Today’s guest is Meg Farren, General Manager, Chief Customer Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and much more! 

Together Meg and I delve into the people, places and experiences that have made Meg the person and leader she is today. 

In this second Collaboration Equation™ episode of Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend and Lucy Kidd, we spoke with Somya Agrawal, Leader, Collaborator and Motivator on:

• How open conversation fast tracks success

• Vulnerability and Somya’s experience of hearing loss and how it has created meaningful connection.

• Creating psychological safety

• Building trust through being human and authentic

• Meeting people where they are at

• Creating a culture of care and connection

Today’s guest is Somya Agrawal, Leader, Collaborator and Motivator. I had the joy of meeting Somya in June 2024, when she joined us for a Walking Partnerships day in Surrey, in the UK.

Somya offers valuable insights into: 

• Being the conductor and not the trumpet player - The difficult transition between manager and leader, how the role changes and the importance of building a high-functioning team.
  

• The ripple effect - leading by example - The importance of watching and learning from leaders around you and how we are always being watched, even when we think nobody is watching! 
  

• Dare to enter the arena - How we foster a culture of openness, transparency, honesty and collaboration. Ask questions and challenge with kindness and curiosity. It is not what you say, but how you say that it matters.

Today’s guest is Carien Borst, Artist and Leadership Coach. In this episode we are talking about Creativity and Reflection in Leadership - how every job is a creative act, and how we all have a part to play in creating a workplace and environment in which there is harmony, diversity and contrast.

Carien offers valuable insights into:

• How as human beings we are all creative

• How through being creative it can be an endless source of life energy

• Knowing and being yourself - how being authentic and vulnerable gives others permission to be authentic and vulnerable

• Creativity and how it’s related to leadership

Today’s guest is Guy Newey, Chief Executive Officer at Energy Systems Catapult - a company committed to accelerating NET ZERO in the UK through supporting innovators to commercialise, and helping design and deliver the future energy system.

Together Guy and I delve into the people, places and experiences that have made him the person and leader he is today. Guy offers valuable insights into:

• Communication and what he has learnt about communicating across the wider team.

• Resilience, how managing your own energy is key, along with helping to manage that of the team.

• Getting comfortable with not knowing everything, and how the more senior you become as a leader the less you know.

In this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Emma Harris, Finance Director, M&S Food, Property and Retail. Together we delve into:

• How to bring alignment in corporate world

• The importance of amplifying your strengths

• And of staying authentic in more challenging environments

In this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Chris Harte, Chief Executive and Commercial Real Estate Partner at Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP, a leading Scottish law firm committed to providing straightforward advice, clarity on cost and to building strong trusting relationships with clients ensuring that their evolving needs are met with focus and care. Together we delve into:

• What it means to "Serve to Lead" and that leadership is not about you.

• The importance of Being Curious and to remember firstly that "the issue is never the issue", and secondly ‘not knowing’ all of the answers is a feature not a bug!

• How focusing our energy - not dispersing it - is key to strategy and that limitations can be useful, and helpful rather than a hindrance.

In this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with my two guests, Susie Ballentyne an Independent Psychologist and Bob Judson, a fellow podcaster, facilitator, leadership coach, and keynote speaker. We delve together into:

• The importance of continually developing your skills as a leader, both individually and as part of a team.

• The value of both mentors and coaches to leaders.

• The challenges of building, leading and inspiring teams in today’s complex and convoluted working environment.

• The really key requirements of a good leader.

In this episode I am delighted to be in conversation with Carolyn Youdell, Group eCommerce & Customer Engagement Director, Group Marketing Specsavers.

I have known Carolyn for many years and am a huge fan, she is a regular speaker on the Marketing Leaders Programme, and herself a huge fan of developing marketing leadership. Together we delve into:

• Embracing challenge

• Becoming compelling

• Driving simplicity