Business Leader

C.S. Venkatakrishnan — known as Venkat — took over as Barclays CEO in 2021, inheriting a bank with a share price under pressure and no shortage of sceptics. Four years on, profits are up, returns are up, and Barclays has committed to returning over £15 billion to shareholders by 2028. In this episode of the Business Leader Podcast, host Sir Richard Harpin asks the Barclays chief executive to unpack the strategy behind one of the UK's most closely-watched banking turnarounds. Venkat shares his lessons from 22 years at JP Morgan and working with Jamie Dimon, the inside story of Barclays' 2024 restructuring, why he believes the UK's Consumer Credit Act of 1973 is holding back consumer lending, and what banks should — and shouldn't — be liable for when it comes to motor finance, heat pumps and solar panels.
He also opens up about being diagnosed with cancer four months into the top job, working through treatment, and the leadership lessons that got him — and Barclays — through it.

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Business Leader is a membership community for ambitious CEOs and founders of mid-sized UK companies, designed to help them grow with purpose through strategic support, peer-to-peer learning, expert coaching, and high-impact events. Sign up for our Business Leader newsletter here.
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Manchester-based Nadine Merabi played Hockey professionally for England, bought a £250 sewing machine from Argos and taught herself how to sew. With no formal training she sold a collection to Selfridges and from there she stitched together a £40 million luxury fashion business. She talks candidly with host Sir Richard Harpin about the resilience needed to build a business from scratch —the only thing standing in entrepreneurs’ way is themselves. Merabi pivoted during covid into a Darcie pyjama line, which was worn by celebrities and still makes up a significant proportion of sales, but she draws the line at loungewear. She reveals why growing 800% in a year was her biggest mistake and what it taught her about culture and leadership. And her why her mantra has shifted from "pressure makes diamonds" to "planning makes profit". Also, she explains how her decision to hire a CEO frees her up to focus on what she does best: giving women confidence.

Subscribe to the Business Leader Podcast and sign up to our free weekly newsletter at businessleader.co.uk/newsletters
Business Leader is a membership community for ambitious CEOs and founders of mid-sized UK companies, designed to help them grow with purpose through strategic support, peer-to-peer learning, expert coaching, and high-impact events. Sign up for our Business Leader newsletter here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alidad Moghaddam, CEO of Blue Light Card the UK's leading discount platform for frontline and emergency service workers, talks to Sir Richard Harpin about what he's learned on his journey as a first-time chief executive and from his experiences in a private equity environment. Blue Light Card has grown from a small startup founded by a serving police officer into a platform supporting more than six million frontline workers. From expanding into Australia, to building a high-performance culture rooted in radical candour and mission-driven hiring, Alidad offers tips for any business leader scaling a business. He shares the lessons he learned helping grow Trainline and taking it to a successful IPO, what the perspective of an angel investor taught him, and why culture matters most during periods of mergers and acquisitions. He explains why being clear about the strategy and vision, defining the operating model and making the difficult calls early are key to success.

Subscribe to the Business Leader Podcast and sign up to our free weekly newsletter at businessleader.co.uk/newsletters
Business Leader is a membership community for ambitious CEOs and founders of mid-sized UK companies, designed to help them grow with purpose through strategic support, peer-to-peer learning, expert coaching, and high-impact events. Sign up for our Business Leader newsletter here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vivian Wong, co-founder of Little Moons, shares the unfiltered story of building the UK's most talked-about mochi ice cream brand — from a small family bakery to a £27mn pound run rate overnight.
Vivian talks to Sir Richard Harpin, founder of Homeserve, about how a single TikTok video sent shoppers queuing outside Tesco at 7am, and why ten years of groundwork meant Little Moons was ready to seize the moment rather than be consumed by it. She reveals her learnings from a costly factory mistake — and the sunk cost fallacy that nearly upended the business. Vivian also shares the personal catalyst that made her start the business, the reality of co-founding with a sibling, and how she now lives by a simple rule: no regrets.

Themes covered:
Why owning your manufacturing is a genuine competitive advantage in the FMCG world
How Vivien bootstrapped Little Moons for 12 years before taking private equity investment
When and how to bring in a professional CEO
The difference between a coach and a mentor, and why you need both

Business Leader is a membership community for ambitious CEOs and founders of mid-sized UK companies, designed to help them grow with purpose through strategic support, peer-to-peer learning, expert coaching, and high-impact events. Sign up for our Business Leader newsletter here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vinted wasn't an overnight success. The game-changing decision that saved it from failure? Making selling completely free. Adam Jay, CEO of Vinted's Marketplace arm, talks to Sir Richard Harpin about how he helped perfect the Vinted playbook and rolled it out into 26 markets worldwide – France was the first success story.
Adam reveals the mistakes made along the way, the pivots that mattered, and the leadership lessons every founder and CEO needs to hear. Drawing on his experience at Boston Consulting Group and Expedia, he breaks down how Vinted transformed from a struggling startup into a profitable, fast-scaling platform now valued at €8 billion.

Themes include:
Why removing seller fees was the turning point for Vinted's growth
How to scale a marketplace business across multiple international markets
What CEOs can learn from failure, pivoting, and resilience
Why joining an external board of directors can sharpen your leadership
Vinted's mission to make second-hand items the first choice globally

Business Leader is a membership community for ambitious CEOs and founders of mid-sized UK companies, designed to help them grow with purpose through strategic support, peer-to-peer learning, expert coaching, and high-impact events. Sign up for our Business Leader newsletter here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.