Flex and the City - Great leadership in financial services

This week on Flex and the City I talk with Johnny Black, Head of Commercial & Strategy, Advisor Sector, abrdn 

Jonny Black is far from Black - he's colourful, sparkly, and energetic which is just what the industry needs. Not afraid to challenge and call things out. Fresh air. 

Jonny celebrates difference - and the power that difference (we even talked about his dad's dislike of Deliveroo) can have on different generations of investors. 

What Jonny brings with heart ❤️ and conviction is the need for the industry to connect with the Dreams, wishes, and emotions of their clients. The DREAM factory. 

Don't we all have dreams?! 

I've heard over the years from a number of sources that Christophe Girondel is a respected leader. 

Even at the beginning of the podcast recording, Christophe creates a climate of trust. He stands for trust and authenticity. We talked about the Nordic influence on his leadership which I've coined "Hygge" Leadership but we also talked about the powerful influence of remote travel and this powerful perspective that brings a peaceful, groundedness to Christophe's leadership. 

Sustainable Performance, Authenticity, Agency, and Leader as Coach are words that come to mind. 

This week on Flex and the City we interviewed Denise Thomas who is the COO of abrdn. 

Authentic isn’t quite a big enough word to describe Denise Thomas. I prefer the acronym WYSIWYG or Down to Earth; Real; Fun. 

I would work for Denise. I connected with Denise because she’s genuinely interested in people. She is curious about people. Deeply curious. As you may have heard and I have said before curiosity is at the core of being a leader who brings a coaching style to the workplace. It is this curiosity that engenders trust - trust from everyone that works around her and everyone in her sphere of influence. 

I felt so comfortable in Denise’s company that I even brought in my husband at the end of the podcast to say a big hello as they’ve been brought up in the same area of Edinburgh. 

This week on Flex and the City we interviewed Kunle Olafare who is the CEO of SK Financial. Kunle is part of the new movement of leaders who lead with heart and humanity – In this podcast, he reveals his own personal 5 Ps for achieving growth and success.

This week on Flex and the City I interviewed Karl Harder, the co-founder & Managing Director of Abundance a Financial Services game changer and lifelong environmentalist (before Greta was even born!!!) Karl is a deeply human individual and his lack of ego, profound humility, and straightforward simplicity provokes you into reflecting on the power of money and the purpose behind its accumulation and use. The interesting thing about Karl is that he didn't work in financial services until much later in life when he had previously gained experience working with the inspirational Anita Roddick. If you want to hear a unique perspective on financial services and what that means for our future this is the podcast for you.

This week on Flex and the City I interviewed Laurie Spengler, CEO, Impact Investor and Field Builder. A G7 Task Force Member amongst many other philanthropic endeavours who helps make our world a better place.

Laurie cares. 
Laurie is abundant. 
Laurie really understand the value of deep relationships.

Laurie articulates with conviction and drive  the importance of being in service to people and planet and the critical role that money plays in enabling that. Money has purpose yet is often misused.

If you work in the industry and have the slightest interest in sustainability and impact this is the podcast for you.

Pips Bunce is one of the most genuine, humble, kind, perceptive, and passionate leaders I have met. Pips was in touch with my team and they all said she made them feel truly special and valued. ❤️

This is a rare quality. True Leadership. 

In addition to the day job at Credit Suisse, Pips puts an enormous amount of energy and passion into connecting and educating our community at large.

Pips is bringing a deep sense of humanity and courage to the financial services industry which we applaud with humility.

We need more leaders like Pips to continue to pioneer and push for more inclusive financial services.🙏

This week on Flex and the City I had the very great pleasure to interview the loving, vocal, and driven Tom Baigrie who is the Chair of LifeSearch👇 

Tom epitomizes love for his family, for his customers and for his industry. He gives sound advice to any financial services entrepreneur when he says “your purpose should not be on just making money, it has to about the value you bring and what you do for your customers” 

In Henka terms Tom leads his own tribe with heart, with spirit and hunger/purpose. ❤️

Thank you Tom for sharing your views in such a dynamic and inspiring way. 

This week on Flex and the City, we have the privilege to speak to the very kind, encouraging, inspiring Alan Chalmers, who leaves an incredible impression on people whenever he interacts with them.

Alan, is the former publisher of Funds Europe and well known in the Financial Services industry with an incredible depth of knowledge about the industry.
No wonder Alan is also a formidable entertainer with a love for excellent wine, good food and sharing this with wonderful people.
 
We asked him who the six leaders are in the Financial Services Industry that he would love to entertain and although he did indicate the wine bill might be high he carefully selected these leaders, not only because of their formidable leadership but also their humanity.
Welcome to our table: Yves Perrier,  Martin Gilbert, Anne Richards, Dame Elizabeth Corley, Massimo Tosato and Todd Ruppert.
 
Come enjoy our dinner with us on FATC

This week on Flex and the City, we have the privilege to speak to John Beck.  

John, is Senior Vice President and Director of Global Fixed Income for Franklin Templeton London, and is our first fixed income expert, who leverages his tremendous knowledge of historical economic events combined with his own forward looking views, in a way that really brings to life his perspectives on how financial services needs to change in order to stay relevant, attract new talent and ensure its own sustainability.

John Beck knows the power of the long game… and he’s been in the game for a long time - he’s seen off more than a few crises and the stories he shares are wonderful insights.

There is more than a fair bit of wisdom here. 
 
Thank you, John. 🙏 

Our vision is to give financial services meaning and purpose through great Leadership.