ABOUT THIS EPISODE

My guest today on Leaders in Conversation is Omar Abouseif, a former professional basketball player and now Global Associate Sector Manager at Shell.

In our conversation Omar offers valuable insights into:

• Leading with purpose in business and in life
• Knowing and being yourself
• Engaging with and in others to deliver great performance
• The importance of paying attention to the soft skills

Omar’s three Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. 1. Invest in people before outcomes, results will follow.
2. Be in the moment, be intentional in every interaction. Small moments build big trust.
3. Lead with genuine care, people will remember how you made them feel.

About Omar

Omar Abouseif is a seasoned marketer with fourteen years of experience in the biggest multinational in the world (Unilever, Nestle & Shell). Currently, Omar is a Global Associate Sector Manager at Shell, working in global marketing for the commercial road transport sector. He is passionate about building meaningful relationships and turning everyday interactions into impact. Before entering the business world Omar spent 16 years as a professional basketball player, an experience that shaped how he leads, adapt, and perform. Shaped by his experience and basketball and diverse global exposure, Omar focuses on helping people feel better, perform better, and connect more deeply—both in business and in life.

To connect, follow and find out more about Omar:

LinkedIn: ‏Omar Abouseif‏ - ‏Global Associate Marketing Manager @Shell | xNestlé | xUnilever | xProBasketballPlayer‏ | LinkedIn

Thank you

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to find out more about the work I do with Lucy Kidd go to our website www.collaborationequation.com

To find out more about the Future-Engage-Deliver approach to leadership, visit www.futureengagedeliver.com and the book ‘Leadership Plain and Simple’ by Steve Radcliffe.

To find out more about the Marketing Leaders Programme, and The Marketing Society do go to their website wwww.themarketingsociety.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] . Please share and subscribe to the podcast, and to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Victoria Rennoldson, is a coach, speaker and author specialising in global leadership, communication and cultural intelligence She is host of the podcast: The Culture Cuppa: Cultural Communication Confidence, and author of ‘Become a Global Leader: Amplify Your Impact, Lead Confidently Communicate Clearly and Connect Across Culture’. She dedicates the book to her father, who died in Spring 2025 and had a huge influence on her, and her values, beliefs, passion and purpose.

In our conversation Victoria offers valuable insights into:

• How we need our human capabilities more than ever in an AI world.
• How the ability to connect and to have good conversations, and to build trust and relationships is ultimately our human differentiator.
• That so-called ‘soft skills' is a total misnomer and that there is nothing soft about people skills that impact individuals, teams and organisations.
• How in a time of divides in and out of work we need Cultural Intelligence more than ever.

Victoria’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders

1. Keep making space for curiosity about people - have conversations, make connections;
2. Cultural intelligence is an action, not what we know. We need to show, act and lead by example - even with people who have very different values, perspectives or behaviours from our own.
3. Yes, AI skills matter and our human skills matter just as much. Adaptability is key.

About Victoria:

Victoria Rennoldson is a multi-award-winning coach, international speaker and best-selling author helping people lead across borders in a rapidly changing world.

As technology accelerates and AI reshapes how we work, Victoria focuses on what makes leaders distinctly human- clarity of communication, confidence, cultural intelligence and the ability to build meaningful connection.

She supports ambitious professionals and teams to increase their visibility and impact globally, helping them speak up with confidence and collaborate across cultures.

Victoria is the CEO and Founder of Culture Cuppa and host of a top-ranked global leadership podcast with over 170 episodes. Her book, Become a Global Leader, became an Amazon bestseller in Career Advancement and Professional Development on launch.

To connect, follow and find out more about Victoria:

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/victoria-rennoldson

Website: https://culturecuppa.com/book

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culture_cuppa/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@culture-cuppa

Podcast: https://culturecuppa.com/podcast/

Book: https://culturecuppa.com/book

Thank you

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

My guest today on Leaders in Conversation is Yasmin O’Neal, Senior Director for Global Brand at DECIEM. DECIEM is best known for its leading brand The Ordinary.

In our conversation Yasmin offers valuable insights into:

• How you can love your team, and you can win
• Kindness versus Niceness
• Being Curious
• How we all have an impact

Yasmin’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. Our sphere of influence matters. Leaders have, by nature, a bigger sphere of influence - how can we use it for good?
2. Belief should be a given. Expect little from people and they will give you little. Expect a lot and you’ll be rewarded tenfold.
3. Loving honesty. Tell it straight, but tell it straight from the heart. You’ll be helping if you do it.

Connect with Yasmin:

LinkedIn: Yasmin O'Neal

Thank you:

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

About this episode:

Today's guest is Erin Rogers, Founder of ERA Collective, Executive Coach, and Leadership Development Partner.

In our conversation Erin offers valuable insights into:

• Motherhood - How becoming a mother made her a better leader, grounded in what matters, more emotionally intelligent, and ultimately led to her pivot into coaching.
• The mentor who saw her before she saw herself - she shares the Pink Hair story and the lesson of not waiting for permission.
• Leading through crisis - what her daughter's cancer journey taught her about presence, priorities, and refusing to wait for 'someday.'
• The power of being seen, and of not hiding.

Erin's leadership lessons:

• Make sure that you really see the people around you. Keep noticing. Name what you see in them. You might be the one who shifts everything. And don't wait - the window isn't guaranteed.
• Crisis Clarifies. You learn what actually matters - and you stop performing leadership and start living it.
• One moment of being seen can change everything. That's what psychological safety actually looks like. It's not a policy. It's a moment.

Erin's three key encouragements to leaders:

1. Stop waiting for permission. The mentor who asked about my pink hair wasn't giving me permission - she was showing me I didn't need it. And I almost waited too long.
2. See the people around you - even when they're hiding. Ask how they are doing. One question gave me permission to stop shrinking and start helping others.
3. Your next era can be your greatest era - if you're present, listening to the signals, and learning through your experiences. The things I've struggled with most - motherhood, menopause, my daughter's illness - are now the things I use to support other leaders. Nothing is wasted if you're paying attention.

About Erin:

Erin Rogers is the Founder of ERA Collective, an executive coaching and leadership development consultancy helping leaders show up with intention, build visibility, and navigate the messy middle of professional growth. With 25+ years in senior marketing and communications roles - including 12 years as Director of Brand, Marketing and Communications at EY Canada and 5 years as Country Head of Marketing at HSBC Canada - Erin brings a rare combination of strategic rigour and genuine warmth to her coaching. She is ICF ACC-certified and works with individuals, teams, and organizations ready to step into their next chapter. Erin lives in Toronto with her husband and three daughters.

Connect with Erin:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erin-j-rogers

Website: eracollective.ca

Insights: eracollective.ca/insights

Thank you

To listen to more episodes of Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend do go to my website, www.annitownend.com; and to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, www.collaborationequation.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

If you would like a conversation with me do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

And please do subscribe, and share the podcast. Thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

My guest today is Susie Partridge, round the world sailor and founder of the strategic marketing agency Blue Feathers.

I had the pleasure of being in conversation with Susie for an earlier episode of Leaders in Conversation in which she spoke about the people, places and experiences that had shaped her life and leadership; how following her passion for sailing helped her find her purpose and to set up Blue Feathers eight years ago.

In this episode we pick up on these last 8 years of running Blue Feathers and Susie offers valuable insights into:

• What the fast-changing marketing landscape means for capability in the industry
• The responsibility leaders have for developing marketers of the future
• How to drive capability as part of a marketing culture

Susie’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. Decide the role you want to take as a guardian of marketing – what matters to you to protect and pass on to the next generation.
2. Whatever that is, be the champion of it – share the passion, spend time thinking about how it applies as marketing evolves, and share that on.
3. Role model growth - normalise the cycle of learning and make it part of the everyday in our teams.

About Susie:

After a successful career in marketing at Unilever and British Gas, and then fulfilling her ambition of sailing a yacht around the world, Susie started her next adventure when she founded the strategic marketing agency Blue Feathers.

Susie’s aim was to help marketers to be their best and drive their brands to succeed. She now leads a team of marketing experts who work with major brands including Tesco, Primark, Michelin, Simplyhealth and Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Susie believes that people do their best work when life is balanced – and that belief is reflected in how she leads the Blue Feathers team: a highly skilled, fully remote group, motivated through shared purpose and a deliverables-based approach.

Susie remains passionate about sailing and loves spending time on the water. She is also now a keen beekeeper and gardener, and enjoys spending time hiking.

To connect, follow and find out more about Susie:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susiepartridge/

Website: www.bluefeathers.co.uk

Instagram: @susiepartridge00

Thank you

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

My guest today on Leaders in Conversation is Sally-Anne Airey, leadership coach, founder of Skilful Leaders and author of Mindful Command - the way of the evolving leader, and podcast host of Fearless Forward.

In our conversation Sally-Anne offers valuable insights into:

• What good leadership looks, sounds, and feels like.
• How becoming a better leader is less about what you do, and more about how you are.
• Why she created the concept of Mindful Command and what it is - Balanced Awareness (seeing things as they are), Clear Purpose (being clear what matters) and Fearless Compassion (cultivating the courage to do the right thing).

Sally-Anne’s Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. Pause
2. Look at the whole picture
3. Listen for what’s needed.
4. Be Present

About Sally-Anne:

SALLY-ANNE AIREY is a leadership coach who has devoted over 40 years to the art and skill of leadership. A Royal Navy officer for 23 years, she rose to the rank of Commander and was the first woman to continue in service as a mother. Later she worked for 8 years in Ukraine and Russia, where she discovered her coaching vocation on a consultancy project in Kyiv in 2007. She has been coaching leaders ever since. Inspired by the mountains surrounding her home in the French Alps, she developed the concept of Mindful Command – now the foundation for all her work with people who care about their impact on the world.

To connect, follow and find out more about Sally-Anne:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyanneairey/

Website: https://skilfulleaders.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sallyanne_airey/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkilfulLeaders

Podcast: https://skilfulleaders.com/podcasts-blog/

Resources/Books/Free download: (If applicable) Mindful Command - The way of the evolving leader

Thank you

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation and to find out more about Walking Partnerships do go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

My guest today is Jenny Latham, Executive Coach and passionate advocate for staying human in a digital world.

In our conversation Jenny offers valuable insights into:

1. How our modern world is leaving us hyper connected but under bonded, creeping up so slowly that many of us haven’t realised what we’re missing;
2. Why the quality of connection matters more than the quantity; the importance of shared experiences and getting beyond small talk into more meaningful conversation;
3. How the Smartphone Free Childhood Movement is instrumental in protecting our children’s social health, and mental health more broadly;
4. The importance of identifying your own social needs and being intentional about wiring your world to meet them.

Jenny’s three Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. Reflect on your own social needs and be intentional in steering your life to meet them
2. Have the courage to get beyond small talk into more meaningful conversations and make time together count
3. If you have children, help them meet their social needs by setting healthy screen boundaries

About Jenny:

Jenny Latham works as an independent Executive Coach, helping senior leaders (particularly across Government), to navigate their careers with a specialism in ‘what next’?

She made the move to freelance coaching in July 2023 following 16 years at EY, firstly client facing as a Management Consultant and then as a People, Market and Operations Director, working with the Consulting Leadership team to run the business. She was also part of the EY Professional Coaches network, supporting senior talent to develop.

She discovered coaching in 2020 and was increasingly drawn to a career which has helping people at the forefront and with a focus on solving more human societal challenges.

She has a deep passion for all things social health & connection. One of the reasons she loves coaching is the opportunity to help people put their masks down, to have a meaningful conversation and to connect with who they are and what they want.

She’s an active volunteer in her local community with the Smartphone Free Childhood Movement. She wants to see a society where real human to human friendship, belonging and tribe can flourish and this means using technology very intentionally.

To get in touch with Jenny, to find out more about her, and about the Smart Phone Free Childhood movement:

LinkedIn: Jenny Latham

Websites: www.jennylatham.com and www.smartphonefreechildhood.org

Some of Jenny’s favourite books on connection:

1. Lost Connections: Johann Hari
2. The Art of Gathering: Priya Parker
3. Let’s Talk (How to have better conversations): Nihal Arthanayake
4. Together: Vivek Murthy
5. Talk To Your Boys: Joanna Schroeder, Christopher Pepper

Thank you

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com

And if you would like to join us on one of our Walking Partnerships days, please do get in touch with me.

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

My guest today is Patrick Andrews, lawyer and co-founder with Erica Neve of Yoak. He is author of The Incomplete Circle - Rethinking Business from the Inside Out, published in 2025.

In our conversation Patrick offers valuable insights into:

1. Participation - real change only happens when we move from observers to participants.
2. Wholeness - what it means to lead, organise and make decisions from a sense of interconnectedness rather than separation.
3. Flow - How individuals and organisations flourish when effort, skill and purpose align.

In our conversation we explore some of the following questions:

Participation: What does it mean to move from being an observer into becoming a participant? What happens when we choose to become a participant? What are some of the steps towards moving from being an observer to a participant in business and organisations?

Wholeness: In Patrick’s wonderful book - The Incomplete Circle he writes about the dance of wholeness, and how leadership is a practice not a position; and that leading involves deep listening, trusting and creating structures that are encouraging of interconnectedness rather than separation. What are some of the challenges to doing this, and how can we as leaders, and people in business develop this practice? What is the impact on decision making when we do this? What do we need to pay attention to that will help us?

Flow: We often talk about ‘going with the flow’ in our lives, and what it feels like to be in the flow when everything feels aligned. What can we learn from our bodies, and from nature about flow? What happens to individuals and organisations when effort, skill and purpose align? How can we get into the flow, and what is the impact on people, on business?

Patrick’s three Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. Listening to yourself including and especially to your body.
2. Listening to others - particularly critics and to the quieter, often unheard, voices.
3. Listening to the universe. Nature is our first and best teacher.

To connect, follow and find out more about Patrick:

LinkedIn: Patrick Andrews

Website: yoak.uk

Book: The Incomplete Circle. Available on Amazon or here.

Thank you:

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODEIn our conversation Marisa offers valuable insights into:

1. Supporting change and transition for success
2. Helping people be their best
3. The link between engagement, development and performance
4. Equity and fairness in leading change and transition

Marisa’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders:

1. It sounds so simple but really get to know your people
2. Great people and talent come in different forms – there isn’t a single formula
3. Take time to think about how life can / will change for you and what you want from it and what you might need to do differently or learn. Don’t put things off! And never give up on what you want

To connect, follow and find out more about Marisa:

LinkedIn: Marisa Kismul

Thank you

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, to do go our website www.collaborationequation.com.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter, and podcast and do follow me on LinkedIn.

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the wonderful production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

If you are not already please do subscribe to the podcast, review and share it.

I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Today’s guest is Lulu Minns, Fifth Dimension (5D) Teacher and author of The Genius Wheel®.

In our conversation Lulu offers valuable insights into:

1. Understanding and aligning with your personal growth cycle
2. Leading from authenticity and claiming your unique genius
3. Integrating natural seasonal rhythms with personal and professional growth
4. Supporting women’s wellbeing and empowerment in leadership

Lulu’s Three Key Encouragements to Leaders and Listeners:

1. Slow down and tune in.
2. Commitment to your creative power, exceptional intelligence or natural ability.
3. Look back.

About Lulu

I am a 5D teacher and thought leader who helps individuals and organisations understand and align with the deeper patterns that shape personal and collective growth. My body of work, The Genius Wheel®, developed over a decade, explores how consciousness evolves through natural 7-year cycles — a framework that offers clarity, perspective and direction through times of change and transformation.

Working from a 5D perspective means seeing beyond surface-level events to recognise the energetic and emotional layers influencing them. I support female entrepreneurs, creatives, and leaders to interpret these shifts with awareness and purpose.

My approach blends practical action with multidimensional insight, providing a bridge between inner evolution and real-world impact. Through 6-weekly empowerment circles and bi-annual retreats, I help women navigate their unique 7-year journey — providing a roadmap to navigate life’s big transitions.

If you don’t already have a copy of The Genius Wheel, you can get one at thegeniuswheel.com and use the discount code FRIENDS25 for a discount.

To connect with Lulu follow and learn more about her and her amazing work:

LinkedIn: Lulu Minns

Website: thegeniuswheel.com

Instagram: @thegeniuswheel

YouTube: @thegeniuswheel

Podcast: She Rebel Radio

Substack: @luluminns

Thank you

To listen to other Leaders in Conversation with me Anni Townend go to my website, www.annitownend.com; to listen to Finding Your Collaborative Edge™ with Lucy Kidd and I, do go to our website www.collaborationequation.com.

A big thank you to SHMOGUS Media for the production and marketing of the podcast with Louisa Penny, from Penny Writing.

To contact me Anni Townend do email me on [email protected] visit my website, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on LinkedIn.

I look forward to connecting with you, thank you for listening.