Leadership Recipes

What links a bauxite mine, a Jesuit elite school and a refugee camp? Today’s guest has led in all three, and the same belief in human potential runs through every move.

Jean-Noël Dargnies spent 30 years in the aluminium industry before directing one of France’s most prestigious schools. After two mandates he transitioned to chairing a world top 10 NGO: Handicap International (Humanity and Inclusion in English) operates in more than 50 countries, supplying equipment, carrying out humanitarian landmine removal, and campaigning against illegal weapons such as cluster ammunition. It supports the most vulnerable, people affected by poverty, conflict and disaster, many of them living with disability.

In part one we explore his history, his values and collect a lot of wisdom about becoming a more complete person, not just a competitor in the rat race. We follow the thread of backing people’s potential along his three careers. He explains why he believes courage and humility matter more than talent alone. He takes us through the detailed preparation of his chosen dish as well as its meaning. He concludes with the importance of preparing the transition to retirement well in advance.

In part two, Valentine and I turn to the dish Jean-Noël chose: the seafood platters he prepares meticulously for his large family gatherings in Brittany. We focus specifically on the humble oyster. How to choose them, shuck them and what to serve them with (hint: tabasco is contentious). Leaving oysters behind, we go around the seafood platter and debate whether homemade mayonnaise is really worth the effort.

Bon Appétit!

“The goal is not to eat, the goal is to gather people.” – Jean-Noël Dargnies

You’ll hear about:

Episode resources:

Handicap International/Humanity & Inclusion: https://www.handicap-international.fr/

https://www.humanity-inclusion.org.uk/

Jersey oyster sizes (scroll down): https://jerseyoyster.com/

A compressed watermelon example: https://smoothiesandsundaes.com/2013/07/19/compressed-watermelon/

Jamie’s hand made mayo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypQuZX5MVsI

Find out more about Jean-Noël:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-noel-dargnies-613b33173/

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier

Chris Rennoldson's journey to founding Pasta Evangelists was anything but linear: 

from chemical engineering to the London Stock Exchange during its most dramatic takeover battles, to professional cookery school at Leiths. Each turn shaped how he thinks about leadership, teamwork and elevating the ordinary into something special.

Now leading 400 people across 50 restaurants, Chris shares what Clara Furse taught him about unwavering conviction during NASDAQ's hostile bid. 

We explore his transition from left-brain analyst to creative chef, why being present matters more than anything else as a senior leader, and how he navigates cross-cultural relationships with Italian shareholders.

His chosen dish is Lancashire hot pot, a humble casserole that reflects his philosophy of taking the apparently ordinary and making efforts to elevate it through technique and care.

He also shares a secret quick pasta recipe that celebrates exactly that.

Bon Appétit!

“Take the apparently ordinary and really make efforts to elevate it.” – Chris Rennoldson

You’ll hear about:

Episode resources:

Sfoglia Rina (Valentine’s pasta tip) -  https://www.sfogliarina.it/en/cooking/

Harold McGee's Book on Food Science - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Cooking-Science-Lore-Kitchen/dp/0684800012 

Leiths School of Food and Wine - https://www.leiths.com 

Find out more about Chris:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/crennoldson/?originalSubdomain=uk 

Pasta Evangelists - https://pastaevangelists.com/ 

Contact François & Valentine:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/ 

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier 

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/ 

Welcome to Season 2 of Leadership Recipes!

Ben Voyer’s story begins in Paris, where his grandfather’s fillet mignon with caramelised potatoes and onions became the defining dish of his childhood. It was simple, balanced and prepared with care. Qualities that stayed with him as he grew up, moved abroad and built a career studying how people think, lead and work together.

Now a professor of behavioural science, Ben divides his time between London and Wellington teaching the next generation of leaders. His chosen dish becomes a lens for exploring tradition, memory and the subtle balance that good leadership requires.

In our conversation, we look at how Gen Z differs from millennials, and how collective leadership emerges when people understand each other’s constraints. He also reflects on how he believes experienced leaders should adapt to new generations in the workforce.

In part two, Valentine and I break down the origins of the dish and show you how to make it with minimal stress and maximum flavour.

Bon Appétit!

“Creativity comes from constraints in cooking and leadership.” – Ben Voyer

Episode resources:

Find out more about Ben:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benvoyer/

Ben’s Website - https://www.benvoyer.com/

Listen to Ben’s Podcast We All Make Mistakes - https://open.spotify.com/show/2yu9pBb8rXqrOYL8WAwj8W

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier

For the final episode of Season 1 we have our first French leader: Thibault Laumonier.

Thibault manages the French division of cardboard packaging group DS Smith, a major actor in Europe’s circular economy. A former Paratrooper who studied finance in Paris, he worked his way up in industrial sales before taking up increasingly complex managing director roles for American, Australian and British businesses.

His leadership style can be summarised by his moto: a healthy mind in a healthy body. He shares with us what it means and how to get the best out of a diverse team.

Thibault loves food: both for itself and for its ability to build connections. This is why he chose a very convivial cooking instrument for today’s recipe: the plancha. He shares his recipe of portuguese clams, along with three tapas to cook while socialising.

In part 2 Valentine and I explore the origins of the plancha cooking style, the main and bonus recipes – with a little twist due to the availability of the ingredients.

Bon Appétit!

“It’s a time and moment when you bring people together” – Thibault Laumonier

You’ll hear about:

02:12 - From jumping out of aeroplanes to the circular economy

05:50 - What makes a good leader?

10:00 - How to deal with being the ‘jam in the sandwich’

12:00 - The role of food in Thibault's life

15:10 - Thibault's favourite recipe

23:52 - Quickfire questions

31:54 - Part 2 - Portuguese clams a la plancha: etymology, tips and banter

Episode resources:

Download Thibault’s recipe here

Find out more about Thibault:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibault-laumonier-4464806/   

DS Smith - https://www.dssmith.com/company 

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/ 

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier 

Today’s guest is not just a social business leader, he is also a policy wonk, a tech entrepreneur, and a crossbench (non political) Peer.  

Born and bred in Wakefield, Victor dropped out of school and worked as a road sweeper before branching into council housing management and getting his first CEO role aged 24. He ran increasingly complex social enterprises and joined the House of Lords where he advocates important neglected issues. He currently sits on the board of the Co-op Group and chairs the NHS Confederation. He also chairs Visionable, a video and data tech platform designed to bring healthcare to everyone, everywhere.

Victor’s chosen dish is one of comfort: Nigerian chicken stew. Growing up this was his Sunday lunch, and an opportunity for his parent’s Yoruban roots to shine through in food.

It’s a dish with many variations, and we explore the impatient cook’s version along with the slower, more detailed way to cook it in part 2 of the episode.

Bon Appétit!

“Enjoy leadership and food because they don’t last forever” – Victor Adebowale

You’ll hear about:

02:06 – An introduction to Victor

12:26 – The inverse care law

15:26 – Why 9/11 was so important for Victor

18:30 – Politicians are in the wrong job

19:20 – Victor’s desert island dish

24:33 – You can’t cut your way to growth

29:49 – Why Empathy is a fundamental quality

40:31 – Part 2 – Nigerian Chicken Stew recipes

44:40 – The bish bash bosh version

48:21 – The advanced recipe

Episode resources:

Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook - https://rb.gy/wsd8py 

Find out more about Victor:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/loadebowale/ 

Visionable - https://visionable.com/ 

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/ 

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier 

Today’s guest has spent her entire career dealing with leaders before becoming one herself. She joined Europe’s largest Executive Search firm straight from university, fell in love with the industry and never left. After 20 years at Egon Zehnder, where she ran the Research teams in London and India, she founded her own firm and now focuses on identifying diverse international talent. Shilpi shares her experiences living across the globe as well as her thoughts on leadership and recruiting leaders for sectors as diverse as financial services and health sciences. 

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Every country has its version of comfort food. In India it’s khichri. Its basic form is used to wean children as their first solid food and it is part of the narrative of every family. As they grow up it turns into comfort food which can form part of any meal, from breakfast to late night snack. 

Shilpi gives us a detailed version of her recipe, before Valentine and I debate and argue in Part 2 not just about khichri but also various comfort foods in different cultures.

Bon Appétit!

“In Indian culture all the critical family decisions are taken around food” – Shilpi Bordoloi

You’ll hear about:

03:00 - How Shilpi moved her interest from maths to the Maffia

04:13 - The unusual path of starting a career in Executive Search straight awayWhat took Shilpi down the path she followed?

05:25 - What makes a good leader according to Shilpi?

10:00 - The differences between life sciences and finance

15:00 - The role food plays in Shilpi's life

18:38 - Shilpi's favourite recipe: khichri

27:50 - The Proust questionnaire

39:10 - Part 2 - The recipe and comfort foods in other countries

Episode resources:

- Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery: https://amzn.eu/d/6hFkjoo 

Find out more about Shilpi:

- Shilpi’s new firm: https://www.springboardtalent.co.uk/ 

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Valentine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentine-moscovici/ 

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier 

On International Women’s Day we are delighted to welcome our first woman leader on the programme: Helen Steers, senior Partner at Pantheon, a global private equity firm based in London. Trained as an engineer, Helen fell into the world of finance via a detour in Canada. 

We discuss her career as a leader in private equity and how she decided early on to fight for diversity of thinking as an essential component of good investment decisions. At the time it meant more women, so she co-founded Level 20, an organisation focused on growing gender diversity – initially in the UK and then across Europe.

Having lived in four countries (and operated in many more), with an Armenian husband and a half-French mother, it is not surprising that Helen loves food with influences from Québec to the Caucasus and beyond. However her chosen recipe goes back to her British roots: the humble fish pie, confirmed by her children as her favourite. 

An accomplished cook, Helen describes her take on fish pie as well as what to drink with it. As usual, in part 2 I am joined by Valentine to go through the recipe, discuss where it comes from, what it should look and taste like, and how to cook it. We propose three versions, including a restaurant-level one from Chef school le Cordon Bleu Paris. 

Bon Appétit!

“Seafood is incredibly important to me; I would say it's a central part of my existence” – Helen Steers

You’ll hear about:

01:47 – Helen’s career in private equity & investing 

06:00 - A typical day in Helen’s role

10:58 – Pushing for diversity and inclusion in finance

15:45 – The importance of food in Helen’s life

20:24 – Helen’s humble fish pie 

25:36 – Helen’s wine journey

26:45 - The Proust questionnaire

36:19 - Part 2: The fish pie recipes

Episode resources:

Mary Berry's easy fish pie: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mary_berrys_fish_pie_79943 

Dorset fish pie:

https://dorsetfoodanddrink.org/fish-pie-the-dorset-way 

Find out more about Helen:

Helen Steers:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-steers-00328a41   

Pantheon ventures: 

https://www.pantheon.com/ 

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

François’ Instagram food feed:

@moscoffier 

For our third episode we travel from the near West (Dorset) and to South Asia (Sri Lanka).  Paul Oliver has left the big corporate life as well as the dreaming spires of Oxford to help make health and care for old people better. He sees food as an integral part of social bonding and a dignified later life. 

Nothing destined Paul to appreciating and cooking Sri Lankan food, as he was brought up in a council estate on a diet of pie and mash, with eel being the weekend delicacy. Luckily, he started travelling as his employer BT went from parochial to international post privatisation: his taste buds developed in parallel… 

His dish of choice is parippu, a very moreish version of dhal (lentil curry). In part 2 you will hear my daughter Valentine and I go through the recipe, discuss where it comes from, what it should look and taste like and how to cook it. Because it is such a flexible dish, we give you three recipes to try, they are attached below.

Bon Appétit!

“You don't have to always follow the recipe; you can change your mind. And that is true in business, too” – Paul Oliver

You’ll hear about:

03:46 – The part food plays in Paul’s life

08:49 – … and work

09:49 – Food challenges in the care sector

13:32 – Paul’s chosen recipe of parippu

22:11 – The Proust questionnaire

30:25 – Paul’s leadership & food wisdom

32:32 – Part 2: How to cook parippu

Episode resources:

Find out more about Paul:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-oliver-fcma-cgma-a184a4/ 

The 'restaurant' recipe: https://youtu.be/n2QSRsfq4SM?si=jCgPaf7B2QgCAJ36 

My neighbourhood Sri Lankan restaurant: https://machankitchen.co.uk 

Paul’s favourite restaurant: https://dammikas.com/ 

Download the 3 recipes here

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

In the run-up to the holiday season I thought it would be appropriate to have a spiritual leader...

Jim has one of the most interesting jobs at the LSE: formally he is the Chaplain, but he is also the director of the all-religions Faith Centre as well as a professor in the department of International Relations. Recently, his time has been consumed by the Gaza conflict, in a region where he has been taking students to for over 10 years. More broadly he looks at 'religious entanglement in global conflict'. 

Food has played a part in Jim's life in unexpected ways: as a means of bringing communities together as well as helping his struggling mother develop a weekly routine of roast chicken. 

In part 2 my daughter Valentine and I briefly give credit to the traditional roast chicken, but quickly move on to two 'extreme' versions: low and slow versus high and fast. Which one is the winner?

As usual we provide numerous tips on how to roast without stress and to a good level of competence. There is also a special section on making the best sauce for your bird.

Bon Appetit.

“Food is an incredibly important tool in bringing people together and showing hospitality and in expressing shared religious sentiments” – Jim Walters

You’ll hear about:

01:59 – The many roles Jim has

08:27 - Why we need a nuanced approach to Israel-Palestine

09:51 – The role food has played in Jim’s life

16:21 – The virtues Jim looks for in team members

18:57 – Jim’s last great home dish

22:42 – Part 2 – Why roasting can seem daunting

26:03 – Two approaches to roasting chicken perfectly

37:50 – Three types of sauces

Episode resources:

Find out more about Jim:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-walters-b7879594/ 

and his book: https://amzn.eu/d/3kVxT9U 

Jame Oliver's mainstream recipe: 

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/perfect-roast-chicken/

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

Andy has been on a fascinating food journey: from working class Liverpool to meat-centred rugby playing, to systematically studying the science of food and health. This eventually took him to veganism, in a very reasoned way…

You could say Andy is a National Treasurer – he was the Group Treasurer at Nationwide Building Society for many years… He now plays the same role at merchant bank Close Brothers. In this episode he talks about his changing relationship with food, how he uses cooking as a leadership development tool and about his chosen recipe of Shakshuka.

In part 2 you will hear my daughter Valentine and I go through the recipe, discuss where it comes from, what it should look and taste like and how to cook both a basic and an advanced version.

Bon Appetit.

“This team worked together in a tiny little kitchen and learned an awful lot about each other” – Andy Townsend

You’ll hear about:

00:42 - The role food plays in Andy's life

05:55 - Is Andy a cook or a spectator?

10:09 - Links between Andy's food choices and his leadership style                       

14:17 - The Madeleine questionnaire

17:23 - Andy's final thoughts on food, leadership… and wine

20:40 - François and Valentine’s tips to make a great Shakshuka

Andy’s Shakshuka Recipe:

https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/food/you-food/301373/vegan-falafel-shakshuka

Episode resources:

East by Meera Sodha - https://www.amazon.co.uk/East-Vegetarian-recipes-Bangalore-Beijing-ebook/dp/B07P9TQ8G7?ref_=ast_author_dp

Chef John - https://www.youtube.com/foodwishes

Find out more about Andy:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-townsend-2a3148a5/?originalSubdomain=uk

Contact François:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/