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#24 - Rachel Osborne - Be Decisive
In this episode, I’m talking to Rachel Osborne, CEO of Ted Baker. Rachel was appointed to that role just as Covid hit the UK, and prior to that she had been CFO at Debenhams Retail Limited.
Having originally studied veterinary medicine at Cambridge, Rachel chose instead to qualify as a chartered accountant at KPMG. She now has over 30 years of financial experience with consumer-facing brands like Domino’s Pizza, Vodafone, and John Lewis. She has also previously held senior positions with Sodexo, Kingfisher and PepsiCo.
In this conversation Rachel shares:
Outline📍
00:00 Intro
01:56 Do you remember when you first experienced pressure?
02:52 Was that pressure advantageous to what you were doing, or was it negative?
03:29 Has pressure always remained a positive association with performing well?
04:20 Can you share an example where you flipped negative pressure into a positive driving force?
06:16 Does that come instinctively to you?
08:30 Stepping into a distressed business, how do you lead your team forward in times of pressure?
12:13 What keeps you strong enough to manage yourself and lead others?
13:27 How did you feel your team’s support?
16:27 Finding your natural energy, and finding your balance
23:46 Insight 1: Lessons learned
26:10 What did you & your team do actively to help all of you manage the uncertainty and volatility over the last years with Ted Baker?
29:41 What is the worst pressure you have ever been under?
34:16 Where are you now with your relationship with pressure?
36:53 How do you make fast decisions in moments of crisis?
44:53 Insight 2: Lessons learned
46:45: What 2 pieces of advice would you pass forward to people listening?
48:32 What are the first signs when you are starting to feel trapped?
51:22 Outro
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By Sara Milne RoweIn this episode, I’m talking to Rachel Osborne, CEO of Ted Baker. Rachel was appointed to that role just as Covid hit the UK, and prior to that she had been CFO at Debenhams Retail Limited.
Having originally studied veterinary medicine at Cambridge, Rachel chose instead to qualify as a chartered accountant at KPMG. She now has over 30 years of financial experience with consumer-facing brands like Domino’s Pizza, Vodafone, and John Lewis. She has also previously held senior positions with Sodexo, Kingfisher and PepsiCo.
In this conversation Rachel shares:
Outline📍
00:00 Intro
01:56 Do you remember when you first experienced pressure?
02:52 Was that pressure advantageous to what you were doing, or was it negative?
03:29 Has pressure always remained a positive association with performing well?
04:20 Can you share an example where you flipped negative pressure into a positive driving force?
06:16 Does that come instinctively to you?
08:30 Stepping into a distressed business, how do you lead your team forward in times of pressure?
12:13 What keeps you strong enough to manage yourself and lead others?
13:27 How did you feel your team’s support?
16:27 Finding your natural energy, and finding your balance
23:46 Insight 1: Lessons learned
26:10 What did you & your team do actively to help all of you manage the uncertainty and volatility over the last years with Ted Baker?
29:41 What is the worst pressure you have ever been under?
34:16 Where are you now with your relationship with pressure?
36:53 How do you make fast decisions in moments of crisis?
44:53 Insight 2: Lessons learned
46:45: What 2 pieces of advice would you pass forward to people listening?
48:32 What are the first signs when you are starting to feel trapped?
51:22 Outro