Jimmy's Jobs of the Future

This week, a special crossover episode: Jimmy's Jobs of the Future meets What We Don't Know.

Check out What We Don't Know here

Hayaatun Sillem, host of What We Don't Know, spent eight years as CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering - the first woman, and the first person in over two decades, to hold the role. Before that: 8 years of biochemistry, a walkout from the lab that ended her PhD overnight, and a stint advising Parliament on everything from forensic science to carbon capture.

She also co-chaired Lewis Hamilton's commission on the representation of Black people in UK motorsport, and is now a founding trustee of his charity, Mission 44.

In this conversation, Jimmy and Hayaatun cover the moment people mistook her for anyone but the CEO, the leadership skill she thinks is most underrated, the decision to leave a job she loved while she was still doing her best work, and why she thinks "more jazz than classical" is the only way to lead through uncertainty now.

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Follow us on socials!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture
Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/

Want to come on the show?
hello@jobsofthefuture.co

Sponsor the show or Partner with us:
hello@jobsofthefuture.co

Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips

Credits:
Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE
Producer: Sunny Winter

Producer: Thuy Dong
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Johnny Reynolds on Jobs of the Future: Skills, Scale-Ups, Net Zero and AI

This is a replayed 2023 interview with Johnny Reynolds, now returning to run the Department for Business amid major UK government reshuffles under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, including moving AI to the Cabinet Office.

Jimmy and Johnny discuss visiting businesses such as Football Manager’s studio and Nissan’s Sunderland plant, arguing the state should help people manage economic change, especially through net zero, automotive transition and opportunities like green steel.

00:00 UK Government Shakeup
00:32 Why Replay This Interview
01:54 Football Manager Visit
04:19 Factory Tours and Learning
05:47 North East and Change
08:38 Future Sectors and Trade
13:27 Workplace Flex and Hybrid
15:41 Manchester Boom Story
18:00 City and Listing Concerns
20:57 Scaling Up UK Startups
24:52 How Reynolds Works
28:29 What Business Wants Most
30:12 Policy Levers for Growth
30:39 Skills Shortages and Immigration
32:25 Reforming the Apprenticeship Levy
34:06 Devolution and Local Skills Planning
35:12 From Law to Parliament
38:42 How the MP Job Changed
42:24 Working-Class Roots and Values
45:36 AI Disruption and Regulation
49:18 Entrepreneurship and Risk
51:25 Dream Jobs and Capital Allocation
53:15 Books Podcasts and Wrap-Up
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Heathrow isn't just an airport - it's one of the UK's largest workplaces.

Every day, more than 200,000 passengers pass through Heathrow, supported by around 100,000 people working across hundreds of different roles. From firefighters and engineers to security teams, baggage handlers and AI specialists, it's a city-sized operation that has to work flawlessly, every single day.

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Heathrow Airport, to explore what it really takes to run one of Britain's most complex organisations.

They discuss:

Why Heathrow employs around 100,000 people

The leadership challenges of running a 24/7 operation

How AI is changing the future of airports

Why security queues have fallen to under five minutes

The case for Heathrow's third runway

How Heathrow balances growth, sustainability and passenger experience

What makes a great leader in high-pressure environments

Whether you're interested in leadership, infrastructure, business, operations or the future of work, this conversation offers a rare look behind the scenes of one of the world's busiest airports.

Chapters:

00:00 The UK's Biggest Workplace
01:28 Why Heathrow Is Britain's Biggest Workplace
05:12 What Does the Heathrow CEO Actually Do?
09:45 Leading 100,000 People
15:34 Behind the Scenes of Running an Airport
20:48 Security, AI & The Future of Travel
27:41 Why Heathrow Wants a Third Runway
34:26 Can Heathrow Keep Growing
40:55 Sustainability vs Growth
47:18 Crisis Leadership & Decision Making
53:07 Careers at Heathrow
58:14 Leadership Lessons from Running Heathrow
01:03:10 Quick Fire Questions

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Follow us on socials!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture
Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/

Want to come on the show?
hello@jobsofthefuture.co

Sponsor the show or Partner with us:
hello@jobsofthefuture.co

Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips

Credits:
Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE
Producer: Sunny Winter

Producer: Thuy Dong

This is a partnership with Heathrow Airport.
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SheerLuxe Founder on Hiring, Creator-Led Media & Selling the Business for £40M

Jimmy interviews Georgie Coleridge Cole about building SheerLuxe over nearly two decades into a creator-led digital media business, what she looks for when hiring (culture add, broadcasters/curators/tastemakers), and how the company is structured across editorial, social, content, design, marketing, commercial, and video teams with around 100 staff and strong retention.

She explains SheerLuxe’s approach to new channels using gut instinct, prioritizing engagement and the right content “order” by platform, and a people-first model that drives trust and monetization.

Georgie details early fundraising before the financial crisis, becoming profitable within about three years, and maintaining disciplined growth. She discusses launching Blush Talent Management to manage internal and external talent, and reflects on selling SheerLuxe to Future for £40M, why she publicized the number, and what she wants to focus on next, including education, ex-offending initiatives, and support for under-16 social media restrictions.

Chapters

00:00 Intro
01:47 Sheerluxe Team Structure
03:05 Editorial vs Content Workflow
05:14 Growth Stages and New Channels
08:32 Launching Platforms by Instinct
13:42 Employee Generated Content Origins
17:11 Early Hires and Retention
22:25 Funding and Profitability Lessons
26:38 Leadership Style and Chief of Staff
29:27 Hiring for Culture
30:37 Blush Talent Launch
34:01 Internal and External Roster
34:53 Why Share the Sale Price
39:46 Slow and Steady Growth
42:55 Life After the Exit
45:06 Purpose Beyond Business
51:38 Social Media Age Limits
55:43 Status and Aspiration Shift
01:00:26 Closing Thoughts

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Follow us on socials!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjobs
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmysjobsofthefuture
Twitter / X: https://www.twitter.com/JimmyM
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-mcloughlin-obe/

Want to come on the show?
hello@jobsofthefuture.co

Sponsor the show or Partner with us:
hello@jobsofthefuture.co

Check out our clips channel here! ⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@JimmysJobsClips

Credits:
Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE
Producer: Thuy
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Amazon’s Upskilling Push: Career Choice, Skilled Hiring, and Supported Internships

At a new Amazon fulfillment center, Amazon UK & I Country Manager John Boumphrey discusses job announcements, hiring needs, and major upskilling efforts, including the Career Choice program that funds nationally recognized qualifications up to £3,000 a year in the UK, training about 30,000 people in the UK and 300,000 globally, with a planned $1B investment by 2030 to train an additional 500,000 people.

He explains employees often retrain for tech and hard-to-hire roles such as mechatronics for increasingly robotic warehouses, and describes a skills gap despite 1 million under-24s in the UK not in education or training. John details ongoing UK hiring and investments, including new sites in Northampton and Peterborough and a previously announced £14B UK investment.

John emphasizes work experience, communication, teamwork, and reflection, highlights Supported Internships for young people with learning disabilities and autism, and shares his executive hiring approach focused on evidence-based examples and continuous learning.

00:00 Upskilling at Amazon
01:22 Courses and Career Paths
02:18 Mechatronics and Robotics Roles
02:57 The Hiring Paradox
04:03 UK and Europe Expansion Plans
06:02 What Amazon Wants in Hires
07:12 Work Experience and Inclusion
08:35 Supported Internships Stories
10:42 Hiring Senior Leaders
12:41 Lifelong Learning Wrap Up
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