Inspiring Leadership with Jonathan Bowman-Perks MBE

Mark Leppard MBE. Headmaster of The British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi.Mark is a successful and ambitious school leader of an outstanding British international school. In 2015 Mark was awarded an MBE for his services to education and has an M.Ed in Educational Leadership. His focus is on team building, in terms of motivation, personnel and structure, ensuring that the students benefit from these developments. He has a lifelong passion for learning and ensures that the student is at the heart of all decisions that are made. Holistic education is fundamental to Mark's philosophy and he believes that learning should not be restricted just to the formal classroom.Mark has a track record of success, having led schools through 5 'Outstanding' school inspections and accreditations. He is a trained school inspector and has inspected a variety of schools around the globe. Mark has experience of developing and delivering an agreed vision, as well as leading schools through a rebranding process.Mark is a member of The Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC), Chairman of British Schools in the Middle East (BSME) and a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teachers.Mark is a passionate sportsman and has successfully captained teams at various levels. He gained international honours representing the Arabian Gulf at rugby, is an Honorary Life Member at Doha Rugby Club, a Vice President of Harlow Rugby Club, an avid Spurs fan and now trains regularly to keep fit. Mark is very happily married and has three children.When listening to Mark you will hopefully feel his enthusiasm and positive outlook, appreciate his honest analysis and enjoy seeing how through inspiring leadership, anything can be achieved.His Leadership Top Tip; Be honest and stay true to yourself. Anything less will be unsustainable, found out and ultimately lead to failure and disappointment. The best way to reach the summit or destination is to soar like an eagle, gallop like a thoroughbred horse or glide like a dolphin and you can only do this if you are always genuine and true to yourself Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Williamson is an engineer, a professional businessman and an award-winning entrepreneur. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Glasgow Caledonian University sponsored by Weir Pumps and climbed the ladder of management quickly, looking after his first department by the age of 21. By 26 Brian had left Weirs and secured his first Managing Director position. He draws on the knowledge and experience he gained in a fast-advancing managerial career in industry, and from his success as an entrepreneur in high growth business situations. He has been running companies at Board level for the last 39 years, the last 27 as an entrepreneur. Brian has lived and worked through five recessions and believes in the philosophy that ‘calm seas never made a skilled sailor’. This experience has added to his belief that businesses have to be fast and agile whilst maintaining strong corporate governance. Today Brian is Chairman of the 4icg group, NXD at Vert Technologies, NXD at Equity Gap, Director at Tiger Industries and Chairman of Miigen.He has been a finalist three times for non-executive director of the year by the Institute of Directors.In 2016 Brian was recognised by WeDO Entrepreneurs with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contribution to the entrepreneurial community.In 2017 Brian was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Glasgow Caledonian University for his contribution to entrepreneurship.Brian has been managing people for over 44 years and today he believes he is the wind beneath the wings of others. His top leadership tip for an established business: Make a social contract of mutual respect with every person you meet. This will secure trust and loyalty in those who follow you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James A. Felts is an accomplished coach, facilitator and guide with over 15 years of experience helping leaders optimise performance to achieve positive results through mentorship. His purpose is to assist veterans with marketing theirselves and their businesses. James prides himself on helping others which makes him the perfect match for mentorship and coaching. As a guide he has worked with teams, individuals and leadership on their transformations, both large and small. He believes in the importance of tranforming to build the necessary skills to clarify your message, and people will listen. James has received coverage in magazines to include the Vetrepreneur, Shift and Triangle Red Producers. You can find his published article in the Amazon Best Selling Book, ''How to Speak Civilian Fluently''. In addition to his strategic logistics planning and marketing experience, James is a trained business and marketing coach with his company, Join Task Force - 214. His training certification includes the following: StoryBrand Guide, NC Real Estate Broker, Total Army Instructor, Observer Coach Trainer, Large Group Facilitator, Small Group Facilitator, and Business Combative Instructor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sharon Peacock has had a diverse career that has spanned training and experience as a dental nurse, general adult nurse, end-of-life care practitioner, physician, clinical microbiologist, researcher, educator, mentor and non-executive director. This diversity has a common theme, with a lifetime of connection with the National health Service, which Sharon considers to be a jewel in the crown of the UK. She also has a degree in History. Her story is one of endurance training in the art of learning in the service of others – her mantra is ‘learn more to give back more’. Sharon Peacock is currently Professor of Public Health and Microbiology at the University of Cambridge. She is the Executive Director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (or COG-UK), which has sequenced SARS-CoV-2 for the UK pandemic response. She recently recieved the The MRC Millennium Medal - the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) most prestigious prize. Read more about her achievement here: https://www.ukri.org/news/professor-sharon-peacock-awarded-the-mrc-millennium-medal-2021/This has provided the data to track how the virus evolves and changes to become more transmissible and to dodge our immune system. Sharon was key to establishing the Consortium, which required a leadership style that revolved around consensus and consultation of its 600 members. Making all data and methods open access for others to use has been a guiding principle. Sharon is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where she chairs the Quality Committee.Endurance and persistence were important to her ability to raise over £60 million pounds in science and research funding, publish over 500 peer-reviewed papers, and train numerous scientists in the UK, and in Thailand where she worked for 7 years. Sharon has received numerous markers of esteem, including being a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. In 2015, she received a CBE for services to medical microbiology, and in 2018 she won the Unilever Colworth Prize for her outstanding contribution to translational microbiology. Her current research focus is future looking and thinking of future generations - how can we create better data linkage combined with the latest diagnostic technologies that together lead to rapid detection and rapid control the next pandemic?Her Leadership tip – Use your power of listening, and think through problems using different perspectives.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Hewitt is the "Hewitt" in "Jackson Hewitt Tax Service," after which he founded "Liberty Tax Service" with over 6000 offices. John sold his interest in Liberty for nearly 500 million dollars. Now John and his partners and friends are helping Christian Entrepreneurs discover how to become CEOs - "Building Their Empires" for the King of Kings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kwame Kwei-Armah is British actor, playwright, director and broadcaster. In 2018 he was made Artistic Director of the Young Vic, where he has directed Twelfth Night and Tree. From 2011 to 2018 he was previously the Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage where he directed: Jazz, Marley, One Night in Miami, Amadeus, Dance of the Holy Ghosts, The Mountaintop; An Enemy of the People, The Whipping Man and Things of Dry Hours.Other work as a director includes: Tree (Manchester International Festival), Twelfth Night, Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, Detroit’67 (Public Theatre, New York), The Liquid Plain (Signature Theatre, New York and Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Porgy and Bess (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) the Olivier Nominated One night in Miami for Best New Play 2016 (Donmar Warehouse) and One Love (Birmingham Repertory Theatre). As a playwright his credits include Tree (Manchester International Festival, Young Vic), One Love(Birmingham Repertory Theatre), Beneatha’s Place (Baltimore Center Stage) Elmina’s Kitchen, Fix Up, Statement of Regret (National Theatre) Let There Be Love and Seize the Day (Tricycle Theatre). Kwame was Artistic Director for the Festival of Black arts and Culture, Senegal, in 2010. He conceived and directed the opening ceremony at Senghor National stadium. He was an Associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse and has served on the boards of the National Theatre, Tricycle Theatre, and Theatre Communications Group. Kwame was the Chancellor of the University of the Arts London from 2010 to 2015, and in 2012 was awarded an OBE for Services to Drama.In 2012, 2013 and 2014 Kwame was named Best Director in City Paper’s Best of Baltimore Awards and in 2015 was nominated for the prestigious Stage Directors and Choreographers Zelda Fichandler Award for Best Regional Artistic Director. In 2016 he was awarded the Urban Visionary Award alongside House Representative Elijah Cummings by the Center for Urban Families for his work in the Baltimore community. In 2019 he was the Chair of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. Kwame is a patron of Ballet Black and a visiting fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ex Silicon Valley Executive & Investor Stephynie Malik is a Global Business Strategist and Crisis Expert. She is also a 3x Founder, Consultant, Podcast Host and Speaker. Stephynie's career was built in sales, marketing, business development, and strategic alliance roles, holding leadership positions at Actuate, Silicon Graphics, Icarian. She then made the move into independent consulting before founding her first management consulting firm, MalikCo, LLC. While leading alliances, she was responsible for creating countless Partnerships and Technology deals with American Express, Monster.com, Siebel Systems, Deloitte, Nike, People Soft, Actuate, and Toyota to name a few over her 25-year career. Driven by her desire to make an impact, she currently sits on 3 boards and lends her time to brands she believes in that have the potential to change the world. She is working on her first book and has recently launched a podcast called Spin It with Stephynie Malik, a business podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of influential individuals who turned obstacles into opportunities. In addition, she created 2 business courses in 2021: Executive Presence Elevated, how to win and influence leadership, and ScaleOS, scaling your business with practical wisdom and grit. She is also currently rolling out 2 new “By Invitation Only" retreats for men that are struggling with the new way to lead — the ever-changing rules on presence and connection. Stephynie is a Mother of 4 kids — 2 boys and 2 girls, aged 11-26 years old. She is an avid foodie and is a strong influence on Mental Health and Learning Differences. Leadership Top Tip: Say “YES” as much and as often as you possibly can. Attitude is everything. You will NOT know your WHY until you are 100% clear on your Why Not.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guy Hands, who was born in 1959, graduated with an MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Mansfield College, Oxford, and then went to work for Goldman Sachs International where he became Head of Eurobond Trading, and then Head of Goldman Sachs' Global Asset Structuring Group. He left Goldman Sachs in 1994 for Nomura International plc where he established PFG before spinning out Terra Firma as an independent private equity firm in 2002. Since then, he has overseen the investment of €17 billion of equity in 35 businesses with an aggregate value of €48 billion. In 2012, Guy was named the 20th most influential figure in Private Equity International's '100 Most Influential of the Decade'. He established Terra Firma Capital Partners Limited's commitment to donate 10% of annual pre-tax profits to local initiatives in London, while Terra Firma Capital Management Limited supports numerous charities in Guernsey. He is also President of 'Access for Excellence' which promotes access to higher education. Additionally, Guy is a fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme. In 2018, Guy was awarded Spear's 'Philanthropist of the Year'. He is also a member of the University of Oxford Chancellor's Court of Benefactors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Harney was appointed Chief Operating Officer, Europe for Great-West Lifeco in February 2020, overseeing the Irish Life and Canada Life organisations in the UK, Ireland and Germany serving over 5m customers and employing 5,000 people.  Prior to that, David spent 4 years as Chief Executive Officer of Irish Life Group, in which he led the Group’s Financial Services, Financial Advisory, Health Insurance and Investment businesses in Ireland. Before that he worked in Irish Life for over 30 years and has held a number of senior roles over that time including Director of Finance, Director of Marketing, Director of Sales and Managing Director of Irish Life Corporate Business. David’s is energised and inspired by the opportunities that new technology and the digital agenda offer businesses to function more effectively and connect more meaningfully with their customers. He is a keen advocate and early adopter of DEI practices, and is currently championing the development of strong CSR and Sustainability credentials across the organisations that he manages. David holds an MSc. in Financial Mathematics from Dublin City University and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland. He is currently serving as President of Insurance Ireland. David is married to Brid, has three sons and enjoys playing golf in his spare time. His leadership tip would be ‘Stay Curious’. Being open to new ideas and having the bravery to explore them means your business and your offering to customers remains relevant, responsive and successful.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to an impressive collection of CEOs and CEO's Advisors - James Bashall CB CBE, Emma Kane, Sam Mercer, Sharon Peacock CBE, Gary C Laney, Brian J Esposito, chat on the following topics:1. How is the future of work going to develop in your sector – Hybrid, Full Office or Mainly Remote First?2. What is your lessons from creating successful meetings and minimizing video fatigue?3. How much more benefit are you gaining from face to face meetings coaching and mentoring vs by Video and Phone?The wisdom and experience was drawn from many sectors with simple but profound tips such as: Have clear agendas and purpose, ensure everybody reads it in advance. Stick to the start and finish times - why do you need to have a 60 minute meeting? Why not 20 minutes?Don't have any other business AOB. As you will get ambushed and the meeting will get taken off track. Instead end every meeting with a "burning issue round" of questions and themes that have not been addressed in this session but should be addressed in the future one. The problems of "disconnection syndrome" and the need to rebuild trust with the workforce. The fact that productivity is down 40% in tech companies during the working from home phase. The place of work for people - office or WFH. The impact on local service industries (many closed) in some of the big cities now that more people stay away from them and work from home. The reduction in commuting time which has got switched into extra work time. The need for people to attend in person in places like labs hospitals and on building sites. There is a greater quantity of work, but the question is: is there more quality? The loss of confidence and trust between people who don't see each other.There is real tension for HR directors. Costs are down - as there is far less travel - but trust is down in meetings and on boards due to lack of physical presence.The danger of less creativity and sparking off each other in impromptu spontaneous ways.Where is the cultural glue for new joiners who never get to meet their colleagues?The impact of reduced mental health and the loss of impromptu meetings. Now there are just programmed meetings which are back to back in exhausting long days. Less is more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.