What if the secret to skyrocketing your business lies not just in sales, but in understanding your customers on a deeper level? In this episode of Curious Leadership, Dominic Monkhouse chats with James Peach, award winning speaker, investor and brand marketing expert whose portfolio includes roles at Innocent, Uber, and Vinted, about customer obsession, and how it shapes brand marketing strategies that resonate and influence buyer perceptions. 

James dives head first into the very essence of brand marketing, how it transcends mere promotion to become a powerful tool for problem-solving and emotional engagement. Hear how effective brand marketing can transform what customers think about a business, driving loyalty and growth, and how the greatest challenge impacting every business lies in measuring brand impact versus direct sales metrics.

Discover the vital collaboration between both brand and growth teams and how clear purpose is essential for motivating employees to enhance organisational efficiency - a principle not just applicable to large corporations but impacts all businesses, regardless of size or industry. Reflecting on his scale-up experience, James shares how fast-paced decision making can dramatically influence brand perception and the importance of maintaining a customer obsession throughout the journey.

James's story is not just confined to corporate boardrooms and beanbags; it crosses over into global adventures and personal growth by pushing himself to the max - 2 years of solo cycling across the world, mirroring his leadership philosophy - embrace discomfort for growth and leverage experience for success.

Book recommendations:

Good to Great - Jim Collins

Radical Candor - Kim Scott

When the Dust Settles - Lucy Easthope

What Got You Here Won't Get You There - Marshall Goldsmith

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What happens when you lead three HR tech brands through growth, acquisition, and the AI revolution?

Phil Coxon is in the thick of it.

In this episode, Dominic is joined by Phil Coxon, Managing Director of Breathe, Elmo UK, and RotorGeek - three HR and workforce management platforms tackling different ends of the market.

Phil shares what he’s learned scaling global businesses like Criteo and Mindbody, and how he’s now applying those lessons in the world of SME and enterprise HR software. From sales strategy and product orchestration to company culture and AI integration, this episode dives deep into what it takes to lead through disruption and transformation.

Phil also discusses how Breathe is deploying Gemini AI internally, how they’re navigating shifting regulation, and why whiteboard sales still beat PowerPoint pitches every time.

• Scaling Across Markets: How Phil navigates leading three brands (Breathe, Elmo UK, and RotorGeek) that serve wildly different customer profiles—from micro-SMBs to global enterprises.
• Whiteboard Sales Magic: Why abandoning PowerPoint in favour of live co-creation on a whiteboard leads to the most memorable and successful sales pitches.
• The AI Assistant Mindset: How Breathe is embedding Gemini into daily workflows, from sales to implementation, and why every employee is encouraged to spend an hour a day with AI.
• Security and Trust in AI: The rigorous compliance approach Phil takes to integrating AI in HR—where data sensitivity is non-negotiable.
• Driving Sales Without Demand: Why great sales today means educating customers who weren’t planning to buy—and how regulation is helping create urgency.
• From IPO to Impact: Phil’s reflections on scaling Critéo from $30M to $2.3B, leading teams in Manhattan and across the globe, and what stuck with him.
• Cultural Synergy After Acquisition: Lessons in merging different business cultures without breaking what works—from emergency ward scheduling to HR platforms.
• Mandatory Training Saves Lives: How small steps like cyber security and equality training aren’t just box-ticking—they can protect 147-year-old companies from collapse.
• The Fast-Follow Product Strategy: Why speeding up the delivery of customer-requested features is Breathe’s north star—and how AI-generated code will make it happen.

Phil Coxon is the Managing Director of Breathe, Elmo UK, and RotorGeek. With a background in global SaaS, adtech, and scaling tech companies, Phil now leads a suite of HR products focused on small businesses through to large-scale enterprise clients.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why culture is the key to post-acquisition success
• How AI is supercharging sales, engineering, and implementation
• What it takes to sell HR tools to buyers who aren’t looking
• The future of engineering with code-generating AI
• Why clarity beats complexity in modern leadership

Where to Find Phil:

• LinkedIn – Phil Coxon

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

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Ivo Dimitrov is co-founder and Chief Venture Officer at Finum, a neobank and financial solutions provider for SMEs and freelancers across Europe. Previously serving as CPO for five years, Ivo transformed his role to focus on high-risk, high-reward products, particularly AI accounting solutions. Before Finum, he co-founded a startup incubator (before the term existed) that launched hundreds of products, including the successful Modul Bank, now a top-three fast-growing SME bank in Russia. Based in Berlin, Ivo brings over a decade of fintech and product development experience to building the future of AI-powered business tools.

In this episode, Dominic explores the evolution from traditional product management to venture-focused innovation with Ivo, who's pioneering AI accounting solutions that promise to revolutionise how SMEs handle their finances. From his unique "Chief Venture Officer" role to the strategic decision to orchestrate rather than build AI models, discover how Finum is creating proactive AI agents that handle accounting tasks automatically while ensuring human oversight and trust.

The conversation delves into the psychology of AI adoption, the importance of conversational UI design, and why the future belongs to companies that can integrate seamlessly into emerging AI platforms rather than compete with them. Ivo shares hard-won lessons from launching AI products in regulated industries and explains why "storytellers" are more valuable than ML engineers in today's AI landscape.

• Orchestration Over Creation: The biggest mistake AI companies make is trying to build their own models instead of orchestrating existing foundation models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Time-to-market and adaptability are more crucial than proprietary technology.
• The Storyteller Role: Success in AI products requires "storytellers" - people who can explain complex requirements to AI models in simple terms. This skill is more valuable than traditional ML engineering for most AI applications.
• Conversational UI Revolution: The future of software interfaces isn't traditional buttons and forms, but enriched conversational experiences that dynamically present the right UI elements based on context and user requests.
• Proactive vs Reactive AI: The most valuable AI products don't wait for user requests - they proactively identify opportunities, send reminders, and take action, requiring only verification rather than instruction from users.
• Platform Integration Strategy: As AI platforms like ChatGPT become dominant, success will come from seamless integration rather than platform competition. Think App Store dynamics rather than trying to build competing ecosystems.
• Trust Through Transparency: AI adoption in high-stakes domains like accounting requires insurance backing, clear reasoning explanations for every decision, and the ability for users to easily override AI choices when needed.
• The Psychology of AI Acceptance: Humans apply zero-tolerance standards to AI errors while accepting much higher error rates from humans. Overcoming this requires strategic trust-building and demonstrable value delivery.
• European Market Complexity: Despite appearing unified, Europe requires country-specific approaches - Germans spend 12-17 minutes reading terms and conditions that French users skip through in 7-10 seconds, fundamentally affecting product design and adoption strategies.

Connect with Ivo- https://www.linkedin.com/in/millt/

Book Recommendation

Dominic’s book Mind Your F**king Business is out now

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Dr. Jon Finn wrote his best-selling book ‘The Habit Mechanic’ (which took him over 20 years) because his life’s mission is to help people to be their best in the challenging modern world.

He founded the award-winning Tougher Minds consultancy and has three psychology-related degrees, including a PhD. He has worked in performance psychology, resilience, and leadership science for over 20 years. He also writes regularly for Forbes.

Tougher Minds uses cutting-edge insights from psychology, behavioural science, neuroscience, and world champions to help organisations develop “Habit Mechanics” and “Chief Habit Mechanics”—resilient people, outstanding leaders, and world-class teams.

Having trained and coached over 10,000 people, Dr. Finn, and his colleagues, work with global businesses, high-growth startups, individuals, elite athletes, coaches and teams, leading educational institutes, families, the UK government, and think tanks.

In this episode, Dominic explores AI's impact on the workforce and the journey of integrating AI into behavioural science and habit formation. Inspired by Geoffrey Hinton's work on neural networks, learn how blending traditional methods with cutting-edge AI enhances understanding of brain function and behaviour.

Dr. Jon shares the concept of brain states - recharge, medium-charge, and high-charge - and how AI can revolutionise workflows by automating routine tasks and co-working with humans on complex tasks. Looking forward, we explore the concept of creating high-performing human-AI teams, guiding individuals and businesses toward harmonious collaborations with AI, enabling unprecedented speed and efficiency in achieving goals.

Discover

Automatic Thinking: Human thoughts and behaviours are largely driven by automatic or semi-automatic processes. This is influenced by biases and past experiences, which affect the ability to generate truly conscious and unbiased ideas.

Emotional Regulation in Athletes: In elite sports, the ability to regulate emotions plays a pivotal role in determining whether young athletes maintain or lose their professional status as they age.

Effort and Performance: Sustained success in any field relies on consistent effort, ongoing learning, and the ability to perform effectively under pressure, particularly in challenging or high-stakes situations.

Training Gaps in Mental Performance:  While athletes typically receive extensive training in physical, technical, and tactical aspects, they often lack structured training on understanding and improving their cognitive and emotional processes.

Risks from AI in the Workplace: AI is disrupting workplace roles that involve medium-energy tasks, and people unable to adapt or up-skill are at risk of being replaced. Emotional regulation and the ability to shift to higher-performance states are critical for adapting to these changes.

Paulo Savaget is Associate Professor at University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science and Saïd Business School. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar and has a background working as a researcher, consultant, and entrepreneur, finding innovative solutions for a more inclusive world.

His research covers the mechanics of entrepreneurship through a 'systems lens' and with a special focus on large-scale socioenvironmental issues (poverty, climate change, and global value chains etc). He has a particular interest in working with practitioners to find and explore solutions for systemic problems in situations where resources are scarce, stakes are high, and time is short.

In this episode, Dominic learns how “scrappy organisations” tackle complex problems through innovative strategies such as piggybacking on existing systems and navigating loopholes in regulations. With Paulo explaining the importance of systems thinking and unconventional approaches to problem-solving. Hear about how businesses can navigate regulatory landscapes, repurpose technology, and leverage self-reinforcing behaviours to create effective workarounds.

Paulo advocates innovation, resourcefulness, and adopting a scrappy mindset in addressing complex problems for individuals and organisations.

Discover

Resourceful and Unconventional Problem-Solving: Creative solutions can be achieved by thinking outside the box and using limited resources in innovative ways to overcome complex challenges.  

Hacking Systems for Impact: Significant change can occur by finding innovative ways to navigate or bypass existing systems and challenges, much like hackers do in their domains.  

Holistic Solutions through Systems Thinking: Looking at problems as part of interconnected systems rather than isolated issues enables more comprehensive and effective problem-solving.  

Inspiration from Scrappy Organisations: Resource-constrained businesses and organisations demonstrate how leveraging opportunities like loopholes and existing systems can lead to remarkable success.  

Innovation Without Large Budgets: Success can lie in strategic thinking, resourcefulness, and ingenuity, proving that high impact doesn’t always require massive financial resources.

Book recommendations:

Hans Rosling - Factfulness

Adam Grant - Originals

Paulo’s book The Four Workarounds is out now

Dominic’s book Mind Your F**king Business is out now

Can AI revolutionise the way your business operates, or even redefine entire industries?

This special episode of Curious Leadership was recorded as a live panel at the CEO Summit 2025, where Dominic was joined on stage by guests Neil Marley, Kevin Bradley, Pedro Arriaga, and John Readman to explore how AI is driving business productivity and innovation across various sectors.

Neil reveals how Neologik pivoted from its roots in training technologists to harnessing AI for document automation, a strategic shift mirroring the evolving job market. Kevin brings a unique perspective on Omegro's strategic growth within Constellation, while Pedro shares how AI has supercharged productivity at his facilities management platform, Pego. John shares insights on AI's transformative role in digital marketing, moving beyond predictive analytics to empower data-driven decision-making at Modo25.

Our panellists offer their perspectives on how businesses can navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI, balancing the human role of integrating it into teams, and how to align employee mindsets with technological advancements. 

Hear about the rapid evolution of software development and how agile methodologies can accelerate innovation, including advice on overcoming tech debt, enhancing user interaction through voice prompts, and the competitive edge offered by quick MVP development and AI-driven platforms.

As AI continues to shape industries, we explore the need for education to prepare the next generation with skills in question formation, philosophy, ethics, and domain-specific expertise. 

Elaine Jobson is a dynamic CEO, board director, and culture strategist with over 30 years of experience scaling fitness and wellness brands across Australia, Africa, Asia, and Europe.  

As CEO of Jetts Fitness, she spearheaded the Management Buyout (MBO), restoring the brand to private ownership and founder-driven leadership. Under her guidance, Jetts has flourished, expanding into new markets and repositioning for sustainable, high-performance growth.  

Elaine’s passion for values-driven, high-performing cultures is at the heart of her leadership philosophy. Her book, High Performance Through Happy People, captures her insights on building thriving teams that deliver exceptional results.  

A sought-after keynote speaker, Elaine energises audiences at industry conferences, leadership summits, and corporate events, sharing expertise on leadership, culture strategy, franchising, and team performance. Known for her sharp operational and commercial acumen, Elaine is a proven leader in strategic growth, franchising, and culture transformation - making her one of the most impactful figures in the industry today.

In this episode, Dominic uncovers how the implementation of a Net Promoter Score (NPS) should be a business philosophy rather than just a survey. With Elaine providing insights on identifying detractors through customer feedback, the importance of delivering what she calls “brilliant basics”, and the significance of empowering her club managers and staff to enhance customer service to create a positive culture.

Elaine also shares the rapid growth and expansion of the Jetts Fitness brand, their franchise model, commitment to good profit, the evolving perception of fitness as a means for mental health, and looks ahead at opportunities in the global fitness market, particularly in emerging territories like India.

Discover

How Leadership Drives Growth: Strong leadership is essential for managing growth, stabilising operations, and adapting to changing business environments.

How to Build a Positive Culture: A happy, engaged workforce leads to higher performance and better organisational outcomes. Culture is a key driver of long-term success.

How Metrics Can Improve Performance: Tools like customer satisfaction scores provide valuable insights and help businesses refine their services to meet customer needs, fostering loyalty.

Opportunities in Emerging Markets: Expanding into new markets with growth potential requires strategic planning, market understanding, and partnerships to capitalise effectively.

How Scalable Business Models are Key: Structuring businesses to scale - for instance, through franchising or other replicable models - enables sustainable growth and adaptability across regions.

Book recommendations:

Elaine’s book High Performance Through Happy People is out now

Dominic’s book Mind Your F**king Business is out now

Joseph Michelli is an internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organisational consultant who transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices in ways that develop joyful and productive workplaces with a focus on customer experience. His insights encourage leaders and frontline workers to grow and invest passionately in all aspects of their lives.

A Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Nielson BookScan, and New York Times #1 bestselling author. Joseph’s most recent book, All Business Is Personal, features proven strategies for boosting customer loyalty, engagement, and sustainable growth, and offers insights leaders can apply across industries to create high-performing, customer-focused organisations.

Joseph holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association (NSA). He is a member of the Authors Guild, an editorial board member for the Beryl Institute's Patient Experience Journal (PXJ), and is on the founders' council of CustomerExperienceOne. Other achievements include winning the Asian Brand Excellence Award and being named as one of the Top 10 thought leaders in Customer Service by Global Gurus. He received his master's and doctorate from the University of Southern California.

In this episode, Dominic explores the intersection of AI and human interaction, questioning the ability of AI to replicate genuine human care and creativity, and the complexities of customer experience, loyalty, and referrals. With Joseph advocating the necessity for CEOs to be passionate and unreasonable in their pursuit of exceptional customer service. He explores strategies for activating referrals, the importance of emotional engagement, and the design of customer journeys that foster loyalty. 

Joseph shares his insights on the transformation of patient experience in US healthcare, and the innovative approach that led One Medical to being acquired by Amazon. Emphasising the importance of redesigning processes to enhance care delivery, he highlights the cost reduction achieved through proactive health management and the role of technology in creating human-centric services. 

Discover

The Power of Emotional Connection in Business: Building an emotional connection with customers, beyond merely offering a product or service, fosters loyalty and helps establish a strong brand identity.

The Importance of Customer Experience: Exceptional customer experience can significantly impact a business's success. By fostering emotional connections and going beyond basic transactional value, businesses can create loyalty and referrals among their customer base.

Word-of-Mouth as a Powerful Marketing Tool: Customer referrals play a crucial role in business growth. Companies that focus on delivering exceptional experiences often benefit from organic word-of-mouth promotion, resulting in reduced sales and marketing costs.

Balancing Cost-Cutting with Customer Experience: While reducing costs is a strategy some businesses consider, focusing solely on cost can lead to commoditisation. Prioritising customer experience and value can differentiate a business and create long-lasting success.

The Influence of Net Promoter Score (NPS): Net Promoter Score is a useful metric for understanding customer loyalty and satisfaction. By asking customers how they found the business, insights can be gained that highlight the importance of customer recommendations and the overall impact of positive experiences.

Book recommendations:

Joseph’s book

James Dawson and Richard Doherty are seasoned professionals from the fintech and financial services industries, each bringing decades of expertise to their respective fields.

James Dawson, founder of Humble Technology, has over 21 years of experience in fintech. His career has been dedicated to addressing and overcoming the challenges fintech startups face in sales. James believes that many fintechs fail not due to a lack of funding but because they rely too heavily on relationship-driven sales rather than employing proven, science-backed methodologies. As a former Head of Europe at OpenFin, a leader in desktop interoperability, James successfully built high-performing teams and developed his own sales techniques. To share his strategic insights, James created the Fintech Sales FastTrack programme - a framework designed to help startups establish predictable and scalable revenue systems. In addition to his fintech achievements, James also owns Humble Grape, a wine bar and merchant that imports high-quality wines from 600 small vineyards across 22 countries, exemplifying his entrepreneurial versatility.

Richard Doherty, meanwhile, leads the technology practice for Asset & Wealth Management at Publicis Sapient, a prominent consultancy in financial services and digital business transformation. With over 20 years of experience in technology and financial services, Richard specialises in helping firms align their technological initiatives with business strategies. His expertise lies in implementing large-scale technological changes, including system overhauls, data transformations, and technology-focused innovations. Richard advises business leaders on building future-ready operating models that leverage technology to drive innovation, generate revenue, cut costs, and mitigate risks. By collaborating with both business and technology stakeholders, Richard fosters alignment that enables firms to ensure sustainable and expedited transformation in highly competitive markets.

Together, James and Richard exemplify leadership and innovation in their fields, uniting expertise in sales strategy, technology, and enterprise transformation to shape the future of fintech and financial services.

In this episode, Dominic explores methodologies used by founder-led sales to scalable sales operations. Learning that in the early stages of business development, a relentless focus on an initial product offering is essential. For example, for Amazon it was books and for Google it was search functionalities - even though their objective was expansion and market domination.

With James and Richard emphasising the importance of aligning sales strategies with marketing efforts, they encourage leaders to nurture a growth-oriented mindset among sales personnel. Hear their insights on the complexities of building successful sales engines that can withstand the rigours of today's competitive landscape.

Discover

Business Growth and Focus: Successful companies often start by focusing on a single, straightforward offering before expanding into larger and more complex operations. This focus is essential in the early stages to build a sustainable foundation.

Sales Transition Challenges: Transitioning from founder-led sales to scalable, enterprise-level sales processes is a significant challenge for businesses, especially in the fintech sector. It requires a particular skill set and mindset to scale sales effectively from small to large operations.

Collaborative Expertise: Leveraging the collaboration of industry experts with diverse professional backgrounds, such as consulting and financial services, can help scale businesses by addressing complex challenges and driving transformation.

The Importance of...

Mike Hicks' connection to investing in mid-market companies dates back to 1994, when he worked at the EBRD, contributing to the creation of the first private equity fund in Romania. After overseeing a joint venture between Creditanstalt Investment Bank and Advent International, he developed a keen interest in enhancing investor-management interactions, dedicating over 20 years to this pursuit.

In 2010, Mike founded Catalysis, following several years of leading a similar practice at Grant Thornton. With the support of skilled colleagues, he has managed over 375 projects since the company's inception, Mike advocates the importance of coachability and partnership in navigating the complex landscape of mid-market firms.

In this episode, Dominic explores the myths and realities of private equity as Mike dismantles common misconceptions about management and investment partnerships. Highlighting the nuanced dynamics between investors and business leaders, he explains that in smaller companies, collaboration often trumps the fear of management changes. 

Discover

The Role of Private Equity in Business Growth: Private equity plays a crucial role in providing funding for businesses, particularly those lacking tangible assets for traditional bank loans, such as tech companies. It serves as an alternative to the UK's shrinking bank funding market by offering equity, facilitating business growth, and providing management teams a pathway to personal wealth.

Misconceptions About Private Equity: Management teams often face misconceptions about private equity investment. Some assume operations will continue unchanged, while others fear losing control to investors. In truth, investors aim to add value and collaborate for improvements without seizing control of the business.

Team and Organisational Alignment: Aligning the management team’s capabilities with the business's needs is crucial. This match depends on the business model's complexity, market conditions, and growth goals. Businesses often require guidance to optimise their leadership teams to effectively meet these demands.

Governance and Strategy in Management: Effective governance should balance strategy formulation and operational execution without overwhelming management. Boards should prioritise maintaining this balance to ensure alignment with value creation rather than focusing solely on financial oversight. Keeping boards small and focused helps avoid operational inefficiencies.

Mistakes in Scaling Businesses with Private Equity: Common mistakes in scaling businesses post-private equity deal include neglecting due diligence insights, misunderstanding strategy, underestimating organisational inertia, confusing change activity with results, hastily making key personnel decisions, and suffering from unbalanced governance. Avoiding these pitfalls is essential for the success of private-equity-backed ventures.

Higher Multiples with Demonstrated Scalability: Businesses that can demonstrate scalability, such as sustainable growth and robust operational capacity, are more likely to attract higher multiples and favourable responses from investors during deals, highlighting the importance of long-term strategic planning.

Book recommendations:

Rory Sutherland - Alchemy