Management Today's Leadership Lessons

Management Today
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Management Today's Leadership Lessons podcast is aimed at entertaining, educating and inspiring people to be better leaders. The podcast delves into the world of leadership and management, bringing fresh insights, trends and advice to the ears of busy senior leaders. We interview CEOs, founders, authors, executive coaches, business professors and other experts to discover the real secrets to effective leadership. We also provide crucial insight into some of the biggest business stories of the day to help you stay ahead of the curve.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Lord Heseltine: "You’re just playing in toy town”

    5h ago

    Lord Heseltine: "You’re just playing in toy town”

    Lord Heseltine tells the story of the birth of the European Space Agency. Why post-Apollo, when the US was spending £1.2 billion a year on space, the whole of Europe was spending just £200 million. Why the birth of ESA was driven by the self-interest of three major countries. Why the US general with a $29 billion budget for the Star Wars project wanted to invest in Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Why, the idea that Britain could compete alone with the technologies that were accumulated and available to the American capitalist system was “simply laughable”. Why “being European is not selling out British interests”. And why Margaret Thatcher told him: “If you want to get on and put your budget into this, you can, but you're not getting any of mine."  Join Alice and Lord Heseltine as they pick apart the negotiating contrivances and the wheeling and dealing to circumnavigate “turkeys not voting for Christmas” that ultimately put European space on the map. Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn   Lord Heseltine, Member of the House of Lords Key topics covered: Creation of the European Space Agency (ESA)US "Star Wars" program and brain drainGeopolitical case for European R&D collaborationImpact of Brexit on science and technology Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 min
  2. ‘Your experience can be adapted even to extraordinary circumstances’

    Jun 5

    ‘Your experience can be adapted even to extraordinary circumstances’

    On this week’s episode, we hear from Ivan Doruda, CEO of native advertising platform MGID. Doruda was plotting a new venture when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022 and over the next couple of years served in the army as a reconnaissance soldier, then a drone operator, before rising to become a commanding officer.  In the episode, we talk about the different ways in which his military service has impacted on his view of leadership and the existing skills and qualities that helped him on the frontline. He says that faced with an extraordinary situation, “you can still adapt your lessons and experience from previous times, even to circumstances like those”. Doruda also explains how his return to the ad world – in the shape of a job as managing director of the Ukrainian division of GroupM (now WPP Media) – provided the anchor for his readjustment to civilian life. To this day, he says he is “incredibly thankful” to WPP for taking a chance on a veteran.  Then, last year, Doruda took up the role of CEO of MGID, the global advertising platform he first joined 15 years ago. We discuss what business ‘resilience’ means in the context of a country at war, why integrating AI into your product is easier than into your processes, and the risk of seeing mistakes as a “dead end”. Credits: Presenter: Antonia Garrett Peel Producer: Inga Marsden Artwork: Chris Barker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
  3. How Holland & Barrett is defying high street gloom

    May 1

    How Holland & Barrett is defying high street gloom

    On this week’s episode, we hear from Vineta Bajaj, CFO of Holland & Barrett. By her own admission Bajaj thrives on change. Before joining the high street chain of supplement and health food shops, she was group CFO at European online grocery business Rohlik and spent nearly ten years as a finance leader at Ocado, during which period the business grew from a FTSE 250 company to at one point overtake Tesco as the most valuable UK retailer, while transforming into a b2b technology provider. It makes sense, then, that she would choose to join Holland & Barrett in the midst of a major transformation effort – its 2025 financial year marked the largest investment period in the company’s history as it spent on its store estate and digital capabilities, with the aim of ensuring that, as Bajaj puts it, the 100 year old business will “be here in another 150 years”. We discuss some of the challenges of stepping into a transformation part-way through, why the company has opted to build its own software systems (it has more than 500 staff in its technology and automation division), and how Bajaj is bringing the science of unit economics from her grocery background to Holland & Barrett. Credits: Presenter: Antonia Garrett Peel Producer: Inga Marsden Artwork: Jenny Hardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  4. ‘It’s not time to break everything yet. You want AI to fit into existing rhythms of work’

    Apr 21

    ‘It’s not time to break everything yet. You want AI to fit into existing rhythms of work’

    For the already anxious, this year has provided plenty more fodder for AI-related unease. A wave of AI-connected layoffs continues to impact the tech sector. Companies have been quietly reworking performance criteria to include usage of the technology, with some warning that AI refuseniks’ days are numbered. And Meta’s CEO is reportedly helping to train an animated, AI-powered version of himself that could converse with employees in his absence. Mark Zuckerberg previously told investors in January that he expects 2026 to be the year that AI “dramatically changes the way we work”, typifying the bullishness that characterises tech execs’ pronouncements on the technology. But the evidence suggests that this assuredness is somewhat lacking in the average boardroom, as executives continue to grapple with how to realise tangible value from AI.  “The assumption is we’re on this path where great quantifiable benefits will materialise but haven't yet,” says Andrew Palmer, The Economist’s Bartleby columnist and host of the Boss Class podcast, who adds that the current experimentation phase is essential to reach the endpoint of “either nirvana or disaster depending on your point of view”. This week, Palmer joins Leadership Lessons to talk about some of the burning questions surrounding the technology, such as whether AI is set to hollow out middle management, how you can AI-proof your career, and who wrote his column better: him or a chatbot? Credits: Presenter: Antonia Garrett Peel Producer: Inga Marsden Artwork: Jenny Hardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
  5. ‘It was a category that I felt had real potential’ – Pippa Murray on scaling the UK’s number one nut butter brand

    Apr 2

    ‘It was a category that I felt had real potential’ – Pippa Murray on scaling the UK’s number one nut butter brand

    Pippa Murray is a foodie at heart with a particular love for nut butters, which in the early 2010s were her favourite pre- and post-marathon snack. But many of her favourite products at the time were “pretty processed”, often containing palm oil which is high in saturated fats and environmentally destructive to procure.  Simultaneously, the protein trend was in its infancy and the wellness industry was championing ‘healthy fats’. Despite these market shifts, existing brands had failed to fully leverage these emerging developments. Spotting a gap in the market, Murray went on a journey to grow and scale her own nut butter brand while working at The Science Museum, eventually launching Pip & Nut in 2015. The brand has been growing strength to strength and is now the UK’s number one nut butter brand.  On this week's episode, Murray discusses the early days of product development - including the three months she spent living in a shed - aligning the values of people, planet and profit, and using business as a force for good. Credits: Presenter: Éilis Cronin Producer: Inga Marsden Artwork: Jenny Hardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
  6. Will Whitehorn: “We have to industrialise in space. It is an imperative”

    Apr 2

    Will Whitehorn: “We have to industrialise in space. It is an imperative”

    How do we solve population pressure and climate crisis in space? How has GPS allowed us to provide 12% more food globally? How did the UK become a global leader in small satellite manufacture after the British Government said, “there’s no future for the UK satellite industry”? How did Elon Musk turn reusable rockets from science fiction to science fact in less than 20 years? What else are “Elon and Jeff” going to allow us to do? And why is SpaceX still “the elephant in the room”?   Join Alice as she talks to Will Whitehorn, chair of giant space tech investor Seraphim and former president of Virgin Galactic, and they discuss the implications of “The Elon Musk show” and its legacy, “the beginnings of a competitive space industry of scale”.   Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn   Will Whitehorn OBE, Seraphim Space Investment Trust Will Whitehorn OBE | LinkedIn Key topics covered: UK satellite manufactureUK universitiesSpaceX valuationReuseable rocketsAgricultural managementPopulation pressureClimate crisisSolar powerData centres in spaceIndustrialising in space Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  7. Space-Comm Expo: Jamming, spoofing, FOMO and farming

    Mar 26

    Space-Comm Expo: Jamming, spoofing, FOMO and farming

    What did the Space-Comm Expo conference and exhibition tell us about connecting space and wider business? How does this manifest as tech connectivity in telecoms and why do farmers care about that? What did we learn about the benefits of extreme cold in manufacturing laboratories and why do pharmas care about that? How vulnerable are global logistics to the spoofing of navigation signals? And why is the UK government centralising space strategy in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology?   Join Alice and Jonners as they reflect on the UK space sector’s largest trade event and the “energy, diversity and …sheer scope of what this industry has to offer”.   Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn   Jonathan Daves, The Karman Line Jonathan Daves | LinkedIn   Subscribe to The Karman Line Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-k%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n-line/id1876605462 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qED4CgdRDxfKKzYNKZCIH?si=lZ-I4a19SPGLAJL-dHi4DQ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheKármánLineUK Key topics covered: Space-Comm Expo, London, March 2026 Conference overview Sector integration Insurance Customer utility Government role Future outlook   Technological advancements · Telecoms · Manufacturing   Defence and security · Satellite capabilities · Current threats Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    21 min
  8. ‘I wasn't brave enough and certainly not confident enough’

    Mar 20

    ‘I wasn't brave enough and certainly not confident enough’

    David Craig is a man who knows a thing or two about leading major organisational change projects, from his background as a partner at McKinsey advising companies on strategy to turning around Thomson Reuters’ largest – but “unloved” – financial and risk division, and spearheading its subsequent separation and reincarnation as Refinitiv. In his new book, Bluebook: How bold leadership unlocked a $27bn success story, Craig shares lessons from this practical education in transformation, including the importance of taking tough calls early on. “I wasn't brave enough and certainly not confident enough,” he says, reflecting on his early days at Thomson Reuters where he was charged with heading up the integration of the two companies. “I was still that new McKinsey guy.” Perhaps it was this reflection that provided the rocket fuel to his plans with Refinitiv. The company launched in October 2018 under the new majority ownership of private equity firm Blackstone. Ten months later – and a year and a half after the $20bn carveout deal was first struck – Refinitiv’s owners agreed its acquisition by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) for $27bn, marking a $7bn exercise in value creation. LSEG’s purchase closed in January 2021, by which point the financial data and technology platform had been overhauled and its Tradeweb electronic marketplaces business IPOed. “Something that frustrates me with many organisations is they haven't realised the value of time. It's important to make decisions properly, but it's also important to make them quickly. I see too many organisations bogged down in ponderous decision-making, bureaucracy, and lack of accountability. [With Refinitiv] we really saw the benefit of speeding things up.” Credits: Presenter: Antonia Garrett Peel Producer: Inga Marsden Artwork: Jenny Hardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
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About

Management Today's Leadership Lessons podcast is aimed at entertaining, educating and inspiring people to be better leaders. The podcast delves into the world of leadership and management, bringing fresh insights, trends and advice to the ears of busy senior leaders. We interview CEOs, founders, authors, executive coaches, business professors and other experts to discover the real secrets to effective leadership. We also provide crucial insight into some of the biggest business stories of the day to help you stay ahead of the curve.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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