Business Leaders

Chris Lewis is CEO and founder of global communications agency LEWIS. He left a successful career in journalism in 1995 to launch the firm, which now has 29 offices and a global turnover exceeding $68 million. In 2016, working with economist Dr. Pippa Malmgren, he co-founded the LEWIS Advisory Board (LAB), and their book, The Leadership Lab, discusses the theory of ‘quantum super-positioning’ to explain how brands can be viewed as both heroes and villains. In this in-depth interview, Chris dismisses the virtue of always being busy in favour of taking time out, discusses the important differences between male and female leadership styles - and explains why being “cheerleader in chief” is his most important role.

Paul Simpson is a co-founder of CDP. The charity, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, has been at the forefront of climate change campaigning since 2000. They work with 7,000 companies in 90 countries to help them decrease their use of fossil fuels, increase uptake of renewable energy, and collectively reduce global emissions. In this in-depth interview, he discusses the link between rising global temperature and record-breaking weather events, explains why our food choices have a more profound effect on the environment than we think - and argues that we’re on the cusp of a global attitude change which could be “as big as the industrial revolution”.

Dr Pippa Malmgren is a best-selling author, economist and co-founder of H Robotics. Previously a financial market advisor to President George W Bush, she helps to shape public policy by advising governments and organisations on issues affecting the economy worldwide. Her latest book ‘The Leadership Lab’ offers practical advice to help business leaders overcome geopolitical challenges. It argues that by changing the structure of meetings, women can rise in an organisation - and encourages leaders to be open to new technology and a diversity of ideas. In this in-depth interview, Pippa explains why she is one of the few people who believes the economy is on the up - and reveals the surprising details banks can glean from your personal data.

Edmund King OBE is president of the AA and visiting professor of transport at Newcastle University. Previously director of the RAC, his background in politics and campaigns has established him as a leading commentator on transport issues. Since joining the AA in 2008, he has worked on prominent campaigns such as ‘Cowboy Clampers’ which led to the criminalisation of clamping on private land. In this in-depth interview, Edmund reveals how a crash test demonstration profoundly changed his outlook on road safety, discusses the challenges of the increasing transition to electric cars - not least in the huge reduction in fuel duty - and outlines his concerns about the safety of so-called 'smart' motorways.

Clive Jacobs is the co-founder of Holiday Autos, the first leisure car rental broker in Europe, which he sold in 2003 to lastminute.com for £43 million. He is the owner of Jacobs Media Group, a multifaceted media and events business which includes Travel Weekly, The Caterer, Aspire and Travolution. Clive mentors young entrepreneurs and runs the British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame Awards, where he was the youngest inductee. In 2018, he became co-owner of Tully Luxury Travel in Canada, offering bespoke experiences for affluent travellers. In this in-depth interview, Clive shares how a difficult childhood pushed him to strive for success, and explains the importance of retaining a thick skin after he was misrepresented in a BBC documentary which portrayed him as a ‘real life David Brent’.

Deb Farnworth-Wood is the founder of the Australian Skin Clinics franchise. Born in Kenya and raised in the UK, Deb moved to the other side of the world to retire – until an unexpected opportunity started her on the path to building a $70m empire. Having taken over a single, struggling franchise in 2007, Deb grew the business to 60 clinics across Australia and New Zealand and revitalised the brand, scooping up multiple awards in the process. Today, she is focused on a wide range of investments in the world of aesthetics and is a sought-after presenter on the global public speaking circuit. In this in-depth interview, Deb discusses the challenges associated with building a business from scratch, explains what makes a flourishing franchise, and shares her tips for repeated success.

Jennifer Tankard is the Chief Executive of Responsible Finance, the trade association helping to provide access to loans and financial advice. A former consultant in the public, private, non-profit and higher education sectors, Jennifer was appointed to the head of Responsible Finance in 2016. In this in-depth interview, Jennifer discusses what the government could be doing to support the microfinance industry; shares her belief that everyone needs a financial tool; and reveals Responsible Finance’s ambition to reach every market in the UK that wants their support.

Will Butler-Adams is the Managing Director of Brompton Bikes, the global folding-bicycle company. A former Plant Manager for chemical company DuPont, Will has grown Brompton’s turnover from to £36 million and the number of employees to over 280 since joining the company in 2002. In this in-depth interview, Will explains why he believes product design is superior to advertising, details the benefits of tension in leadership teams and argues that people around the world need to get back to experiencing the cities in which they live and work.

Shaun Pulfrey is the Founder of Tangle Teezer, the most successful product ever rejected from the BBC's Dragons Den. Shaun began his career as a hair colourist, and worked at globally recognised salons on both sides of the Atlantic. After discovering a better way to detangle hair, Shaun appeared on Dragons Den, where he was turned down by all five investors but received overwhelming support from the public. Now worth £200 million, Tangle Teezer is sold in over 70 countries and endorsed by celebrity fans including Cara Delevingne and Victoria Beckham. In this in-depth interview, Shaun explains why his product has the potential to turn an innocent woman into a thief; describes how the boss of Take That compares Tangle Teezer to his band; and discusses the importance of curiosity in an entrepreneur.

Oren Peleg is the former CEO of Fitness First, the largest privately owned health club group in the world. After beginning his career at Citibank, Oren worked at McKinsey and Terra Firma before joining Oaktree Capital, a leading investment management firm. After helping Oaktree to establish its European business, Oren joined a struggling Fitness First as Chairman following its takeover in 2012. He was credited with leading the successful turnaround of the chain, which has 360 clubs worldwide and over 927,000 members in 16 countries. In this in-depth interview, Oren explains why you should hire people more intelligent than you; gives his reasons for encouraging his employees to make mistakes; and stresses the importance of understanding different cultures when running a global business.

Stuart Jubb is the Managing Director of Crossword Cybersecurity. A former platoon commander and recruiting officer in the British Army, Stuart was pivotal to the team rebuilding Afghanistan's infrastructure in the aftermath of the conflict. Now Managing Director at Crossword, Stuart protects global organisations from cyber-attacks and works with universities to bring cutting-edge research to market. In this in-depth interview, Stuart discusses the leadership lessons he learnt in the army, explains why companies need to protect themselves again cybercrime and reveals which scams are catching out the masses––and why.

Anna Popova is the Senior Vice-President for Strategic Planning at RJI Capital, a merchant banking firm with offices in seven major cities around the world. Since its creation as a boutique strategic advisory firm, RJI has grown and developed into a global enterprise, which consults its clients on everything from maximising financial opportunities to solving complex strategic issues. A self-described “wearer of multiple hats”, Anna’s role involves growing the business, developing client strategy and motivating the firm's talent; and in this enlightening interview, she describes her personal professional philosophy, explores the role intuition and fear play in her work, and explains how to balance family and business at the highest professional level.

Charles Trevail is the CEO of C Space, a global consultancy with offices in Boston, London and Shanghai and a team of over 200. Throughout his career, Charles has advised well-known brands including British Airways, BMW, McDonalds and Telefonica on rethinking the role of customers. In this in-depth interview, he explains his passion for infusing the customer’s perspective into every part of a business, discusses why building strong relationships with clients, coworkers and customers is fundamental to his career; and reveals that his most important ambition is - above all - to stay married.

Laurie Wickwire is a luxury gem specialist, diamond merchant and TV presenter. Her career has seen her rub shoulders with "models, superstars and Bond girls", mingle with the monarchy, and walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. In this in-depth interview, Laurie explains how clever marketing originally gave the diamond its luxury status; why potential bankruptcy almost led De Beers to dump tons of diamonds in the North Sea; the impact of the artificial diamond; and the effort to promote "real is rare".

Patrick McGinnis is the worldwide best-selling author of 'The 10% Entrepreneur'; venture capitalist, private equity investor; and avid traveler, writer, and speaker. In this in-depth interview, Patrick argues you can still be entrepreneurial and start something new, yet also maintain the security of keeping your 'day job'. By investing 10% of your time into side projects, he contends you can generate more income, discover new opportunities, sharpen your skills, and "get the life you've always wanted". He reflects on his own "over achiever affliction" as a student, and how it led him to coin the now-popular phrase 'FOMO' ("Fear Of Missing Out").

Mauricio Umansky is the Founder and CEO of The Agency, a luxury real estate company based in Beverly Hills. Ranked third by the Wall Street Journal in their list of the USA’s top estate agents, Mauricio holds the listings to some of America’s most famous properties, including Elvis Presley’s home - and even the Playboy Mansion. In this in-depth interview, he describes how he approaches his work as a form of art, and not as a traditional business; argues that The Agency was the first in the marketplace to give their homes a ‘personality’; and shares his view that landing the sale isn’t the most exciting part of the process, but ‘playing the game’ is.

Vernon Hill is the Founder and Chairman of Metro Bank. Born in the US, Vernon crossed the atlantic to start Metro Bank the first wholly new high-street bank in the UK in 150 years. 6 years later, Metro have nearly a million customers, 48 stores, and were recently awarded ‘Bank of the Year’ by City AM. In this in-depth interview, Vernon passionately argues that businesses should create fans, not customers; explains why wealth is not the objective of a business but the result; and argues that President-elect Donald Trump will put America on 'the right path'.

Charlie Mullins OBE is the Founder and CEO of Pimlico Plumbers. He first discovered his trade aged 9, truanting school to help a local tradesman. Inspired, he left aged 15 to start his business; today it's worth £35m. In this in-depth interview, the self-confessed 'plumber to the stars' discusses his transition from South London poverty to multimillionaire businessman; attributes the success of his business to ‘doing things the right way’, rather than trying to 'be clever’; argues the importance of building a brand over making money; and concludes that ‘keeping it simple’ is the key to success.

Rohit Arora is the CEO and Co-Founder of Biz2Credit, a leading online marketplace which matches small businesses with sources of capital, and has provided $1.5bn in loans. A regular writer for Forbes and the New York Daily News, Rohit was named Crain’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in 2011. In this in-depth interview, Rohit explains why others were initially sceptical of his business, and believed it was for ‘desperate people’; stresses the importance of being out-performed by your team; argues entrepreneurs are ‘doers, not talkers’ and are driven to change history - not merely to make money; and describes how the ‘best life’ comes from leading on your own terms.

Steve Hindy is the Co-founder and Chairman of Brooklyn Brewery. A former Middle East correspondent, Steve discovered the joys of home-brew whilst on secondment in prohibition Saudi Arabia. Inspired, upon his return to New York he began to brew his own beer, and the brewery is now responsible for the sale of over 300,000 barrels every year. In this in-depth interview, Steve discusses his decision to base the business amid the ‘rough and tumble’ of Brooklyn, and how he has dealt with challenges including armed robbery and Mafia threats; expresses his admiration for the ‘lone wolves’ who go into business solo; and shares his concerns for the Middle East following Donald Trump's election.