Leaders with Ambition

​There’s no guaranteed path to career success, but Nicky’s guest on this episode of Leaders with Ambition illustrates a few key ingredients.

Nick Wallis, a Partner and Head of Deal Advisory at Gerald Edelman, deployed a powerful combination of priorities in making his quick ascent: A strong work ethic, effective networking and eyes on the horizon. While it’s easy to get caught up in the next salary increase, Nick understood early on that short-term sacrifice often equals long-term gain. Thus, he leaned into long working hours and understood that increased managerial responsibility or exposure to new skill sets were worth the trade-off.

This episode highlights the tools that have enabled Nick to achieve his goals, the need always to be gauging your value-add within any given team and why it’s so important to keep your eyes fixed on a five- or ten-year horizon. “The experiences I’ve had along the way have really helped to get me to where I am today and have given me the confidence to achieve,” says Nick. He also offers thoughts on the impact of Covid19 relating to corporate deal-making and shares both highlights and lowlights from the course of his stellar career.

​In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky speaks with Lucy Rao, who runs business development and marketing at Boodle Hatfield LLP.

Lucy has established a practice within the practice, counselling fee earners at every level of the law firm in how to sharpen communications (listen, ask questions) and pitch business (words matter, nuance is essential.).

This informative conversation covers everything from the burgeoning field of professional services marketing to the lessons learnt during the pandemic about managing mental health, remote work scenarios and the powerful role work-life balance has to play in creativity and productivity.

Lucy shares her wealth of experience within business development and the compelling case for teaching executives, like the Partners at the law firms for which she has worked, how to leverage data/metrics and communications techniques. Her marketing vision, sales training and business development support consistently engages new prospects while exciting long-standing clients at the same time.

Overarching this lively discussion is Lucy’s baseline advice: Be yourself, whether in marketing, communications, BD or any other facet of life.

In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky’s guest is Dave Gibson, Co-Founder & CEO of Blu Sky Chartered Accountants.

A key theme in this episode is how Dave owes his dynamic management style, not to a single source of inspiration, but to lessons learned at every juncture along his path – from observing the power in his father’s quiet authority to pioneering in the IT space, to navigating a series of positions at a wide range of companies across multiple sectors and geographies. ​

During his career, Dave has explored the world of contract consulting, all the while observing Managers whose styles ranged from bullying to empowering. All of the tools he acquired over the early years of his career lent themselves directly to the entrepreneurial chance Dave and his partner took in 2005, when they decided to establish Blu Sky.

In this episode, you will learn that the most powerful Managers depend foremost on clear communication, respect for people and an intuitive curiosity about whatever task is at hand. Dave will inspire you to speak up, raise your hand and look for the golden nuggets in whatever work experience you take on because, regardless of where we go, careers are built on the openness we bring and the knowledge we seek.

In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky sits down with Penny Newman, HR Consultant and previously Chief People Officer, at Lewis Silkin.

Penny was one of the first females to attend Keble College, Oxford and she become an ACA Qualified Accountant at Deloitte during a time when there were very few female chartered accountants. In this episode, they discuss Penny’s early life, her greatest role models and her early decision to prioritise her career..

This episode covers; supporting women’s rights in the workplace, creating a work life balance and the importance of networking and building relationships.

​In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky sits down with Leor Franks, Business Development & Marketing Director at Kingsley Napley.

Leor takes us on the journey of his illustrious 20-year career that combines his love for journalism and building high-performing teams.

Despite building a distinguished career, Leor openly shares his wins and struggles with imposter syndrome. 

Leor is a sought-after speaker and thought leader within professional services Business Development and Marketing.

In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky sits down with Lorraine Gibson, the current Business Development Director, UK, US & EMEA at Herbert Smith Freehills.

They discuss the importance of bringing your authentic self to the office and working hard to achieve your career goals. Lorraine shares her experiences within the various roles she has had and talks about the importance of knowing what it is you’re striving towards.

From working for large corporate organisations to spending a few years working for herself, Lorraine gives an insight into her involvement within the Professional Services Industry. This episode is about having the opportunity to find your voice, the impact of visionary leadership and ultimately the significance of personal development.

In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky speaks with Karen Snell, Head Of Marketing and Business Development, Clients & Industries at Hogan Lovells. Karen shares her career journey within legal marketing and BD as well as the challenges and highlights along the way.

Karen notes how she was able to thrive by seizing the opportunities that came her way, demonstrating passion for her work and career, all the while balancing a senior role with her family commitments.

​In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky talks with Brian Johnson, Partner at UHY Hacker Young. Brian shares his career journey within insolvency as well as the practical lessons that can be adopted to foster career growth and success.

Brian also talks about his passion for the job, while noting the challenges faced by insolvency professionals, with particular emphasis on the importance of creating long-term relationships.

In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky sits down with Paul Davies, Business Restructuring and Insolvency Partner from James Cowper Kreston, who talks us through his unorthodox career path to becoming a Partner and some of his highlights.

Paul shares the challenges he has faced along the way and offers actionable advice to new and potential Insolvency Practitioners. He also talks about the importance of mentorship and how this has helped him to progress his career.

In this episode of Leaders with Ambition, Nicky sits down with Marie Wadeson, Managing Director at Quantuma, to discuss her career path from BD & Marketing to Partner to Managing Director.

With an emphasis on her determination and drive, Marie explains the mindset she adopted that ultimately resulted in her success, sharing key points from her challenges and career lessons that she learnt along the way.