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PODCAST

Business Leader

Business Leader

Richard Harpin grew his business HomeServe from a single idea to a £4.1bn sale. On the Business Leader Podcast, he speaks to entrepreneurs and business leaders about the moments that shaped their success and failure, unlocking original advice and practical insights for anyone building or leading a business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

39:31

How the UK was Omazed

Business Leader ·

2026/04/21

Omaze's co-founder and CEO Matt Pohlson learnt the art of storytelling in Hollywood and used it to build a £200m revenue, for-profit, prize-draw business. He tells Sir Richard Harpin how two near-death experiences made him more determined to grow the company and how intuition is more powerful than he realised. The sweepstakespecialist is a rare example of a business idea born in the USthat foundsuccess when it moved tothe UK, but why does the UK not match the US's growth-mindset? Also, Pohlson gives

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39:54

'Value people - especially those closest to the...

Business Leader ·

2026/04/14

Mitie may not be a household name, but its services are woven into the fabric of British life. It outsources key government services, including everything from facilities management of hospitals and data centers to security services for events. Its Chief Executive, Phil Bentley, who previously led British Gas, tells Sir Richard Harpin that the key to his success is 'managing your energy and the energy of those around you.' He says "the people who count the most, are those closest to the customer"

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39:59

From £500 To Millions: The Mindset That Changed...

Business Leader ·

2026/04/07

Harry Stebbings gave up on his law degree in 2015 to take a chance on podcasting – a novel idea back then. He was an early mover in the world of entrepreneurship podcasting and built up a large, loyal following. But just as important, he explains to Sir Richard Harpin, were the guests he was meeting from the worlds of business and investment. He used his contacts to start the 20VC fund, named after his podcast. It raised $400m in 2024, becoming one of Europe’s largest VC funds. Stebbings explains

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44:48

"I can't quit" - Olivia Jenkins built a jewellery...

Business Leader ·

2026/03/31

At the height of Covid in 2021, Olivia Jenkins felt her life was in "the perfect storm". Foremost in her mind was the loss of her mother, to cancer. It was at this moment that she decided with her partner (and now fiancé) Jack, that they would start a jewellery business, named after her mother. Jewellery was an area she was passionate about and had some retail experience in. She developed stylish and hard-wearing stainless steel products designed to work well with activewear. She was able to tap

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25:37

"I don't like to use the c word - cyber" - Stuart...

Business Leader ·

2026/03/26

Stuart Machin, CEO of Marks and Spencer, talks to Sir Richard Harpin at the Business Leader Summit about leadership and encouraging "positive dissatisfaction". He also says he doesn't like to use the c word - cyber - as that was one of the hardest things he and the company have ever gone through. He gives a run through of his typical morning as a CEO, how he walks the floors of stores and the secret of protecting the magic of M&S whilst modernising the rest.Join the Business Leader community at

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46:17

'From €200m to €24bn - How I built a global glass...

Business Leader ·

2026/03/24

Gary Lubner, the former CEO ofBelron, discusses his journey scaling the vehicle glass giant from a value of€200 million to €24 billionover 23 years. Lubner explains to Richard Harpin how the company achieved global dominance throughstrategic acquisitions, a standardised operational model known as 'The Belron Way', and the iconic"Autoglass repair, Autoglass replace"jingle – which Richard sings along with him! Lubner reflects on his upbringing inapartheid-era South Africa, which instilled a deep sense

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49:33

Rentokil CEO: ‘This industry is unglamorous but gets...

Business Leader ·

2026/03/17

After just over 12 years as CEO of global pest firm Rentokil Initial, Andy Ransom shares what he has learned as he prepares to step down.In that time the share price has quadrupledandprofits breached $1bn.Ransomdiscusseshow he progressed from aworking-class backgroundtoa legal career at ICI, where he took charge of a legal case in the US that cemented his reputation. When he joined Rentokil, it was involved in many business areas, from parcel delivery to laundry. One of his first decisive actions,

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46:03

Dash Drinks: The challenger brand scaling patiently

Business Leader ·

2026/03/10

Dash Water is a UK-based, challenger drinks brand that was founded in 2017 by Alex Wright and Jack Scott. With a team of just 35 people, it sells more than 60 million cans of fruit-flavoured, sparkling water drinks a year. It focuses on a new category of mass market drinks which promise to be healthy and sustainable. In this Business Leader episode, Wright explains his growth strategy with Richard Harpin. He explains how Dash tackles food waste by using “wonky fruit”, which would otherwise go to

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43:09

The Beauty Tech Group: From start-up to IPO

Business Leader ·

2026/03/03

The Beauty Tech Group is a British business success story.Laurence Newman founded the home-use beauty tech firm in Manchester in 2009. It’s probably best-known for its LED face masks for skincare treatments. In late 2025 it went public on the London Stock Exchange, valued at more than £300m. Newman explains to Dougal Shaw how he scaled the business, in an emerging category that not everyone had faith in. He set out by focusing onfour key pillars of aesthetic technology, including LED and radio

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51:21

Ben Askins of Gaia: Scaling and exiting with a...

Business Leader ·

2026/02/24

Ben Askins is the co-founder of Gaia, a green technology company that builds online tools for companies within the environmental space. But he cut his teeth as an entrepreneur by creating a digital marketing business for luxury brands, which he scaled and successfully exited. He shares with Richard Harpin practical advice on interview techniques to hire the best candidates, building an engaged and happy workforce and how to scale a start-up with a future exit in mind. Hosted on Acast. See

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39:00

Sam Stoffel and Outplayed: Betting against yourself...

Business Leader ·

2026/02/17

Sam Stoffel is the entrepreneur who founded the matched betting platformOutplayed, taking a punt on the online betting space. He explains to Richard Harpin how he bootstrapped a simple idea into amulti-million pound enterpriseby copying and refining existing business models and masteringdigital marketing. He shares the leadership lessons he picked up along the way, including the dangers of"shiny object syndrome". The interview explores the technicalities ofsubscription-based revenue, the risks of

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53:21

Tenzing: How to scale a challenger energy drink

Business Leader ·

2026/02/10

Hub van Bockelshares his story with Richard Harpin about foundingTenzing, a natural energy drink brand inspired by Himalayan sherpas. Drawing on his marketing background atUnilever, MTV, and Red Bull, van Bockel explains how he identified a gap in the market for low-sugar, plant-based alternatives to artificial energy drinks. But how do you take on incumbents in such a competitive space? He explains hisbootstrapping strategy, which to begin with focused onniche communities like climbing and running

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44:31

Caspar Lee: ‘How I turned attention into business...

Business Leader ·

2026/02/03

In this episode of The Business Leader podcast, Richard Harpin interviews Caspar Lee, the YouTube pioneer who successfully transitioned from influencer to powerhouse entrepreneur. Lee reveals the strategies behind co-founding Influencer.com, a marketing agency with multi-million pound revenues and his subsequent move into venture capital with Creator Ventures. The conversation explores vital insights for scaling businesses. Lee explains why hiring 'big company' veterans can backfire in mid-sized

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43:25

Rory Sutherland: The advertising guru's tips to scale...

Business Leader ·

2026/01/27

Is cost cutting really a strategy or is it quietly holding businesses back? In this episode of the Business Leader podcast, Sir Richard Harpin sits down with advertising and marketing legend Rory Sutherland. Sutherland challenges some of the most deeply held assumptions in modern business, from efficiency and procurement to marketing, pricing, and customer experience – all through the lens of a marketer. Drawing on decades of experience at the advertising group Ogilvy and in behavioural science,

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39:04

Rohan Blacker: Learning the lessons from Sofa.com

Business Leader ·

2026/01/22

Rohan Blacker is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Sofa.com. Blacker shares his journey with host Dougal Shaw, from an unfulfilling legal career to becoming a pioneer in UK e-commerce. He left Sofa.com in 2015 when a private equity firm took over. Today he’s still very much in furniture retail, running Pooky.com and Schplendid sofas. Blacker tells the story behind acquiring the Sofa.com domain name, explaining why he and his co-founder felt a "nuts name" was essential for success, in the brave

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44:55

Skin + Me: James Mishreki on scaling a UK skincare...

Business Leader ·

2026/01/20

James Mishreki is the founder of the UK-based, fast-growing skincare brand Skin + Me. In this episode Mishreki discusses with host Richard Harpin his unconventional entrepreneurial journey. It began in childhood with selling copied CDs at school and included a stint as a professional poker player, a role he credits with building his resilience. The conversation explores how Skin + Me aims to disrupt a £140bn beauty and cosmetics market plagued by a 55% customer dissatisfaction rate. Mishreki details

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56:40

The FlightStory ‘sisters’ helping Steven Bartlett...

Business Leader ·

2026/01/13

FlightStory CEO Georgie Holt and Chief Revenue Officer Christiana Brenton discuss with Dougal Shaw how they are pioneeringpodcasts and new mediaalongside Steven Bartlett, creator and host of The Diary of a CEO. Moving beyond traditional audio, they operate anend-to-end studioscaling global IP across newsletters, live events, and commerce. The duo explains how they"kill the guesswork"using proprietary technology likeGuest RadarandCreator Radarto identify high-potential talent through data. They delve

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31:15

The banking CEO helping 'extraordinary' people afford...

Business Leader ·

2026/01/08

Sue Hayes, CEO of Nottingham Building Society, joins Dougal Shaw on the Business Leader podcast to explore how she’s been transforming a 175-year-old institution into a modern mutual. Hayes discusses her key strategy, defined as "together we fight for the extraordinary". Her mission is to target underserved borrowers, like Gen Z and side hustlers with irregular incomes, and help them buy homes. She explains how her building society leverages AI and fintech partnerships to modernise mortgages while

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35:34

The AA

Business Leader ·

2026/01/06

Few businesses have more than 17 million customers and can say the Queen was one of them. But that's the AA. However, it has had a difficult time recently. It was drowning under £2.7 billion of debt and was taken off public markets following a takeover by the private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Towerbrook. Since then chief executive Jakob Pfaudler has been working on a turnaround of this unique business. This is the story of the AA and that turnaround... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

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32:50

Sanjay Poonen: Getting fired was the best thing to...

Business Leader ·

2025/12/23

He leads a US tech firm valued at $8bn, but Sanjay Poonen puts his success down to a major career setback. Poonen is CEO of US cybersecurity and AI company Cohesity, based in Silicon Valley. He grew up in Bangalore, India, but a scholarship to Dartmouth College in the US to study computer science brought him to the US. On graduation, he rose up the ranks of a Who’s Who of Silicon Valley tech companies, including Microsoft, Apple, Symantec, SAP and VMware. It was while he was vice president of

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206 results

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