Simon Says

In season 2, episode 14 Simon talks to Brett Wigdortz. Having worked with kids who start primary school not even knowing how to play, Brett has seen first hand the impact of the developmental gap which exists between disadvantaged children and their wealthier peers: 4.3 months by the time they're just 5 years old. On a mission to attract new talent and drive up standards for the UK's broken childcare market, Brett set up Tiney. The initiative is focused on training up a new generation of childminders who are afforded the same pay and respect given to teachers; helping them start 'micro nurseries' which are run from home and grounded in pedagogical care. Brett can talk about what it was like to leave an esteemed organisation after 15 years at the helm of Teach First, to begin a new venture from scratch. As traditional nurseries are closing in huge numbers, he can also talk about the spike in applications to join the programme since the pandemic started.

In episode 01 of PEP TALK, Simon talks to John O'Brien. John is EMEA Managing Partner at ONE HUNDRED, Omnicom’s ethical purpose consortium consisting of nine of Omnicom’s leading global agencies. John is also a bestselling business author and recognized campaigner with over thirty years of experience leading initiatives covering over twenty countries. John is a senior advisor to business, high net-worth individuals, charities and governments on the interface between business and society, related strategies and communication. During the last ten years he has played a leading role in developing much of the language and thinking around ethical, sustainable purpose in the UK. He is a sought after speaker and commentator on the subject. John’s professional background is varied, starting with a few early years in banking followed by a decade as a British Army Infantry officer, serving in theatres around the world, retiring as a Captain in 1994. His training and operational experience in creating clarity from complex, often chaotic and dangerous situations, acted as a key grounding for his future career and brings wide experience to bear for clients.

In Season 2, Episode 14, Simon talks to Maria Hatzistefanis. Maria is a London-based beauty entrepreneur who founded her ground-breaking skincare group, Rodial, in 1999 by identifying a niche for treatments targeted to specific skin concerns. With a growing global beauty empire, her results-oriented products excite with evocative tongue-in-cheek names such as Dragon’s Blood and Snake Serum. There are 2 brands – Rodial, and Nip + Fab – sold through 20,000 doors across 35 countries worldwide including Saks Fifth Avenue, Space NK, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. Today, the cutting-edge products are available in the most prestigious stores around the world, while high profile celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and Sofia Richie fronting the brands campaigns.

In Season 2, Episode 13, Simon talks to Adam Kamani. Adam is an award-winning property entrepreneur, start-up investor, mentor and CEO of Kamani Property Group, KM Capital and YourNxtDoor. He has just launched a next-gen property app called Move Streets.

In Season 2, Episode 12, Simon talks to Tom. Tom Mercer is the Founder of MOMA Foods, a London oat brand. Frustrated with the lack of quality breakfast on the market Tom decided to leave his job in the City and do something about it. MOMA was a genuine grassroots start-up – the first kitchen was under a railway arch in South London and the first retail outlet was a stall (made from a converted filing cabinet) in Waterloo station. MOMA is now the go-to premium porridge brand in the UK, the #1 bircher muesli brand, and a fast-growing player in burgeoning oat milk market Tom is from a farming family in Staffordshire, read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and prior to MOMA worked as a management consultant for Bain & Co. In his personal life Tom is a proud husband and dad.

In Season 2, Episode 11, Simon talks Dr Ali Parsa. Ali is a British-Iranian healthcare entrepreneur and engineer. He’s the founder and CEO of Babylon, the revolutionary AI and digital health company. Babylon’s mission is to put an accessible and affordable health service in the hands of every person on earth. Dr Parsa was listed in The Times 100 people to watch. He was featured in the Maserati 100, a list that recognises game-changing entrepreneurs. He was formerly a UK Cabinet Office Ambassador for Mutuals and the Chair of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Tech Forum. He has a PhD in Engineering Physic.

In Season 2, Episode 10, Simon talks to Alexia Inge. Singularly committed to curating a ‘Beauty Hall of Fame’, featuring only the best hero products from across the globe, Alexia Inge co-founded Cult Beauty with a lifelong passion for beauty and a mission to become the most trusted beauty retailer in the world. Under Alexia’s leadership since 2014, Cult Beauty has become the place to go for beauty discovery and incubating trends – from the latest scientific wellbeing discoveries to centuries-old remedies that have never been bettered. It has fast become home to some the biggest names and need-to-know burgeoning brands: from being the first independent e-tailer to stock Anastasia Beverly Hills to bringing Milk Makeup across the pond and herding Drunk Elephant into the EU.

In Season 2, Episode 9, Simon talks to Sach Kukadia. Sach is a serial entrepreneur, non-executive director, chairman, board advisor and angel investor. He launched his first start up, SecretSales.com at the age of 22 and over a period of 10 years, raised £18m through leading Venture Capital Institutions and drove annual sales of £47m. He eventually sold the business to a London based Private Equity firm in 2017. Sach’s current interest lies with Residently, a disruptive Property Tech platform alongside a new D2C business launching in Q2 2022 that allows you to invest in gold. In addition, Sach is Chairman to vintage furniture business Rehaus, and NED to a number of other consumer facing businesses.

In season 2, episode 8, Simon talks to Patrick Tsang. Patrick Tsang is Chairman of Tsangs Group, a fourth-generation China-focused Single Family Office from Hong Kong. Patrick invests in various companies with a positive influence and positive impact. Born and raised in the United Kingdom with deeply-rooted Chinese heritage, he has a robust global network as a seasoned investor. He has worked on numerous IPO and M&A transactions globally and has successfully made investments in Asia, mainly in Hong Kong and China, North America, and Europe. Patrick holds several prestigious appointments, including the Trade Commissioner of Grenada in Macau, to promote international business and investment.

In Season 2, episode 7, Simon talks to Dan Murray-Serter. Dan is a multi-award winning serial entrepreneur, who talks openly about failure, mental health, mental performance, and 'braincare' - which includes his journey using science to build habits, cultivating a positive mindset & nutrition for optimizing his brain's health. Having started (and failed) the UK's #1 fashion app, Grabble, he is now back building his new company, Heights. In his spare time, he podcasts with both the Braincare podcast for Heights, and Secret Leaders, one of the UK's top business podcasts.