The Leaders Council Podcast

Dive into the world of cricket and resilience with our exclusive interview featuring Andrew Strauss. Explore his remarkable journey through the highs and lows of the cricketing arena, while also delving into his role as a driving force behind the Ruth Strauss Foundation. Join us as we discuss not only the intricacies of the sport but also how he and his foundation are helping individuals deal with and overcome trauma. A compelling conversation with a cricketing legend awaits.

Discover the essence of leadership in our insightful interview with football legend Geoff Hurst. From his days under the guidance of visionary Alf Ramsay to unexpected tales that shed light on lesser-known facets of his life, Geoff shares the inspirational figures who shaped his journey. Join us to delve into the world of leadership and gain unique insights from a true icon of the game.

Sean Hackemann is a chartered accountant and founder of Specialist Accounting Solutions, a firm of chartered accountants. Sean founded Specialist Accounting Solutions in 2015 and has more than 15 years of experience working as a chartered accountant and business adviser. He is well-versed in leading the finance departments of SMEs, advisory and corporate financeSean is an experienced webinar presenter on subjects including Business Valuations, and Better Management Information.

Ben Barnard is director at Mossy Rock Ltd, following a successful tenure as head gardener at Upsall Castle.Barnard oversees a team who works to promote chemical free gardening and environmentally friendly outdoor spaces.Ben graduated from Durham University reading Ancient and History and Archaeology, then entered the wine trade for two years managing, buying, and selling wine, before returning to the self employed farming and building game.

Alex Pearmain is the co-founder of One-Fifty Consultancy, a company which provides digital marketing/social media consulting and data products, to drive purposeful digital interactions.Alex boasts years of experience building award-winning social media, service, communications and digital marketing teams for a variety of businesses. After working as head of digital for FIshburn Hedges early in his career, Alex became one of the early UK pioneers of brand social media adoption.

Paul Armstrong is the Founder of HERE/FORTH, the future technology advisory that helps a diverse set of clients (PwC, Coca-Cola, Coutts, O2, P&G, Omnicom Group) navigate new technologies strategically.Paul is also the founder of the TBD Conference (Technology. Behaviour. Data.) Attendees at TBD range from global C-suite execs to brand managers, startup founders to agency leaders, politicians to startups.To find out more about the conference go to: https://www.thetbdconference.com/

Mandana White is the founder and CEO of Smart Grid Forums, a company that works with the engineering sector on innovative event concepts and programmes that inform technical decision-makers.Smart Grid remains close to sector developments and provides live event platforms that function as a catalyst for new ideas and approaches to achieving future energy security.Smart Grid closely monitors the market, conducts depth interviews with technical decision makers, and translates this information into techno-commercial conferences that empower participants to accelerate their implementation plans and deliver exceptional results to their organisations.

Gabriel Dumaka is director of Rising Stars Nursery & Daycare, a nursery based across three sites in north London. He is a highly regarded educator and leaderwho holds a degree in Linguistics and a master’s degree in Education Planning, Economics and International Development.Global Education Plus, the company behind London-based childcare provider Rising Stars Nurseries & Daycare, has launched its new ‘Rising Starlets’ interactive learning platform targeted towards children aged 0-5 and their families.

Luke Arnold founder and director at Hope4u, a consultancy whose purpose is to eradicate poverty and improve financial wellbeing through a range of services designed to tackle the immediate problems that individuals are facing with money and address underlying issues.Luke and Hope4u are in the process of fundraising to establish a new foodbank which will also offer free advisory services.

Mike Hicks is the CEO and founder of Catalysis Advisory Ltd, a company that works with small and mid-market investors, chairs and management teams to inform decision-making and find solutions to issues around strategy, the organisational side of business and getting the best out of people. Mike also sits on the National Advisory Board for Career Ready, a social mobility organisation which looks to prepare young people for the world of work.

Shelley Simone is an entrepreneur and founder of ScaleForEtail, the largest Amazon seller community in the UK. She is an e-commerce specialist having co-founded two high-growth start-ups and sold two Amazon Native brands in beauty and innovative kitchen products.Earlier in her career, Shelley enjoyed a career in the international corporate sphere, working in training and people development for brands such as Swiss International Air Lines, Dell, DHL, BOC UK and Ireland, DSM and BGL Group.

Mark Wilson is the CEO and managing partner at Futurestate Design Co., a business innovation consultancy that helps grow digital companies.Mark co-founded Futurestate Design Co. (formerly Wilson Fletcher) in 2002 and over the years has helped oversee its activities in aiding a diverse set of companies from across the world realise their growth ambitions and overcome challenges.The business supports the four-day working week and has been operating a four-day working model since 2019. Alongside his role at Wilson Fletcher, Mark since on the advisory board of start-up Agate Systems Ltd and is a senior advisor to VentureFounders.

Neil Laughton is a former Royal Marines Commando, helicopter pilot and Special Forces Officer (21 SAS) turned successful entrepreneur. He is the founder and managing director of Laughton & Co Ltd, a training and development consultancy which offers business advisory services, bespoke learning & development programmes and more.Neil’s experience in the business world as well as military leadership enables him to develop people with an adventurous mindset as well as an entrepreneurial one, building confidence and improving performance.

Alistair Corrie is a Chartered Accountant and Agile Consultant. He combines both his professions to help organisations understand and adopt the ways of working which best suit their ambitions. He has applied the Agile Mindset to help HM Government departments, publicly traded international corporations, as well as working pro-bono with organisations like his local police authority. He is the co-Founder of The Corrie Partnership Ltd. In this podcast Alistair explains why we should all pay attention to the potential of Agile. He explains that for Agile to work we must have the right Leadership approach. And he discusses how Agile is a natural way of working which can be adopted with very little effort or cost.

Jane Frankland is the founder The Source Platform (for Women in Cyber), an organisation aimed at helping more women enter the cybersecurity industry. She is also the founder of the IN Security Movement, and owner and CEO of KnewStart.Jane has worked in cybersecurity for more than 24 years, occupying numerous senior roles along the way, including for brands such as Accenture. She boasts a demonstrated history in working with some of the world’s biggest brands and delivering fast revenue growth.

Teresa Clark is the founder and alchemist of The Wellness Revolution, a pioneering culture & employee experience company which helps businesses and organisations improve employee engagement to boost wellbeing and unlock potential.Teresa is a public speaker, facilitator and resilience expert who has overcome moving and traumatic personal experiences to spearhead positive social change. She has 12 years of experience working in the mental health sphere in the criminal justice system, NHS and for charities.

Kevin M Thomson & Chris Masters are co-founders of The WoWW! Business, which puts health and wellbeing into organisations and individual clients through innovative platforms and programmes. Jeanette Phillips is CEO at Flexicare UK Ltd. a care provider who ensure indivduals receive due care in their workplaces, at home or on holiday. Sally Thomson is a partner within The WoWW! Business and a qualified barrister.

Bill Lewis is a published author, professional speaker, coach and advisor to boards, founders, CEOs and leaders.As a forensic accountant and consultant, Bill has carried out due diligence on a multitude of businesses spanning several industries, including engineering, food production, manufacturing, aviation and the service sector.Bill is also involved in charitable concerns, particularly targeted toward helping young people. He formed his own youth charity and in a five-year spell as CEO, it positively impacted the lives of more than 500 people.

Amy Nguyen is a strategist, researcher and writer focusing on the nexus between sustainable business, fashion, finance, and technology. Through her own brand Sustainable & Social, she works as a consultant for a variety of organisations ranging from environmental NGOs and research advisory firms, through to sustainable tech start-ups in the energy and fashion space.As a notable Forbes contributor, Amy’s writing and work has been featured in various other outlets including the Times and Sunday Times, BBC, Vogue, the Guardian and more.

Barry O’Kane is an internet industry guru and founder of B-Corp HappyPorch, a software developer that turns data into impactful content and collaborates with businesses to share its vision of a circular economy.Barry has worked in the internet industry as a developer for several years, working for names such as Bomb Productions and Visit Scotland. He was also a partner for a number of years at Ezone Software. Barry established HappyPorch in 2016, as well as its podcast spinout HappyPorch Radio, a channel which explores the role of digital and software in the circular economy.

Rich Gibbons is the founder of Cloudy with a Chance of Licensing, a business which provides training, advice, consulting, and insights around Microsoft licensing, the cloud, and FinOps. He is also an expert in ITAM and works for The ITAM Review as a director, identifying and growing a range of ITAM and related services.Before establishing his own business in late 2021, Rich worked for The ITAM Review in numerous positions including as a licensing analyst, content and training lead and then services director.

Adam Stiles is partner at Helix Financial Partners LLP and managing director of Helix Structured Finance. Helix Financial Partners is an advisory firm aiming to be at the forefront of mortgage advice in the UK, while Helix Structured Finance operates as a non-regulated finance brokerage firm in development, bridging and commercial finance as well as other areas.Adam became a partner at Helix Financial Partners in 2021, after a decade working for Keystone Wealth Management in mortgage & protection consultancy and sales.

Judith Clegg is a serial entrepreneur who founded London and New York-based innovation agency, Takeout. Takeout works with businesses and organisations to help them innovate and create new products and services. With Cher Chevalier, Judith co-founded The #HandsOff Campaign and PAWS - Policy for Animal Welfare Scheme, and co-authored the book ‘Compassion In Commerce – The Power of Good Business’. Cher and Judith have since created the Compassion In Commerce Training Programme for entrepreneurs based on the lessons outlined in the book.Read more about Judith Clegg & Cher Chevalier here: www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/seven-ways-that-government-can-address-crises-and-make-great-britain-prosper

Jill Bausch is the director of international search and leadership for SRI Executive, founder of her own coaching company VivePoint and author of ‘Why Brave Women Win’ - Creating your path to confidence and power in the workplace’.Today, Bausch continues to strive for maximum social change and serves as the head of international search & leadership for SRI Executive, runs her own coaching company VivePoint Ltd and works as a social impact advisor to the London Business School and mentor for the Prince’s Trust.

Dr. Daniel Moses is a serial entrepreneur, podcast host, Amazon best-selling author and award-winning property and business coach. He is the founder of Property Wealth Corporation, a company which specialises in providing investment opportunities, professional training and professional services to the property industry.Daniel boasts a wealth of expertise and experience in the property sector and is passionate about teaching and upskilling the next generation.

Laurence Ainsworth is a multi-award-winning author and high growth coach. Through his business, Managing High Growth, he assists some of the fastest growing businesses in the UK in helping them to meet the challenges of high growth. He is also a regular speaker on issues around high growth businesses and the challenges they face and contributes to several publications on business growth.Among Laurence’s published works is “Staying Ahead of the Hammer”, a double award winning book.

Terence Beckett is the founder/director of susPLAN Ltd, a privately owned non-profit nationwide sustainability verification service for local planning authorities. Terence is also chief technical director at Health Air Technology Ltd, a company which provides innovative, pure, safe and healthy air cleansing solutions.Terence is well versed in the built environment and sustainability and has worked with BRE Global and BREEAM on key projects and strategies around sustainable growth. Today, he works closely with SME construction professionals to drive the sustainability agenda in the UK and abroad.

Dave Chaplin is a contracting expert, published author and founder of IR35 Shield, a platform which enables businesses to conduct fast and accurate IR35 status assessments to help ensure compliance. He also established Contractor Calculator, an online resource used by contractors, freelancers and the self-employed. He later founded IR35 Shield as an ideal solution to help keep businesses their contingent workforces fully compliant with IR35, thereby reducing the risk of investigation and tax liabilities as a result.

Craig Smith is the lead consultant at and owner of The Big Picture People, a company that creates unique, visual communication tools that share the ‘big picture’ of businesses with their employees, helping make them aware of how their roles deliver on key strategic priorities.Craig’s role with The Big Picture People involves working directly with clients to help discover their communication and learning objectives, before project managing the development of their ‘big picture’ alongside his team.

Joanne Lockwood an inclusion and belonging specialist, and international keynote speaker that helps organisations create positive people experiences through sustainable diversity and inclusion programmes. She is the founder and CEO of See Change Happen, a consulting firm specialised in providing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion advice to businesses and their employees.In her position, Jo works with business leaders across the globe to challenge corporate mentality around providing services, ensuring that business activities venture beyond Diversity & Inclusion box ticking exercises.

Brigette Bard is the founder and CEO of BioSure, a company which develops, manufactures and sources rapid tests with high levels of accuracy, rivalling those carried out as standard in laboratories. Its speciality lies in providing solutions using rapid Point of Care Tests and is uniquely experienced in the field of self-testing. Under her leadership, BioSure launched the world’s first approved blood-based testing kit for HIV in 2015, which is over 99.7 per cent accurate. Brigette is actively involved in normalising conversation around HIV as a disease, testing for it, and combatting negative stigma and stereotypes.

Vicky Reddington is the co-founder of Amplified Group, a change management organisation which helps build more engaged, coherent and united teams through a breakthrough business methodology which is built on clarity of purpose and Patrick Lencioni’s ‘Five Behaviours’ model.Vicky boasts more than 20 years of experience working in change management within the IT industry. While she co-founded Amplified Group in 2017, she has previously worked in senior roles within VMware (in partner progression and strategy for the EMEA region), as well as in sales and business development for Citrix Systems and Westcon.

Anthony Levy is the founder and chair of Circularity First, an organisation which helps businesses and other organisations make their IT more sustainable through the circular economy by assisting them in redesign their IT strategies to make them more resilient, cost-effective and better for the planet.Anthony is an experienced speaker on sustainable IT, the circular economy, and how to overcome the challenges in delivering it.

Matthew Phelan is a TEDx speaker and co-founder/co-CEO of The Happiness Index, an employee engagement and happiness monitoring platform. Matthew co-founded The Happiness Index in 2014. From it, Matthew established the global Happiness & Humans Community, which began in 2019. He remains involved in both today.Matthew is a published author, having written top 10 best seller in the HR category, Freedom To Be Happy: The Business Case for Happiness.

James Puttick is the managing director of Ecura. Formerly known as Direct Healthcare Solutions, Ecura is a manufacturer that provides a range of quality healthcare products backed up with efficient and forward thinking service in an “ever-changing healthcare landscape”. This includes fall detection equipment as well as ceiling hoists and bathing equipment designed for accessibility.In November 2022, Puttick led his business through the Ecura rebrand, reflective of the business’ move toward technological innovation in its field and a more sustainable approach in acknowledgement of changing times.

Vic Williams is a renowned business coach, who notably works with dyslexic and other neurodiverse entrepreneurs and SME business owners. He is the founder of The Audacious Training Company, a training provider with a focus on change leadership, change management, and LinkedIn training. Vic has authored two books: ‘Audacious Leadership - How to become a leader that is Bold, Innovative, Inventive & Unconstrained by Previous Ideas’ and ‘Influence And Impact Your Market - How to Set Yourself Up For LinkedIn Success’.

Colin Curtis is the managing director at TBL Services, a sustainability services business which helps other companies understand why and how they ought to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Colin also established the Support the Goals initiative in support of these aims.Colin has enjoyed a diverse career, working in a number of roles in marketing, HR, business development and the technology sector. One of his most notable positions involved working as group sustainability for Dimension Data, one of the largest technology firms in the world. He joined as a business development manager and ascended the corporate ladder to his sustainability lead role.

Olga Murray is the founder of Private Goodness, a provider of training and consultancy services to businesses and organisations on matters relating to Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR], Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance [ESG], and ethics.Following its 2018 foundation, Olga has led Private Goodness in providing training to companies based in Asia, Africa, America, the Middle East and Europe, and won International CSR Excellence Awards both in 2019 and 2020.

Jane Gray is the founder of Charlton Gray, a Cheltenham based accounting and business support services provider.Jane established Charlton Gray in 2019 after having studied for eight months with Ideal Schools to acquire the skills for launching her own practice. She founded her business to provide turnkey bookkeeping and business services to the area’s business community.In 2022, Jane and Charlton Gray were honoured by the Institute of Accountants and Bookkeepers, winning the Innovation in Business Award.

Catherine Bonner is an executive coach who works with entrepreneurs and organisations to help them articulate their visions to the people working within the business. She provides these services through her own brand, Ambient Tribe Ltd.Before she embarked on her executive coaching journey and built a brand of her own, Catherine cut her teeth in the world of PR and communications. She has previously worked in the field for Jo Malone London and Camron PR, as well as working in events with Leeds Beckett University.

Lee Mannion is a communications guru and former journalist. He is head of communications at Expert Impact and co-founder of Expert Impact Speakers, managing communications for the world’s first social enterprise speakers’ agency.Lee’s journalism background has seen him work for West London Living, Associated Newspapers and The Sunday Telegraph among other publications. Since moving into communications, he has worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation and Meantime Communications before becoming involved with Expert Impact.

Graham Hasting-Evans is the chief executive of NOCN Group which is an international and UK based education and skills charity who works with employers to support them to up-skill their workforces, support individuals to obtain certified and credentialed skills to gain employment and advance their careers. Graham is the President of the British Association of Construction Heads (BACH) and Chair of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) Construction Sector Forum.

Michael Bond is the owner and founder of two businesses. One of these is Sterling Bond, an inter-business (B2B) international financial escrow merchant account service for all business transactions. The other is Rumbler Cars, a company which masterminded the design concept for high performance luxury sports car, the Rumbler Sport Tank.Michael is a HMRC certified Escrow agent and a business leader who is looking to innovate in the fields of finance, media & arts and technology.

Ed Reid is the owner and managing director of The Alternative Board [TAB] UK, a company which provides peer advisory and coaching solutions to leaders of privately held businesses. Over the years, TAB has involved into a community of like-minded business leaders spanning more than 20 countries. The business is run in conjunction with franchisees. As well as running the TAB UK business, Ed also operates his own consultancy firm, Reid Consultants Ltd. He is experienced in the fields of sales and strategy, having worked in such roles earlier in his career with Diageo and Nestle.

Anna Short is a marketing specialist and founder of Boo! Marketing, a marketing agency which provides a comprehensive suite of marketing support covering strategy, planning, reviews and more to business owners, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, and charities. As well as having run Boo! since 2017, Anna is a provider and mentor for The ManchesterGrowth Company and Enterprising You Programme. She is also an enterprise advisor for a local school and sits as a non-executive director at social enterprise, Absolute Specialists Wellbeing.

Genevieve Touzin is a Chartered Institute of Marketing certified Strategic Marketing professional and managing director of Face TV UK, a full service video and filmed content agency based in Basingstoke, Hampshire.Genevieve has a proven track record in the sales and marketing sphere with over a decade of experience in management roles as well as experience of broadcast media through Times Radio & Celador Radio.

Paul Burton is a growth coach and change management expert. He is the director and founder of Pobi Ltd, a specialist business that provides performance improvement solutions to make transformational change in organisations. Burton is also the founder of C-Coach, an app which helps individuals own their change by understanding what they don’t know and where they need to improve, prior to working on their skills development.

Andy Edwards is a motivational speaker and master-class trainer and coach specialising in business relationships, leadership and business growth. He is the founder of Nine 5 Three Ltd, a boutique speaking and training business.In his earlier career, Andy established himself in the estate agency and financial services spheres before moving into leadership development, training and coaching. He established Nine 5 Three Ltd in the late 1990s and is also partnered up today with Emerse Group Ltd through which he also provides leadership development coaching.

Olga Murray is the founder of Private Goodness, a provider of training and consultancy services to businesses and organisations on matters relating to Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR], Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance [ESG], and ethics.Following its 2018 foundation, Olga has led Private Goodness in providing training to companies based in Asia, Africa, America, the Middle East and Europe, and won International CSR Excellence Awards both in 2019 and 2020.

Naomi Timperley is an award-winning consultant and advisor on growth, strategy, and innovation. She is the co-founder of Tech North Advocates and Growth Strategy Innovation.Over her career, Naomi has worked with scale-ups, start-ups, innovative businesses and entrepreneurs to help develop their enterprises and boost digital skills. She is the co-founder of Tech North Advocates, a collection of tech leaders, experts and investors uniting to form the most influential independent, private sector group in the north of England.