What is Possible?: Recent Episodes
Barclays
Each month Barclays Corporate Banking picks a topic and asks 'What is possible?' for society, industry and the economy. Our host, Nazreen Visram, will guide us as we explore some of the major challenges facing the world and how corporates can respond.
Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England (Company No. 1026167) with its registered office at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register No. 122702) and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Get ready for an adrenaline-packed ride into the world of Philip Miller MBE – owner and CEO of the Stockvale Group. With a number of diverse, but linked, businesses - including the iconic Adventure Island theme park, bars & restaurants, a ‘zooquarium’, Radio Essex, and a property development portfolio - he shares his thoughts and experiences on the ups and downs of his professional life. Here’s your free ticket to the tale of an East End boy who built a Southend-on-Sea family empire and those who have helped him on the way.
In 1987, when district nurse, Ruth Appleby, was looking toplace her children into childcare, she saw an opportunity in her local area. 36 years later, her business operates 16 nurseries, each with a good or outstanding rating from Ofsted. As well as working with a number of family members, she maintains a very loyal workforce and even employs staff who were toddlers at the first site she opened. So, how has she achieved this business growth whilst balancing standards with fees, and maintaining loyalty and trust from both staff and clients alike? Tune in to learn about the ‘Ripley way’.
What happens when a passion for history and storytelling collides with the hospitality & leisure industry? Rob Cox, CEO, talks to us about the development of the heritage sites in their collection, including the trials and rewards of transforming an 18th century derelict prison into a luxury hotel and visitor attraction. The ethos of this business is to give guests an experience which can be educational, emotional and will stay with them for life, underpinned by both luxury and sustainability. But is this all achievable? Listen in to find out.
This cultural music venue based in the north east of England is run as a charity for music lovers of all sorts, but it can’t rely on tickets sales alone. It needs to provide a diversified offering and evolve to remain relevant to audiences young and old. Sara Vening, Director of Finance and People at The Glasshouse ICM talks to us about the business strategy, product development and brand evolution that ensures The Glasshouse ICM remains a place where music lives and grows.
From economic recessions, wars and a global pandemic, to developing technology, sustainability and diversity opportunities, there are multiple challenges and changes in the wider world that businesses need to navigate. We speak to Lee Spong, Financial Director of Mala Engineering, about her experiences – not just about how Mala is evolving for the future and the strategies it adopts to protect itself financially in challenging times, but also how it feels being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated sector.
When you’re growing a company, you need the right team around you. But how do you evolve and build that team to keep pace with the company’s progression? What strategies can you put in place to ensure the team moves forward with a shared mindset that allows the business to flourish? On this episode, Steven Cartlidge, Managing Director, talks to us about his business, Lake – the growth journey, its innovative learning management system and much more besides.
The Wemyss business has been operating not just through the generations, but through the centuries too. So, what’s the family secret to success? In this episode, William Wemyss talks openly about the history of the business and their approach to risk management, growth and sustainability. Tracing back to the 16th century, the business has more recently diversified its operations, and risk, into renewable energy, superfood farming, property development, whisky distilling and even owns a vineyard – spread across several continents. The breadth of this business is extraordinary and William has a wealth of insights to share.
When his local Gaelic football team received less-than-ideal support from a gym equipment supplier, it sparked an idea in Greg Bradley. In just 11 years, he has built a business that now serves some of the biggest global sports brand names, as well as many elite sports clubs. We delve into the challenges faced along the way and explore the strategies that have strengthened and defined BLK BOX to keep clients coming back year after year.
In this episode, Mitesh Dhanak – founder of Precious Homes – takes us on his career journey, from his own beginnings in banking, to opening his first learning disability home, and now to the day-to-day running of over sixty units nationwide. We explore the challenges facing the healthcare sector and, importantly, howMitesh has navigated these by creating the right organisational culture, striving for quality and maintaining talent in his team.
From the loss of a major customer, to the devastation caused by Storm Dennis and then straight onto Covid-19, Rod Parker, Managing Director of Gwalia Healthcare, tells us about the most stressful period of his life. Listen to his captivating story of resilience and hear how he found opportunities in adversity to grow his business and thrive.
In this episode, we explore the dynamics of a family-run business with Jonathan Bull, Director. As part of the 2nd generation, he shares his experiences of evolving the business for growth whilst staying true to the values set by the founder. We also touch on Jon’s passion for sustainability and how he’s bringing the rest of the team on that journey.
When Evolve acquired a new business, it fast-forwarded growth by three years and improved the service they could offer customers compared to the organic growth route. In this episode, CEO Alan Stephenson-Brown shares open and honest insight on what the process really involved. Has your business got what it takes?
In this episode, we hear from Macmillan Cancer Support and the Teenage Cancer Trust on how charities have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and how Barclays has supported them through its largest ever community relief effort, the £100m Community Aid Package.
Interviewed by our regular host, and Head of Charities, Nazreen Visram, Macmillan's Paul Grundy and Teenage Cancer Trust's Karen Ruskin discuss the challenges they have faced around fundraising, providing virtual support, and supporting their colleague and volunteers.
Discover more about how Barclays Corporate Banking is supporting our charity clients at www.barclayscorporate.com/industry-expertise/our-sector-coverage/charities/
In this episode we hear from experienced and award-winning magazine editor Marie O'Riordon, who has edited titles such as Marie Claire and Elle; alongside Professor Sharon Mavin, who is based at Newcastle University as professor of leadership and organisation studies.
Sharon has spent a career researching the experiences of women leaders, women working with women, and gender dynamics in large organisations.
The pair discuss their careers, diversity and the topic of intersectionality in a fascinating conversation that will help business leaders to understand the importance of diversity in corporate life.
As restrictions are lifted in England, we speak to our Head of Hospitality and Leisure to ask what is possible for the sector as it recovers from the pandemic? Arguably one of the hardest hit sectors of the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry has experienced huge transformation and showed an ability to adapt to changing restrictions and consumer habits during the past 16 months or so.
Read more about this topic at www.barclayscorporate.com/bouncingback
Gender equality benefits all aspects of business, yet the impact of Covid-19 has shed light on many inequalities that continue to put women at a disadvantage. This International Women’s Day, Nazreen and her guests consider how changes brought about by the pandemic can translate into opportunities for businesses and help forge a more equitable world of work.
In this episode, we hear from Leana Coopoosamy, Inclusion, Diversity & Wellbeing Specialist for Clifford Chance, on how organisations can ensure a hybrid working model is best equipped to serve their employees. Tom Wilkinson, Head of Energy & Infrastructure at Barclays Corporate Banking and the Lead for the Corporate Banking Gender Council, also shares his views on how male allyship can help to support female progression. Our speakers end by pledging what they ‘Choose to Challenge’, honouring the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day.
In this episode we discuss the scale of the risk from cyber fraud - and some of the methods by which you and your business can avoid falling victim to the fraudsters.
Even with the best defences in place, unfortunately human error is one of the most common openings for fraudsters. In this episode we hear from cyber fraud expert, Jane Frankland, on how fraudsters exploit weaknesses in the chan. And we'll also hear from Barclays' Chris Dunman, a specialist who works with clients to improve their cyber resilience; he'll share some tips on how best to protect yourself and your colleagues.
For up to date info on fraud trends, please visit our website by searching 'Barclays Corporate Fraud Awareness'.
The cliche of how unprecedented 2020 has been for individuals and businesses is well-worn, and it's hard to imagine how 2021 could have more surprises for us, but nevertheless, in our final episode of the year we will try to look ahead to next year.
Economist Henk Potts joins Nazreen Visram to discuss everything from the impact that Covid-19 has had on the global economy in 2020, to the US election results, and Brexit.
Please note this podcast has been recorded on 16 December, before any final news about a deal or no-deal scenario had broken, and before Tier 4 restrictions were announced in the UK.
Whilst the pandemic has placed immense strain on the majority of businesses, it has forced rapid transformation in order to adapt to the new, digital world. Research has shown that companies who have adapted through innovation and empowerment have been most successful in thriving during this time, rather than just surviving. But which of these changes do we really want to hang on to as Covid-19 becomes history - which of these adaptations do we want to become permanent transformations?
From the basics of e-signatures, to the re-strategising from physical businesses to online platforms, innovation has been turbo-charged by Covid-19. Empowerment has led to process and product improvements, acceleration of decision-making, and a heightened resilience from employees. We need to ask ourselves what this pandemic has done positively for the culture of our businesses, and what do we really want to hang on to?
We invited our host and Barclays experts to dive into the different ways companies across sectors have mastered adaptation during this time.
In what has been a seismic year for the Black Lives Matter movement, our host Nazreen Visram welcomes two colleagues to discuss whether 2020 and specifically Covid-19 has seen diversity and inclusion take a backseat or whether it has actually increased the focus. Research suggests some companies have put some of their diversity initiatives on hold.
In what is Black History Month in the UK, we discuss how the Black Lives Matter protests have added urgency to concerns over inequality, both in society and the workplace, and whether Covid is being used an excuse to put D&I on hold, or if it could be the catalyst for positive and lasting change.
Our guests are Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy and David Shinkins, who alongside their day jobs are, respectively, Co-Chair of Barclays’ Black Professionals Forum and Co-Chair of Barclays Corporate Banking’s Diversity and Inclusion Council.
Most companies are focused on the challenges of Brexit, and meeting them will be highly important, but there are also potential opportunities ahead with new trade deals that will bring new exporting and importing opportunities.
In this podcast, recorded on Friday 11 September, Barclays' Global Head of Trade and Working Capital and Sophie Wheeler-Traherne from Barclays' Government Relations team, join Nasreen Visram to discuss what the global trading economy might look like after December 31st 2020.
Welcome to our new podcast, where each month we'll be picking a major theme impacting businesses and the world and asking, 'what is possible?' In this episode, we look at how retail, hospitality, and professional services buinesses are set to navigate the Covid-19 recovery. We also speak to our Head of Sustainable Finance to ask if the recovery is set to be a green recovery?
Find more insights from Barclays Corporate Banking on our website at www.barclayscorporate.com/insights