This episode features Mark Telford, CEO of Forth Engineering.

No silver spoons. No silken cushion.

Picking coal off the beach to keep the house warm.

Welding bikes together just to have a way of getting about.

That’s what shaped him.

Mark is a pragmatist. An understated man. He was coaxed into the podcast studio because this chap doesn’t crave attention. BUT being a leader and figurehead means - showing up and shining a light, even when you would rather stay out of it.

West Cumbria is often described as a mono-employer economy. Sellafield looms large upon the landscape and local economy. For years, there has been an expectation of a job for life.

When that certainty went, the rug pulled from under him, Mark didn’t make a fuss about it. Necessity is the mother of invention. He rolled his sleeves up saw an opportunity and built something else.

This episode looks at responsibility. At giving back. At fundraising. At giving people a chance. Sometimes that’s a hand up. Sometimes a hand out. Sometimes it’s simply doing what needs doing, without shouting about it.

Mark Telford is a pillar of his community, not because he sets out to be, but because he understands where he’s from. He knows this place. He belongs to it. And that sense of belonging shapes how he leads, how he gives back, and how he shows up.

This is a conversation about a man, his choices, and a kind of leadership that grows quietly from place, loyalty, and responsibility.

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