Business Leader's team of top journalists - Graham Ruddick, Sarah Vizard, Josh Dornbrack, and Dougal Shaw - take a second look at stories of success and failure...
Melanie Smith on running the UK's biggest events, Ocado/M&S and the benefits of walking hundreds of miles
Melanie Smith is the chief executive of the NEC Group, the owner of the NEC in Birmingham, the largest event venue in the UK. Before that she ran Ocado's retail business with Marks & Spencer and started her career with McKinsey. Originally from New Zealand from a family with little business background, Smith has fought her way to the top of the business world.In this episode we cover the "extraordinary" Blackstone conference where Smith gets to meet and learn from other chief executives, why she has the best job in Britain, why private equity ownership is better than being listed on the stock market, the opportunities that HS2 will bring to the economy, the challenges of M&S/Ocado and why she walks hundreds of miles on her own in some of the remotest parts of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jordan Schwarzenberger: The opportunity on LinkedIn is staggering
Jordan Schwarzenberger is just 27 years old but one of the most sought-after creative thinkers in the business world. He dropped out of university to join Vice and LADbible, before setting up his own social media talent agency. He was then talent-spotted himself to join the large agency YMU. He was a C-suite executive at age 20. Schwarzenberger went on to co-found Arcade Media and manage the Sidemen. The Sidemen are a YouTube collective that is the biggest in the UK with more than 130 million followers. It includes KSI, the man behind Prime drinks. As well as making entertainment shows, the Sidemen have branched into areas like food products (Sides) and a vodka brand, all under Schwarzenberger’s guidance. In this episode of the Business Leader podcast, Jordan Schwarzenberger joins Dougal Shaw to share his advice on how to connect with Gen-Z and stand out on social as a business leader. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Zenobe: The British unicorn leading the energy revolution
You may not have heard of Zenobe, but it is working on technology that could change the world. Zenobe is a British unicorn - a company valued at $1 billion or more - that is developing technology that will benefit our children and our grandchildren's generations, according to co-founder James Basden. Donald Trump, the US president, may have caused uncertainty for fast-growing technology businesses, but he won't stop the energy revolution. In this episode of the Business Leader Podcast, James Basden joins Graham Ruddick to talk us through the story behind one of the UK's fastest-growing companies and one that could be key to driving long-term economic growthZenobe is on Business Leader's list of Great British Billion-Pound Businesses. To see the full list, brought to you in association with Deutsche Bank Wealth Management, click on the link belowhttps://www.businessleader.co.uk/great-british-billion-pound-businesses/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How Stuart Machin turned around Marks & Spencer (part two)
Who is the leader behind the turnaround of Marks & Spencer? And what does he think are the challenges still ahead?In part two of our interview with Stuart Machin, the chief executive of Marks & Spencer, he discusses his leadership style and why he has concerns about the UK economy and government in 2025.Marks & Spencer is probably the best-known business in Britain. But when Stuart Machin joined in 2018 it had been struggling for years. Since then he has led an extraordinary turnaround of the high street retailer. This is the story of how he did it, in his own words. In part one of this interview, Stuart Machin discussed his strategy and approach for M&S. You can find that via the link below:https://www.businessleader.co.uk/podcasts/business-leader-podcast/stuart-machin-turn-around-marks-spencer-part-one/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How Stuart Machin turned around Marks & Spencer (part one)
Marks & Spencer is probably the best-known business in Britain. But when Stuart Machin joined in 2018 it had been struggling for years. Since then he has led an extraordinary turnaround of the high street retailer. This is the story of how he did it, in his own words.Stuart Machin, the chief executive of M&S, talks to the Business Leader Podcast about how M&S is changing its shops, products, and, crucially, the culture within the business. One thing stands out – how much he obsesses over the detail (no-one buys more men's clothes from M&S than him). That is not easy given M&S has more than 60,000 employees, nearly 1,500 shops, annual revenues of £13bn and pre-tax profits of £673m in its last financial year.In part one of this two-part special, Stuart Machin discusses his strategy and approach for M&S. In part two, we will look at his career in retail, why he has such passion for the sector and what he thinks are the challenges ahead... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Business Leader's team of top journalists - Graham Ruddick, Sarah Vizard, Josh Dornbrack, and Dougal Shaw - take a second look at stories of success and failure, provide masterclasses from world-leading experts and guide you through what matters in the business world Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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