85: How to Keep your Audience Awake Using Humour: with Jeremy Nicholas
It’s always a pleasure to speak with Jeremy Nicholas, experienced BBC broadcaster, speaker, speaking coach, MC, Compere--the list goes on! I was lucky to catch him before he heads north to debut his comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe in August (more details about that later) to ask him for a few tips on how to use humour in business presentations. Incorporating wit into your business presentation will make it more engaging for your audience. With most people having an active attention…
84: Find out if you've got what it takes for a career in coding - with Chris Hill of Northcoders
My guest in this month’s podcast is Chris Hill, co-founder of Northcoders, the North’s original coding school. Chris and I talked about the burgeoning opportunities in the digital economy and how a good grounding in coding can be the key to accessing them. If you’ve ever wondered whether the tech world might hold some promise for you, listen to my interview with Chris. Ambitions Chris’s goal is to see a Northcoders presence in every major city in the North of England. Given the…
83: Turning a passion into a successful career, with Matt Porter of Sportive HQ
My guest this month is entrepreneur Matt Porter, founder of Sportive HQ. Matt talks about his route to career success, which in many ways sounds as gruelling as the cycle racing he organises! I was inspired by his optimism, flexibility and pure grit and I think you will be too. Sportive HQ specialises in creating and directing sportives (that’s a non-competitive, long-distance cycling event for those unfamiliar) for cyclists of all abilities. Cycling has been a serious interest for Matt…
82: How to develop and launch your independent consultancy business, with David Mellor
David Mellor is an author of three books and an expert advisor working with career changers keen to use their industry experience to make money in their own businesses. He started life in the banking world where he ended up as a managing director working closely with early stage technology businesses at Deutsche Bank in an in-house strategic investment fund. He was effectively serving on the board of 15 new businesses and it was there that he found his mojo. The energetic, can-do…
81: How to develop your career in an organisation, with Alison Temperley
Whether already in a career or planning to start a career in Professional Services, who couldn’t use the sage advice of a mentor for guidance on how to take the next step? In this episode I spoke to Alison Temperley, the author of Inside Knowledge: How Women Can Thrive in Professional Service Firms, about doing exactly that. Alison has over thirty years of experience in working both for and with professional service firms, where she started life as a chartered accountant. She…
80: Stand out as a candidate applying to Financial Services companies and Business Schools - with Pascal Michels
In this episode I'm joined by Pascal Michels, Head of IESE MBA Admissions, who talks about his varied career. He shares his experience of moving into finance after an MBA and offers advice about how candidates can make the best impression when applying to top business schools like IESE. Pascal’s career can be divided into phases. The first, in Internal audit, culminated at the European Commission and fulfilled his personal goal which was to achieve international diversity in his…
79: What I looked for when I recruited for Uber and Booking.com - with Nicolas Buteau
From Uber to Booking.com, Nicolas Buteau is a recruiter and entrepreneur who thrives in dynamic environments as well as in more established business operations. Recruiting for startups and unicorns In this episode he shares his experiences recruiting for Uber during its transition from fast-growing start up to unicorn, and how he adapted his practices to the more established organisation at Booking.com. A common theme throughout is the role played by MBAs, who’ve proven to be hugely…
78: How my MBA prepared me for a successful career in Consulting - with Surbhi Dhir
How an MBA transformed Surbhi's consulting career Surbhi completed an MBA 9 years ago and went into consulting, moving from Accenture to Ernst & Young in 2013. She thought the MBA was an opportunity to open doors and found it to be life-changing. In fact, in her words, an MBA is not a degree, it’s a transformation. An experience beyond modules, methods and projects, it which will transform you if you allow yourself to be transformed. To get the most from her MBA, Surbhi started…
77: Using an MBA to raise millions in funding and start two extraordinary social enterprises - with Todd Hannula, founder of Shine and daCunha
After getting his Executive MBA at Georgia State University, Todd Hannula found himself in the usual post-MBA corporate gig. Living in a small New Hampshire village he found that on top of his work he was spending up to 30 hours a week volunteering across a whole range of areas — everything from the local historical society, the library board, to garden planning. That experience provided a watershed moment, challenging what he thought was important in life. He realised that what he…
76: What recruiters REALLY care about - with Zena Everett, Author of Mind Flip
In this episode, I speak with Zena Everett, author of Mind Flip. Zena talks about becoming an author and shares some of the wisdom she’s gleaned from her years in recruitment, her Masters in Organisational Psychology and more recently, her coaching, which she boils down to helping people in their careers. Sounds simple, but we know it isn’t. Recruiting Recruiters In her early career as a recruiter of recruiters, Zena began to wonder exactly what it was which made the difference to…