Is a purely financial motivation enough to sustain you through the inevitable ups and downs of building a business?

In this episode of Leadership Perspectives in Financial Services, I sit down James Lawson, a seasoned entrepreneur and wealth management veteran. James shares his nearly 30-year journey from "falling into" wealth management at UBS to building and successfully exiting multiple businesses, including Ledbury Research and Tribe Impact Capital.

What You’ll Discover:

- The Wrong Reason to Start a Business: Why building a company solely to make money is a flawed motivation, and why solving a real problem must be at the core.

- Navigating the Financial Crisis: How a "bunker mentality" and a focus on his team helped James buy back and save his business during the 2008 crash.

- Expanding Your Surface Area of Luck: The importance of networking, saying yes to new opportunities, and how to position yourself so luck can find you.

Building a meaningful business requires a balance of short-term survival instincts and long-term vision. By focusing on core values and remaining transparent with clients, you can create an organisation built to last for decades, not just until the next exit.

Leadership Perspectives in Financial Services is produced by Urban Podcasts.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Emma Black - fintech entrepreneur, behavioural finance expert and co-founder of GB Bank and Cascade Cash Management.

Emma shares the remarkable story behind launching one of the UK’s newest challenger banks, from spotting a regional funding gap to raising capital, navigating regulation and building a bank through lockdown. We explore the realities of entrepreneurship, leadership under pressure and what it really takes to turn a bold idea into a regulated financial institution.

We also dive into Emma’s background in behavioural finance, the psychology behind financial decision-making and why access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges facing the regions today.

Along the way, Emma reflects on:

- The founding story of GB Bank

- Building culture during rapid growth

- Leadership lessons from elite sport and family influence

- Raising capital with purpose-led storytelling

- The importance of resilience, conviction and long-term thinking

- Why financial education and inclusion matter more than ever

This is a conversation about ambition, belief, legacy and creating meaningful impact through financial services.

A brilliant episode for anyone interested in leadership, entrepreneurship, challenger banking, behavioural finance and building businesses that genuinely make a difference.

Leadership Perspectives in Financial Services is produced by Urban Podcasts.

In this episode of Oxtalks, I sit down with Lucile Flamand, Chief Transformation Officer at Bibby Financial Services, to talk about leadership, transformation and something we came to describe as the “Secret Coach”.

In an industry driven by targets, pace and performance, coaching is not always the first skill people associate with senior leadership. Yet listening to Lucile, it becomes clear how important the “Secret Coach" has been in shaping her leadership style.

It all started early on in Lucile's career when she was fortunate enough to encounter a not-so-secret coach who really caught her attention. Inspired by it, she went on to train formally as a coach and, although she is not overly keen on the word “coach” itself, she recognised the impact these skills would have not just on her, but on those around her.

For her, it is not a title. It is a toolkit. A way of leading.

We talk about leaders who quietly use coaching skills every day without necessarily calling it that. Asking instead of telling. Creating ownership instead of dependency. Building the kind of psychological safety that allows change to stick.

A particularly interesting part of the conversation is the distinction between coaching and mentoring. Mentoring shares experience and advice. Coaching draws out thinking and ownership. Knowing when to use which is a critical skill in developing people, and one many leaders never formally learn.

Listening to Lucile, you get the sense that while technical ability matters, it is the ability to ask better questions, give meaningful feedback, manage ego and genuinely support your team that shapes the type of impact you as a leader can have.

A thoughtful and practical conversation about modern leadership in financial services and why some of the most effective leaders are coaching behind the scenes.

OxTalks is produced by Urban Podcasts.

The UK wealth management sector is in the middle of sustained M&A consolidation. While deal logic often looks compelling on paper, many firms are still losing talent, momentum and value after completion.

In this episode, Chris Oxley is joined by Chartered Occupational Psychologist and culture strategist Paula Brockwell to explore cultural integration as a material risk in M&A, and why it continues to be underestimated.

Rather than treating culture as engagement or morale, the conversation reframes it as an operating system: the systems, norms and behaviours that determine how people actually perform under pressure. When acquisitions take place, uncertainty rises, people retreat to familiar behaviours, and misalignment quickly surfaces. Stable, relationship-led businesses are pushed into growth modes they were never designed for. Farmers are asked to hunt. High-quality individuals disengage or leave — often taking clients and revenue with them.

A central theme is timing. Most organisations only address cultural integration once problems appear: rising attrition, falling energy, decision paralysis and a sense that everything feels harder than it should. By that point, value has already leaked. Paula argues that cultural integration should be treated as a pre-deal and post-deal risk — assessed with the same seriousness as financial, regulatory and operational factors.

The episode also explores what happens beneath the surface during integration: why leaders and employees experience change so differently, why process alignment without clear storytelling increases resistance, and why line managers — not frameworks or initiatives — ultimately determine whether people commit to the new direction or retreat into survival mode.

For leaders navigating consolidation, this is a practical, commercially grounded discussion about cultural integration as a driver of risk, performance and long-term value.

OxTalks is produced by Urban Podcasts.

In this episode, Chris speaks with Emma Boardwell, founder of Emotional Finance, psychotherapist, coach and qualified financial adviser. Emma brings a rare combination of therapeutic training and industry experience, offering deep insight into why financial advice is increasingly becoming a human, relational profession rather than a purely technical one.

Together, they explore how emotional intelligence, relational awareness and reflective practice are transforming the expectations placed on advisers. Emma explains why technical expertise alone no longer meets the needs of modern clients, how trust is built through transparency and authenticity, and why collaborative, co-created conversations lead to better client outcomes than traditional directive advice.

Emma also shares the story behind Emotional Finance, her framework for developing relational intelligence across three levels: building trust, forming meaningful connection and working collaboratively. She and Chris discuss the impact of AI, shifting client expectations, vulnerability under consumer duty, and the importance of presence, empathy and self-awareness in financial planning.

Emma provides real examples of the transformations she sees in advisers, from early-career planners building confidence to experienced advisers rediscovering purpose and depth in their work. She also introduces the Emotional Finance Collective, a reflective practice community designed to help advisers continuously refine their relational skills.

Whether you're an adviser, leader or simply curious about the human side of money, this conversation offers a powerful look at how emotional and relational intelligence can reshape client relationships and elevate the profession.

OxTalks is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What if boosting productivity and retention wasn’t about perks or pay but about truly listening to your people?

In this episode, Emma Caiger, Director of Talent Intelligence at Henley Insights Group joins me, to explore how smart data, cultural awareness and a people-first mindset are transforming the world of work.

Emma shares how talent intelligence goes beyond HR buzzwords, helping organisations truly understand what drives employee engagement and business success. From global workforce shifts post-Covid to the rise of AI and evolving employee expectations, we break down how leadership teams can make better, more informed decisions that put people at the centre.

What You’ll Learn

- The Happiness Dividend: How employee engagement directly impacts productivity, retention, and profitability.

- Talent Intelligence in Action: Why tailored, data-led people strategies beat one-size-fits-all solutions every time.

- Building Trust: How meaningful listening and proactive retention strategies turn employees into brand advocates.

Emma’s insights are a reminder that a happy, engaged workforce isn’t just good for morale - it’s essential for growth. When we stop treating people as commodities and start seeing them as partners, everything changes.

OxTalks is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Can mindset truly be the secret weapon for modern HR leaders?

In this episode, I speak with Tom Emery, People Performance Consultant, coach, and bestselling author of People People: Reach Your Full Potential as a CHRO. As the creator of the CHRO Impact Framework and founder of HEX, Tom brings over two decades of executive HR experience across sectors from retail to financial services.

Tom’s leadership journey, from firefighting in chaos to architecting and driving strategic transformation, sparked the development of the CHRO Impact Framework and shaped a coaching philosophy for senior leaders grounded in reflection, emotional intelligence, and commercial acumen. His CHRO Impact Framework supports senior HR professionals in shifting from operational reactivity to purposeful, enterprise-level impact.

From mindset and self-awareness to curiosity and commercial fluency, Tom explores what it truly means to lead HR teams that drive change, influence power structures, and elevate organisational performance.

What You’ll Learn

Mindset mastery: Why purposeful thinking, curiosity, and reflection are the foundation of every great HR leader.

From firefighting to frameworks: How to move from reaction to intention using Tom's CHRO Impact Framework.

Commercial curiosity: How understanding business dynamics transforms HR from a support function to a strategic powerhouse.

Tom reminds us: real transformation does not begin with systems or structures, it begins with people.

Change happens when people change. And as a leader, you're the one who sets that change in motion.

If you’re interested in continuing the conversation with Tom or working with him to increase your impact, feel free to get in touch at [email protected].

Tom reminds us that real transformation doesn't start with systems or structures-it starts with people. Change happens when people change-and you're the person to start that change.

OxTalks is produced by Urban Podcasts.

What if transformation wasn’t about technology at all - but about people?

In this episode of Ox Talks, I sit down with Jamie Pizzorno, former Chief Product Owner and Head of Cyber Security Change at Standard Chartered, and Executive Director at Goldman Sachs. Across nearly two decades in global finance, Jamie has led large-scale organisational transformation – from embedding AI and machine learning into risk controls to managing multi-million-pound cyber security portfolios.

But Jamie’s perspective goes far beyond systems and processes – he sees transformation as a deeply human journey.

During this episode we explore what transformation really means, how to bridge the gap between technical teams and senior executives, and why empathy, trust, and communication are the true drivers of lasting change. Jamie also shares the frameworks that have shaped his career – including Kaizen and ADKAR – while emphasising simplicity, clarity, and stakeholder engagement.

What You’ll Learn

- Human-Centred Change: Why successful transformations begin with empathy, trust, and psychological safety.

- Frameworks that Work: How Kaizen and ADKAR can simplify complex change into actionable steps.

- Leadership Skills: The power of communication, storytelling, and stakeholder engagement as transformation superpowers.

Jamie’s journey is a reminder that meaningful change isn’t just about systems - it’s about people, resilience, and leaving organisations better than you found them.

OxTalks is produced by Urban Podcasts.

How can leaders use culture as a true competitive advantage?

In this episode of OxTalks, I sit down with Jo Rice – former Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Resurgo, named Best Place to Work by The Sunday Times in 2024, and creator of the award-winning Spear Programme, which has helped over 10,000 young people overcome barriers to employment.

Drawing on her experience coaching leaders in industries from wealth management to manufacturing, Jo shares how culture isn’t just a “nice to have” – it’s the engine that drives engagement, innovation and performance. We explore the neuroscience of trust, how authentic leadership inspires teams, and why ignoring culture during growth can cost you dearly.

Jo’s stories from guiding organisations through mergers, rapid growth and high-stakes transitions reveal practical steps to align teams around shared values, unlock communication and create workplaces where people thrive.

If you’ve ever wondered how small cultural shifts can lead to big business wins, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

OxTalks is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Is digital overload quietly eroding you and your team’s productivity, focus, and mental health?

In this must-listen episode, we’re joined by Petra Velzeboer—Global TEDx Speaker, CEO, and renowned mental health consultant, to confront the hidden costs of our always-on culture.

From escaping a religious cult and battling addiction, to becoming one of the most sought-after voices in workplace mental health, Petra brings raw honesty, clinical expertise, and business-savvy insights. She’s the author of Digital Wellbeing and host of the Disrupting Wellbeing podcast, challenging how we think about success, performance, and sustainable leadership in the digital age.

Petra unpacks how doom scrolling, notifications, and blurred work–life boundaries are silently draining your team’s focus, resilience, and innovation. More importantly, she offers real solutions used by FTSE leaders and global organisations to:

• Build healthier tech habits that drive performance, not burnout
• Redesign hybrid work with clearer digital boundaries
• Align wellbeing strategy with commercial objectives
• Cultivate a culture of psychological safety, creativity, and meaningful connection

Her challenge to you: Ask your team how your tech habits affect them. The answer may change how you lead.

Want to learn more about Petras work?

Website | LinkedIn 

Get a copy of Petra's Digital Wellbeing book.

OxTalks is produced by Urban Podcasts.