Lunch with Leon

By Leon Daniels & Associates LtdBusiness News Business News

Lunch with Leon episodes

February 24 117: Gareth Williams
Leon’s guest is Gareth Williams, General Secretary and Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer at Eurostar. After a twenty-year career in government, including prominent leadership roles at the Department for Transport, Gareth joined Eurostar almost fifteen years ago. In this episode, he and Leon discuss how Eurostar bounced back after COVID (despite a lack of government funding), its upcoming double-decker trains designed to reach Germany and Switzerland by the early 2030s, and the extraordinary business costs behind the cost of a Eurostar ticket.
37 min
January 27 116: Marie Daly
This week, Leon Daniels speaks with Marie Daly, Chief Operating Officer for Transport for Wales and Chair of Women in Rail. Marie covers a range of topics, from her non-traditional career path into transport from telecomms and energy, to crisis management during severe weather and the "one network" vision for Wales. The pair also discuss the upcoming transition to Great British Railways, and the evolving landscape of gender diversity and representation within the industry.
36 min
January 13 115: From Freewheeling: a discussion with Thomas Ableman
Previously broadcast on Thomas Ableman's Freewheeling podcast, Leon and Thomas discuss progress towards the Buses Policy document originally announced by Boris' government
53 min
December 16, 2025 114: Leon Daniels OBE
In a special Christmas edition of Lunch with Leon, Leon Daniels is in the hotseat! Guest host Simon Lederman grills Leon on his 40+ years in the transport industry, with Leon sharing some stories from throughout his career and his hot takes on topical transport issues. He also answers some listener questions (some of whom have been special guests on the podcast themselves!).
44 min
November 18, 2025 113: David Leeder
Ahead of the UK's Autumn Budget, Leon explores the UK's somewhat gloomy economic situation with eminent transport expert David Leeder. With soaring national debt squeezing essential transport budgets, David shares his insights on the potential impact on the transport industry and his crucial advice for local authorities on quickly securing promised settlements and tapping into private sector funding.
35 min
November 04, 2025 112: Karen Dee
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks with Karen Dee, CEO of Aiports UK, the trade association representing the interests of UK airports. The conversation covers growth in the aviation market, the challenge of decoupling emissions from demand, tackling the transport-wide skills crisis, leveraging high-value air freight and the critical role of retail revenue in supporting low-cost carriers.
35 min
October 07, 2025 111: Paul Whitnell
In the latest episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon pops his head out of the transport bubble and speaks with a transport-adjacent guest: Paul Whitnell, president of the British Irish Trade Alliance (BITA), a trade and commerce business organisation who describe themselves as "people that know people who help people". Paul shares more about his philosophy when it comes to business and the BITA organisation, whose members across the construction, hospitality, rail and logistics industries help each other through collective wisdom and experience.
35 min
September 02, 2025 110: Andreas Schörling
Leon learns more about the diverse career of transport leader Andreas Schörling, Senior Managing Director of Flixbus UK. Andreas, who lead the launch of Flixbus in the UK in 2021, discusses the company's ambitious plan to build the largest intercity coach network in the UK. The episode also touches on the evolving perception of coach travel, the transformative impact of AI on the transport industry and Andreas' take on work-life harmony.

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36 min
August 05, 2025 109: Nigel Holness
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, rail veteran Nigel Holness reflects on his 40-year career, from his early days as a signalling consultant on the London Underground to his current role as a leading transport consultant, advising on major global projects. Leon and Nigel discuss TfL's evolution, their experiences of the 7/7 London bombings, 2012 Olympics, and the establishment of the Elizabeth line. Nigel also shares his perspective on the challenges of systems integration and battery operation in rail.
36 min
July 22, 2025 108: Anna Earl
Leon speaks with nutritionist Anna Earl about the challenges that transport workers face maintaining nutrition, hydration, and wellbeing. Anna shares her advice for workers on how to overcome these challenges and develop a healthier lifestyle.
31 min

About Lunch with Leon

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The transport sector’s biggest asset is the people that keep everything moving. In this monthly podcast, world-renowned transport consultant Leon Daniels OBE interviews leading figures in the transport industry and discusses the latest sector news and trends. A must-listen for anyone working in transport today.