Business Leader

Is there a different way to do business? Is how we measure success all wrong? Richard Tang, the founder of Zen Internet, suggests there might be. After founding the internet service provider in 1995, Tang has never sold any shares in Zen and has said he never will. His leadership-style is inspired by the King of Bhutan. Zen has won a string of awards for the quality of its service and is exactly the sort of business the UK needs more of - a northern-based tech business that is the largest employer in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Zen has ambitious plans for the future, but Tang is worried about something else - what will happen to the company when he dies?Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Hayes was sentenced to 14 years in prison for rigging Libor in 2015. He was the first person in the world to be jailed for rigging Libor and one of the only bankers to be sent to prison after the financial crisis. This is his story of what happened, what life in prison was like and the battle to clear his name…Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Smith, the chief selector for England cricket from 2018 to 2021, discusses the recent success of English cricket, the art and science behind making good decisions, and what elite sport and business can learn from each other. In an episode that goes beyond cricket and sport, Smith, who has written a new book called Making Decisions, talks about the lessons from his time as England selector. This includes questioning the value of strategies, looking at the importance of communication, and considering what it takes to be innovative. Find out the stories behind the selection of Jofra Archer, Sam Curran and Jos Buttler - and why they matter…Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is it like working inside 10 Downing Street? What do special advisers actually do? How did they get the job? How does the government interact with businesses behind-the-scenes? As Rishi Sunak builds a new team to run the country, these questions are more relevant than ever. In episode six of Business Studies, we get the answers from Jimmy McLoughlin, a former special adviser to the prime minister.Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new analysis of the extraordinary story of how a speech sparked the downfall of Gerald Ratner and the company he led, Ratners Group, at the time the largest jewellery retailer in the world. After describing one of his products as “crap” in 1991, Ratner’s name is now linked with all sorts of corporate and political gaffes. “Doing a Ratner” is used to describe anyone who makes ill-judged and unnecessary comments that inflict damage on their brand or products. But the story of what happened after the speech for Ratner and his company is more complicated than that. In this episode, Ratner discusses why he made the joke, the turmoil in his life after, and what lessons we should take from what happened, more than 30 years on…Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story behind one of the few British tech businesses to make it big. Ocado has made it to the FTSE 100, the index of Britain’s biggest companies, and expanded around the world. But along the way the online grocery company and its boss Tim Steiner have faced big challenges, big questions and big rivals. How did Tim Steiner’s background in finance help? Has the grocery market changed slower than he expected? Why did Ocado and Waitrose split? What is the one bit of advice he would give his younger self? Find out all this and more as we speak to the co-founder and chief executive of Ocado…Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does a business survive an existential crisis? What does a business leader do when their main source of revenue disappears overnight? In this episode, we speak to a chief executive who was in this position - Humphrey Cobbold, the boss of PureGym, Britain’s largest gym chain. We explore the unprecedented challenges that businesses faced during the Covid-19 crisis, how the lessons learned during the pandemic can help in the future, and why speaking out publicly and going on Question Time on the BBC is important. Plus, we look at the challenges posed by the post-Covid world. Why has the best location for a gym changed? And how does a chief executive explain choosing to expand in Saudi Arabia amid concerns about its human rights record?Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A look at one of the most controversial takeovers in British corporate history, a business strategy like no other and whether those involved in creating an enormous global health problem - smoking - should be trusted to play a role in fixing it. In this episode, we interview Jacek Olczak, chief executive of Philip Morris International, the owner of Marlboro and the largest tobacco company in the world, on his stated ambitions to eradicate smoking and the cigarette - a product Mr Philip Morris started selling from a shop in Bond Street, London, in 1847. Why did the cigarette maker buy Vectura, a company that makes treatments for respiratory diseases, and why should the tobacco industry be trusted? These questions and more are asked in an episode that raises issues that go well beyond business…Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most influential figures in British business over the last 40 years discusses his efforts to modernise Marks & Spencer, the 138-year-old high street brand, and his own illustrious career. Why does Archie Norman think M&S had a “manifesto for failure” and could collapse within a decade? Why does he now question whether selling Asda to Walmart was right decision? What was it like being an MP? Why did so many businessmen and women thrive while working under him and go on to successful careers? Find out all that and more…Join the Business Leader community at Business Leader Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.