Business Leader

What does being purpose-led actually mean? How do you make it a reality? And why do you need to be purpose-led to get the best out of yourself and others?John Blakey is an executive coach for FTSE 100 chief executives, founders and top public sector officials. He has written a new book called Force for Good: How to Thrive as a Purpose-Driven Leader.In the new episode of Business Leader we hear his teachings on how to be a purpose-driven leader who can get the best out of yourself and your team.You will learn:-Why "performance = motivation x ability x opportunity"-How to boost your motivation by identifying your radiators and drains-How to be a force multiplier by thinking long-term, not short-term-Why you should set five-year goals and share them-How to ensure that reality doesn't get in the way of that five-year vision

Philips is the electronics brand behind a host of household appliances and it launched the air fryer, one of the most successful new products of the 21st Century so far. The history of the Philips brand dates back to the 1800s. Today the company that makes Philips products for consumers is called Versuni and the chief executive is Veronique Pauwels. In this episode of the Business Leader podcast we speak to her about the business, why it is capable of producing innovations like the air fryer and why playing chess makes you a strategic thinker...

Huel is one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK. The food and nutrition business has ambitions to be the next billion-dollar food brand and has already succeeded where many other UK brands have failed by breaking into the US. This is the story behind Huel's unique recruitment, marketing and growth strategy...

In this episode of Business Leader we speak to not one but four chief executives. They will help you understand housing associations and why they are the biggest organisations you have never heard of, why they left jobs in big business to lead not-for-profit organisations and how to tackle the housing crisis in the UK.We speak to the chief executives of four of the biggest housing associations in the UK. They are Patrick Franco at Notting Hill Genesis, Andy Hulme of Hyde, Sarah Jones of Anchor and Greg Reed of Places for People, who all share their learnings in a unique roundtable discussion

CMR Surgical is one of the most exciting businesses in the UK, but you probably haven't heard its story. Until now. Dr Mark Slack, the co-founder and chief medical officer, guides us through how CMR built a robot to do keyhole surgery and became a business valued at more than $3bn (£2.3bn), backed by investment giants like SoftBank and Tencent. It is a story that involves a failed athletics career, military service and a meeting of minds in Cambridge akin to The Beatles getting together...

Since 2017 Fawn Weaver has been building a new global whisky brand from Tennessee in the US, called Uncle Nearest. It stands out because it is inspired by the first known African American master distiller, Nathan “Nearest” Green. He was a former slave who worked very closely with Jack Daniel. It’s a story that fascinated Weaver when she first learned about it in 2016, so much so that she relocated from Los Angeles to Tennessee with her husband to learn more about the Green family – and ultimately launch a new spirits brand. That brand hit annual revenues of $100m in 2022. She is something of a trailblazer herself, as a woman of colour leading a major spirits company. She discusses her business journey - from leaving home at age 15 in Los Angeles to the strategies that helped her create a successful challenger brand, in an industry notoriously difficult to break into…

Alex Depledge and Jules Coleman sold their first business Hassle.com for nearly £30m. But instead of taking the opportunity to take a step back and enjoy life, they went again and launched a second start-up - Resi. So, what is it like building a business for the second time? What is different? And why do it all again?

James Daunt has turned around Waterstones in the UK and Barnes & Noble in the US. That gives him a unique insight into what it takes to run successful shops on both sides of the Atlantic at a time when many high street businesses are failing. In this podcast episode, we take a detailed look at how Daunt runs his book shops and the strategy that is required to succeed...If you enjoyed this episode, then you can find out more about the story behind Daunt Books, Waterstones and Barnes & Noble in our previous interview with Daunt, which looks at the history of the businesses. You can find that here: https://offtolunch.substack.com/p/james-daunt-the-boss-who-saved-the