Fittingly for a man who was named after a bank, Gavin Wheeldon has spent much of his life making money.

His parents still hadn’t chosen a middle name when they stopped off a branch of Lloyds Bank enroute to his christening – and decided to call him Lloyd.

At the age of 11 he started buying window locks, chains and spy holes for 50p and selling them fitted for £5.50 - giving some of the proceeds to his Mum.

At the age of 14 he lied to his bosses to get a telesales job selling kitchens at night – and quickly became the star salesman.

The young Wheeldon attended 20 per cent of his last year at school – and it was only years later that his behaviour was explained when he was diagnosed with ADHD.

In 2003 he launched his business - Applied Language Solutions (ALS) - with the help of a second mortgage and ran up credit card debts of £54,000.

It was while at ALS that he appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2007 after unsuccessfully offering 3% of his business for a £250,000 investment. At the time it was the highest amount ever asked for the lowest amount of equity.

“I figured if I go on and get the money that’s a good outcome,” he said. “And if I didn’t, which I fully expected, I’d get some good PR if I didn’t make a mess of it."

He eventually sold ALS to Capita for £67.5m but quickly realised that doing nothing wasn’t for him and in 2012 he launched Purple because of his frustration at the quality of the WiFi he kept experiencing.

With some help from his daughter, he came up with the name Purple and today the company has evolved into a vital tool to allow businesses to turn their physical venues into intelligent spaces.

Despite having a happy knack of making money, he says that’s not his primary motivation.

“If money is ever the driving force you’re probably not going to do that well in life,” he said. “You need to love the journey and tech is what I love.

“The North is almost the underdog of the UK. It’s come out swinging, particularly in the tech scene. There’s more in London but Manchester and other parts of the North have got an incredibly thriving tech scene, which is fantastic.”

Purple raised £10.5m from BGF in 2023 and Wheeldon believes AI will change the world in more ways than people imagine.

“There’s so much potential for what it can do,” he said. “Whether it’s two or five years, coding won’t exist. There are so many jobs that will not exist in their current form.

“Right now people have got their heads in the sand. It will turn everything on its head. People who learn how to ride that wave will do very well.”

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Guest: Gavin Wheeldon, CEO, Purple

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media

Sponsors: Sancus UK

William Lees-Jones is the larger-than-life managing director of JW Lees.

He’s held the role for more than 22 years, growing the 197-year-old family brewer into a £100m turnover business.

He’s helped navigate the company through some of its biggest challenges, including the smoking ban and Covid.

Now he’s gone to war with the Labour government over its controversial inheritance tax reforms.

“When I became MD we had 172 pubs,” he told the Northern Leaders podcast. “We now have 138 but we’ve sold 124. Pretty much everything has changed.”

The 60-year-old says he’ll never forget the impact of Covid and the day in 2020 when Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the country into lockdown.

“It was everybody’s worst nightmare,” he said. “I went to six of our pubs on the way home and I could see people were terrified.

“I ended up in our local and went round all the tables buying everyone a drink saying ‘I’ll see you on the other side’ and people said ‘can you keep away from me please?’ You could tell we were going into something unprecedented.”

Lees-Jones also told the podcast about the challenges facing his beloved Man Utd.

“I love Man Utd in a completely irrational and crazy way,” he said. “I feel as though Jim Ratcliffe has got his work cut out if this is going to end well.”

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Guest: William Lees Jones, managing director of JW Lees

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media

Sponsors: Sancus UK

Jennifer Atkinson has legendary status in the world of travel.

She first made her name at ITC Travel Group, where she went from marketing manager to CEO, growing turnover from £40m to £90m and a £5m profit.

Now, she’s at the helm of Travel Seen, which she’s already grown to more than £20m turnover with plans to grow even further.

However, in between these two events, she’s had to contend with everything life can throw at her, including divorce, Covid, menopause and imposter syndrome.

In an incredibly honest interview she tells the Northern Leaders podcast why there are so few women in senior leadership positions and why she’s yet to find the magic formula of having it all.

Her big break came when she went to work at ITC Travel Group, initially as the marketing manager before being promoted to CEO by her mentor Drew Foster, who tragically died in 2009.

Foster is credited with pioneering luxury travel and had a huge impact on Atkinson’s life.

“He gave me belief,” she said. “I don’t need much but I need someone alongside me to say ‘you can do that’. That’s what he gave me at ITC. He really believed in me.”

Atkinson also talks about ADHD, imposter syndrome, menopause and the lack of women in senior leadership roles.

“I’m yet to find the magic formula of having it all,” she said. “I don’t think you can have it all.”

Guest: Jennifer Atkinson is the founder and executive chair at Travel Seen Ltd

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media

Sponsors: Lockton, the world’s largest independent and privately held insurance brokerage

Contact: Chris Maguire [email protected]

James Whittaker: ‘Why I never compare myself to my father’

James Whittaker is the managing director of Peel Waters and is involved in some of the North’s most important developments.

However, he's arguably best known as the son of billionaire John Whittaker, who gave the North game-changing projects like MediaCity and Trafford Centre.

Recalling his childhood he said: “We very rarely saw Dad as children. He was working so late. He wouldn’t be in until 12pm and when he did come in, he would be on the phone.”

He told the Northern Leaders podcast about his father’s vision for the Trafford Centre when he was a young child.

“He pointed to some land from the Barton Bridge next to the Manchester Ship Canal and said ‘I’m going to build the biggest retail leisure destination in the world here’ and as children we laughed at him.”

At the age of eight, James went to boarding school at Ampleforth College with some words of wisdom from his father ringing in his ears.

“He said ‘don’t worry about education, just play 1st team rugby,’ James recalled. “He said rugby teaches you every life lesson you need to learn – teamwork, commitment, camaraderie and training.”

The young Whittaker did get picked for the 1st team – even keeping future England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio out of the team.

James also spoke about his father’s relationship with Sir Howard Bernstein, the late, great, chief executive of Manchester City Council.

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Guest: James Whittaker, managing director, Peel Waters

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media

Sponsors: DSW Capital, which owns the Dow Schofield Watts brand

Lisa Morton is a doyen in the world of Manchester PR.

She’s the founder and CEO of PR and marketing agency Roland Dransfield, which she named after her mentor who got her into business at the age of eight.

“He bought me a bucket and sponge and told me ‘you’ve got a car washing round’,’’ she recalled. “He taught me about repeat customers, attention to detail and raising your prices on the back of good performance.”

Morton, who once sold ladybirds in matchboxes to make money, founded her PR company in her 20s while juggling raising two young children.

“It was terrifying,” she said. “I thought ‘if I lose the business I’ll have no way of feeding my kids. What do I do?’.”

Morton also told the Northern Leaders podcast about the repeated sexism she endured, especially at the start of her career.

“When I was about 22 I went to a big board meeting and got cheered,” she recalled. “When I look back and think about what it was like for a young woman back then, there was a huge amount of sexual harassment and prejudice and some encounters that you kind of brushed aside but were in fact horrendous. I’ve gone home from events before now when I was younger and cried my eyes out.”

In her mid 20s one client even asked her to lie naked on a slab for a music video!

“I do think it’s better now but it’s not completely sorted itself out,” she said.

Morton identified some of the business leaders she most admires, including former footballer-turned-businessman Gary Neville, and lists her perfect dinner party companions.

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Guest: Lisa Morton, founder and CEO, of Roland Dransfield

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media

Sponsors: OpenRain, a specialist training business that harnesses the power of AI to deliver human-led training

Andrew Turner started his life sharing a bedroom with his four brothers and went on to launch the near £300m turnover business Chorley Group.

The car dealership now spans 22 franchise outlets across Lancashire but Turner has continued to live by the mantra that it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.

The larger-than-life character has gone on to raise millions of pounds for charity and is a life-time President of Inspire Youth Zone in Chorley.

As one of eight brothers and sisters, Turner’s childhood was dominated by hand-me-downs but by the age of five his greengrocer father had taught him how to weigh a 5lb bag of spuds.

His first job was with his Dad on the market stalls in Blackburn and his love of numbers served him well when he landed a job as a car salesman in his early 20s.

In 1989 he launched his own car dealership – the Bugle Inn Motor Company – selling his first car at auction for £510 and celebrating by going to the Little Chef.

From humble beginnings the Chorley Group was born, which today employs 450 people in Lancashire and is approaching £300m turnover.

He said: "I’ve always said we’ll never be the most profitable company but we’ll be one of the most robust by putting the interests of the customers first.”

Turner has a photographic memory when he comes to remembering the cars that he has sold – often down to the exact mileage.

He was awarded an MBE in 2019 for his charity work and in the same year he raised £60,000 for Chorley Youth Zone by braving temperatures of minus 20C to complete the Everest Base Camp Challenge.

Now aged 65, Turner shows no signs of easing up and talks about family, why he never stops learning and his love of Blackburn Rovers.

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media

Sponsors: Sancus UK

Maguire [email protected]

The latest episode of the Northern Leaders podcast is a live recording with three of the North East’s most influential businesswomen.

Sara Davies is best known for being a Dragon on Dragons’ Den and recently rescued the business that she founded, Crafter’s Companion, from administration.

She explains why she can’t be a stay-at-home Mum and doesn’t beat herself up for missing her kids’ sports day.

Davies explains the early lesson Deborah Meaden taught her in the Den – and is grilled over who her favourite Dragon is.

Roisin Currie has overseen a period of unprecedented growth as CEO of Greggs – but refuses to take the credit.

She reveals her approach to constant innovation and her sense of purpose in doing the right thing.

Sophie Milliken is the founder of Moja and a published author. She won the Business Champion Award North East at this year’s Northern Leader Awards.

Milliken talked about the importance of following your gut when making decisions– and what happened when she didn’t – and why the North East is riding the crest of a wave.

The podcast was recorded in front of a live audience at KPMG’s Newcastle office.

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Producer: Filmed by Chris Townsend, of What Media

Sponsors: Lycetts

Maguire [email protected]

Matthew Scullion is the CEO of Manchester’s newest unicorn – but he’s refuses to drink his own Kool-Aid.

The CEO of Matillion believes too many UK entrepreneurs sell too early and says his journey has just started.

During his school sixth form he undertook a work placement in the IT department of Regatta and ended up co-founding his own tech company at the age of 17.

Fast forward to 2011 and he and Ed Thompon quit their days jobs to launch Matillion and change the world.

A sliding doors moment came in 2014/15 when the business pivoted towards making their own software – and they haven’t looked back since.

Matillion achieved unicorn status in 2021 but there are still fewer unicorn founder CEOs than there are people who have been into space.

The company is investing millions of pounds into AI and Scullion said the world doesn’t appreciate the pace that it will change the way we work, live and play

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media.

Sponsors: Wildbrook Commercial Real Estate

Contact: Chris Maguire [email protected]

Garry Partington is the son of a Rochdale butcher, who went on to become the CEO of Manchester-based consultancy Apadmi, which will turn over an estimated £40m next year

The self-confessed tech geek taught himself how to code at the age of 10 and worked three jobs in order to buy his dream computer.

He revealed how a brush with death was the catalyst for turning Apadmi from a lifestyle business into one with global aspirations.

When he was made redundant in 2009 he launched Apadmi with three friends.

However, when staff numbers reached 70 and turnover £2.5m, Partington realised Apadmi had become a lifestyle business until a near life-death experience involving his co-founder Howard Simms changed everything.

It was at this point that the founders came up with their Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) from Jim Collins’ book ‘Built to Last’.

The idea was to expand to 1,500 staff in five markets, in five years.

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media.

Sponsors: Wildbrook Commercial Real Estate

Contact: Chris Maguire [email protected]

After spending his childhood standing up to bullies and racists, Nazir Afzal OBE devoted his legal career targeting some of the UK’s most notorious criminals.

As the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West he handled the case of police killer Dale Cregan and was responsible for prosecuting the Rochdale grooming gang and BBC presenter Stuart Hall.

His fearless pursuit of justice saw him targeted by Far Right thugs but he refused to take a backward step.

However, his life has also repeatedly been touched by tragedy.

As a child he cradled the body of his eight-year-old cousin for four hours, without realising she’d died while one of his uncles was killed by the IRA.

More recently, he’s used his role as Chancellor of the University of Manchester to speak out on behalf of those people who don’t have a voice.

Host: Chris Maguire, executive editor, BusinessCloud

Producer: Ellice Street, What Media.

Sponsors: Wildbrook Commercial Real Estate

Contact: Chris Maguire [email protected]