Business Leaders

Azeem Azhar is the author and host of ‘Exponential View,’ a multimedia platform founded in 2015 - his recent book, ‘Exponential: How Accelerating Technology Is Leaving Us Behind and What to Do About It,’ explores the role tech plays in our lives. In this in-depth conversation, Azeem reflects on his career journey so far, and why this started with an interest in technology and economics; discusses his newsletter which draws connections between technologies that are emerging and the impact they have on the world; and shares his optimism for the future as he believes science and the younger generations have the capability to tackle issues that arise.

Chris Donnelly is the founder and chief executive of Verb Brands. Founded in 2013, the luxury digital agency specialises in creating marketing strategies for companies including Jimmy Choo, Claridges and Alexa Chung. The company now boasts a team of over 60 people and works with brands internationally across fashion, hospitality and lifestyle. In this in-depth conversation, Chris reflects on his career journey so far, with a family of entrepreneurs and starting his first business at 13 to launching Verb Brands at 21 which has become has become “one of the leading agencies for luxury brands;” discusses how he became a leading expert in the luxury Chinese consumer industry, and why being aware of the cultural differences is key; and shares the launch of his new business, Lottie - helping the elderly find their perfect care home, a business he hopes will drive success and social change.

Ayesha Vardag is the founder and president of Vardags — a UK and international law firm. She is frequently referred to as the ‘UK’s top divorce and family lawyer.’ Founded in 2005, they work exclusively for high-net-worth individuals and families, international royalty and private corporations from around the world.  Ayesha specialises in divorce and has been involved in some of the highest profile cases in her sector including winning the landmark Supreme Court case of Radmacher v Granatino in 2010, and changing the law to make prenuptial agreements legally enforceable in England and Wales. She is widely celebrated as one of the most progressive, insightful and intuitive experts and talents her sector has ever seen. In this in-depth conversation, Ayesha talks through her career journey so far, from starting out in commercial and financial law to being hired by her own divorce lawyer and starting up her own law firm; discusses the relationship trends she has noted throughout her career including the influence

Dave Capper is chief executive of Westfield Health. Founded in 1919, the company currently helps over 9,000 companies across the UK and Europe transform the mental and physical health of their workforce. Building on its ‘not-for-profit’ legacy, they have donated over £15 million in the last 20 years to regional and national causes. In this in-depth conversion, Dave reflects on his career pivot - from starting out playing professionally at Sheffield United FC, where he learnt the significance of mental resilience and focus to success; delves into how Westfield Health uses evidence-based programmes to support businesses, particularly focussing on the impact working from home is having on people’s wellbeing; and shares why he believes “culture” is the most important factor to create good workplace conditions, including the need for communication, trust and transparency.

Ren Yi Hooi is the founder and chief executive of Lightning Social Ventures. Founded in 2020, the startup works with charities and public sector organisations to accelerate support to those in financial hardship. With a global background in Fintech, Ren worked previously as product director and director of financial inclusion at Railsbank, a rapidly scaling open finance platform. In this in-depth conversation, Ren recalls her career journey so far and how she started Lightning Social Ventures to “use business to play a role in making this a fairer world;” discusses the company and how using tech allows them to support people much more quickly and effectively than traditional financial support; and shares her future plans to take the business outside of the UK as “hardship is a global problem” that needs an effective solution.

Paul Hutton is chief executive of Cranfield Aerospace Solutions. Jenny Kavanagh is their chief strategy officer. Appointed as chief executive in 2015, Paul has extensive experience in executive roles across the aerospace, technology and service industries. Jenny, Cranfield’s chief strategy officer, has been a Chartered Engineer for two decades; she has been leading aerospace product development programmes for 16 years. Founded over 30 years ago, Cranfield is a market-leading company that provides prototypes of new concepts and modifications to aerospace platforms. Their client base includes businesses such as; Boeing, Airbus, Rolls Royce, and Raytheon. Currently, they are at work on a new project that aims to make hydrogen-powered flight commercially available by 2025. In this in-depth conversation, Jenny and Paul delve into the story behind ‘Project Fresson,’ and the quest to deliver the first truly green passenger airline service, using hydrogen fuel cell technology; discuss why they are certain hydrogen is

Michael Dorf is founder and chief executive of the City Winery. Established in 2008 the restaurant and event space was the first of its kind in Manhattan, and has since expanded to Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta and Boston. A long career in the events industry, he also founded independent music venue, The Knitting Factory in 1986. An author, his book ‘Indulge Your Senses: Scaling Intimacy in a Digital World’ explores the many lessons learnt along the way. In this in-depth conversation, Michael explores why he feels entrepreneurship is “in my DNA,” and reflects on sacrificing his own apartment to pursue his dreams; delves into leading two iconic music venues to success and his ambitious plans for further expansion of the City Winery; and discusses the detrimental impact the pandemic has had on business - facing the challenges of long-term closure, but with growth in demand post-pandemic, resulting in sellout shows.

Greg McKeown is an author, podcast host and founder of The Academy at Essentialism.com. He is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, ‘Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most’ and ‘Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.’ He is also host of the popular podcast ‘What’s Essential with Greg McKeown’ which is a platform to discuss how to put what matters to you first and do less, but better. Also a keynote speaker, he has spoken at global events including South by Southwest, the World Economic Forum, and even received a personal invitation from the Prince of Norway to attend his Annual Innovation Conference. In this in-depth conversation, Greg shares the origin story behind his work and how the birth of his daughter inspired him to prioritise “the essential;” gives his take on the pandemic and the workplace, accelerating transitions such as working from home and lessons we should take to construct a new routine post-pandemic; and delves into his current venture, the ‘21-Day Essentialism Ch

Scott Gerber is chief executive of Community.co and managing partner of BrandNext. Founded in 2012, the company builds and manages professional networks for senior-level executives and has founded a variety of groups including Forbes Councils and the Fast Company Executive Board. Also an author, he has written multiple books - his most recent, ‘Superconnector’ explores the new category of tradespeople and how they’re networking in a digital age. In this in-depth conversation, Scott reflects on his business journey so far - founding Community.co and the many mistakes made and lessons learnt along the way; shares insight into his motivation to be an entrepreneur and encouragement for young people following in his footsteps; and delves into what’s next for him the company - to expand beyond media organisations, and aspirations to branch out of North America, and go global.

Investor, innovator, and futurist Francis Hellyer is co-founder and chief executive of London Theatre Direct. Founded in 1999, the UK-based ticketing site was the first of its kind focusing on the use of new technology to make online sales easier and more efficient. Over the past decade, Francis has aided a variety of companies in the fintech space, and has recently set up his own investment company, Hellyer Capital. In this in-depth conversation, Francis takes us back to where it all began, founding London Theatre Direct and the challenges they faced along the way, tasked with convincing both West End and the public that online sales were the future of ticket distribution; explores ‘the ultimate disruption’ of blockchain, and the societal benefits it may hold; and discusses his his current ventures, why it is important to mentor new startups and his recent foray into film production, with the documentary, ‘American Gadfly,’ which explores the life and presidential campaign of former US Senator Mike Gravel.

John Roberts is director and publisher at Inside Time. Founded in 1990, the non-profit newspaper is owned by the New Bridge Foundation and is predominantly written by prisoners, for prisoners. Before this, John was chairman and managing director of distribution and manufacturing businesses. In this in-depth conversation, John discusses the publication’s huge transformation - their mission to remain balanced and positive and how they grew to a monthly distribution of 60,000 copies; explains where his motivation to support prisoners came from, and their aim to “halve their readers” by seeing fewer people in prison, effective rehabilitation and post-release employment programmes to resulting in a reducing prison population; and shares insight into the future of the publication, their efforts to change the narrative of the imprisoned and an increased focus on supporting their families.

Eldra Jackson is co-executive director of Inside Circle. The non-profit organisation took shape when a race riot occurred on the B-Facility yard of New Folsom Prison in 1996. Today, they run programmes within prisons and the wider community, to empower system-impacted people, lower recidivism rates and build social-emotional literacy. As a writer and public speaker, he has recorded a TEDTalk about his personal journey which has received nearly two million views. In this in-depth conversation, Eldra shares the story of how Inside Circle transformed his life after 24 years in prison, teaching him “acceptance, compassion, forgiveness and love for himself;” discusses his current community work, focusing on at-risk youth and helping them come to terms with their experiences; and describes the role society must play in the wider conversation, understanding what others are going through, factors that lead towards a criminal path and how we all need to help others heal.

Juliet Davenport is the founder of Good Energy. Established in 1999, the company was the UK’s first 100% renewable electricity supplier and allows people and businesses to be part of the climate change solution. In 2013, she was awarded an OBE for services in the renewables industry and was appointed to the board of the ‘Natural Environment Research Council’ two years later. In this in-depth conversation, Juliet reflects on establishing the brand - from inspiring and encouraging individuals to be generators of cleaner energy, to  now boasting almost 200,000 success stories; discusses her ‘Great Green Questions’ podcast - exploring common questions and bringing attention to a vital conversation on  living a greener life, including topics like veganism, fast fashion, and food waste; and delves into what the future holds for the business and why she holds an optimism that the UK will help “lead, find solutions and support the rest of the world.”

Jeffrey Max is chairman and chief executive of Agile Space Industries. Founded in 2009, the company is leading a transformation in the way propulsion systems for space vehicles are designed, manufactured and tested. A long career as a tech entrepreneur and investor, he has held previous positions across a range of Fintech startups with multiple exits. In this in-depth conversation, Jeffrey reflects on joining Agile, and his mission to drive business growth, recruit young local talent and to help the team realise their full potential; discusses their innovative machinery that is created using 3D programming and can “take the design, development and testing cycle from a year to weeks;” and describes how faster development and reusable elements are minimising the cost of space exploration, and their central role in the “dawn of a new space era.”

Greg Thain is an entrepreneur and investor. A long career in the business, he has created, launched & aided many successful companies over the years, with current projects including the 1297 Property fund, 85 Degrees Renewable plc and Hermione Fund. In his corporate finance role, he helped raise more than $2.5 billion in capital over the past two decades. In this in-depth conversation, Greg reflects on his journey so far and how he got there - from starting out producing a music magazine, to ending up in the finance sector; shares stories of his “dynamic” experience working on his Russian market research company, the lessons learned there and how he built a profitable business; and describes his current venture into sustainability in Holland - how he’s using “neglected” geothermal energy to power greenhouses, helping the country reduce their carbon emissions and hoping to lead the way for others to follow.

Tim Collins is co-CEO and co-founder of Creed Media. Founded in 2018, the global digital marketing agency helps brands adapt their strategies to attract Gen-Z consumers. Starting out in his career aged 18, he worked at the music management company ‘At Night’ for three years, and found his passion for the entertainment industry. In this in-depth conversation, Tim reflects on his journey so far - from being a performer himself, to then moving across to the organisational side where he realised he was better suited; shares insight into co-founding his business, explaining how they help global companies incorporate new technologies and platforms such as TikTok, into their operational plans; and looks towards the future, delving into why and how he plans to support other young people who want to get into the sector.

Louis Evans is chief executive of the Commonwealth Energy Group. Founded in 2008, they support businesses by advising them with energy solutions to minimise their impact on the environment and lower their operating costs. Currently a board member for the United States Green Building Council and Green Business Certification Inc, he is also a LEED Green Associate. Before this, he held senior positions at Genesis Electrical and then Mr Electric. In this in-depth conversation, Louis reflects on the changing landscape of the energy sector - looking back on how the financial crash encouraged companies to lower their costs, and how energy now usually constitutes businesses second largest spend; discusses the important work of the company, and their dual motivation of saving people money whilst also directing them towards cleaner processes; and delves into what the future holds for the field, with new technological advancements such as being able to control your home energy through your phone coming to the fore, and

Rachel Bell is an entrepreneur, mentor and momentum creator. Since founding the PR agency Shine in 1998, she has established seven multi-award winning services businesses. Her first book, ‘Start-Ups, Pivots and Pop-ups,’ shares advice and experience on how to start and grow your business. In this in-depth conversation, Rachel reflects on the many lessons she’s learnt along the way, particularly the importance of leaders to be more personable with their teams and bring their passion to work; explains how the obstacles she overcame led her to develop Shine, a PR company that takes pride in treating their employees well and giving them an “opportunity to shine;” and shares insight on her book, the passionate entrepreneurs she met and learning about just how entrepreneurial the UK really is.

Eric Collins is co-founder and chief executive of Impact X Capital Partners, and host of Channel 4 TV show, ‘The Money Maker.’ Founded in 2018, the venture capital firm invests in under-represented innovators across Europe covering the technology, health and entertainment sectors to guide them with industry experts and strategic resources. Before this, Eric worked for a variety of different companies including; AOL, TimeWarner and most recently, Touch Surgery as their COO. In this in-depth conversation Eric describes his career journey to-date, his mission to use business to create an impact and ensure social justice is at the core; discusses founding his business Impact X, and explains how they find the correct candidates and companies to invest in, focusing on encouraging diversity and aiding unsupported teams; and shares insight into his role in ‘The Money Maker,’ concentrating on transforming teams impacted by COVID-19 and helping them grow their business.Editor’s note: this interview was recorded before

Louise Linton is an actress, producer, director, and philanthropist. In 2012, she founded Stormchaser Films, a production company run by women, and dedicated to amplifying women’s voices. Louise has enjoyed a successful acting career, starring in films such as ‘Cabin Fever’ and ‘Intruder.’ Her most recent film, ‘Me, You, Madness,’ was released this year, and showcases Louise in a starring role alongside Ed Westwick. A passionate advocate for a wide range of causes, she launched The Louise Linton Charitable Fund in 2019, which supports the work of nonprofits, including the Pride Foundation and the Environmental Defense Fund. In this in-depth conversation, Louise takes us behind the scenes in Hollywood, opening up about the many ways in which film can be a cruel business - and how she discovered her comfort zone “behind the lens;” takes us along on the journey to creating her latest film - and how she managed to take it from script to screen in only a month; and shares her passion for animal welfare, imparts th