Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In our conversation Jiten offers valuable insights into:
Why comfort often hides behind good intentions, while culture is shaped by behaviour
Why culture changes quietly, and how leaders often miss the warning signs
What leaders do when inclusion challenges comfort and demands courage

Jiten’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:
Notice where you stay silent. Silence is data.
Hold yourself accountable before holding others accountable.
Act with Integrity, ask whether your decisions reflect those you expect others to live by

About Jiten Patel
Jiten Patel is an inclusive leadership coach, DEI strategist and author of Demystifying Diversity. He works with leaders and organisations across global and local organisations, sport, healthcare, education and the third sector to help them understand how culture is shaped through everyday behaviour. His work is informed by lived experience, research and years of working inside organisations where good intentions often fall short. Jiten’s focus is on leadership responsibility, psychological safety and the choices leaders make when inclusion becomes uncomfortable.
To connect, follow and find out more about Jiten:
Website www.diversync.co.uk
Phone: 07875 310824
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiten-patel-diversync/
Books: Demystifying Diversity
Thank You
To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to find out more about Collaboration Equation and finding your Collaborative Edge co-founded by Lucy Kidd and I do go to our website www.collaborationequation.com
A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing and to George at Podcast Room Brighton for the production of the podcast.
To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.
I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

About this episode:
My guest today is Neil McLoughlin, Director at Buckswood Overseas Summer School (BOSS) and ADHD Coach.
In our conversation Neil offers valuable insights into:
Putting people before process: Neil’s leadership style is people first, leading through relationships, not rules.
Bringing energy and honesty together: Neil brings huge enthusiasm, openness and honesty
Understanding difference: Neil has dyslexia and ADHD which allows him to see the people who learn and work differently. He builds environments in which people can thrive.

Neil’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:
Mind the many, not just the few. Do not let the small number of difficult people drain the energy that belongs to your whole team. The motivated ones notice where your attention goes.
You cannot pour from an empty cup. Look after your own energy and enthusiasm first, because it is contagious either way. Flat leaders make flat teams.
Lead with curiosity, not judgement. Find out what actually matters to each person before you try to motivate them. You will be wrong less often.

About Neil:
Neil McLoughlin leads with energy, creativity, and a deep belief in what education can unlock in young people. As Director of Buckswood Overseas Summer School, he runs global education programmes, and while he cares about standards, he cares more about people. He takes people as he finds them and builds trust quickly, creating environments where students feel safe enough to grow and staff feel trusted enough to lead. His background is in drama, and he has ADHD, both of which shape how he leads. Neil is also a qualified ADHD-informed coach, with the aim he brings to everything, helping people thrive as they are, not as they think they should be.
To connect, follow and find out more about Neil:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-mcloughlin-77890442/
Website: www.buckswoodsummerschool.com.
(Don’t have a personal one yet but will build one for my ADHD Coaching later this year.)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neiladhdcoach/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/buckswoodsummerschool
Thank you
To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com
A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media and Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing for the wonderful marketing of the podcast.
To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.
I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
My guest today on Leaders in Conversation is Omar Abouseif, a former professional basketball player and now Global Associate Sector Manager at Shell.
In our conversation Omar offers valuable insights into:
Leading with purpose in business and in life
Knowing and being yourself
Engaging with and in others to deliver great performance
The importance of paying attention to the soft skills

Omar’s three Key Encouragements to Leaders:
1. Invest in people before outcomes, results will follow.
Be in the moment, be intentional in every interaction. Small moments build big trust.
Lead with genuine care, people will remember how you made them feel.

About Omar
Omar Abouseif is a seasoned marketer with fourteen years of experience in the biggest multinational in the world (Unilever, Nestle & Shell). Currently, Omar is a Global Associate Sector Manager at Shell, working in global marketing for the commercial road transport sector. He is passionate about building meaningful relationships and turning everyday interactions into impact. Before entering the business world Omar spent 16 years as a professional basketball player, an experience that shaped how he leads, adapt, and perform. Shaped by his experience and basketball and diverse global exposure, Omar focuses on helping people feel better, perform better, and connect more deeply—both in business and in life.
To connect, follow and find out more about Omar:
LinkedIn: ‏Omar Abouseif‏ - ‏Global Associate Marketing Manager @Shell | xNestlé | xUnilever | xProBasketballPlayer‏ | LinkedIn
Thank you
To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to find out more about the work I do with Lucy Kidd go to our website www.collaborationequation.com
To find out more about the Future-Engage-Deliver approach to leadership, visit www.futureengagedeliver.com and the book ‘Leadership Plain and Simple’ by Steve Radcliffe.
To find out more about the Marketing Leaders Programme, and The Marketing Society do go to their website wwww.themarketingsociety.com
A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.
To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com . Please share and subscribe to the podcast, and to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.
I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Victoria Rennoldson, is a coach, speaker and author specialising in global leadership, communication and cultural intelligence She is host of the podcast: The Culture Cuppa: Cultural Communication Confidence, and author of ‘Become a Global Leader: Amplify Your Impact, Lead Confidently Communicate Clearly and Connect Across Culture’. She dedicates the book to her father, who died in Spring 2025 and had a huge influence on her, and her values, beliefs, passion and purpose.
In our conversation Victoria offers valuable insights into:
How we need our human capabilities more than ever in an AI world.
How the ability to connect and to have good conversations, and to build trust and relationships is ultimately our human differentiator.
That so-called ‘soft skills' is a total misnomer and that there is nothing soft about people skills that impact individuals, teams and organisations.
How in a time of divides in and out of work we need Cultural Intelligence more than ever.

Victoria’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders
Keep making space for curiosity about people - have conversations, make connections;
Cultural intelligence is an action, not what we know. We need to show, act and lead by example - even with people who have very different values, perspectives or behaviours from our own.
Yes, AI skills matter and our human skills matter just as much. Adaptability is key.

About Victoria:
Victoria Rennoldson is a multi-award-winning coach, international speaker and best-selling author helping people lead across borders in a rapidly changing world.
As technology accelerates and AI reshapes how we work, Victoria focuses on what makes leaders distinctly human- clarity of communication, confidence, cultural intelligence and the ability to build meaningful connection.
She supports ambitious professionals and teams to increase their visibility and impact globally, helping them speak up with confidence and collaborate across cultures.
Victoria is the CEO and Founder of Culture Cuppa and host of a top-ranked global leadership podcast with over 170 episodes. Her book, Become a Global Leader, became an Amazon bestseller in Career Advancement and Professional Development on launch.
To connect, follow and find out more about Victoria:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson
Website: https://culturecuppa.com/book
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culture_cuppa/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@culture-cuppa
Podcast: https://culturecuppa.com/podcast/
Book: https://culturecuppa.com/book
Thank you
To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com
A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.
To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.
I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
My guest today on Leaders in Conversation is Yasmin O’Neal, Senior Director for Global Brand at DECIEM. DECIEM is best known for its leading brand The Ordinary.
In our conversation Yasmin offers valuable insights into:
How you can love your team, and you can win
Kindness versus Niceness
Being Curious
How we all have an impact

Yasmin’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:
Our sphere of influence matters. Leaders have, by nature, a bigger sphere of influence - how can we use it for good?
Belief should be a given. Expect little from people and they will give you little. Expect a lot and you’ll be rewarded tenfold.
Loving honesty. Tell it straight, but tell it straight from the heart. You’ll be helping if you do it.

Connect with Yasmin:
LinkedIn: Yasmin O'Neal
Thank you:
To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com
A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.
To contact me Anni Townend do email me on anni@annitownend.com visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.
I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.