Business management

Webinar series: In Conversation With...

Global leaders from the worlds of business, politics and sport discuss how they are adapting to an ever-changing landscape.

30 Sep 2020 . 3 min read

In this new business interview series, In Conversation With…, some of the best-known names in business and beyond offer their perspective on new ways of working.

In each episode, guests touch on subjects including how to build resilience, how to adapt and the importance of having a diverse network.

Episode 1: Jo Malone CBE

In each episode, guests touch on subjects including how to build resilience, how to adapt and the importance of having a diverse network.

Episode 2: James Averdieck

This week, serial entrepreneur and creative marketeer James Averdieck, the founder of dessert brand Gü, is in the spotlight. After years of developing Gü, James sold the company to Food Nobles in 2010. He went on to buy a majority stake in dairy-free ice-cream company Bessant & Drury’s, and has launched a new range of coconut milk desserts called Coconut Collaborative. James talks about his life in business and shares the entrepreneurial tips he has learned.

Episode 3: Karen Blackett OBE

Our third episode features insights from the UK country manager of WPP, Karen Blackett OBE. On top of overseeing WPP’s second-largest market, Karen is also UK CEO of the world’s largest media investment company, GroupM. Along with her global success, Karen was a Department for International Trade (DIT) business ambassador for Number 10 and was appointed race equality business champion by the prime minister as part of the Race at Work Charter in October 2018. Karen talks about her varied career in advertising to date, diversity in the workplace, and her tips on how business leaders can address important societal issues with authenticity.

Episode 4: Ed Balls

Since leaving Parliament in 2015, Ed has added even more to his list of achievements, spending the past five years as a senior fellow at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, in the US, and receiving a Bafta nomination for ‘TV’s Moment of the Year’ thanks to his stint on Strictly Come Dancing. Ed talks about his varied career journey, from Westminster to the ballroom.

Episode 5: Eoin Morgan CBE

The captain of the England cricket team, Eoin talks about bridging the gap between sport and business. Born in Dublin to an Irish father and English mother, Eoin always wanted to play for England, fulfilling his ambition in 2009, when he made his senior team debut in a One Day International against the West Indies. He talks to Gabby Logan about his sporting life under lockdown, being a team player, and becoming a father for the first time.

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