Enter the Boardroom

Julian Metcalfe OBE is the founder of Itsu and Pret. Alongside these, he is also founder of the Metcalfe Food Company and NED at Knoops Chocolate. Tune into this episode to here about: Why traditional ideas of good governance frustrate Julian (01:26) Why it’s important that board members are willing to be unpopular (04:54) One key lesson Julian would pass on  to his successor (07:14) The actual purpose of boards (09:22) How obsessive quality control built and sustained Pret and Itsu (12:33) The Pret ritual that kept the whole business honest (14:12) The counterintuitive Pret rules that built a loyal customer base (14:58) The short–termism trap that's killing most boardrooms (18:19) How to balance the focus vs. choice dynamic (25:24) Why two 24 year olds gave away 30% of Pret for free (27:56) The detail behind Itsu's most affordable product (31:31) How Julian would describe his approach to building successful companies (35:15)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(40:10)
Host: Oliver Cummings
Producer: Will Felton
Editor: Penelope Coumau
Music: Kate Mac
Audio: Nick Kold
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Laura Hagan is CPO at Deliveroo and NED at Fever-Tree Drinks plc, where she chairs the Remuneration Committee. Previously, Laura has help senior people leadership roles a Gymshark, Tate & Lyle and Dyson. Listen to this episode to learn more about: The three moments that shaped how Laura thinks about boards (01:31) Board composition differences from private to PE to listed companies (05:06) What every board member needs to know before working with a founder (07:40) What Laura looks for when hiring a NED (12:45) The high ego low ego framework for hiring board members (15:26) The crisis playbook every board needs (17:14) The hidden people risk every fast-growing business ignores (21:50) What RemCo meetings are really like (26:59) Laura’s tips on what makes the best pay (32:39) Why your retention scheme might be working against you (35:02)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:21)

Host: Oliver Cummings
Producer: Will Felton
Editor: Penelope Coumau
Music: Kate Mac
Audio: Nick Kold
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Peter Norris is Chair of the Virgin Group. Formerly, he was CEO of Barings Bank during its fateful collapse in the mid 1990s. Listen to this episode to hear about: Three moments that shaped how Peter behaves in the boardroom (00:59) Why Peter took responsibility for a fraud he didn’t commit (11:23) The one question every board should ask when the numbers look too good to be true (14:27) How fraud gets stronger every day it goes undetected (16:11) The moment Peter Norris knew Virgin Atlantic might not survive (18:01) What a Chair should do when their company is facing extinction (19:07) The four buckets Virgin Atlantic focused on to survive COVID (22:15) The Richard Branson PR disaster (23:50) How Virgin Atlantic saved itself with no shareholder and no government support (24:54) Peter’s thoughts on Brexit (29:15)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:04)

Host: Oliver Cummings
Producer: Will Felton
Editor: Penelope Coumau
Music: Kate Mac
Audio: Nick Kold
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Claire Bassett is Chair of The Property Ombudsman and the Serious Fraud office and Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists. She has extensive board experience on government, public sector and arm’s length boards. Listen to this episode to hear about: The moments that have shaped how Claire operates as a board member (01:07) Why the most supportive Chairs are also the most challenging (04:23) The three things you need to understand before joining an Arm’s Length Board (ALB) (08:01) Where first-time government NEDs go wrong (11:08) Why the best NEDs do their challenging before the meeting even starts (14:46) Boards have to know when stopping things is more valuable (17:30) The bravest thing a board can do (20:19) The biggest challenges of being on an ALB (22:12) The NED’s responsibility during a media storm (24:03) How to build a portfolio in the ALB landscape (28:31) Claire’s key advice to take into your next board interview (33:38) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡ (36:44)

Host: Oliver Cummings
Producer: Will Felton
Editor: Penelope Coumau
Music: Kate Mac
Audio: Nick Kold
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Simon Calver is best known for his time as CEO of LoveFilm. He was then CEO of Mothercare plc. Tune in to this episode to hear about: The three choices that most shaped LoveFilm’s growth journey (01:23) How LoveFilm's board dealt with a hostile merger (05:53) Why Chairs should never be an investor directors (09:16) The most empowering thing a board can say to a CEO (11:16) How Simon knows if a business is customer-centric (13:25) Why appointing a customer NED is the worst thing you can do for your customers (15:45) The problem Mothercare was facing when Simon joined as CEO (17:51) Why boards should stress-test assumptions (23:24) The cautionary tale of the CEO couldn’t speak to his Chair (25:30) What the first item on every board agenda should be (27:26) How to fix a broken founder-board relationship (28:42) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡ (36:42)

Host: Oliver Cummings
Producer: Will Felton
Editor: Penelope Coumau
Music: Kate Mac
Audio: Nick Kold
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom