Management Today's Leadership Lessons
Episodes
How Holland & Barrett is defying high street gloom
01 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
‘It’s not time to break everything yet. You want AI to fit into existing rhythms of work’
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
‘It was a category that I felt had real potential’ – Pippa Murray on scaling the UK’s number one nut butter brand
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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. Bu...
Will Whitehorn: “We have to industrialise in space. It is an imperative”
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 glo...
Space-Comm Expo: jamming, spoofing and farming
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What did the Space-Comm Expo conference and exhibition tell us about connecting space and wider business? How does this manifest as tech connecti...
‘I wasn't brave enough and certainly not confident enough’
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 advisin...
Why the business of space is everyone’s business
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As of 2026, the UK space industry is a significant and strategic driver of the national economy, contributing over £19 billion in revenue and support...
Bliss Group CEO: “I’ve reinvented my career about four times”
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cortney Stapleton, CEO of the Bliss Group, outlines her journey from the non-profit sector to leading the 50-year-old marketing and comm firm, emphasi...
Dune London founder on affordable luxury, weathering the retail apocalypse and becoming a ‘sole survivor’
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Self confessed "shoe obsessive" Daniel Rubin launched fashion brand Dune London more than 30 years ago. Since then the brand has expanded from a shop ...
Steph Edusei on tackling ‘imposter phenomenon’ and ‘taking up space’ as a Black leader
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Steph Edusei’s leadership strategy can be encapsulated in two philosophies: “be a little bit naughty” and “push the boundaries”. This m...
How Inchcape’s CEO is navigating the ‘polycrisis’
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the world grapples with an ongoing wave of global disruptions, which many have dubbed the “supply chain polycrisis”, automotive distributor Inc...
Grayling PR’s CEO on leadership, agency growth, and the importance of DEI
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Visa, Birmingham City Football Club, and Grindr. What do these companies have in common? They're all clients of PR firm Grayling, headed up by CEO Hea...
McKinsey’s head of business building on why all leaders need to be innovators
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New ideas are the engine of corporate growth, but all too often established businesses find innovation too cumbersome and too distracting from the day...
Julian Birkinshaw: 'Established companies are way more resilient than people give them credit for'
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
American author F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote that: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind...
AI’s impact on professional services and getting employees comfortable with change
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode, MT’s editorial team discusses the impact of AI on professional services and the role of psychological safety in business t...
CBI CEO: “We’re backing UK businesses to ensure they’ve got what they need to invest and grow”
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2023, the CBI became embroiled in a well-documented sexual misconduct crisis, which saw the exodus of a number of its member companies. Two years o...
Leading transformation and obstacles to women’s career progression in professional services
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, we discuss how to elevate your business transformation abilities and the obstacles to women’s career progression in profes...
Bloom & Wild CFO: Sometimes you need to ‘reframe kindness’
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bloom & Wild's tagline is ‘care wildly’ - a message that could also be an apt description of the leadership ethos conveyed by CFO Dominique Highfi...
Boosting business optimism and the perils of groupthink
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses what can be done to boost business optimism and how groupthink can sabotage y...
Samsung's first CCO on helping consumers save energy and time
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Samsung is putting people at the very heart of its new company proposition. Under the direction of its first-ever chief customer officer, Deborah Honi...
Human-AI hybrid workforces and what ChatGPT thinks of your brand
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode, MT’s editorial team discusses what chatbots think of your brand and how humans and AI agents might work together in the fu...
How BT Sourced is reinventing the procurement process
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 5pm on a Friday and you’re still in the office. In just two short hours, the CEO is scheduled to have dinner with a major supplier. This meet...
Selling a business and securing employee buy-in for your AI strategy
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses how to get employees behind your AI transformation and the six steps you need...
Interbrand CEO Gonzalo Brujo’s steps to M&A success
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
2025 has so far been a year of high profile M&A deals, But Trump’s trade war, armed conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and, on a more ...
AI avatars and the impact of cheap imports on British businesses
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode, MT’s editorial team discusses the pros and cons of AI avatars and whether our consumption habits are hurting British busin...
How not to fail at innovation
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Any idea you can think of for a new product, I guarantee you that somewhere in the world there’s six other people thinking of the same thing.”I...
Confronting the threat of cyberattacks and expanding internationally
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode, MT’s editorial team discusses whether businesses are burying their heads in the sand when it comes to cybercrime and some ...
Lyndsey Simpson on redefining what it means to grow older in the workplace
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, the Center for Aging Better predicted that by 2025 there will be one million more people aged 50 and over, and 300,000 fewer people aged 30 a...
Corporate sustainability strategies and cutting supply chain costs
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss whether businesses are backtracking on their environmental commitments and Boston Consulting Group’s tips for cutti...
Rule of three: the CEO of Hitachi Vantara’s formula for staying focused
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“We as humans can remember three things,” says Sheila Rohra, CEO of Hitachi Vantara. It is this rule of three, then, that is central to her formul...
Unilever’s new chief exec and how to achieve growth in a sluggish economy
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses Unilever’s recent CEO change and how to keep driving your business forward ...
Wavemaker UK’s CEO and COO on how ‘dual leadership’ helped them spearhead a turnaround
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Business wins and losses are part of life for a media agency, but sometimes the losses can start to outpace the wins and – for whatever reason – n...
Reeves’ first Spring Statement and disruptive AI innovations
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team dissects the Spring Statement and takes a look at some of the AI-driven innovations tha...
Cisco’s UK&I CEO: The digital skills gap is an ‘opportunity as well as a challenge’
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
UK businesses are failing to adapt the skillsets of their teams in response to the rapid advancements in the technology sector, contributing to a nati...
AI’s hidden costs, the lure of US investment, and the financial impact of women on boards
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, the team discusses whether British businesses are becoming too reliant on the US, the link between more women on boards and ...
Kimberly-Clark’s UK&I MD: Consistently great businesses ‘have the knack of knowing when to transform’
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Timing, as the saying goes, is everything – and for Kimberly-Clark UK&I MD Dan Howell this principle is central to the art of business transformatio...
M&A traps and consultancy accountability
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, MT’s editorial team discusses some common traps in M&A deals and whether consultancies should be held accountable for the ...
Returning to Planet Organic feels like a “business fairytale”
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The entrepreneurial journey is famously a bumpy one and Planet Organic founder Renée Elliott’s story is testament to that.For her, seeing the visio...
The future of Tesla under Musk and predictions of an M&A upswing
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses whether Elon Musk is jeopardising the Tesla brand and what’s in store for t...
Zurich Insurance’s chief customer officer on the importance of negative feedback
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Negative feedback is a gift; it provides the “gems that make sure you improve what you're doing and take it to the next level”, says Zurich Insura...
Missing targets, CIO expectations and the resurrection of Andersen Consulting
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode, MT’s editorial team discusses which Big Four firms are on course to miss UK female partner goals, what CIOs want from cons...
CGI’s UK president on the evolution of technology investments
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Despite continuing to saturate the technology sector, AI investments remain a small percentage of overall IT spending, according to CGI's UK president...
AI's creative capabilities and consultants' take on what CEOs should be prioritising
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses new research into large language models’ creative capabilities and what con...
Cobra Beer’s journey from entrepreneur's dream to household name
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Indian cuisine aficionados will be no stranger to Cobra Beer, but many may not be familiar with how the brand came to be - or the man behind it. Lord ...
Organic growth stories and the value of heritage
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, MT’s editorial team discusses when a brand should make a break with its past identity and what two leading companies can t...
Ikea’s ‘human-centric’ company culture
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ikea is known by customers for its iconic flat-pack furniture, maze-like stores, and delicious meatballs – but when Ingvar Kamprad founded the compa...
MT’s Top Consultancies, CBI conference, and can AI transform business models?
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode, we discuss what we learned from the CBI conference, MT’s new list of its Top 100 Management Consultancies, and why we’re...
IBM UK’s CEO on the next era of computing
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just when you think you’ve got your head around AI, a new type of technology comes racing around the corner - quantum computingAccording to IBM’s ...
Tariffs, supply chain fears and the ingredients in M&S’s turnaround
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses CEOs’ supply chain fears, what a new Trump presidency means for global trad...
airBaltic's CEO on leading a turnaround at Latvia’s flag carrier
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In September, airBaltic outlined its hope to raise €300 million as it continues to prepare for a potential initial public offering that could take p...
Budget reactions and minimising reputational damage after a cyberattack
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we hear some reactions to the autumn budget and discuss new research into the best way to mitigate reputational damage in the wa...
Finding your perfect M&A match
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finding a perfect match during an M&A is no easy feat and something that Duncan Clarke, co-founder of Flourish and Head of Europe at Canva, experience...
The rise of disinformation and the chatbot invasion
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses whether disinformation is the next critical frontier for business and asks if...
Mars Wrigley president Gabriel Fernandez on balancing sustainability and profitability
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we meet Gabriel Fernandez, president of confectionery company Mars Wrigley. With experience in both European and Latin America, Fernandez di...
Taking a ‘less is more’ approach and leading the pack on gender equity
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we discuss why businesses should focus on fewer, clearer goals during a period of transformation and which companies made it o...
GoFundMe’s CEO on how AI is making the platform more accessible
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are some eventualities that are not covered by any job description, as Tim Cadogan found out when he took the reins at GoFundMe in early March 2...
Dynamic pricing and rebuilding trust after a scandal
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the latest episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses steps for rebuilding trust after a scandal and takes you into the heart of the d...
How to future-proof your business from the next generation of leaders
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As waves of disruption reshape what the future of business is likely to look like, current and future leaders need to adapt their skills to embrace ch...
M&A activity, pay disparities and it’s the economy, stupid
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s episode of The Debrief, MT’s editorial team discusses what we can expect from the economy in the next few years and research from E...
Dame Stephanie Shirley on women in business, entrepreneurship and why she changed her name to Steve
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dame Stephanie Shirley has a fascinating – and difficult – story to tell. Aged just five, she was one of nearly 10,000 children who were sent to E...
Investor patience and the meteoric rise of a Chinese electric vehicle maker
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we discuss how long investors are likely to wait for tech firms to turn a profit and the phenomenal rise of Chinese electric v...
BT Business’s CEO on AI, always asking questions and ‘cherishing’ failures
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
All companies nowadays are digital companies, and therefore face an imperative to continually push technology-led transformation. In this week’...
Internal comms, elevating boardroom technology conversations and the ‘gamification’ of digital retail
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss the impact of ‘gamification’ on the digital retail space, how to hit the right notes in your internal comms, and ...
Leaders need to ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to inclusion
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Wreford chose to leave a promising career rather than continue to keep quiet about his sexuality. At the time he was working in the financial ser...
Pay gap reporting, cyber attacks and business finances post-pandemic
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss Labour’s plans for ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, the scourge of cyber attacks and how businesses are ...
What basketball taught one leader about managing people
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we meet Russ Lidstone, president of Inizio Engage XD. He believes businesses are made up of Red Meat and Red Roses players, both of whom nee...
Transformative M&A deals, picking a co-founder and what business thinks of the new governmen
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss what CEOs think about the change in government, what lessons we can learn from transformational M&A success stories, ...
What rising life expectancy means for businesses and individuals
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There’s an undeniable fascination in observing US tech tycoons’ bizarre efforts to ‘de-age’, from blood plasma transfusions to investing in “...
‘Leaning in’, PR lessons from the Post Office scandal and being ‘neuroinclusive’
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Éilis Cronin and Antonia Garrett Peel discuss the problem with 'leaning in', PR lessons from the Post Office inquiry, and an in...
“I don’t think any of us should be thinking about failure”
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode we meet Joanna Swash who, despite kicking off her career with a failed business, rose through the ranks to become the CEO of Moneyp...
Sponsored Podcast - Protect your business with a robust security strategy
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Business continuity will always be one of the most fundamental concerns for any company, but putting systems and strategies in place to ensure that co...
The case for a chief AI officer and protecting your business from deep fakes
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Éilis Cronin and Antonia Garrett Peel discuss the risks posed to businesses by deep fakes and whether your organisation needs a...
The creator of psychological safety on the art of failure
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode I speak with Amy Edmonson, the brains behind the concept of psychological safety. We take a deep dive into the art of failure; how ...
Overtime epidemic, six-day week and savouring expressions of gratitude
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis Cronin discuss what the authors of one study have called the UK’s ‘overtime epidemic’, Sam...
One leader’s recipe for overcoming imposter syndrome
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Research suggests that about 70% of us will end up feeling like a fraud at some point during our lives. In this week's episode, Sally Bibb, a partner ...
Hybrid working, online impressions and having conversations about mental health
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the latest episode of Leadership Lessons, MT's editorial team discusses what we might be inadvertently communicating about ourselves online, the fi...
Balancing dual leadership roles
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Making those steps from one industry to another you get to experience the best of everything. You never become institutionalised or entrenched in o...
Unilever’s u-turn, visa changes and whether it’s time to ban political discussions at work
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the latest episode of Leadership Lessons, Éilis Cronin and Management Today’s new editor, Claire Warren, discuss whether Unilever’s softening ...
The case for good management
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It is an indictment of the value organisations place on management, in Ann Francke’s view, that 82% of those promoted into these roles have had no p...
P&G’s revival, ‘woke’ leadership and what CEOs really think of the new flexible working rules
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the latest episode of Leadership Lessons, Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis Cronin discuss how P&G fought off the start-up disruptors, the CEO who ha...
How to become a 'friction fixer'
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Every organisation is clogged with destructive friction – from convoluted meetings to antiquated technologies – that chips away at “ou...
Wayward CEOs, doing ‘life admin’ at work and innovation obstacles
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss why great creative ideas fail to get off the ground, whether it’s time for leaders to embrace the “life admin rea...
Lessons from the world’s costliest corporate cyberattacks
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cybercrime is not an issue that is likely to disappear any time soon. During the course of 2023, according to Statista, the number of cyber incidents ...
Podcast: Plastic problems, AI tools and a crusade to create a world of better bosses
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we discuss Admiral founder Henry Engelhardt’s crusade to create a world of better bosses, how AI can be used in the workplac...
The psychology of successful groups
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you want to create a successful team? Then you should start a workplace choir, share a spicy group meal before a difficult meeting and take up pick...
Gardening leave, making things that can’t fail and the inside story of Blockbuster’s demise
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss why Blockbuster really failed (with the inside story from former CEO James Keyes), the importance of agility and the ...
Why Mark Dixon is building 'Uber for offices' - without a WeWork comparison in sight
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s guest is Mark Dixon, the founder and CEO of IWG - formerly known as Regus - which is the largest flexible office network worldwide. ...
Staying schtum in meetings, Amex and IBM's UK chiefs, and female representation on boards
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss female representation on FTSE 350 boards, the real reasons employees keep quiet in meetings and some pearls of wisdom...
The CEO who bought her manufacturer
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we meet Tricia Cusden, founder of Look Fabulous Forever.Frustrated with the lack of conversation around good quality products available for matu...
CEO side gigs, return to the office and why if you don't ask you (might not) get
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss when it's acceptable for a CEO to have a side gig, why being bolder might help you to get a promotion, and whether it...
Allowing ambiguity is 'the cruellest thing' for employees
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ajaz Ahmed, the CEO and co-founder of digital creative agency AKQA, argues that chaos and unpredictability are the enemies of a well-...
CEO pay, when to quit and the death knell for remote work?
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we discuss whether CEOs are paid enough, how to know when it’s time to leave a role, and the employment tribunal that could ma...
"Don't be a head on legs"
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Executive coach Dr Mandy Lehto offers effective advice for leaders who are feeling overwhelmed. One of her key lessons is that burnout is a symptom of...
Existential threats, 2024 priorities and fake CEOs
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do CEOs think other leaders should prioritise in 2024? Why is Big Tech trying to scare us with existential threats? Which of the six post-pandemi...
Nik Govier: “Sometimes failure is the making of you"
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, we meet Nik Govier, founder of comms and business management consultancy Blurred. She walks us through the process of creating...
The problem with praise
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eduardo Briceno, founder of Mindset Works, explains why praise can damage performance and what leaders can do to effectively give feedback in a way th...
Beacons, gangs and why CEOs should never run to a meeting
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie Rudd, the group CEO of advertising agencies Leo Burnett UK, Fallon and Publicis.Poke, talks to Management Today about his tips for turnaround ...
Innovation secrets: experimental mindsets, parallelism and magpies
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
13 March 2020. The world was waking up to the reality that a global pandemic had begun. Scientific modelling said the NHS would run out of life-saving...
Lessons in growing, then selling a business
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, spin doctor turned PR boss Charles Lewington talks to MT about how he grew his company Hanover from the ground up and offers his tips...
“Leaders don't know how to lead in this new world”
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Michelle King, author of How Work Works: The Subtle Science of Getting Ahead Without Losing Yourself, talks to MT about the secret...