The Convex Conversation

Globally renowned business expert Adam Kingl talks to Helen about the three generations in today’s workforce - baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y

By 2025, it’s estimated Gen Y will make up 75% of the global workforce but a typical Gen Y doesn’t tend to stay in a job long-term.

Adam explains the paradigms and events which have led to the creation of a generation who demand a better work-life balance; more flexibility; positive career development; commitment to a more sustainable world and strong team culture.

We discuss reverse mentoring, side hustles, digital natives, Gen Z and the importance of assessing the health of a company through the lens of a sociologist – by observing behaviours.

As Hampton Court Palace prepares to host the 10th Tusk Conservation Awards, Helen is in Northern Kenya with the awards' partner/co-creators Ninety One to meet their first ever winner, Tom Lalampaa.

Tom - CEO of the North Rangelands Trust - explains how he’s found success brokering peace with feuding tribes in Northern Kenya using a conservancy method to ensure communities, wildlife and the habitat can thrive together.

Tom tells Helen about life in the Samburu Tribe, growing up with nomadic parents and 16 siblings, and reflects on what it meant to receive his award in London from Tusk’s royal patron HRH William, the Prince of Wales.

As the UK’s cost of living crisis deepens, Helen meets the Deputy Editor of MoneySavingExpert.com - Helen Saxon - for advice on what we can all do to survive the coming months.

With energy rates soaring, as well as food, broadband, council tax and fuel going up in a way we haven’t seen since the 1970s, Helen shares her expertise and offers some practical advice.

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis started the business 20 years ago when a discount email to friends took off. Martin and his MSE team have gone on to help millions of people cut costs, find great deals, beat the system and fight their corner.

60 years ago Sean Connery uttered those immortal words “Bond, James Bond” when Dr No premiered in October 1962.

As the franchise celebrates the milestone with a focus on the iconic music scores, Helen talks to Neal Callow - Art Director of the last five Bond films starring Daniel Craig – and Austrian entrepreneur Jakob Falkner – the man behind the world’s first permanent Bond installation.

Neal and Jakob created ‘007 Elements’ 3,000m above sea level inside a glacier in Solden in the Austrian Alps where the most dramatic chase scenes from Spectre were filmed at Ice Q.

Neal gives an insight into what it’s like being part of the Bond family, the pleasure of working with Daniel Craig and explains why designing Elements to pay homage to the music, films, gadgets, action-scenes, characters and locations with Jakob was so special.

Music from Bond 25 - played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 

Fresh from performing 25 one-woman shows at the Fringe, New York comedian Emily Wilson talks to Helen about her “life-changing” experience in Edinburgh.

In the show, written by Emily and Sam Blumenfeld, Emily shares the humiliating story of being a finalist on The X Factor USA when she was just 15, performing in front of Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and the other judges.

Through hysterical, self-deprecating stand-up, archive footage and original songs, Emily transports audiences back to 2011 and the embarrassing moments of her rollercoaster journey through boot camp to the finals and - boy - do we share her pain!

FIXED will be in London at the Soho Theatre January 12th through the 21st.

Ten-year-old Betsi Rose Powley tells Helen that sharing her battle with Ewing Sarcoma - a rare form of cancer - with 70,000+ followers on Instagram has kept her positive through gruelling chemo & radiotherapy, and made her happy she's helped others cope with with their treatment. 

In her first podcast, Betsi says making short films from her hospital bed at The Royal Marden kept her going, gave her the confidence to talk to other young cancer patients for support and sparked the idea for a unique project to help other poorly children.

She’s raised more than £23,000 so she can design pyjamas with special areas for tubes & ports so PJs no longer get cut up during treatment and has started her own label BAM Wear - Betsi And Monkey.  Follow @betsiatthemarsden 

Pilot and founder of Spitfires.com Matt Jones shares extraordinary stories with Helen from his record-breaking and risky circumnavigation of the globe in G-IRTY - a beautifully restored 1943 Mk IX Silver Spitfire.

Matt and his team flew 22,138 nautical miles around the world in just four months, crossing deserts, red mountains, barren areas of Russia, fields of ice and stunning cobalt lakes - climbing “a pilot’s Everest”.

They aspired to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the iconic single-engine aircraft, honouring its role in history, and succeeded.  A stunning documentary of the expedition is out soon.

This week Helen visits a small primary school in Ntumbiri in Northern Kenya to meet Ephantus Mugo - winner of Disney's Conservation Hero Award 2020 - to find out and experience how children are learning the value of conservation to improve their lives. 

Ephantus explains the challenges rural communities in Kenya face and how, in his role as Conservation Education Programme Coordinator for Lewa Conservancy, he’s helping them to solve those challenges and co-exist in harmony with the beautiful endangered species who share the land.  

Ephantus grew up in the coffee producing area of Mount Kenya seeing nothing more than squirrels (!) in terms of wildlife. He tells Helen what drives him to make a difference and talks about the success of the Next Generation of Conservationists project pupils took part in with families from investment firm Ninety One. 

Stephen King described Sarah Pinborough’s psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes as ‘bloody brilliant’. Netflix snapped it up and made it into a hugely successful six-part series in record time

The ending - #wtfthatending - trended on social media and the book, like many of Sarah’s others, shot to the top of best-sellers lists all over the world.

Sarah talks us through what happened, how her mum fell asleep when it aired, how the ending of all her books has to be written first, and teases her new thriller Insomnia which is also being adapted for TV. 

This week I’m in Northern Kenya with an 11-person team from investment firm Ninety One to document their unique experience taking part in Tusk's annual marathon through the beautiful Lewa Wildlife Conservancy alongside some of the world’s most endangered species.

The corporate team raised money for Tusk and visited incredible projects funded by the conservation charity, including schools, to see first-hand the difference the fundraising makes. 

More than £6 million has been raised since the marathon began 22 years ago, helping save the black rhino population from the brink of extinction, protecting critically endangered Grevy's zebra, and providing healthcare, water, education programmes, and much more. 

Find out how Emily, Steph, Ethan, Sheena and Marius from Ninety One’s London and Cape Town offices got on in the African Bush competing in one of the world's most challenging marathons and the impact the trip had on them all.