You know what they say, if you want something done, give it to a busy person… This week on Speak Like a CEO we’re talking to the renowned Andy Harrison. Andy Harrison is one of the most experienced CEOs in the UK, having managed and scaled some of the country’s most iconic brands including easyJet, Premier Inn and Costa Coffee. Currently chairman of UK-based furniture company Dunelm, Andy is no stranger to maneuvering an organisation through challenging situations. We spoke about building a consumer-facing brand globally, focusing on the importance of culture, reputation and how important values are to any organisation. For Andy, communication is all about having a clear, simple and sincere message. Not a natural born communicator, Andy knows how important it is to think about what you want to say and how you’re going to say it to have an impact. Above all, he believes that as a CEO you need to leave your ego at home, and always put your employees and customers first.

Welcome back to Speak Like a CEO! On today's podcast we take you to Israel, with an episode recorded straight from Tel Aviv.  Our guest is Chedva Kleinhandler, the CEO and Founder of Emerj, an app that connects employees and mentors.  Chedva started her first business at 21. At that time she thought she was the only person in the world who needed a mentor. After her second business succeeded, more and more people sought her advice. She realised: you can be an employee surrounded by people with knowledge and still feel that you don't have access to that knowledge.  On today's episode, our guest tells us how she broke down the barriers of making mentorship truly scalable within organisations and easy in terms of people's commitment and time. In a time of platform fatigue, she talks to us about how to create a safe and confidential digital space for mentoring and how it can truly enhance internal communications and become a powerful tool for employer branding Beyond mentorship, we talk about what makes Israeli entrepreneurship and what role communications plays in this part of the world. A true bridge builder between different cultures, Chedva lets us in on the different types of communication styles she has experienced and how religion and tech intersect in Israel. Is communication the secret to Israeli innovation?  To find out, tune in on this special episode from Tel Aviv! Enjoy.

Get ready because today we are asking some big questions and getting some even bigger answers.  We are joined by seven-time founder and current CEO of Inbot, Mikko Alasaarela and good friend of the show Christoph Raethke, founder of Berlin Startup Academy. In this episode, we focus on the art of building an online following: how different platforms better facilitate certain topics, and foster different audiences. Mikko lets us in on the different ways to communicate to those distinct audiences, while finding your niche online. Our guests also share the equation for creating quality, value adding content when time is scarce.  Mikko is passionate about providing individuals all over the world with a basic standard of living by using technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain. On today’s episode, our very opinionated guests project us into a future where technology acts as a tool for democratisation and a way to better provide humanity with their basic needs. Or will it...?  From nanotechnology to the future of private entrepreneurship, Mikko paints the picture of what might sound like a sci-fi future: where technology and the structures behind "who controls what" become an even bigger part of our lives. However, if left unchecked, Mikko doesn’t denounce that technology's power for good could work against creating a more equal society… Hence the importance of making people part of the process, turning them into actors: not simply onlookers!  And finally - with the fast rise of technology paired with our increasing dependency on all things digital, where does that leave humanity? Where will we factor into an increasingly technology driven world? Tune in to find out.  

Ever been in a situation where you really wished you knew what the other person was thinking? Well, we aren’t talking to any psychics today, but we’ve got the next best thing.  Today we are joined with Germany’s mindreader, Gerrit Richter CEO and founder of leading opinion poll tech company Civey. Civey has over 1 million active participants per month, and with the European parliamentary elections coming up in May, polling is a hot topic.  But polling doesn’t need to be political. Gerrit lets us in on everything from what makes a company successful to user feedback to how the Internet is full of people who just want to express their opinion and what makes polling important. He also talks about how, in the polling business, trust and transparency are of utmost importance and lets us into how communicating change can allow a company to grow fast. So put away your crystal balls and let's head to the polls. Enjoy. 

Today we are talking straight from the heart with Dr. Johannes Keienburg, CEO of HitFox Group and co-Managing Director of Heartbeat Labs - a digital health platform aiming to bring patient-centric solutions to the market. Drawing on his experience working in journalism, consultancy and in the start-up world, Johannes shares his insights into communications as an essential component of good leadership and how adopting a data-driven mindset can be the key to taking effective business decisions.  He lets us into everything from the challenges facing the healthcare market to how telling a convincing story is essential to building relationships with customers. He also lets us into why he believes being radically transparent can foster authority, but also empathy... So let’s get into our data driven mindsets! Enjoy!  

Ever wondered what pitching your start-up and folk music have in common?  Today our guest is Henric Hungerhoff, managing director of the APX startup accelerator, a collaboration by Axel Spring and Porsche. Not only is he an entrepreneur himself but he’s also a startup enthusiast, an investor, a lawyer and plays in his own Americana band (and if you listen closely to the episode, you can catch some of his music!).  Henric let’s us in on everything he looks for in a successful startup, from how he prefers working with teams over single founders and how he steers away from family based endeavours…with a couple of exceptions. Henric also takes us through the process of pitching your start-up, and how the perfect pitch is like writing a song: all the parts need to be in the perfect place to really captivate your audience. Enjoy! 

Help! Sometimes you need somebody! Not just anybody...Sometime you need the right person, or right mentor, to guide you in the right direction! Today on the show we have Berlin start-up original and friend of the show Christoph Raethke as well as Anne Riechert, the Joan of Arc of social entrepreneurship and CEO and co-founder of the ReDi School of Digital Integration, teaching coding skills to refugees and asylum seekers. Today our guests talk about a common passion: mentoring. What makes a good mentor? From staying  curious to being empathetic, our guests share some personal stories on what it takes to be the best mentor you can be, one of which even includes a visit from Marc Zuckerberg... Enjoy! 

Ever wonder what Obama thinks about tourism?  Today’s guest is Toby Nicol, the executive director of Uniting Travel: a coalition of the world's major Travel & Tourism organisations dedicated to ensuring that the sector speaks with 'One Voice’.  And that’s exactly what we are going to talk about today. In an increasingly interconnected world, how does one make sure that everyone not only has a voice, but that all these voices are heard and understood: from a small boutique hotel to a huge cruise ship company.  It’s not as easy as it sounds, and it doesn’t sound easy at all! The tourism industry is full of opinions…some even coming from former US president Obama himself….Curious? Stay tuned.

 This week the team is in sunny sunny Tel Aviv recording some very special episodes so stay tuned for that. So this week we have a great throwback bonus episode for you! Back in November, Oliver and Lena chatted to friend of the show Lyanne Alfaro from NASDAQ about the art of storytelling how it changes depending on the medium. They talk all about the role social media is playing in the up and coming world of executive communications, how CEO’s can and should utilise the digital media world to their advantage,  and much more. Enjoy! 

This week, Oliver gives us his top 5 tips for presenting with impact (warning, it includes at least 5 "P"s)! Make sure to check out our full episode with Bettina Hausmann for even more insight! Enjoy!