SPEAK LIKE A CEO

Why are modern companies gravitating towards co-working environments? 

Today we are back in Tel Aviv for an episode featuring Dan Zakai, CEO and co-founder of Mindspace. Mindspace offers inspiring, international co-working spaces that aim to serve as a platform for flexibility, efficiency and both social and professional interaction. On today’s episode, Dan gives us an insider look into the dynamic world of co-working and the secret behind creating an environment that fosters communications and helps companies retain the best talent in their industries.  

How do you offer a boutique atmosphere when you are operating in 7 countries and 13 cities? What does work/life balance look like in Israel? Where did the shift from corner-cubicle to open seating come from? Dan answers all these questions and more! Dan strongly believes that communicating your company’s ambitions and achievements is one of the keys to a successful brand. 

So if you want to improve your communication and get into a better mind space - do like Dan says: be prepared, come ready, and enjoy today’s episode. 

You know what they say, if you want something done, give it to a busy person… This week on Speak Like a CEO we’re talking to the renowned Andy Harrison. Andy Harrison is one of the most experienced CEOs in the UK, having managed and scaled some of the country’s most iconic brands including easyJet, Premier Inn and Costa Coffee.

Currently chairman of UK-based furniture company Dunelm, Andy is no stranger to maneuvering an organisation through challenging situations. We spoke about building a consumer-facing brand globally, focusing on the importance of culture, reputation and how important values are to any organisation.

For Andy, communication is all about having a clear, simple and sincere message. Not a natural born communicator, Andy knows how important it is to think about what you want to say and how you’re going to say it to have an impact. Above all, he believes that as a CEO you need to leave your ego at home, and always put your employees and customers first.

Welcome back to Speak Like a CEO! On today's podcast we take you to Israel, with an episode recorded straight from Tel Aviv. 

Our guest is Chedva Kleinhandler, the CEO and Founder of Emerj, an app that connects employees and mentors. 

Chedva started her first business at 21. At that time she thought she was the only person in the world who needed a mentor. After her second business succeeded, more and more people sought her advice. She realised: you can be an employee surrounded by people with knowledge and still feel that you don't have access to that knowledge. 

On today's episode, our guest tells us how she broke down the barriers of making mentorship truly scalable within organisations and easy in terms of people's commitment and time. In a time of platform fatigue, she talks to us about how to create a safe and confidential digital space for mentoring and how it can truly enhance internal communications and become a powerful tool for employer branding

Beyond mentorship, we talk about what makes Israeli entrepreneurship and what role communications plays in this part of the world. A true bridge builder between different cultures, Chedva lets us in on the different types of communication styles she has experienced and how religion and tech intersect in Israel. Is communication the secret to Israeli innovation? 

To find out, tune in on this special episode from Tel Aviv! Enjoy.

Get ready because today we are asking some big questions and getting some even bigger answers. 

Ever been in a situation where you really wished you knew what the other person was thinking? Well, we aren’t talking to any psychics today, but we’ve got the next best thing.  Today we are joined with Germany’s mindreader, Gerrit Richter CEO and founder of leading opinion poll tech company Civey. Civey has over 1 million active participants per month, and with the European parliamentary elections coming up in May, polling is a hot topic. 

But polling doesn’t need to be political. Gerrit lets us in on everything from what makes a company successful to user feedback to how the Internet is full of people who just want to express their opinion and what makes polling important. He also talks about how, in the polling business, trust and transparency are of utmost importance and lets us into how communicating change can allow a company to grow fast. So put away your crystal balls and let's head to the polls. Enjoy. 

Today we are talking straight from the heart with Dr. Johannes Keienburg, CEO of HitFox Group and co-Managing Director of Heartbeat Labs - a digital health platform aiming to bring patient-centric solutions to the market. Drawing on his experience working in journalism, consultancy and in the start-up world, Johannes shares his insights into communications as an essential component of good leadership and how adopting a data-driven mindset can be the key to taking effective business decisions. 

Ever wondered what pitching your start-up and folk music have in common? 

Today our guest is Henric Hungerhoff, managing director of the APX startup accelerator, a collaboration by Axel Spring and Porsche. Not only is he an entrepreneur himself but he’s also a startup enthusiast, an investor, a lawyer and plays in his own Americana band (and if you listen closely to the episode, you can catch some of his music!). 

Henric let’s us in on everything he looks for in a successful startup, from how he prefers working with teams over single founders and how he steers away from family based endeavours…with a couple of exceptions. Henric also takes us through the process of pitching your start-up, and how the perfect pitch is like writing a song: all the parts need to be in the perfect place to really captivate your audience. Enjoy! 

Did you know that 80% of drivers use their phones while behind the wheel? And believe it or not, but distracted driving reduces your reaction time by 30%. 

Today we talk to the man who’s here to help: Holger Weiss, the CEO of German Autolabs, the company behind Chris, own your personal AI powered “digital co-driver”. He lets us in on how he funded his product through Kickstarter, a crowdfunding campaign site, and how it enabled him to really get to know his user group! Holger dives deep into everything from the science behind crowdfunding, to what it takes to communicate with a large audience, and having what he calls the "stage gene". Stay tuned to find out why our guest thinks that 2019 is going to be a breakthrough year for the future of voice AI. Enjoy!

Help! Sometimes you need somebody! Not just anybody...Sometime you need the right person, or right mentor, to guide you in the right direction!

Today on the show we have Berlin start-up original and friend of the show Christoph Raethke as well as Anne Riechert, the Joan of Arc of social entrepreneurship and CEO and co-founder of the ReDi School of Digital Integration, teaching coding skills to refugees and asylum seekers. Today our guests talk about a common passion: mentoring. What makes a good mentor? From staying  curious to being empathetic, our guests share some personal stories on what it takes to be the best mentor you can be, one of which even includes a visit from Marc Zuckerberg...

Enjoy! 

Ever wonder what Obama thinks about tourism? 

Today’s guest is Toby Nicol, the executive director of Uniting Travel: a coalition of the world's major Travel & Tourism organisations dedicated to ensuring that the sector speaks with 'One Voice’. 

And that’s exactly what we are going to talk about today. In an increasingly interconnected world, how does one make sure that everyone not only has a voice, but that all these voices are heard and understood: from a small boutique hotel to a huge cruise ship company.  It’s not as easy as it sounds, and it doesn’t sound easy at all! The tourism industry is full of opinions…some even coming from former US president Obama himself….Curious? Stay tuned.