40 Minute Mentor

In today’s episode of the 40 Minute Mentor, we had the pleasure of interviewing fellow podcast host and serial-entrepreneur, Dan Murray-Serter. Dan is Co-Founder of Heights, the holistic brand for the brain, and Co-Founder and Host of the UK’s number 1 business podcasts, Secret Leaders – one of my personal favourites. Despite initially wanting to be a Football coach, he started his career in the world of advertising before co-founding his first business at the age of 24. Since then, Dan has been running his own businesses for the last 7 years, which has led to him winning multiple awards, including being named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 off the back of his success with his previous start up Grabble. Over the course of our chat we covered a number of topics: Dan’s candid insights into the life of an entrepreneur How the idea for Heights was born and how the team leveraged high-profile expert opinions from the likes of Stephen Fry to help rapidly grow their community Plus, he reveals who the most inspiring person is, that he’s had on Secret Leaders. It was a real pleasure interviewing a podcast legend like Dan, who is such a honest and gregarious entrepreneur. We really enjoyed hearing Dan’s candid reflections on the ups and downs he’s faced as an entrepreneur and more about his ambitious plans for Heights. So if you’re currently thinking about taking the leap and starting out on your own, or if you’re a Secret Leaders fan keen to learn more about the man behind the mic, you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode! We’re always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview, just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Dan, you can check out his LinkedIn profile here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmurrayserter/ If you want to find out more about Heights, you can have a look at their website following – https://www.yourheights.com/ And if you haven’t listened to the Secrets Leaders podcast, you’ll want to head over to - https://www.secretleaders.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode of the 40 Minute Mentor, we get the privilege of speaking to not one, but two inspiring mentors – Ina Kjaer and Maggie Brereton from EOS Deal Advisory. Following successful careers as senior Partners within KPMG’s deal advisory business, Ina and Maggie took the bold decision to leave with a determination to shake up an industry known for it’s macho culture, long hours and a shocking gender pay gap. To do this they launched EOS Deal Advisory– a diverse, tech driven deal advisory consultancy that has already grown to a team of over 15 and has an enviable client list. It’s not every day that we get to talk to such impressive leaders who have reached the top of the Big 4 and then taken the bold leap of starting a business from scratch! It was fascinating to hear Ina and Maggie’s stories and learn more about their experience and how they’re striving to do things differently at EOS. Having started the business less than 12 months ago, today’s conversation focuses on the highs and lows of launching your own business, including: The initial challenges they faced in the early months of EOS and how they were able to overcome them. Why they decided to start EOS together, as equal partners, and how this has influenced the way they work and the way they’re building the business. And the importance of culture and diversity and how EOS are actively trying to create a business that’s distinct from the ‘macho culture’ often found in bigger consultancies. Ina and Maggie were fantastic 40 Minute Mentors and it was an absolute pleasure to dive into their careers and the vision they have for EOS. So whether you’re currently working in a consultancy and want to understand how you can progress your career, or perhaps you’re contemplating starting your own professional services business – this episode is packed with great career advice and life lessons from two trail blazers, who are truly disrupting the industry. We’re always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Ina, you can check out her LinkedIn profile here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ina-kj%C3%A6r-065540/ If you want to find out more about Maggie, you can check out her LinkedIn profile here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-brereton-99339814/ If you want to find out more about EOS Deal Advisory, you can check out their website following - https://www.eos-dealadvisory.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have always found the world of politics intriguing, so I was especially excited when Sam Gyimah, the Former UK Minister for Science, Technology, Universities, and Innovation, agreed to be on the 40 Minute Mentor. Sam was born in the UK but raised in Ghana before returning to study PPE at Oxford University, where he was elected the first Black British President of the Oxford Union Society - one of the world’s most prestigious debating societies. After starting out in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, Sam successfully transitioned into entrepreneurship, working in both Fintech and then a Logistic Training business which he scaled to £10m turnover and 70 staff in a 4 year period. His endeavours saw him voted the CBI Entrepreneur of the Future in 2005. Following his entrepreneurial success, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron, which was the start of an impressive and high profile political career. In today’s conversation, Sam shares a wealth of valuable insights from his incredible journey from a comprehensive school education to Number 10 Downing Street. During our fascinating chat we discuss: • How Sam’s experience at Oxford University set him on the path for a career in business and politics, despite initially being attracted to a career in law • What you need to know about working for a high-profile person and how to overcome the challenges of being in the public eye • Why working in politics is like being in a constant asteroid shower and the core skills you need to develop to survive and thrive in that kind of environment • Plus we also touch upon his take on how his former colleagues are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. Sam was a great guest - open and honest, he shared some fascinating insights into the inner workings of parliament and what a career in government really entails. So whether you’re plotting to enter the world of politics yourself, or simply want to know how Sam came to be known as one of the most influential people in the country, I’m sure you’ll gain a lot of insights from hearing his story. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Sam, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-gyimah/?originalSubdomain=uk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent weeks we have been having lots of conversations with candidates who are concerned about the impact the current economic climate will have had on their careers. If this has been on your mind too, then today’s episode is perfect for you. That’s because our 40 Minute Mentor today is Amir Nooriala, whose story will both inspire and reassure you. He has proved through his career that no matter what the circumstances are, there are always opportunities, if you’re willing to put in the work. Amir is the Chief Commercial Officer at Callsign, a leading fraud detection, authorisation & authentication company. Although he now is a highly respected FinTech executive, he started his tech career in Silicon Valley at a very challenging time - just as the dot com bubble burst. Since then, Amir’s journey took him back to the UK and has seen him work in consulting and Banking, before pivoting into in the fast-paced world of FinTech at the Unicorn Oaknorth. Alongside his impressive CV, something that we really admire about Amir is the fact that he is also incredibly passionate about promoting social mobility. Alongside his full-time job, Amir is a trustee of Making the Leap and the UK Social Mobility Awards.  Alongside that, we take a trip back through Amir’s colourful career to date, where he shares some fantastic insights, including: His top career tips for navigating through uncertain economic times, and his personal lessons from bouncing back from both redundancy and a demotion. How you can tailor your CV and identify your transferable skills to break into the competitive FinTech sector, even if you have no direct experience and a limited network. Plus, Amir’s entrepreneurial and productivity secrets and how he has successfully balanced all of his commitments over the years which have included full-on executive roles, advisory work, side hustles and 3 kids! Amir is a fantastic person as well as a super impressive leader and this conversation couldn’t have come at a better time given everything that is going on in the world. His journey has so much to teach us all about resilience, perseverance and staying positive when times are tough. No matter what stage of your career you’re in, we know you’ll get a lot of value and confidence from listening to Amir’s life lessons. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Amir, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirnooriala/ If you’d like to find out more about Callsign, you can have a look at their website - https://www.callsign.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode features the incredible Shefali Roy, COO and CCO at TrueLayer. Shefali started her career in financial services, working across the Australasian market, before moving to London to get her Master’s degree in Economic History at LSE. Shefali decided to stay in London and joined Goldman Sachs before moving out of Financial Services and into the world of Tech. Since then she’s gone on to work for a whole range of leading Tech companies including global tech giant Apple, FinTech trailblazer Stripe and most recently, the leading tech company TrueLayer. In this conversation, Shefali shares some really interesting insights from her experience of building a successful tech career in the Compliance and Risk space, including: What initially got her into compliance, and why this underrated sector could offer you a great opportunity to build a fantastic tech career. What she learned from working across regions and across industries. Including her move into Tech and what it was really like to work at Apple. And what a typical day as the COO and CCO at TrueLayer looks like and how the team have adapted and changed in the face of COVID-19. Shefali shares so many great insights in this episode and goes into detail on how she tackled those big and important career decisions over the years to help you, if you’re considering a career change. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Shefali, check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shefaliroy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moving on to a different career path will always be a daunting prospect and it can be difficult to know how best to approach it. We regularly hear from candidates who are looking to make the shift and aren’t always sure where to start. And equally, from clients, unsure about taking a risk on someone with a different or out of the ordinary background. If you’re in this position, then you’re going to love today’s episode as our guest tells you all about his remarkable career change. Chris Severson has never been one to shy away from risk. Having started his career in the US Marine Corps as a TOPGUN fighter pilot, he took his adventurous approach into his post military career, successfully making the switch into leadership roles in the corporate and start up worlds. Chris has held senior positions across Barclays, Atlas Mara, Digicel and most recently at PMI, and has lived in the USA, the Middle East, Switzerland and the Caribbean. As Chris explains in today’s episode, making a career change is going to be hard work, no matter your background, but building a great network is the key to success. During our conversation we elaborate further on the power of networking and dig deeper into how leveraging your innate capabilities can help you as a leader. Some of the topics we discussed, include: His experience of transitioning from a high pressure and disciplined military career into the private sector. Plus, how his background as a Marine taught him to be an enthusiastic leader and communicator. The importance of networking when changing careers and how best to ‘find your tribe’ and build good relationships online and offline. And his advice for building a high performing team. From hiring people smarter than himself, to his favourite interview question - it’s certainly one that might catch you off guard! Chris has been a candidate, client and friend of JBM, as well as a personal inspiration to James throughout his career. He is an amazing and charismatic leader, so it was fascinating to dig deeper into his diverse and exciting career journey. We're sure you’re all going to really enjoy this one – especially any of you who are fans of the movie Top Gun! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Chris, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisseverson1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to careers, there’s so many more options out there than there used to be even 5 years ago. Speaking to clients and candidates day in and out, we hear so many different stories of how people have got to where they are, the route they took and the different paths that people follow. The days of getting a university degree, joining a graduate scheme and staying with one company for 10-15 years are long gone. With rising university fees and increasing opportunity we’re seeing many companies starting to offer apprenticeships to enable talented young people to follow an alternative path to reach the career they want. At the forefront of this major shift across education and employment is today’s 40 Minute Mentor – the amazing Sophie Adelman, Co-Founder and president of WhiteHat. While Sophie has a very successful academic background herself, she saw her acceptance into Cambridge as a lucky break and in some ways an unfair advantage over all the equally talented people who for whatever reason didn’t get the same opportunity. As Sophie explains in today’s episode, this helped her shape her mission in life to create access to opportunities for everyone, no matter the background, social status or upbringing.  That’s where the idea for WhiteHat came from. Sophie and her co-founder Euan launched WhiteHat – a tech start-up building an outstanding alternative to the traditional university route – to level the playing field and open opportunities to work with great companies to more people, rather than a small selected pool of talent from well-known universities. Sophie’s passion for creating equal opportunities, changing the way the university system works and topics, such as social mobility is truly inspiring. In today’s conversation, we dig deeper into a whole host of topics, including:   The problems Sophie sees with the university sector and how her own experience has shaped her vision to change it. Why she founded WhiteHat and her experience of starting and growing her mission-driven business from just herself and Euan to a team of 140 people. And her experience of raising $16m Series A funding in 2019 and her advice for others looking to emulate her success. If you’re interested in working for a mission-driven start-up like WhiteHat, or you're a leader looking at diversifying your talent pool, or you're considering whether to go to university - you’re going to love this conversation. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Sophie, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-adelman1/ If you want to find out more about WhiteHat, you can have a look at their website - https://whitehat.org.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're really excited to bring you this special bonus episode of the 40 Minute Mentor with one of the most well-known figures in FinTech – the awesome David M. Brear, CEO of 11:FS. 11:FS are made up of some of the greatest minds in FinTech who are working to build and launch next-generation digital propositions for some of the biggest financial institutions in the world. In just 4 years they have achieved some incredible results as a challenger consultancy, whilst also launching one of the top business podcasts in the UK. Their strapline alone – Digital banking is only 1% finished – gives you a flavour of their drive to challenge the status quo and disrupt the industry. As a fellow podcast host and passionate sports fan, David and James had a lot to talk about! We have admired 11:FS for a long time so it was a real honour to sit down with David to find out more about his own career path and hear first-hand the incredible journey that 11:FS have been on. Meeting him in person didn’t disappoint and, in the episode, we cover some really exciting topics, including: How David’s initial plans to become a professional Basketballer were curtailed by injury and how he ended working up in Banking during the Financial Crisis His incredible journey with 11:FS and how they’ve carved their own path, creating a multi-faceted business full of incredible talent and amazing clients – all without any external funding And what company culture means to him and how his love for sports has shaped the way 11:FS have grown their own high-performing team David is such a down to earth and refreshingly honest leader, who was so easy to talk to. This episode is filled to the brim with great advice, particularly for those of you working in consulting or Fintech. Whether you’re a junior consultant looking to advance your career or a founder yourself – David goes into detail on the secrets that have helped him succeed and the lessons he’s learned along the way. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about David M Brear, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbrear/  If you want to find out more about 11:FS you can have a look at their website –  https://11fs.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The word ‘inspiring’ gets thrown around a lot when discussing entrepreneurs and business owners. However, with today’s guest, we can’t think of a more accurate or deserving description. Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is the incredible Catherine Wines, co-founder of WorldRemit. WorldRemit is a mission-driven online money transfer service that allows people to send money to friends and family living abroad. WorldRemit is one of the most successful and fastest growing Fintechs in the UK, with a worth of almost $1bn, employing over 700 people and serving 4 million customers across 150 countries. Catherine is one of the most high profile female leaders in Fintech so it came as a real shock to the industry when she was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer in 2018. Despite the shock of this and the ensuing treatment she has had to go through, she has remained incredibly positive and active throughout. She continues to support WorldRemit’s as a Non-Exec Director whilst also mentoring and advising a number of other start up founders (including fellow 40 Minute Mentor guest, Alex Stephany of Beam). Since her diagnosis, she’s paved the way for firms to improve the way they support employees living and working with cancer. We go into detail on this in today’s show and Catherine shares some great advice for anyone out there either living with, or supporting a loved one or colleague with, cancer. In today’s conversation you’ll hear about a number of interesting topics, including: • Why Catherine set up WorldRemit and how she has grown the business from a small start up to a team of over 700 employees across 6 continents. • Her philosophy on living with cancer and how she is happy to talk about it in order to raise awareness and change perceptions about it • Plus, her thoughts on the importance of mentorship, championing women in tech and why she got involved with Beam, the tech for good start up that helps homeless people get back in to work and off the street. It was an absolute pleasure speaking with Catherine about her many achievements and hearing her unique and uplifting approach to life. She truly is an inspiration and is certainly a great reminder to live life to the fullest, and without regret. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Catherine, check out her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-wines-8060b26/ If you want to find out more about WorldRemit you can have a look at their website – https://www.worldremit.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest and our first 40 Minute Mentor of 2020 is the brilliant Ben Sanders, who is the MD for Europe at the Tech Scale Up Pollen. Pollen, formerly known as Verve, is one of the top 10 fastest growing UK scale-ups and a global leader in word-of-mouth sales in the live entertainment and travel industries. As MD for Europe, Ben leads a team of over 100 people, and he has played a key role in the growth of their marketplace, which has been turbo charged by a recent £70m Series C Funding round. Ben started his career in Consulting at Bain & Company where he spent just under 5 years before pivoting into Fintech in 2014 with Worldpay. He was subsequently headhunted by the UK Digital Bank Pockit as COO in 2016, despite having no previous COO experience, and in that time achieved significant successes – scaling the team to over 70 people and winning multiple awards. Ben has achieved some very impressive feats during his career, and it was great to get a chance to talk to him about his diverse experience so far (which has also included spending time as a Nightclub promoter) and share his advice for others who want to do the same. Some of the highlights from our chat include: • Why Ben made the move from Consulting into Fintech and how he was able to adapt so quickly and achieve so much in a such a short time frame • How Ben successfully made the jump into being a COO, and the lessons he learned from his time at Pockit, as well as his advice for others looking to make a step change in their own careers • And finally, Ben’s guidance for building and leading high performing teams and his thoughts on the importance of getting culture right Having talked to a lot of candidates who want to make the move from Consulting into Fintech, it was fascinating to hear Ben’s experience and get his candid advice for people looking to make the same move that he did. Ben is one of the nicest and most impressive people I know in Tech. He was open and honest during our conversation and he shared some fantastic insights that I’m delighted to be able to share with you in this episode. I hope you’ll get as much out of it as I did. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk. If you want to find out more about Ben check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-sanders-b280716/ If you want to find out more about Pollen you can have a look at their website - https://pollen.co/uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices