Fastest 50

Ward Hadaway
  • 5.0 (1)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Law firm Ward Hadaway goes beyond the headlines to uncover how ambitious founders and business leaders scale at pace, survive the hard moments, and keep growing when the pressure is on.

Episodes

  1. Scaling a Tech Consultancy with Tom Lawson

    3 DAYS AGO

    Scaling a Tech Consultancy with Tom Lawson

    Welcome to The Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 Podcast, where we sit down with entrepreneurs and business leaders who are rewriting the rules of growth in the UK and beyond. Host Alistair McDonald is joined by co-host Jamie Gamble and Tom Lawson, Chief Executive of Opencast, to discuss scaling a people-first technology consultancy from the North East into a national business. Since becoming Chief Executive in 2020, Tom has led Opencast through a period of rapid growth, expanding the business from around 80 people to more than 500 colleagues across the UK. In this episode, he shares how culture, purpose and a strong focus on people have supported that growth, and why the North East continues to be an important base for building successful technology businesses. If you’re building or leading growth, you’ll hear practical insight on: How to scale a business while keeping culture, purpose and people at the centreHow to build the right team and leadership capability as a business growsHow to create clarity of purpose and stay focused as markets and priorities changeHow external advisors, peer networks and support systems can help leaders manage growthHow to think about long term growth in a fast-moving technology market, including the impact of AI To find out more about Ward Hadaway’s Fastest 50 and how we support growing businesses, visit www.wardhadaway.com Connect with Alistair: Website: www.wardhadaway.com/our-people/alistair-mcdonald LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alistair-mcdonald-1a446a21/ Connect with Jamie: Website: www.wardhadaway.com/our-people/jamie-gamble LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-gamble-719a5416/ Connect with Tom: Website: opencastsoftware.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/t0mlaws0n/

    46 min
  2. Trailer: The Fastest 50 Podcast

    SEASON 1 TRAILER

    Trailer: The Fastest 50 Podcast

    Welcome to the Fastest 50 Podcast, brought to you by Top 100 UK law firm Ward Hadaway. Throughout the series, we will be sitting down with entrepreneurs and business leaders who are rewriting the rules of growth in the UK and beyond. Find out more about the Fastest 50 Podcast: https://www.wardhadaway.com/what-we-do/businesses/fastest-50/the-fastest-50-podcast/ Find out more about Ward Hadaway: www.wardhadaway.com Find out more about the Fastest 50 Awards: www.wardhadaway.com/what-we-do/businesses/fastest-50

    1 min
  3. Growth by design with Mark Thompson

    5 MAR

    Growth by design with Mark Thompson

    Welcome to The Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 Podcast, where we sit down with entrepreneurs and business leaders who are rewriting the rules of growth in the UK and beyond. In this episode, hosts Alistair McDonald and Lesley Fairclough are joined by Mark Thompson, Managing Director of Ryder Architecture, to discuss how to scale without compromising your values or culture If you’re leading growth (or about to), you’ll get practical insight on: How to step into change and set a clear strategic directionHow a clear strategic framework and annual planning keep the team aligned as the business scalesHow to expand into new markets while protecting standards, culture and momentumHow moving to an Employee Ownership Trust changes decision making, accountability and long-term resilience From Newcastle to London, Hong Kong and Vancouver, Mark shares the thinking behind Ryder’s growth and the leadership habits and support that keep it sustainable. To find out more about Ward Hadaway’s Fastest 50 and how we support growing businesses, visit www.wardhadaway.com Connect with Alistair: Website: https://www.wardhadaway.com/our-people/alistair-mcdonald LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alistair-mcdonald-1a446a21/ Connect with Lesley: Website: https://www.wardhadaway.com/our-people/lesley-fairclough/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-fairclough-0795295/ Connect with Mark: Ryder Architecture: https://www.ryderarchitecture.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-thompson-8a6a8319/

    27 min
  4. Using advisors to support growth with Raman Sehgal

    5 MAR

    Using advisors to support growth with Raman Sehgal

    Welcome to The Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 Podcast, where we sit down with entrepreneurs and business leaders who are rewriting the rules of growth in the UK and beyond. Host Alistair McDonald is joined by Raman Sehgal, founder of ramarketing and Lead Candidate, to discuss scaling at pace and taking a North East based business into international markets. If you’re building or leading growth, you’ll hear practical insight on: How to cope when scaling exposes cracks in people, process and systems, especially when growth arrives faster than you planned forHow to approach international expansionHow to identify and use advisors properly as you scaleHow to think about deals and investment, including what it means to sell a stake and bring in private equity backing To find out more about Ward Hadaway’s Fastest 50 and how we support growing businesses, visit www.wardhadaway.com Connect with Alistair: Website: https://www.wardhadaway.com/our-people/alistair-mcdonald/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alistair-mcdonald-1a446a21/ Connect with Raman: Website: https://www.ramansehgal.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramansehgalus/ ramarketing: https://www.ramarketingpr.com/ Lead Candidate: https://www.leadcandidate.com/who-we-are

    41 min

Trailer

About

Law firm Ward Hadaway goes beyond the headlines to uncover how ambitious founders and business leaders scale at pace, survive the hard moments, and keep growing when the pressure is on.

Information

  • Creator
    Ward Hadaway
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Ward Hadaway
  • Show Website
    Fastest 50

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