s what we are going to do for each other… We are a team working together. I don’t just want to give instructions.’ “As a leader, you must listen to other people’s ideas as well as speak your own. If you can strike the right balance, then that is leadership… and you will carry people with you. More about Nottingham Business School: • Visit the Nottingham Business School website | |||