All Things Business - The Podcast

This episode features Ben Bird, the Business Development Director at Yusen Logistics.

Yusen Logistics are a large player in the logistics sector, operating internationally and across 18 sites in the UK. They recently held the opening event for their huge new sustainable distribution centre.

Ben speaks about how proud he is to have worked on the new sustainability building, and this opening marks the completion of a complex 5 year project. The massive building has the capacity to support multiple clients, and has both standard and temperature-controlled storage areas.

The building was awarded a BREEAM Outstanding rating, making it one of the top 1% sustainable industrial buildings in the UK. This accreditation not only considers environmental impact, but the impact of the construction project on staff and the local community.

They plan to hire an additional 100 staff by the end of March 2027. The building also has new cutting-edge technology which allows for more automation and collaboration between businesses.

The new distribution centre is the biggest project Yusen Logistics have ever undertaken, and Ben praises the amazing work of the team throughout the process.

Ben sits down with Ellis Church and Joshua Foskett from Foskett Marketing. At only 18 years old, the duo has already been running their marketing business for two years and have clients from around the world. Ellis and Joshua have been passionate about entrepreneurship from a young age. They have previously pursued an eCommerce upstart and had a budding gardening business for a summer. However, in 2024 they made the leap into setting up a marketing business, riskily leaving education behind. The duo are grifters, doing door to door and cold calling for potential clients. Ben says he admires their hustler mindset. They also say that they are ready to gamble it all for the business, having no back up plan and little qualifications to fall back on. They believe that to succeed, you need the pressure and complete commitment to your cause.

In this episode, Ben visits Mat and Charlotte at Portfolio Events in Kettering. Mat Norris is the Managing Director and bought the business back in 2014. Charlotte Stokes is the Operations Director has been with Portfolio Events for nearly 20 years. The company caters for weddings and events in Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and London.

With over a hundred staff supporting them, the business runs events every day of the week. For the past few years, they have also been the caterers at our own Business Excellence and Education Awards, receiving great feedback from attendees. Portfolio Events is now the largest independent catering company in the region.

In this episode, Ben is joined by Dan Vernon, Chief Operating Officer at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, to discuss his career in sport, the club’s success over the past year and the balance between being a businessman and a cricket fan. Dan shares his journey from playing cricket as a boy to working across golf, horse racing and rugby before joining the club five years ago, as well as the story behind the cinch County Ground naming rights deal.

Dan also discusses the club’s commitment to the local community, including the work of the Steelbacks Foundation, which has supported more than 100,000 young people across 85 schools. Looking ahead, he explains the importance of financial sustainability and how local businesses can get involved through sponsorship, the 1878 business club and the venue spaces available at the ground for events.

To celebrate the momentous 100th episode of the podcast, Ben sits down with James Whiting, the CEO of Northampton Town Football Club. He is also a trustee with the Northampton Town Community Trust. James is a born and bred Northamptonian and has worked for the club for over 15 years. As a successful accountant, he joined the club as a Financial Controller and worked up to being the Chief Executive.

Ben visits Corby Sixth Form to speak with Shaun Cook and Kathryn Brindley-Edwards from the Bedford College Group. Shaun is the Principle of Tresham College and Kathryn is the Principle of Sixth Forms. Corby Sixth Form opened in 2023 and offer many unique opportunities to their students. From traditional A-levels to T-levels to apprenticeships, the campus provides a host of ways in which students can thrive. The Bedford College Group is one of the biggest college groups in the country and supports nearly 10,000 young people across their campuses.

On this episode, Ben is interested in all things sustainability. He sits down with Simon Derrick, founder of the Sustainable Business Alliance, and Robert Thompson, CEO of See Limited. The Sustainable Business Alliance supports SMEs on improving their sustainability in a business savvy way. See Limited specialise in timber-based composites and have carved out the USP of being a highly sustainable business. See Limited work with the Sustainable Business Alliance to further improve their processes.

In this episode, Ben is joined by Shalom, Colin and Jo from The Investment Room. Shalom Lloyd MBE is the founder of Naturally Tiwa Skincare, Colin Gleghorn has founded businesses in the automotive industry, and Jo Fay has founded two family-run business in consultancy and insurance. Colin devised The Investment Room as a way of fostering his passion for supporting and mentoring fellow entrepreneurs. He founded the business with Shalom, Jo, and Charles Mong, a businessman in production, processing and refining.

Ben sits down with Claire Emery to discuss her career and experience as the Managing Director at Elsby & Co. Elsby & Co. is a well-connected and trusted accountancy practice. They have been operating since 1993 and have strong roots in the local Northamptonshire community.

Ben has returned to Memento Exclusives to discuss the great strides the company has made since their last appearance on the podcast.

He sits down with his long-term friend and the founder and CEO of Memento Exclusives, Barry Gough.