Manageable Conversations

Ian Constance, CEO of the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK

Are you comfortable challenging others and being challenged in return? Ian Constance, CEO of Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, talks about this motto of his and why it's easy to say and hard to implement. In this episode, Ian talks about: ✳ Getting the best from people by not telling them what to do  ✳ Insights from working around the world, including China ✳ Adapting from a global career at Ford to leading a small not-for-profit organisation ✳ The importance of discipline in coping with t...

James Hollow, Founder & CEO of Fabric

James Hollow is the Founder and CEO of Fabric, a Strategic Design and Sustainability consultancy based in Japan. In this episode, James talks about:  ✳ The power of vulnerability and not knowing everything ✳ Healthy reflective practices in business ✳ What being “inclusive by design” means as a leadership principle ✳ The importance of making values tangible through behaviours ✳ His experience leading businesses and people in Japan for decades James leads Fabric with a focus on entrepreneur...

Chia-Lin Simmons, CEO of LogicMark

Chia-Lin Simmons is the CEO of LogicMark and an early leader in AI and IoT.   In this episode, Chia-Lin talks about: What she means by her personal brand of ‘kindness leadership’ Being a futurist as part of managing career transitions The value of code-switching and thinking like a startup and a large company Why vision fit is more important to her than culture fit Misunderstandings with AI and its human dimension Finding time to focus on others and self-heal As a tech veteran with m...

Tony Jamous, CEO & Founder of Oyster

Tony Jamous is the CEO and Founder of Osyter, the automated global employment platform that removes barriers to remote work and distributed hiring. Oyster is the second Unicorn that Tony has founded. In this episode, Tony talks about: What he means by sustainable leadership and what caused him to embrace it Achieving higher performance without taxing yourself and others as much Setting the bar high and being ready to be disappointed When to use your heart rather than your brain How he ...

Kathrin Jesse, CEO of BBDO Germany

Kathrin Jesse is CEO of BBDO Germany, one of the top ten creative agencies in Germany, working with clients such as Allianz, Porsche, Lidl, Meta, 1&1 and E.ON.  In this episode, Kathrin talks about: Being a real person as a leader, and being a good fit for the times How parenting has strengthened her predictability, consistency and intentionality Why taking on the CEO role was a risk for her and the firm Sticking to plans and yet being able to handle curve balls The power of being tran...

Jennifer Nuckles, Chairperson & CEO at R-Zero

Jennifer Nuckles is Chairperson & CEO at R-Zero, the biosafety technology company dedicated to making indoor spaces safer, healthier and more productive. In this episode, Jennifer talks about: Being kind rather than nice How Chief Marketing Officers can become CEOs The danger of vanity metrics Being a role model for her daughters Playing to people's strengths Getting out of your comfort zone Jennifer has over 25 years of experience leading and accelerating revenue growth and profitab...

Petr Baron, CEO of tbi

Petr Baron is CEO of tbi, the challenger bank that is one of the most profitable in Southeastern Europe. In this episode, Petr talks about: The importance of authenticity Seeing the teacher in everyone Algorithms and hacks that free him up to create value Protecting ourselves from digital noise Seeking out problem-solving partners Ways in which banks need to change Petr belongs to a new wave of entrepreneurial bankers leveraging deep knowledge of the financial ecosystem. In a career s...

Luca Schnettler, CEO of Qumata

In this episode of Manageable Conversations, Luca Schnettler, CEO of Qumata, the Insurtech scaleup, talks about: Bluntness as a sign of respect rather than rudeness Owning your truth if you want to lead rather than be led How an ecosystem of advisors helped him gain credibility Dedication to hard work as the route to success How failure showed him the importance of focus In his late teens, Luca moved from Germany to the UK to study and ended up leaving university without a degree at th...

Dominic Allon, CEO of Pipedrive

In this episode of Manageable Conversations, Dominic Allon, CEO of Pipedrive, the global unicorn CRM, talks about: Ways he enables his team Why leadership requires solitude How to be the best version of yourself every day Embracing vulnerability and a coaching style Why culture change needs to be approached with humility  Dominic has a long and successful track record of leading large, global organisations, and driving business transformation and growth. Prior to joining Pipedrive in 2...

Petra Felgen, Managing Director, CEWE UK & Ireland

In this episode of Manageable Conversations, Petra Felgen, Managing Director of CEWE UK and Ireland, talks about: The importance of being challenged by your team How management practices need to keep up with shifts in business strategy Managing transitions from countries and roles within the same organisation The opportunity and challenge of localisation vs globalisation Engaging everyone in the process of innovation Petra has spent nine years at CEWE, most of which as head of internat...

Chris Rowley, CEO of The Risk Advisory Group

In this episode, Chris Rowley, CEO of The Risk Advisory Group, talks about: How he became CEO and ways he copes with the demands of the role The importance of consistency of leadership, including having difficult conversations Why leaders would be mad to rely only on their instincts rather than seek help Expectations of younger generations and the need for investment in people from the outset The value of agility and challenging the status quo within organisations Chris has over 20 yea...

Twink Field, CEO and Founder of White Marble Consulting

In this episode, Twink Field, CEO and Founder of White Marble, the investment marketing consultancy, talks about: Her early experiences of good and bad management The value of self-reflection and restraint as a leader Characteristics of a high-performance culture and how she’s fostering it How functions like marketing break down silos and can cut through in organisations Tips for managers to get the best from their teams Twink founded White Marble in 2014 after a 15-year career working...

Robert Pickering, Ex-CEO of Cazenove and author of Blue Blood

In this episode of Manageable Conversations, Robert Pickering, ex-CEO of Cazenove, the last independent British investment bank, talks about: His no-nonsense leadership style and what helped him succeed as a leader What CEOs should do above everything else How he coped with challenging transitions Ways in which incentives affect culture How delegation and empowerment served him Tips for managers to succeed with their teams Robert joined Cazenove in 1985, having previously qualified as...

Ruth Kelly, Chair of Thames Freeport and Water UK, ex UK Secretary of State for Education and Skills

How is visibility and being connected across an organisation critical for success? In this episode, Ruth Kelly, Chair of Thames Freeport and Water UK, and ex-Secretary of State for Education and Skills, talks about: Trust in organisations The value of managers spending time with members of their teams each week Developing soft skills Being visible and connected across your organisation What organisations can do to support managers Learning continuously to address gaps in skills and kn...

Ezechi Britton MBE, incoming CEO of the Centre for Finance, Innovation, and Technology

How are organisations and investors doing managers a disservice? In this episode, Ezechi Britton MBE, incoming CEO of the UK's Centre for Finance, Innovation, and Technology (CFIT), tells us how. He also talks about how he acquired leadership skills at an early age, what good managers are like and what they need to thrive, leadership lessons from Star Trek, and the dangers of immediacy at the expense of playing the long game. Ezechi received an MBE for his services to work in diversity, i...

Ezechi Britton MBE, incoming CEO of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology

How are organisations and investors doing managers a disservice? In this episode, Ezechi Britton MBE, incoming CEO of the UK's Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT), tells us how. He also talks about how he acquired leadership skills at an early age, what good managers are like and what they need to thrive, leadership lessons from Star Trek, and the dangers of immediacy and merits of playing the long game. Ezechi received an MBE for his services to work in diversity, inclus...

Graham Cooke, Author, Founder and ex-CEO of Qubit

Entrepreneur and FTSE100 Non Executive Director, Graham Cooke has been developing internet-based products for the past 20 years. He joined Google in 2005 as one of the earliest European employees working on the Google Ad Platform and Google Analytics. After Google, he founded Qubit, a leading SaaS company in the e-commerce space, providing AI-personalised shopping recommendations to over one billion users per month across more than 300 leading brands. He sold Qubit to Coveo Solutions in 2021...

Mark Billige, CEO of Simon-Kucher

Mark Billige is CEO of Simon-Kucher & Partners, the global consultancy firm operating in around 30 countries world-wide. Simon-Kucher delivers revenue and profit growth for clients by optimising pricing, sales, and marketing strategies. Mark is considered one of the world’s leading experts in pricing and monetisation strategy, advising CEOs and company boards, as well as leading private-equity firms. He's a guest lecturer for MBA programmes at the world’s top business schools. In this epis...

Dannie Lynn Fountain, Global Inclusion Lead at Google’s #IamRemarkable, Author, People Expert

Dannie Lynn Fountain is a passionate storyteller who helps companies focus on people. By day, she works at Google hiring the world’s most talented software engineers. By night she supports clients and brands with HR-focused diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies. Dannie is a five-time author and in her latest book, Ending Checkbox Diversity, she rewrites the story of performative allyship in corporate America. In this episode, we discuss:  Duality of DE&I, contrasting authentic and pe...

Helena Gaunt, The Principal at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

Helena Gaunt is the Principal at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. She began her career as a professional oboist, before moving into academia. She then transitioned into strategic leadership roles, serving as Vice Principal and Director of Innovation at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Here, Helena pioneered the use of coaching to boost creative output, a practice she continues to develop in her current role. In this episode, we discuss: the discipline of presence the...

Cat Agostinho, Co-Founder at Imagen Insights

Cat Agostinho is the Co-founder of Imagen Insights, which offers organisations Gen Z insights within 72 hours. She is on a mission to support young people and provide them with opportunities regardless of their background. Cat has co-created a business and a culture that champions inclusivity, and caters for different languages, disabilities and social factors. In this episode, we discuss: putting culture first the co-founder dynamic transparency within teams what managers have to gain ...

Nabila Salem, President of Revolent Group

Nabila is President of Revolent Group, which creates cloud talent that can thrive in niche technology markets. She's also on the Board of Tenth Revolution Group, the parent company of Frank Recruitment Group, Revolent Group and Rebura. Nabila was recognised in Management Today's 35 Women Under 35 List 2019 and selected as Globant's Inspiring Executive UK in 2021. Under Nabila’s leadership, Revolent has won multiple awards including Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Te...

Bruce Daisley, ex-Twitter VP, workplace-culture enthusiast, #1 bestselling author

Bruce Daisley is one of the UK’s most influential voices on fixing work. His first book, The Joy of Work, was a Sunday Times number 1 bestseller, ending 2019 as the UK’s top selling business hardback of the year. Previously he spent over a decade running Twitter and YouTube in Europe (the latter at Google). Bruce runs the Apple #1 Business Chart topping podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat on work culture. His second book, Fortitude, about how we think about resilience incorrectly, is out in Augus...

Erich Gerth, CEO of BlueBay Asset Management

Erich is CEO of BlueBay Asset Management, ultimately a part of RBC, which is one of the world's biggest banks by market value. Erich also oversees the Non-North American business of RBC Global Asset Management. In this episode, he talks about: Countering imposter syndrome Transparency as part of inclusive management Growth mindset and learning from mistakes Autonomy vs micro-management Continuous professional development

Pia Heidenmark Cook, Non-Executive Director at BUPA and other firms, former CSO at IKEA

Pia is a Non-Executive Director at BUPA, Origin Materials and MAX Burgers. She was formerly Chief Sustainability Officer at Ingka Group, the largest IKEA franchisee. IKEA is the world's leading home furnishing retailer.   In this episode, Pia talks about: Her transition from a high-profile global role at IKEA Driving the sustainability agenda alongside other priorities Leadership qualities that enable change Diversity and inclusion Pia enjoys splitting her time between board, advisory a...

Charles Wookey, CEO of A Blueprint for Better Business

Charles is the founding CEO of A Blueprint for Better Business, an independent charity that acts as a catalyst for change in business. Blueprint helps businesses realise their true long term potential: to serve society, respect people, rediscover their purpose and thereby earn a fair and sustainable return for investors. In this episode, Charles talks about: Moving on as CEO Ways in which he's improved as a leader What it means to be a purpose-led organisation How managers need to be wi...

Mark Makepeace, CEO of Wilshire

Mark is CEO of Wilshire, the global investment management, advisory and data firm. He was previously the founding CEO of what has become FTSE Russell, one of the world's leading providers of financial market data. In this episode, Mark talks about: breaking through as an outsider seeking help when you're stuck the power of inclusion and community adapting with humility the player-coach continuum

International Women's Day Special Edition

Inken Thomas, our Co-Founder, introduces five women CEOs who've been on the show: Ambre Soubiran, CEO of Kaiko Gillian Harrison, CEO of Whitefox Technologies Janthana Kaenprakhamroy, CEO of Tapoly Neta Meidav, CEO of Vault Platform Sabine VanderLinden, CEO of Alchemy Crew They comment on how they stay sharp and effective as leaders, and they share tips for managers to get the best from their teams.

Pieter Van de Velde, Founding Partner at Ninepointfive

Pieter is an entrepreneur with a proven track record in tech start-ups and corporate venturing. He's currently Founding Partner at Ninepointfive, a venture capital firm that co-invests with Europe's top-tier corporations to take tech-based startups to maturity. In this episode, Pieter talks about: how leadership evolves with the scale of the organisation the benefits of diversity in the leadership team managers as sources of energy for teams the way mentorship helped him overcome fear a...

Janthana Kaenprakhamroy, Founder and CEO of Tapoly

Janthana Kaenprakhamroy is the Founder and CEO of Tapoly, the award-winning Insurtech business. Tapoly provides on-demand insurance for SMEs and freelancers. Prior to founding Tapoly in 2016, Janthana was Director, Internal Audit at UBS Investment Bank. During her banking career of 15 years, she also worked at J. P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank. In this episode, Janthana talks about: how her life circumstances have shaped her leadership style the importance of self-awareness and how she's cha...

Stuart Connolly, CEO of CloudMargin

Stuart Connolly is CEO of CloudMargin, a fast-growing FinTech founded in 2014 to enhance collateral management solutions for the financial services industry. Stuart was previously Group CEO for TriOptima and a Managing Director in the Securities Division of Goldman Sachs in London and New York. In this episode, Stuart talks about: Learning from failure that was a consequence of over-confidence in his abilities His experience of successfully transitioning from Goldman Sachs, where he spent...

Ian Trenholm, CEO of Care Quality Commission

Ian Trenholm is CEO of the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and social care in England. Ian emphasises the value of leading with curiosity, consistency and “relentless personal dissatisfaction”. He also talks about hiring people who scare him and the opportunity that comes from investing in those who aren’t performing as well as they could, rather than those who are already doing well.

Michael Brennan, CEO and Co-Founder of Tootoot & Stribe

Sabine VanderLinden, Co-Founder & CEO of Alchemy Crew

Neta Meidav, Co-Founder and CEO of Vault Platform

Ambre Soubiran, CEO of Kaiko

Tonner Jackson, CEO at Course Studio

Richard di Benedetto, CEO of Aetna International

Andy Clark, CEO of EdenTree

James Tye, CEO of Dennis Publishing

Andrew Whitehead, CEO of Protean Electric

Gillian Harrison, CEO of Whitefox Technologies