Nottingham Business School Business Leaders

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  Roger Whittle - Optimism and the art of never giving up 22.09.2026 31นาที

  Tech entrepreneur Roger Whittle is an eternal optimist. And in Episode 85 of the Business Leaders’ Podcast, he explains how optimism is the superpower at the heart of all his achievements. Growing up in Nottingham, Roger was desperate to be in the school cricket team. Two things were stopping him: hay fever – and a complete lack of cricketing talent. But he came up with an innovative solution that meant he took part in every match for ten years… as the team’s official scorer! "It's all about determination and persistence – they’re cousins of optimism," he tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi. “I just had to find another path." Roger went on to found Jigsaw24 and build it into one of Britain’s leading digital transformation businesses. His is a story of ambition, resilience and, above all, optimism. Because, as Roger makes clear, when one path is blocked, you don’t give up. You simply find another.
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  Jon French – Leaders need to be comfortable being uncomfortable 07.07.2026 33นาที

  Jon French is a Managing Director of Android Global Business at Google UK – one of the world’s most influential technology ecosystems, with billions of users worldwide across smartphones and connected devices. He has more than 25 years of experience in telecoms, consumer electronics and software, and has held senior leadership roles at global brands Nokia, Samsung, HTC, Microsoft and Beats Electronics. During his career he has worked at the centre of some of technology’s biggest moments, including helping launch the world’s first Android smartphones. In Episode 84 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders Podcast, Jon tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi why, despite a career spent at the cutting edge of technology, he believes human skills still matter more than ever. He discusses leadership through uncertainty, adapting to continuous change and why emotional intelligence, relationship-building and the ability to connect with people increasingly separate successful leaders from the rest. Jon says: “In my career, it’s softer skills that have led to any success I’ve had.”
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  Matthew Swann – Why playing it safe is the biggest risk of all 23.06.2026 30นาที

  Matthew Swann is director of the BBC Concert Orchestra which performs for millions of listeners and viewers around the world, across radio, television and digital platforms. His career as an arts executive, producer and curator has taken him through some of the UK’s most influential cultural organisations, including the Roundhouse and the City of London Sinfonia. At the BBC, he has helped broaden the orchestra’s reach through innovative programming, blending classical repertoire with jazz, film scores and collaborations with artists including Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Gary Barlow. In Episode 83 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Matthew tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi how leadership in a modern cultural institution extends far beyond the narrow confines of a single discipline like music. He discusses balancing artistic ambition with commercial realities, the importance of collaboration and why leaders should not be afraid to take carefully calculated risks. “Not every risk will pay off,” says Matthew. “But the danger of not taking the risk is retrenchment and business as usual.”
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  Holly Cooke – Building a business that people can connect with 02.06.2026 27นาที

  Holly Cooke is the founder and chief executive of The Lonely Girls Club – the fast-growing social enterprise that has transformed a simple friendship group into a nationwide business with more than 160,000 members across eight British cities. The 29-year-old launched Lonely Girls after struggling with loneliness when she moved to London. Now her organisation hosts scores of paid-for events every month, ranging from brunches and walks to theatre trips and football nights. In episode 82 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders Podcast, Holly tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi how she started the club as a sideline, while holding down a full-time corporate marketing role. Now she has turned her personal project into a fully-fledged business – and a community of like-minded women. Holly says: “It’s about being able to help people… and pay the bills at the same time.”
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  Kate Butler – Leaders must be curious 19.05.2026 23นาที

  Kate Butler is the deputy managing director of Via East Midlands. She is also an expert on the complex challenge of maintaining Britain’s crumbling roads. As a senior executive at Via, she oversees an £87 million turnover and a workforce of 700 staff dedicated – among many other things – to filling Nottinghamshire’s potholes. In episode 81 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, she offers a candid look at the "sharp end" of public service, managing a daunting £400m maintenance backlog amidst tightening financial constraints. Reflecting on a career that has spanned more than a dozen different roles at Nottinghamshire County Council, Kate explains how she transitioned from an international banking graduate training scheme, to become a cornerstone of local infrastructure planning. She tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi that effective leadership in the public sector is defined by transparency and the ability to assess competing regional needs. Perhaps her most striking message is that leaders don’t need to be technical experts to succeed in engineering – what they need most is curiosity. "Luckily, I’m incredibly nosy," she says.
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  Peter Cheese – Make ‘good work’ your North Star 05.05.2026 31นาที

  Peter Cheese is long-serving CEO of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development – and one of the UK’s most influential voices on the future of work. His book The New World of Work is often cited as a must-read for anyone in leadership. In Episode 80 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, he offers a stark warning to business leaders: adapt to uncertainty, or risk being left behind. Author of the book The New World of Work, Peter reflects on 14 years at the helm of the CIPD, where he helped shape thinking on skills and workplace culture for more than 160,000 members worldwide. He tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi that leadership in 2026 is defined less by certainty and control, and more by humility, adaptability and ethical responsibility. His most striking message is about ‘good work’; that is, work with purpose, fairness and meaning. “Leaders must make ‘good work’ their North Star…” he says, “…guiding decisions not just for profit, but for people and society.”
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  Anthony Hemmerdinger – The dangers of living on past glories 01.04.2026 24นาที
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  Paul Southby – Leadership and the law 03.03.2026 36นาที

  Paul Southby is a commercial dispute resolution lawyer whose influence reaches far beyond the courtroom and deep into the civic, cultural and business life of Nottingham. In Episode 77 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, he reflects on more than four decades of leadership across law, business advocacy and public service. He is a partner at Geldards LLP, a former Regional Director of the CBI and the 458th High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. His career has been defined by what he calls “finding a way” when things go wrong. Speaking to Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi, he explores leadership as problem-solving, advocacy and bridge-building. He also reflects candidly on what he wishes he had known earlier in his career – and makes a point of highlighting the importance of staying cool under pressure. “Behaviour is a choice,” he says. “And you can choose to be calm.”
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  Leadership roundtable – Why soft skills matter in the construction industry 27.01.2026 36นาที

  The UK construction industry is changing fast – shaped by new technology, shifting markets and the growing demand for skilled people who can lead with confidence. In Episode 76 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, two senior industry figures tell Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi what it really takes to build a successful career in construction. Jonathan Suckling, Director at VolkerWessels UK, and Garry Julyan, Commercial MD at TClarke Contracting, both graduated from NTU in 1994. Since then, they’ve helped deliver projects ranging from viaducts on High Speed 2 to London landmarks like The Shard. Back in Nottingham to meet today’s students, they reflect on lessons learned across 30 years of building, bidding, negotiating and leading high-performing teams.
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  Sarah Gregory – How joining a board helps leadership development 13.01.2026 26นาที

  Stepping into a non-executive board role can be one of the most powerful – and most overlooked – ways to accelerate leadership development. In Episode 75 of the Business Leaders Podcast, BBC Deputy Chief People Officer Sarah Gregory explains why taking a seat on the board – often unpaid – offers emerging leaders a rare chance to stretch their skills, broaden their perspective and influence real change. Drawing on her experience at the BBC, Swim England and NTU, Sarah explains to Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi how non-exec positions helps leaders see how organisations really work – from long-term strategy and governance to risk, finance and culture.
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  Matthew Blain – Putting people first in a performance-driven world 17.03.2026 27นาที

  Matthew Blain is a senior HR leader whose career spans some of the UK’s most recognisable institutions – and one of the most demanding ownership environments in business. In Episode 78 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, he reflects on more than two decades of leadership with AstraZeneca, Boots, JD Wetherspoon and University College London. As the current HR Director at private equity-backed Exemplar Health Care, he tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about leadership in the age of AI, the realities of private equity ownership and why HR should sit at the centre of any creative organisation. Matthew also reflects candidly on the mistakes that shaped him – including a pivotal early-career moment that changed how he thought about leadership. He says: “Leadership is a service. You’re in the service of your team.”
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  Levi Roots – The power of perseverance 09.12.2025 27นาที

  Levi Roots is a hugely popular entrepreneur, musician, chef and TV celebrity who won £50,000 on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den… then never looked back. In Episode 74 of Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders Podcast, he tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about the challenges of arriving in the UK as an 11-year-old from Jamaica – and the influence of his mother and the Windrush Generation. He explains how he turned his Reggae Reggae Sauce from a family recipe into a major supermarket brand – discussing mentorship, storytelling and the power of perseverance.
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  Dr Jessica Lautz – Leadership lessons from a woman in a man’s world 30.09.2025 25นาที

  Dr Jessica Lautz is Deputy Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors – representing 1.5m American estate agents. In Episode 69 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, she tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi how she built her leadership career in a traditionally male-dominated industry. From testifying before the US Congress to baking cakes at a local homeless shelter, she explains why honesty, trust, and preparation are her guiding principles. She also reveals why women too often feel the need to “over-prepare”. And Dr Lautz’s standout advice for other would-be leaders? Embrace your “nerdy passions” …use them as a foundation for authentic leadership.
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  Ben Dorks – From local entrepreneur to global tech CEO 16.09.2025 39นาที

  Ben Dorks has taken Nottingham-based Ideagen from a £100m local software company to a £1bn international tech business. He left school with just a handful of GCSEs. But his drive, ambition and entrepreneurial spirit have built him a career as a hugely successful international CEO. A lifelong Nottingham Forest fan, his company’s logo also sits proudly on the shirt sleeve of the team he supports. And he has turned his passion for football into community impact, teaming up with Forest to launch the Think Big initiative that helps local teenagers discover careers in technology. In Episode 68 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Ben tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about his desire to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
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  Caroline Wayman - Leadership under pressure 28.05.2025 28นาที

  Caroline Wayman is an accomplished, high-profile leader who – as Chief Executive of the Financial Ombudsman Service – lead the drive to compensate bank customers caught up in the national Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) scandal. Over ten years, her team dealt with two million PPI complaints, forcing the banks to hand over £38bn in compensation to customers who had been wrongly sold insurance policies. In Episode 67 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Caroline tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about the pressures of working in the national news spotlight – and the importance of being guided by a set of core values.
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  Dr Marcellus Baz BEM – Building relationships and making a difference 29.04.2025 29นาที

  Dr. Marcellus Baz BEM is an award-winning social entrepreneur, youth mentor, and the founder of Switch Up and the Marcellus Baz Foundation. Honoured with a British Empire Medal and an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University, Baz has dedicated his life to empowering young people affected by crime, violence, and inequality. Through sport, mentoring, and education, he leads a powerful movement for change across Nottinghamshire and beyond. In Episode 66 of the podcast, Baz shares his journey, the challenges of social enterprise, and how business can be a force for community transformation.
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  Dr Anino Emuwa – Why women leaders face unconscious bias 15.04.2025 28นาที

  Dr Anino Emuwa is an entrepreneur, academic and thought leader. She is also a passionate advocate for women in leadership. In Episode 65 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Dr Anino talks to Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about the unconscious bias faced by women leaders. She also highlights how AI is reinforcing centuries-old stereotypes – and explains why gender-balanced leadership benefits everyone in society.
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  Anton Roe – How the best companies grow their own future leaders 01.04.2025 24นาที

  Anton Roe first joined the fledgling MHR payroll software company as an apprentice, on a £27-a-week Youth Training Scheme. More than 30 years later, Anton is now the company’s CEO – and MHR software pays the salary of more than three million people across Britain. In Episode 64 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Anton tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about his rise from tech trainee to strategic leader. He passionately believes that chief execs are only as good as the teams of colleagues they build around them. Which is how the best companies nurture talented staff – and grow their own future leaders.
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  Rob Barker – The importance of rational optimism 18.03.2025 36นาที

  Rob Barker is an entrepreneur, adviser and investor in the international fitness industry. He started his career as a sales rep with Precor – one of the world’s largest suppliers of gym equipment – rising to the rank of President. He then led the team that sold Precor to American fitness giant Peloton for $420m. Rob is now an investor in, among others, billion-dollar fitness tech company EGYM. In Episode 63 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Rob tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi how he stays optimistic, leads by example… and tries to improve his performance by 15 per cent every year!
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  Sarah Ellis – Making ‘squiggly careers’ better for everyone 04.03.2025 39นาที

  Sarah Ellis is co-founder of the pioneering Amazing If company that is revolutionising the way in which people view their careers. She and her business partner Helen Tupper have written two Sunday Times best-selling books about their innovative Squiggly Careers theory. They also host the hugely popular Squiggly Careers podcast. In Episode 62 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Sarah tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about recognising that the traditional career ladder no longer exists... and embracing squiggly careers.