Jazz Shapers

Elizabeth Rossiello is the founder and CEO of AZA Finance, an African payments and foreign exchange fintech company.  Elizabeth joins Elliot to talk about her journey from Queens, New York to Nairobi and how she overcame the volatility of new Presidents and fights with governments to drive her mission of powering trade in Africa and beyond.   

Ed Currie and Andy Coxon are the co-founders of AKT London, the natural deodorant brand.  Ed and Andy share with Elliot how performing in costumes under hot lights in West End theatres, led to them spending 3 years experimenting with ingredients on the hob in their tiny Camden kitchen, as they tried to create a superior deodorant.   

Justin Basini is the Co-Founder & Group CEO of The ClearScore Group, a technology business helping users understand and manage their credit and finances. Justin joins Elliot to share the personal toll of trying to maintain his dotcom business as the markets crashed, and how the experience helped him grow his 3rd company (a mission-driven business)  that's now helping over 23 million people on four continents.

Hannah Chappatte is the founder and CEO of Hybr, the student accommodation platform. Hannah joins Elliot to talk about how vulnerable first-time renters are to unresponsive agents and rogue landlords, and how this set her on a mission, to drag an archaic industry into the 21st century.

Jonny Goldstone is the co-founder of Green Tomato Cars, the environmentally-friendly taxi service. Jonny joins Elliot to chat about growing and selling the same successful company twice and his passion for helping other leadership teams. 

Vinita Rathi is the Founder and CEO of Systango, a digital engineering firm specialising in Generative AI, Web3, Automation, and Cloud solutions. Vinita joins Elliot to talk about growing up in a very traditional Indian family (where women weren’t expected to go out and work) and how she built a global consultancy, partnering with Amazon and Google and remains dedicated to increasing female representation in the tech industry.

Paul Noble is the Founder and Creative Director of Spiritland, a series of venues for music lovers in London and Lisbon, and also a production company. Paul joins Elliot to talk about how his experience of the  Japanese Listening Bars led to him shifting  careers and setting out to create a London version of this phenomenom with  - as he says - 'the best sound system in the world.' 

Jeremy King is the Founder and Chair of Attest, a consumer research platform. Jeremy joins Elliot to talk about how he helps brands better understand the customers they don't yet have, and what it means to him to turn his greatest passion into a brand new business, Ocean Orchestra, on a mission to save the oceans using software.

Serial entrepreneur Lex Deak is the founder of QVentures, a Venture Capital firm, and most recently co-founder and CEO of Basket, the ecommerce start-up, aiming to revolutionise the online shopping experience. Lex joins Elliot to share the defining moments from his childhood and why he's always felt confident launching  businesses in so many different industries.   

Ed Foy is the co-founder and CEO of PRESS Healthfoods, the plant-based health food brand. Ed joins Elliot to talk through the dark days and breakthroughs of trying to bring an LA trend - cold-pressed juice -  to the UK.

Sandrine Zhang Ferron is the co-founder and CEO of Vinterior, the online vintage and pre-owned furniture marketplace. Sandrine joins Elliot to chat about how searching for a designer chair the same colour as her cat's eyes, led her learn to code and launch a company offering an alternative to flat-pack, short-life furniture. 

Maya Moufarek is Founding Chief Marketing Officer of Pharmacy2U, the NHS-approved online pharmacy and Founder of the growth consultancy, Marketing Cube. Maya joins  Elliot to talk about how her French-Lebanese-Russian roots have shaped the way she's supported hundreds of tech founders to build their brands.

Alex Bomberg is the Founder of International Intelligence Limited,  the security and intelligence company. Alex joins Elliot to talk about how his childhood (with his parents fostering many children) led to his focus to protect others, in the British Army,  the Royal family and now in the world of global intelligence.

Amanda Thomson is the CEO and Founder of Thomson & Scott, creators of Noughty, the premium non-alcoholic wine brand. Amanda joins Elliot to talk about leaving her broadcasting career to study wine in Paris, and her challenge of creating her own fine wines and champagne without all the sugar and chemicals.

Jazz Shapers is back, and to kick off the brand new season Elliot is joined by Scott Harrison, founder of the fitness programme, The Six Pack Revolution. Scott talks honestly about overcoming the deep impacts of the childhood bullying he experienced and how he created a life-changing programme supporting tens of 1000’s of people across the world to improve their fitness and mental well-being.

Anthony Fletcher is the founder of Believe in Science, a scientific Research and Development business on a mission to take the junk out of junk food. Anthony joins Elliot to talk about how his time at Innocent Drinks and as CEO at Graze led to him launching his own business and their first brand - Urban Legend, aiming to reduce (and perhaps one day remove) the sugar and fat from doughnuts.   

Naz Nankali is the Founder of Powertutors, a UK tutoring agency.   Naz joins Elliot to talk about her struggles with dyslexia (while growing up as an Iranian in Ukraine) and how the impact of a maths tutor led to her launching her own business, aiming to help every child and young person believe in themselves.

Gush Mundae is the founder of Bulletproof, a brand design agency with eight studios across the globe. Gush chats to Elliot about the racism he experienced as a child and how graffiti and hip-hop culture were the sparks that led to a multi-million-pound business.

Lemon Fuller is the CEO and Founder of Lemonade Dolls, the UK lingerie brand. Lemon talks to Elliot about her switch from a life of singing and dancing around the world with Beyonce and Justin Bieber, to growing a disrupter brand, despite having no background in lingerie, fashion or business.

Helen Tupper is the co-founder and CEO of Amazing If, a company on a mission to make careers better for everyone. Helen joins Elliot to talk about how the traditional career ladder no longer reflects the unpredictable, changing world of work and we need to embrace  - as she says - a squiggly career and invest more successfully in our development.   

Carol Shanahan OBE is the co-founder of Synectics Solutions, the software company countering fraud and financial crime, and co-owner and Chair of Port Vale Football Club. Carol joins Elliot to talk about how moving her company next door to Port Vale's stadium, led to her love of the community and her drive to help transform the struggling club.

Jeff Kofman is an Emmy-winning reporter, war correspondent and Founder of Trint, the automated speech-to-text technology. Jeff joins Elliot to talk about his 30 years reporting some of the biggest stories of our times and how he's turned a long-standing frustration into an international business. 

Matthew Jones is the Founder of Bread Ahead, the artisan bakery and baking school. Matthew joins Elliot to chat about his life and work, from the intense Michelin kitchens of the 80’s and 90’s to starting his first successful business (despite chaos behind the scenes), and  launching the now international Bread Ahead, driven by a passion for teaching the art of baking. 

Mary Bonsor is the  founder and CEO of Flex Legal, a platform connecting law firms and in-house legal teams with lawyers and paralegals on demand. Mary joins Elliot to chat about her mission to make the legal industry more diverse, inclusive, and flexible.

Tony Pepper and Neil Larkins are the co-founders of Egress, the British data security company. They chat with Elliot about how their friendship has underpinned their success and shaped their approach to protecting organisations from ever-adapting security risks .

Max Dubiel is co-founder of coffee business Black Sheep Coffee, and co-founder of Redemption Roasters, the coffee brand and prison roastery aiming to reduce reoffending through coffee. Max joins Elliot to chat about the huge impact of belief and purpose on an organisation and its people.

Molly Johnson-Jones is the CEO and co-founder of Flexa, a platform connecting job-seekers with companies offering flexible working environments.Molly joins Elliot to chat about how getting fired (after asking if she could work from home 1 day a week due to her auto-immune disease) has led to her revolutionising the way that people find jobs.  

Floyd Woodrow MBE/DCM is an ex-SAS soldier,  founder of Quantum Group (a fintech and security investment incubator) and creator of coaching and development programme Compass for Life.   Floyd joins Elliot to talk about becoming one of the youngest soldiers ever to have been selected for the elite SAS, and why he believes focusing on your super strengths (more than your weaknesses) is the key to success.   

Rachel Watkyn OBE is the Founder of Tiny Box Company, creating sustainable, ethically-sourced gift packaging. Rachel joins Elliot to share her tales of overcoming incredible adversity and how she's now Dragon Den’s most Successful Female Entrepreneur to date.

Giles Fuchs is the Founder and Chairman of Office Space in Town, the flexible workplace provider,  and founder of ‘No or Low alcohol’ brand, Gunner Cocktails . He's also the owner of the iconic, art deco Burgh Island Hotel. Giles joins Elliot to chat about all of this, and his drive to prove to his dad that failing his A Levels wouldn’t define him.

Jazz Shapers is back!  To kick off the new season Elliot welcomes back Emily Bendell, founder and CEO of lingerie brand Bluebella. Emily was last on Jazz Shapers in 2012 and tells Elliot about the challenges of growing a non-conforming lingerie business, and her successful campaign to get the Garrick Club to allow female members for the first time in its 193-year history.    

Rossella and Huw Beaugié are the co-founders of The Thinking Traveller, a travel brand specialising in high-end exclusive villas and experiences. Rossella and Huw join Elliot - for this last Jazz Shapers of the season - to talk about how,  after holidaying in Stromboli, they designed themselves a life (and new career) in Sicily. 

Caroline Casey is the Founder of the Valuable 500, a global organisation of 500 Partners and Companies, and their CEO's, working together to end disability exclusion. Caroline joins Elliot to share how she kept her severely limited vision a secret  before  - as she says - 'coming out of the disability closet,' on a mission to  drive lasting change for the 1.3 billion people in the world with a disability.

Andrew Radcliffe is the Co-Founder and CEO UK of Spyrosoft, the global technology services company. Andrew joins Elliot to chat about creativity and the power of sharing your big idea. 

Farah Kabir is the co-founder of Hanx, the female-focused, sexual wellness brand. Farah shares with Elliot the moment of embarrassment that led her to change careers and launch a shame-free brand, prioritising female empowerment.    

Marielle Wyse is the Founder and Creative Director of Wyse London, the womenswear brand. Marielle joins Elliot to chat about starting a business aged 49, after reconnecting with a childhood passion.

Charlie Jardine is the Founder and CEO of EO Charging, an electric vehicle charging company. Charlie joins Elliot to chat about overcoming scepticism and his journey from designing his first charger in a pig shed on his grandfather’s farm, to having their technology used by some of the world’s largest businesses.

Lauren Scott-Harris is the Founder of communications company Scott Ideas (now The Re-Agency) and the Co-Founder of EARNT, an initiative rewarding good deeds with bespoke, money-can’t-buy items and experiences. Lauren joins Elliot to chat about how she's redefining what it means to be a VIP.  

John Wood is the Founder of 2 nonprofit organisations: Room to Read (supporting children’s literacy) and U-Go (helping women in low-income countries to attend University). John joins Elliot to share how a hiking trip to Nepal was the spark that drove him to raise over $750 million in philanthropic capital and bring Room to Read's education programs to over 30 million children.

Will Guidara is a restaurateur, former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, (which rose to number 1 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List) and author of “Unreasonable Hospitality” - his tales of service and leadership. Will joins Elliot to talk about how a 2 dollar hot dog changed his life and gave birth to the strategy that would guide them to three Michelin Stars and the number 1 spot.  

Cameron Leslie is the co-founder of fabric the iconic London nightclub and record label. With the club now 25 years old, Cameron joins Elliot to share his tales of surviving administration and the loss of their licence as they built a platform for the unsung heroes of electronic music.

Amy Taylor is the Co-Founder and Director of Tap Social, a craft brewery & social enterprise, employing and supporting people in prison and prison leavers. Amy joins Elliot to chat about taking on a broken system and their aim to prove that employing people from prison works as a business decision. 

Chip Conley is the founder of Joie de Vivre, the US boutique hotel operator, and co-founder of Modern Elder Academy, the midlife wisdom school. Chip joins Elliot to chat about growing the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the USA, and how mentoring a small tech startup (called airbnb) led to an epiphany about how we could re-imagine the 2nd half of our lives.   

Josh White is the co-founder and Global Brand Director of the water brand, Cano Water - a fully recyclable alternative to single-use plastic bottles. Josh joins Elliot to talk about how a holiday in Thailand with his best friends led to the 3 of them taking on the corporate giants of plastic pollution.

Melissa Odabash MBE is the Founder & Creative Director of the eponymous luxury swimwear brand, Melissa Odabash. She shares with Elliot the stories behind her successful, global modelling career and how she grew a business creating - as Vogue describes them -  ‘The Ferraris of the bikini world'. 

Elliot welcomes back a past business shaper - Richard Hilton - who first joined him in 2013. Richard is the Founder of Gymbox, the fitness brand, and now the Co-Founder and CEO of Fairgame, a first-of-its-kind immersive, fairground experience.   He shares with Elliot why his retirement plans didn't quite work out - thanks in part to the waltzers and whack’a’moles at Hampstead Fair.

Sean Dixon is the co-founder and Managing Director of Richard James, the Savile Row tailors. Sean joins Elliot to chat celebrities and burglaries, and what happened when they brought bold, disruptive design to London's most famous tailoring street. 

Andrei Papancea is the Co-Founder and CEO of AI platform NLX. Andrei joins Elliot to share his journey from running his own business in Romania - while still at primary school - to operating on the edges of technology in New York.  

Jazz Shapers is back!  To kick off the new season,  Elliot is joined by James Brown, journalist, Founder of Loaded (the men's lifestyle magazine) and author (most recently of his autobiography ‘Animal House'). James shares his tales of passion and addiction and how a single-minded focus on writing for music magazines took him from fanzine-creator, to features editor for the NME, to launching an  award-winning, hedonistic magazine that broke the rules.

Joining Elliot for the last Jazz Shapers of 2023 is Luke Boase, Founder of Lucky Saint, the alcohol-free beer brand. Luke tells his story of how, against the advice of many (and despite having no experience in the industry) he chased a dream to overcome the pre-conceptions of alcohol free lager, and build a better tasting, aspirational brand.