Business Leaders

David Abrahamovitch is the founder & CEO of Grind – the leading sustainable coffee company founded in Shoreditch, which has expanded to ten central London locations since 2011 – and now also has a partnership with Soho House, Los Angeles.He shares the reality of starting his own business at 25 and discusses the biggest challenges he faced setting up a brand that needed to compete with the market leaders. With a clear vision of what it should look like, David describes the business' growth over the past ten years, highlighting the changes they have gone through, like targeted audience or positioning, as well as the exciting parts of being an entrepreneur.As a premium brand among already popular chains, David praises Grind for “having the right ethos” of being sustainable, sourcing the grains ethically or using home compostable pods, and explains these practices are a requirement at a time of climate crisis.

Jane Velez-Mitchell is the founder and content editor of UnChainedTV – a free streaming tv network covering vegan lifestyle, animal rights, plant-based cooking, health, and climate change.Jane talks about how veganism is rooted in her childhood and touches upon the harm caused by Western governments supporting the meat and dairy industries nowadays. By criticizing mainstream media for propagating unsustainable lifestyles and deliberately making people sick, Jane presents her station's program, which highlights the benefits of an animal cruelty-free life. However, she mentions the challenges of being a non-commercial provider – recalling how creating their own streaming app, where they could offer the content for free, helped with dropping audiences on other streaming platforms. In response to the all-embracing brainwashing through commercials, Jane comments on how these are causing people to become addicted to meat – a major reason for the current global environmental crisis – the industrialisation of animals.

Allie Burns is CEO of Village Capital. Founded in 2009, the venture capital firm seeks to fight imbalances in funding startups. It supports entrepreneurs cutting through markets such as healthcare, education, and climate change, and has worked directly with more than 1,100 entrepreneurs in 28 countries. In this in-depth conversation, Allie shares her storied journey to becoming the company's CEO, which started not in business but in journalism, when she was striving for a career as a sports reporter; discusses how the firm's affiliated fund, VilCap Investments, has invested in 110 startups that have gone on to raise more than $4 billion in follow-on capital; and delves into the firm's so-called “2030 goals”, which include the ambitious target of “activating and influencing” $50 billion of capital while “supporting 50,000 entrepreneurs who are building solutions in line with sustainable development”.

Alan Greenberg is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Unlearn/Relearn – a company that redefines the transition from education to work. They organise events to introduce employers to potential employees and educational institutions. With an innovative approach using VR technology and improving critical thinking, they aim to re-image current reality and bring governments, institutions and corporations together. In this in-depth conversation, Alan explains why the cosmopolitan environment of the Middle East is a perfect location for his business due to the existing need to stabilise the transition from education to employment, tackling challenges such as mindset or mental health; shares his view on the positives of Web 3.0 based on decentralisation, blockchain technology and digital identity, which is revolutionary for education or Health Tech systems, as well as provides privacy and security; and describes the concept of “Education Radio”, an individual channel dedicated only to education, which facilitates challenges of individual learning.

Markus Pflitsch is a co-founder and CEO of Terra Quantum AG - a Zurich-based deep tech company founded in 2019 that develops revolutionary quantum applications to shape the technology of the future. The company raised $75 million in Series A funding (including an extension), which marked one of the largest funding rounds achieved in the quantum tech space. Markus has expertise in scientific and financial sectors, making him an experienced CERN Quantum Physicist, senior financial executive, and deep tech entrepreneur. In this in-depth conversation, Markus delves into how quantum physics gave rise to quantum computing and quantum machines; shares his opinion on building a successful company, especially when it comes to the relation with investors and clients; and describes the level of competition within a growing ecosystem of startups.

Dr. Charlie Easmon is a medical director and founder of Global Health Action Strategies & Solutions. They aim to provide a 2nd opinion on global disasters, analysing and reviewing the commercial, media, political, environmental, and inter-agency challenges, allowing efficient proposal creation, saving time, money, and most importantly - lives. Charlie has also built his own private medical business, Your Excellent Health Service, which serves over 12% of the FT100 amongst their many other clients. In this in-depth conversation, Charlie delves into his career journey, from deciding he wanted to be a doctor at the age of 5 to the realities of the job; discusses the importance of paying attention to not just physical health but also mental and spiritual health and why positive projection is so vital within the role of a doctor; and shares his ambitions to set up a global health agency - with an aim to tackle poverty and poor quality of life worldwide.

Jay Goldman is the co-founder and chief executive of Sensei Labs. Founded in 2015, Sensei Labs enables organisations and their services partners to build more intelligent workplace solutions. Their Conductor platform, used by Fortune 500 companies worldwide, is the only enterprise-grade platform that provides project collaborative work, data, and knowledge management in an easy-to-use way. Co-author of The New York Times bestseller The Decoded Company, Jay regularly speaks with companies across the globe about the Future of Work and has spoken at TEDx, NASA, Harvard Business School, Google, and Twitter World Headquarters. In this in-depth conversation, Jay reflects on his career journey so far, embracing all opportunities he's been given to reach the position he's in now; delves into co-writing his book to both inform people on how technology can create an environment for talent, but to also attract people to work for them at Klick; and shares the story of Sensei Labs, and their mission to build smarter workplace solutions.

Tevin Tobun is the CEO of GV Group. Founded in 2001, GV Group is the UK's leading independently owned food logistics specialist with a global footprint spanning the UK, South America, and Africa. They focus on operations within the education, social, healthcare, retail, and business and industry sectors. Tevin is also chair of the non-profit organisation Inspirational You and Life Patron of the Springboard Charity. He has set up his own scholarship scheme, the GV Scholarship, which helps young talents from disadvantaged backgrounds get into university through financial support and mentorship. In this in-depth conversation, Tevin talks us through his career journey so far and why he always had the focus of helping the next generation achieve their goals; he delves into the Tobun Foundation, a charity supporting the educational needs of young underprivileged people across the UK, and the work they do to give the next generation enough tools and support to make the best decisions; and shares his future plans to expand and globalise the business and play a role in developing countries.

Bram Van Der Hoek is the chief executive of Sircle Collection. Founded in 2011 by award-winning industry expert Liran Wizman, the company has grown to be a collection of creative hospitality brands and properties across Europe's most inspiring neighbourhoods. With a passion for producing exciting experiences for guests, they currently have three hotel brands across 13 locations, four restaurants, one design concept store, three landmark properties and a private members' club. Bram is responsible for the collection's overall global strategy and maintaining the group's unique values and company culture. In this in-depth conversation, Bram reflects on starting out in his career journey and how the Sircle Collection began in Amsterdam; discusses how Covid impacted the company and the opportunities to grow that have come since; and shares their expansion plans and future goals to be more sustainable.

Rebekah Clement is sustainability director at Lloyd's of London. Founded in 1688, Lloyd's is the world's leading insurance and reinsurance marketplace, which provides specialist insurance services to businesses in over 200 territories. Rebekah is responsible for leading and executing the company's sustainability and ESG strategy. Her role also includes running Futureset, their action leadership platform, which helps stakeholders better understand, model, and protect against challenges. This in-depth conversation discusses why the response of Lloyd's of London during a significant earthquake in New Zealand made Rebekah realise the importance of their work and what led her to join the company; delves into what exactly her job role involves and how they “encourage sustainable practices”; and shares the insurance industry's fundamental role in preventing future risks of climate change and working towards a “greener, cleaner future.”

Carolyn Pearson is chief executive of Maiden Voyage and director of Innovent Digital. Maiden Voyage is a leading travel security company through which Carolyn and her team provide inclusive travel security training to some of the world's biggest organisations, helping employees to travel the world safely whatever their personal characteristics and profiles. Carolyn launched another business, Innovent Digital, in 2021, which provides digital strategy and transformation consultancy services, helping organisations to revolutionise their digital customer experience. In this in-depth conversation, Carolyn recalls her own travelling experiences and how this led her to work in travel security; discusses Maiden Voyage and how they empower and protect travellers; and delves into launching Innovent Digital and the current projects they're working on. 

Paul Perrone is the founder and chief executive officer of Perrone Robotics. Founded in 2003, the company develops, innovates, and pushes the boundaries of what's possible within the autonomous driving industry. Paul has led Perrone Robotics as an early pioneer in the field with over 20 years of autonomous vehicle experience. He also invented the world's first general-purpose robotics operating system for autonomous vehicles, ‘MAX,' in 2006. In this in-depth conversation, Paul reflects on the key events that lead to him starting in the industry, including his first experience with self-driving cars; delves into the work of Perrone Robotics, “pushing the boundaries” of what's possible in autonomous driving; and predicts what the future looks like for both himself and the company, to continue “delivering safe and reliable autonomous solutions for human kind.”

Robert Stryk and Scott Taylor are Global Private Diplomats. Robert is the founder of Stryk Global Diplomacy, founded in 2001, the global diplomacy and advisory firm assists sovereign states, businesses and individuals and helps clients identify business opportunities, manage risk, and navigate often-complex situations. Scott's company, Taylor Global Strategies, offers diplomatic advisory services. Scott is a former Navy SEAL who represented Virginia as a Congressman between 2017 and 2019. The two companies have recently teamed up to work together. In this in-depth conversation, Robert and Scott delve into their individual career journeys so far and why they decided to “take their business to the next level by collaborating;” discuss their role and how they work to “create lines of communication, give information and build trust between key contacts;” and share stories of their career including why being out in the field can feel vulnerable at times.

Danny Gray is the founder and chief executive of JAAQ. Founded in 2021, the non-profit organisation allows people to access mental health experts through the power of conversation. Their mission is to focus on a variety of mental health topics, starting with depression, psychosis and body dysmorphic disorder, and to “change the world of mental health, one question at a time.” In 2018, Danny also founded War Paint For Men, a cosmetics brand designed specifically for a male audience to break down the stereotype around men's makeup. In this in-depth conversation, Danny reflects on how his own struggles with body dysmorphic disorder inspired him to start his business journey and help others by sharing his story; delves into JAAQ, an interactive platform which allows open conversations about mental health, and his plans to branch out in the future; and shares the upcoming launch of a skincare range this year, and expanding to stock his makeup products in more retailers.

Chris Yoshida is president of Northern Data. Founded in 2017, the Frankfurt-based cloud computing provider helps disruptive computing services solve issues faster, better, and more economically. Unlike their competitors, they control the entire high-performance computing infrastructure chain, while also “bringing together the blockchain network and the demand for exponential growth in data processing.” Chris has held a number of executive and advisory positions at a variety of different companies, including The Carlyle Group, Bottlepay, and McLaren Technology - after starting out his career at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank. In this in-depth conversation, Chris reflects on the lessons he has learnt throughout his career, and how these have led him to his position today; discusses how Northern Data have become “an infrastructure provider to the cloud;” and shares his ambition for the company to be a “rival to the big three” in the next five-to-ten years.

John Quinn is founder and managing partner at Quinn Emanuel. Founded in 1986, they are the largest law firm in the world devoted solely to business litigation and arbitration. John has grown the firm such that it now operates in 29 offices on four continents, employing over 900 lawyers and generating more than $1.4 billion in revenue annually. John is regarded as one of the top trial lawyers in the world and has been described as a “master strategist” by American Lawyer. In this in-depth conversation, John reflects on the first steps he took in his career, and how this led him to start his own law firm; discusses growing Quinn Emanuel from a concept into a successful global firm; and shares his plans to expand what the firm can offer.

Randy Dewey is founder of LIFT Leadership. Founded in 2021, the company helps C-Suite executives and leaders who need to spike their leadership performance, solve business financial problems, and build actionable business strategy through tools, coaching, consulting and masterclasses. In a career spanning over three decades, he has held senior positions in ten companies, and sat on 13 boards in both the public and private sector. As an author, his Wall Street Journal best-selling book ‘When the Unthinkable Happens: How to Lead Your Team and Pivot Your Business for Growth and Opportunity' explores his signature methodology and helps companies through challenging times and assists in growth. In this in-depth conversation, Randy reflects on starting LIFT Leadership, which aims to “lead, inspire, focus and transform” to move businesses to the next level; discusses what he believes makes a good leader, arguing that elements are innate but the skills can also be learnt; and shares how the work he's doing can not only transform business development but also personal development.

Dean Forbes is CEO of Forterro, which owns 11 ERP software product businesses and employs 1,200 people. Forterro is a partner to more than 10,000 mid-market manufacturing companies across the UK, Europe and worldwide. Dean is also the co-founder and Chairman of the Forbes Family Group, an organisation which provides investment and development support to businesses, entrepreneurs and social programmes designed to ‘do good and do more.' Dean boasts an extensive career in executive and senior leadership roles with software companies. Prior to Forterro, he was CEO of CoreHR. He led its transformative growth, expansion and sale to The Access Group. He also led the growth and sale of several other businesses: one was sold to software giant Oracle, and another to American Express. Dean has been named one of Britain's ‘Top 50 Business Leaders' according to Lloyds Bank and The Daily Telegraph. He's also currently, and for the second year running, one of the 100 most influential Black people in the UK on the Powerlist, in partnership with J.P. Morgan. In this in-depth conversation, Dean reflects on how his motivation to succeed was formed through challenges growing up - learning about the importance of hard work and staying positive; discusses his role at Forterro Group - setting strategies and working with people, as he believes they are the “primary value in most businesses;” and shares his future plans, expanding Forterro and continuing to positively impact people's lives with Forbes Family Group.

Jason Rogers is Vice President of Corporate Development, Partnerships and Strategy at Engine Gaming & Media. Engine is traded publicly on the Toronto Exchange and Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ‘GAME.' They provide premium social sports and esports gaming experiences, as well as data analytics, marketing, and advertising solutions to support both its owned and operated direct-to-consumer properties and its clients and partners. Prior to joining Engine in 2020, Jason held positions at American Express as well as Disney Streaming Service, Live Like and TriBeCa Early Stage Partners while earning his MBA at Columbia Business School. In this in-depth conversation, Jason reflects on starting out in his career, with his passions about consumer technology and emerging media motivating him; discusses Engine with a focus on social interaction within gaming and media - “connecting people to engage in these experiences;” and reflects on why collaboration has proved vital throughout his career.

Jag Singh is partner and managing director at Angel Invest Ventures. An accomplished entrepreneur, Jag has built four companies from scratch so far, and has significant networks in the European startup, investor and mentor scenes. Previously, he spent four years as managing director of Techstars, the global platform for investment and innovation. Currently a partner and managing director at Angel Invest, he helps to make over 50 investments every year into European technology startups, coaches founders and gives them access to his network. In this in-depth conversation, Jag reflects on what motivated him to become an entrepreneur, “the ability to make short cuts” and how he started on his career journey; discusses his role at Angel Invest Ventures, investing his money, contacts and experience with founders to help the company develop and grow; and shares his advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, expressing how important it is to “never stop learning.”

Penny Richards is the managing director of The Aspen Institute in the UK. Founded in 2018, Aspen UK is an independent charity which supports and inspires leaders to transform themselves and their society. For over 70 years, the Aspen Institute in the US and globally has encouraged debates and improved arguments through text-based and professionally guided conversations, private seminars and public events. Penny's exceptional track record includes producing impactful results for international organisations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the BBC. She was recently the executive director of the Institute of Masters of Wine, the wine industry's only prestigious international global education and membership organisation. In this in-depth conversation, Penny shares starting out in her career with the motivation to “see a tangible change in something and build great relationships;” discusses Aspen and how for over 70 years they have tried to bring leaders together to exchange ideas in a constructive way; and shares the future project of Aspen UK to help build confidence and networks for 250,000 young people a year.

Stephan Beringer is the chief executive of Mirriad. Founded in 2008, Mirriad's technology inserts brands and products into TV shows, movies and music videos. As viewers increasingly skip traditional adverts when watching on demand, Mirrad allows brands to reach consumers in a way that doesn't interrupt what they are watching. The company works with some of the most renowned advertisers, agencies and content providers in key markets including the US, China, France, Germany, and the UK. Before this, Stephan held senior positions across multiple disciplines in marketing and communications - and is regarded as one of the industry's global leaders. In this in-depth conversation, Stephan reflects on his career journey so far, and how advertising first piqued his interest; discusses Mirriad and explains how the concept of the brand works to “enhance a viewing experience rather than disturbing and interrupting it;” and shares why he thinks the company will be the future of advertisement and will continue a drive of awareness of brands and will see more of a growth of consumption.

Barak Ronen is the co-founder and chief executive of CRUX Knowledge. Founded in 2018, CRUX is the world's first knowledge quantification platform. It helps users overcome information overload, by providing them direction and feedback as they navigate digital information environments. CRUX's work has been supported by Google's digital news initiative and featured on multiple digital platforms. Barak is a former journalist who held senior positions at smart cloud platform Boxever, news agency Reuters, and Dow Jones. In this in-depth conversation, Barak reflects on his career so far, starting out at radio, then moving to become chief news editor for Israel's leading news portal - gaining his interest of the “mechanics of content and fundamentals of content creation” along the way; discusses founding CRUX Knowledge after noticing knowledge is always quantitative; and shares how the “knowledge GPS” they provide can have a transformative impact on society by liberating people and allowing more interesting discussion.

Anthony Davenport is president and chief executive of Regal Credit Management. Founded in 2010, the firm has become America's largest credit management and protection for high-net worth individuals. He began his career as a loan officer for Bank of America in their Seattle office before moving onto Wells Fargo where he trained in the home mortgage business. Also an author, his book ‘Your Score: An Insider's Secrets to Understanding, Controlling, and Protecting Your Credit Score' explores the importance of a healthy credit score for a healthy financial life. In this in-depth conversation, Anthony reflects on how going bankrupt himself inspired him to build a business to help people get back on their feet after experiencing similar financial hardship; discusses Cyber Sweep - one of the company's main services in the US and UK- which protects people from over 200 websites that share people's personal data, damaging their credit score; and outlines plans to transition into a fintech company to allow worldwide access to services.

Natalie Brooks is the founder of Dyslexia In Adults. Founded in 2019, the company works to create a safe and creative space to discuss both the challenges and strengths of being an adult with dyslexia. After struggling in the workplace herself, Natalie created this community to support and empower individuals to better understand themselves. Prior to this, she worked as an account manager at multiple companies including Trainline and Amazon. In this in-depth conversation, Natalie reflects on starting the company after noticing a lack for support for adults and wanting to change people's perspective of people with dyslexia; discusses the strengths that are not usually recognised - as “technology is taking away the challenges that dyslexic people are facing;” and shares how she's created a supportive community on social media which provides a “vulnerable, safe space” for discussion.

Ian Thomas is managing director at Turquoise International. Founded in 2002, the merchant bank specialises in venture capital investments in energy, environment and efficiency, and offers both corporate finance advisory and investment management services. Before joining the team in 2004, Ian worked as an investment banker focused on the energy sector for Close Brothers, Flemings and Deutsche Bank. In this in-depth conversation, Ian reflects on the initial career challenge of figuring out the way the City worked in the 1990s; discusses his role at Turquoise, and why the founders decided almost 20 years ago to “focus on the new area of clean energy technology;” and shares long-term plans to expand and grow the business even further in the next 5–10 years.

Lord Parry Mitchell is a tech entrepreneur, advisor and a member of the House of Lords. A long career in the industry, he has founded, grown and sold three IT companies, and in 2000 joined the House of Lords after being appointed as an advisor on digital policy to Tony Blair. In this in-depth conversation, he shares why “noticing the beginning of something important and wanting to be a part of it” led him to choose the IT industry; talks through the transformations he has seen at the House of Lords; and discusses his campaign to regulate payday loan companies, which he believes to be one of the greatest achievements of his career.

Tree McGlown is senior vice president of revenue at Engine Media. Founded in 2016, the leading multi-platform media group follows esports, news and gaming and currently has over 1,000 clients at the intersection of commerce and culture. Also co-founder and managing partner at venture capital firm Kelmhust, he was previously co-founder and chief revenue officer of Sidequik. In this in-depth conversation, Tree reflects on starting his career with the continuous drive of “having an impact on individuals and giving opportunities to other people;” discusses co-founding his business after recognising that “technology will be the future of business;” and shares his plans for the future - focusing more on education and continuing to grow and invest within the business.

Michael Atar is a scientist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. A highly acclaimed paediatric dentist, Michael has received many awards for his extensive research and regularly lectures at New York University, as well as previously being a clinical lecturer at the Queen Mary School of Medicine. In this in-depth conversation, Michael describes his multifaceted career and how he's embraced his scientific and artistic proclivities with the consistent aim of “making the lives of others better;” shares his interest in supporting startups with the potential to make a global impact such as Cytovale - a company seeking to combat sepsis which is the leading cause of deaths in hospitals; and discusses some of the new challenges and pressures being placed on young people, such as the need for a “social presence” and the impact that this can have on mental health.

Alexej Pikovsky is co-founder and chief executive of Alphagreen Group. Founded in 2019, the company has become the leading e-commerce platform for wellness and consumer health. Their mission is to build, buy and scale brands in the holistic wellness space. Prior to this, Alexej spent several years in venture capital and at a multi-billion-pound private equity fund. In this in-depth conversation, he reflects on his career journey so far, from trading equities at 16 to how he moved into the holistic wellness industry; discusses building a marketplace for holistic health and why he decided to broaden this to also launching own brands and acquiring Amazon brands in the health and wellness category; and shares his plans for expanding the company over the next few years, “continuing to grow a global incubation and acquisition platform in health & wellness”

Jim Louderback is general manager of VidCon. Starting in 2010, the multi-genre online video tech conference has become the world's largest celebration of digital creators and online video. Joining the team in 2014 as editorial director of the industry track, he took over as chief executive three years later and led VidCon's sale to Viacom in 2018. In this in-depth conversation, Jim reflects on starting his career by building computer systems for big companies, and shares the story of how he “fell into media accidentally;” discusses being CEO of Revision3 and what the motivation was for Discovery to acquire the channel in 2012; and explains his plans to expand VidCon's reach by making their events global.

Atif Sheikh is chief executive of businessfourzero. Founded in 2015, the company helps the world's major businesses change faster than the world around them - specialising in purprose, strategy, leadership, engagement and culture. An award-winning company, they have worked with clients such as Tesco, Electronic Arts, Reckitt and Aviva and received ‘The Best Employee Engagement Campaign' at the Corporate Comms Awards, and ‘Best Culture Team' at last year's Business Culture Awards. In this in-depth conversation, Atif reflects on starting a business during a time dominated by Brexit and Covid, and how this taught him that it's “the process that counts;” discusses the aims of businessfourzero - believing in the power of big business and helping them innovate; and shares his plans for the future with the key aspiration to “make the world a better place.”

Joel Dietz is an artist, entrepreneur, investor and founder of ArtWallet. Founded in 2021, the company provides the ultimate solution for storing and owning NFTs whilst also providing the playback of unique audio and visual content. Also an author, his book ‘Principles of Holonic System Design,' delves into why our tools and approaches for understanding the world are out of date. In this in-depth conversation, Joel reflects on how he started out in the industry, from writing his first science fiction novel when he was 8 to programming computers shortly after; discusses how ArtWallet works - to try and, “unlock the next generation of value around NFTs;” and shares his plans for the future, including his idea for a new poetry based book.

Jeff Joseph is editorial director and publisher of Luckbox magazine, a media platform brought to you by the tastytrade financial network. Founded in 2018 and with headquarters in Chicago, the monthly publication prides itself on being “the control freak's essential guide to life, money & probability.” As well as being printed in magazine form, the outlet can also be found online, and seeks to help its readers maximise their benefit from investments and financial choices. Jeff was previously the founder and managing director of alternative strategies for the finance company ‘Rydex Investments.' In this in-depth interview, Jeff reflects on how starting out at Luckbox was very much inspired by how he “missed making mistakes” as an investor; discusses how “falling in love with your own product” can be detrimental to media outlets if it proves a distraction from expanding your audience; and shares his belief that media must accommodate the platforms that younger audiences and producers use most regularly - including Instagram, TikTok and podcasting.

Chris Peel is Chief Executive of the route2work Group, a careers development business that focuses on getting undiscovered talent into high demand career pathways. Prior to this, Chris was Managing Director of Interserve Learning and Employment, and before that, he led the venture Rehab Jobfit, which specialised in helping over 20,000 people return to the workplace. In this in-depth conversation, Chris reflects on his own career, following his passion to make a positive social and economic impact through improving access to education and employment opportunities; discusses route2work and its ability to discover “hidden talent” to combat the digital skills shortage, as well as driving diversity and inclusion through its disruptive approach to talent assessment; and shares why he believes the world will learn and thrive after the devastation of the pandemic.

Felix Mitchell is the founder and co-chief executive of Instant Impact. Founded in 2011, the company provides in-house recruitment expertise - with global clients across Europe, North America, Asia, South American and Oceania. In this in-depth conversation, Felix recalls starting up his business after being “uninspired by the range of graduate jobs available,” when leaving University; discusses what the company does for its clients - helping with blindspots that teams don't think about, such as encouraging widespread diversity; and shares ambitious plans to grow the business, with hopes to build the team and operate more widely in the US and Europe.

Katharina Gehra is managing director of Immutable Insight. Founded in 2018, the advisory uses scientific analysis to advise and service companies in the blockchain and crypto space. Named as one of Capital magazine's ‘Top 40 under 40,' she was also nominated as a blockchain “expert” for parliamentary hearings at the German Bundestag. In this in-depth conversation, Katharina reflects on starting out in a “traditional career in traditional finance” and how she then moved onto the crypto space; discusses the ins-and-outs of Bitcoin and what it could mean for the future of banking if the digital skills gap is bridged; and shares her optimistic views on how the future of Bitcoin can be a bright one if a transparent system is put in place.

Hugh Edwards and Peter Dickson are co-founders of Reattendance. Founded in 2016, the events platform helps companies host in-person, hybrid and online-only events. Before their latest joint venture, Hugh had a long career in the industry, having worked on over 300 projects and counting; and Peter earned his moniker; ‘voiceover man', narrating prime-time shows including The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent and by being one of the world's leading live event announcers. In this in-depth conversation, they reflect on the development of both their revolutionary events platform and their working relationship - noting the importance of providing customers with a hyper-personalised experience, and one which doesn't suffer from its online components; explain the impact COVID-19 has had on sector, what this means for the future of hybrid, and their commitment to being “open, honest and transparent;” and discuss the continually growing and evolving events space, and how altruism comes into the product that they offer.

Edan Yago is a blockchain entrepreneur and core contributor to Sovryn, a decentralised Bitcoin trading and lending platform that allows members to trade with leverage and earn yield by lending. Earlier in his career, Yago founded several other companies in the Bitcoin and crypto space, including CementDAO and Epiphyte. In this in-depth conversation, Yago reflects on starting out as an entrepreneur, and his desire to have an impact on the world and take “ownership of his destiny;” shares his journey of discovering the crypto space, as well as how growing up in South Africa during Apartheid taught him not to be dependent on traditional forms of currency; and discusses the future of Bitcoin, and the need to adapt to life as it becomes increasingly digital.

Ryan Howsam is founder and chief executive of the StaySure Group and a leading UK investor, entrepreneur and mentor. He is also behind the world leading Legend's Golf Tour. Founded in 2014 Staysure is famous for pioneering new kinds of flexible insurance cover including for the over 50s and for those with pre-existing medical conditions - and was named ‘Best Travel Insurance Provider' in 2020 for the fifth year running. In this in-depth conversation, Ryan reflects on starting out his career, describing the time as an “early calling into leadership” - and talks through the key lessons he learnt along the way; discusses the StaySure Group and the importance of not limiting marketing within the business; and shares his plans for the future on taking the company global, expand into FinTech, and incorporate the new brand, PetSure.

Azeem Azhar is the author and host of ‘Exponential View,' a multimedia platform founded in 2015 - his recent book, ‘Exponential: How Accelerating Technology Is Leaving Us Behind and What to Do About It,' explores the role tech plays in our lives. In this in-depth conversation, Azeem reflects on his career journey so far, and why this started with an interest in technology and economics; discusses his newsletter which draws connections between technologies that are emerging and the impact they have on the world; and shares his optimism for the future as he believes science and the younger generations have the capability to tackle issues that arise.

Chris Donnelly is the founder and chief executive of Verb Brands. Founded in 2013, the luxury digital agency specialises in creating marketing strategies for companies including Jimmy Choo, Claridges and Alexa Chung. The company now boasts a team of over 60 people and works with brands internationally across fashion, hospitality and lifestyle. In this in-depth conversation, Chris reflects on his career journey so far, with a family of entrepreneurs and starting his first business at 13 to launching Verb Brands at 21 which has become has become “one of the leading agencies for luxury brands;” discusses how he became a leading expert in the luxury Chinese consumer industry, and why being aware of the cultural differences is key; and shares the launch of his new business, Lottie - helping the elderly find their perfect care home, a business he hopes will drive success and social change.