Peter Norris is Chair of the Virgin Group. Formerly, he was CEO of Barings Bank during its fateful collapse in the mid 1990s. Listen to this episode to hear about: Three moments that shaped how Peter behaves in the boardroom (00:59) Why Peter took responsibility for a fraud he didn’t commit (11:23) The one question every board should ask when the numbers look too good to be true (14:27) How fraud gets stronger every day it goes undetected (16:11) The moment Peter Norris knew Virgin Atlantic might not survive (18:01) What a Chair should do when their company is facing extinction (19:07) The four buckets Virgin Atlantic focused on to survive COVID (22:15) The Richard Branson PR disaster (23:50) How Virgin Atlantic saved itself with no shareholder and no government support (24:54) Peter’s thoughts on Brexit (29:15)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:04)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Claire Bassett is Chair of The Property Ombudsman and the Serious Fraud office and Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists. She has extensive board experience on government, public sector and arm’s length boards. Listen to this episode to hear about: The moments that have shaped how Claire operates as a board member (01:07) Why the most supportive Chairs are also the most challenging (04:23) The three things you need to understand before joining an Arm’s Length Board (ALB) (08:01) Where first-time government NEDs go wrong (11:08) Why the best NEDs do their challenging before the meeting even starts (14:46) Boards have to know when stopping things is more valuable (17:30) The bravest thing a board can do (20:19) The biggest challenges of being on an ALB (22:12) The NED’s responsibility during a media storm (24:03) How to build a portfolio in the ALB landscape (28:31) Claire’s key advice to take into your next board interview (33:38) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡ (36:44)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Simon Calver is best known for his time as CEO of LoveFilm. He was then CEO of Mothercare plc. Tune in to this episode to hear about: The three choices that most shaped LoveFilm’s growth journey (01:23) How LoveFilm's board dealt with a hostile merger (05:53) Why Chairs should never be an investor directors (09:16) The most empowering thing a board can say to a CEO (11:16) How Simon knows if a business is customer-centric (13:25) Why appointing a customer NED is the worst thing you can do for your customers (15:45) The problem Mothercare was facing when Simon joined as CEO (17:51) Why boards should stress-test assumptions (23:24) The cautionary tale of the CEO couldn’t speak to his Chair (25:30) What the first item on every board agenda should be (27:26) How to fix a broken founder-board relationship (28:42) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡ (36:42)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Rachel Carrell is CEO of KoruKids, a UK-based childcare company which has delivered 4 million hours of childcare. Previously, she was CEO of DrThom. Listen to this episode to hear about: The most difficult board discussion Rachel has had (00:55) How to guide a founder without overstepping (03:35) Why sharing your experience is more valuable than giving advice (06:49) Three most significant boardroom moments from Rachel’s Koru Kids journey (09:16) The benefits of a PR crisis (11:36) Why emotional support is an important governance tool (15:27) How industry outsiders add value on boards (17:33) Why board members shouldn't stay high level (22:46) The 3 different buckets of board value (25:58) The positives of having only investor directors on your board (28:48) Why boards need to think more about supporting parents (34:43) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(37:41)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Adam Warby is Chair of Ocado Group and CEO Emeritus of Avanade. Previously, he was Chair of Heidrick & Struggles and Chair of Softwareone. Listen to this episode to understand Adam's thoughts on: When CEOs should hold their ground against the board (01:01) Lessons from coming in as the first CEO after the founder (04:54) When it’s time to refresh your company values (07:34) What boards get wrong about CEO succession (12:45) What comes after leading a 38,000-person business (16:47) Compensation:The hidden problem with partnership reward models (18:31) Why boards should have internal and external CEO candidates (21:12) The moment Adam was voted off the board as chair (24:47) The importance of understanding shareholder intentions (26:37) What success looks like on the Ocado board (32:30) Where does a chair's authority really come from? (36:16)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(37:25)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Sim Scavazza is NED at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Vice Chair of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Deputy Chair of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West NH Integrated Care Board. Listen to this episode to hear about: Leading through a 50% cost reduction (01:05) The human side of cutting costs (03:36) Common mistakes when communicating redundancies (09:36) Creating shared culture after a merger (12:58) The importance of time discipline in high-pressure moments  (17:20) Where boards get inclusion wrong (23:34) How Sim built a portfolio career in the NHS (29:24) How to approach an NHS board interview (33:42) The financial reality of NHS board roles (35:17)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(39:47)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Neil Johnson OBE is Group Chair of QinetiQ. Formerly, he was CEO of the RAC, and began his career in the British Army. Listen to this episode to hear about: The three boardroom experiences that most shaped Neil as a board member (01:450) What trade union battles taught Neil about leadership under pressure (04:03) Bringing military command experience into the boardroom (09:47) Prioritising time with people on the ground over board papers (13:47) Firing the chair: inside the RAC boardroom crisis (17:00) How disengaged boards lose touch with reality (24:09) Imposter syndrome at board level (29:38) Deep dive: Neil’s time as Chair of Qinetiq (30:52) Why chairing a board is like managing a football team (34:09) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:38)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Maria Molland is former CEO and Board Member of Thinx, the feminine hygiene company, acquired by Kimberly Clark. She is an Executive in Residence at Frazier Healthcare Partners. Tune in to hear Maria's thoughts on: Her first days as CEO (01:15) Lessons from her 90-day plan as a new CEO (05:37) Making the case for HR investment early on (10:54) Where the board misallocated investment when scaling (16:35) A framework for deciding where to invest (20:09) The trade-offs of taking capital from a strategic partner (23:08) The benefits of having someone with the CEO’s ear (28:54) What surprised Maria most on the path to exit (30:58)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(34:18)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Lubomila Jordanova is co-founder and CEO of Plan A, recently acquired by Diginex, Co-Founder of Greentech Alliance and Advisory Board Member at the European Investment Bank and Chloé. Tune in to hear her thoughts on: The best and worst moments that shaped Lubomila’s boardroom approach (03:00) How and when to create a board with complex stakeholders (04:44) How external board positions have helped Lubomila navigate her own board (11:27 The biggest challenges Lubomila has faced with her board (13:27) How geopolitics impacts board discussions (15:24) How boards can create a safe space for founders to raise personal issues in the boardroom (18:53) Deep dive: one board discussion that changed the direction of the business (25:12) How boards should evaluate a partnership strategy (27:04) The key relationships founders and CEOs need to build (30:43) The biggest mistake boards make on sustainability (40:23) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(42:39)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Sir Ian Cheshire is Chair of Land Securities Group and Spire Healthcare Group. Formerly, he was Group Chief Executive of Kingfisher plc and Chair of Channel 4, Barclays Bank UK and Debenhams. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: Top moments where Sir Ian’s seen boards add most value (01:57) How boards can prepare for crises (04:50) Two key ways boards should be engaging with AI (06:03) How Sir Ian’s boards are approaching geopolitical changes (11:34) How they’re assessing inflation risk (14:06) How they’re preparing for a liquidity crisis (17:52) Sir Ian’s resignation as Debenham’s chair (19:34) When and how board members should push back on legal advice (24:25) How board members can deal with activist shareholders (27:21) The role of commercial people on public sector boards (29:45) Mistakes Sir Ian’s made transitioning to public sector boards (33:14) The key lesson every exec has to learn as they transition to non-exec (34:46) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:10)

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom