Management Today's Leadership Lessons

On this week’s episode, we hear from Vineta Bajaj, CFO of Holland & Barrett. By her own admission Bajaj thrives on change. Before joining the high street chain of supplement and health food shops, she was group CFO at European online grocery business Rohlik and spent nearly ten years as a finance leader at Ocado, during which period the business grew from a FTSE 250 company to at one point overtake Tesco as the most valuable UK retailer, while transforming into a b2b technology provider.It makes sense, then, that she would choose to join Holland & Barrett in the midst of a major transformation effort – its 2025 financial year marked the largest investment period in the company’s history as it spent on its store estate and digital capabilities, with the aim of ensuring that, as Bajaj puts it, the 100 year old business will “be here in another 150 years”.We discuss some of the challenges of stepping into a transformation part-way through, why the company has opted to build its own software systems (it has more than 500 staff in its technology and automation division), and how Bajaj is bringing the science of unit economics from her grocery background to Holland & Barrett.Credits:Presenter: Antonia Garrett PeelProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: Jenny Hardy

For the already anxious, this year has provided plenty more fodder for AI-related unease. A wave of AI-connected layoffs continues to impact the tech sector. Companies have been quietly reworking performance criteria to include usage of the technology, with some warning that AI refuseniks’ days are numbered. And Meta’s CEO is reportedly helping to train an animated, AI-powered version of himself that could converse with employees in his absence.Mark Zuckerberg previously told investors in January that he expects 2026 to be the year that AI “dramatically changes the way we work”, typifying the bullishness that characterises tech execs’ pronouncements on the technology. But the evidence suggests that this assuredness is somewhat lacking in the average boardroom, as executives continue to grapple with how to realise tangible value from AI. “The assumption is we’re on this path where great quantifiable benefits will materialise but haven't yet,” says Andrew Palmer, The Economist’s Bartleby columnist and host of the Boss Class podcast, who adds that the current experimentation phase is essential to reach the endpoint of “either nirvana or disaster depending on your point of view”.This week, Palmer joins Leadership Lessons to talk about some of the burning questions surrounding the technology, such as whether AI is set to hollow out middle management, how you can AI-proof your career, and who wrote his column better: him or a chatbot?Credits:Presenter: Antonia Garrett PeelProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: Jenny Hardy

Pippa Murray is a foodie at heart with a particular love for nut butters, which in the early 2010s were her favourite pre- and post-marathon snack. But many of her favourite products at the time were “pretty processed”, often containing palm oil which is high in saturated fats and environmentally destructive to procure. Simultaneously, the protein trend was in its infancy and the wellness industry was championing ‘healthy fats’. Despite these market shifts, existing brands had failed to fully leverage these emerging developments.Spotting a gap in the market, Murray went on a journey to grow and scale her own nut butter brand while working at The Science Museum, eventually launching Pip & Nut in 2015. The brand has been growing strength to strength and is now the UK’s number one nut butter brand. On this week's episode, Murray discusses the early days of product development - including the three months she spent living in a shed - aligning the values of people, planet and profit, and using business as a force for good.Credits:Presenter: Éilis CroninProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: Jenny Hardy

How do we solve population pressure and climate crisis in space? How has GPS allowed us to provide 12% more food globally? How did the UK become a global leader in small satellite manufacture after the British Government said, “there’s no future for the UK satellite industry”? How did Elon Musk turn reusable rockets from science fiction to science fact in less than 20 years? What else are “Elon and Jeff” going to allow us to do? And why is SpaceX still “the elephant in the room”? Join Alice as she talks to Will Whitehorn, chair of giant space tech investor Seraphim and former president of Virgin Galactic, and they discuss the implications of “The Elon Musk show” and its legacy, “the beginnings of a competitive space industry of scale”. Contributors:Alice Bunn, President of UKspace Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedInUKspace: Overview | LinkedIn Will Whitehorn OBE, Seraphim Space Investment TrustWill Whitehorn OBE | LinkedInKey topics covered:UK satellite manufactureUK universitiesSpaceX valuationReuseable rocketsAgricultural managementPopulation pressureClimate crisisSolar powerData centres in spaceIndustrialising in space

What did the Space-Comm Expo conference and exhibition tell us about connecting space and wider business? How does this manifest as tech connectivity in telecoms and why do farmers care about that? What did we learn about the benefits of extreme cold in manufacturing laboratories and why do pharmas care about that? How vulnerable are global logistics to the spoofing of navigation signals? And why is the UK government centralising space strategy in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology? Join Alice and Jonners as they reflect on the UK space sector’s largest trade event and the “energy, diversity and …sheer scope of what this industry has to offer”. Contributors:Alice Bunn, President of UKspace Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedInUKspace: Overview | LinkedIn Jonathan Daves, The Karman LineJonathan Daves | LinkedIn Subscribe to The Karman LineApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-k%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n-line/id1876605462Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qED4CgdRDxfKKzYNKZCIH?si=lZ-I4a19SPGLAJL-dHi4DQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheKármánLineUKKey topics covered:Space-Comm Expo, London, March 2026Conference overviewSector integrationInsuranceCustomer utilityGovernment roleFuture outlook Technological advancements· Telecoms· Manufacturing Defence and security· Satellite capabilities· Current threats

David Craig is a man who knows a thing or two about leading major organisational change projects, from his background as a partner at McKinsey advising companies on strategy to turning around Thomson Reuters’ largest – but “unloved” – financial and risk division, and spearheading its subsequent separation and reincarnation as Refinitiv.In his new book, Bluebook: How bold leadership unlocked a $27bn success story, Craig shares lessons from this practical education in transformation, including the importance of taking tough calls early on.“I wasn't brave enough and certainly not confident enough,” he says, reflecting on his early days at Thomson Reuters where he was charged with heading up the integration of the two companies. “I was still that new McKinsey guy.”Perhaps it was this reflection that provided the rocket fuel to his plans with Refinitiv. The company launched in October 2018 under the new majority ownership of private equity firm Blackstone. Ten months later – and a year and a half after the $20bn carveout deal was first struck – Refinitiv’s owners agreed its acquisition by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) for $27bn, marking a $7bn exercise in value creation. LSEG’s purchase closed in January 2021, by which point the financial data and technology platform had been overhauled and its Tradeweb electronic marketplaces business IPOed.“Something that frustrates me with many organisations is they haven't realised the value of time. It's important to make decisions properly, but it's also important to make them quickly. I see too many organisations bogged down in ponderous decision-making, bureaucracy, and lack of accountability. [With Refinitiv] we really saw the benefit of speeding things up.”Credits:Presenter: Antonia Garrett PeelProducer: Inga MarsdenArtwork: Jenny Hardy