How does a finance-first investment firm become a genuine impact business without losing commercial edge?

In this episode, Richard speaks with Kevin Chin, CEO of Arowana, about the CEO transformation required to move from conventional private equity to one of the world's highest-ranking B Corps and impact investment groups.

Kevin's story is not about surface-level repositioning. It is about conviction under pressure: saving a software company with weeks of cash left, building it into a global leader, then reshaping Arowana around a more generational definition of value creation.

For scaling founders and CEOs, this is a Strategic Leadership conversation about what changes when impact becomes part of the investment thesis. Resistance appears inside the firm, in the market and in the leader's own assumptions. The work is to stay mentally agile enough to keep learning after success.

You'll learn:

• What Kevin learned from turning around a company close to collapse
• Where resistance shows up when a private equity firm becomes an impact firm
• Why B Corp status can be a forcing function rather than a badge
• How Arowana thinks about multiplying impact across future generations
• The practices Kevin uses to stay mentally agile despite deep experience

The standout idea: impact becomes credible when it changes how capital, conviction and leadership decisions actually work.

Resources mentioned:

• Arowana: http://arowanaco.com/
• HyperTurnaround: https://www.amazon.com/HyperTurnaround-Transforming-Company-Collapse-Global-ebook/dp/B07MDPR7CN/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

What if the culture that made your company caring is also the thing that needs more accountability as you scale?

In this episode, Richard speaks with James Boettcher, CEO of Righteous Gelato, about building a business where coaching, care and commercial ambition reinforce each other.

James sees frozen desserts as a vehicle for impact, but the deeper leadership lesson is about scaling culture. A warm, human organisation can still drift into entitlement or ambiguity if leaders do not create the right conversations. Coaching becomes the mechanism for care with standards.

For anyone thinking seriously about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, this conversation speaks to a common tension: you want people to feel valued and empowered, but you also need clear ownership, performance and alignment. James offers a practical way to make 1:1s, leadership reflection and cultural rituals part of the operating system.

You'll learn:

• Why James says business is not just business
• How to care for people without creating an entitlement mentality
• The five questions that help create a coaching culture in team 1:1s
• Why coaching is a practical tool for accountability, not just development
• How CEOs can scale themselves by making leadership conversations more consistent

The standout idea: a coaching culture works when it raises both support and standards.

Resources mentioned:

• Righteous Gelato: https://righteousgelato.com/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

Can a thrilling mission become a leadership trap?

In this episode, Richard speaks with Craig Lund, CEO of Mightier, about the hidden downsides of leading a company with a deeply compelling purpose.

Mightier helps children build emotional regulation through biometric feedback and game-based play. It is a powerful mission, but Craig is candid about the leadership challenges that come with it: hiring people for the right reasons, staying commercially sharp, going deep into the sector and making hard choices in a resource-constrained startup.

For scaling founders and CEOs, this is a CEO Evolution conversation. A strong mission can attract talent, customers and investors, but it can also blur judgement if people assume purpose will solve operational problems. The leadership work is to turn mission into strategic discipline.

You'll learn:

• Why a compelling purpose can create hiring problems as well as hiring advantages
• How Mightier turns depth in its sector into competitive advantage
• What Craig has learned about moving from early-stage intensity to a more scalable company
• Why resource constraints force sharper strategic leadership
• How CEOs can protect mission without letting it excuse weak execution

The standout idea: purpose is strongest when it makes the business more disciplined, not less.

Resources mentioned:

• Mightier: https://mightier.com/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

What does sustainable performance really ask a CEO to rethink?

In this episode, Richard speaks with Stuart McLachlan, CEO of Anthesis Group, about moving sustainability beyond compliance and into the centre of strategy, growth and leadership.

Stuart founded Anthesis in 2013 and grew it into a global sustainability advisory business with more than 1000 people. His argument is that the previous era's assumptions are no longer enough. Leaders need to dismantle old strongholds, create impact KPIs and see the climate agenda as a source of opportunity rather than only risk.

For anyone thinking seriously about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, this is Strategic Leadership at system level. The question is not simply how to make the existing business a little cleaner. It is how to reimagine the business model, performance system and market opportunity when sustainability becomes one of the defining forces of the decade.

You'll learn:

• What sustainable performance means beyond compliance language
• Why some strongholds of the previous business era need to be dismantled
• How to think about impact KPIs as part of the performance system
• The difference between working within the system and reimagining the system
• Why sustainability may become a corporate superpower for the next decade

The standout idea: sustainability becomes strategic when it changes how the company defines performance.

Resources mentioned:

• Adventures in Sustainable Performance: https://www.amazon.com/Adventure-Sustainable-Performance-compliance-Leadership/dp/1394177410
• Anthesis Group: https://www.anthesisgroup.com/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

How do company values become real growth projects instead of nice words?

In this episode, Richard speaks with Kirsty Leighton, CEO of Milk & Honey PR, about building a fast-growing agency where values are translated into decisions, initiatives and measurable impact.

Kirsty started the business with unusual clarity about what it stood for and how it should grow. That clarity helped Milk & Honey move quickly, expand internationally and commit to opening communications careers for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

For anyone thinking seriously about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, this is a scaling culture conversation about turning values into an operating tool. Values only matter when they shape how you hire, expand, serve clients and create opportunities beyond the walls of the business.

You'll learn:

• The founding document that helped Milk & Honey scale quickly
• How Kirsty turns values into practical value-creation projects
• What international expansion taught her about resilience and timing
• Why Milk & Honey pledged to help 250 people from disadvantaged backgrounds enter communications
• How CEOs can connect purpose, growth and daily management choices

The standout idea: values become powerful when they create projects people can actually execute.

Resources mentioned:

• Milk & Honey PR: https://milkandhoneypr.com/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

What principles guide you before the big decision arrives?

In this episode, Richard speaks with Upkar Arora, CEO of Rally Assets, about the personal and strategic principles behind impact investing, inorganic growth and long-term leadership conviction.

Upkar moved from traditional finance into impact investing, then helped build Rally Assets into one of Canada's leading impact investment management and advisory firms. The episode is not just about the market. It is about how a CEO decides what kind of impact is meaningful enough to organise a business around.

For scaling founders and CEOs, this is a CEO Leadership conversation about decision quality. When the stakes rise, you cannot invent your principles in the moment. You need a clearer operating philosophy before opportunity, pressure and uncertainty arrive.

You'll learn:

• How Upkar moved from traditional finance into impact investing
• Why inorganic strategy can accelerate a mission when used carefully
• What great mentors can do for a CEO's judgement
• How Rally Assets connected its work to Canada's Social Finance Fund
• Why personal impact principles help leaders stay clear under pressure

The standout idea: your principles do their best work before the pressure peaks.

Resources mentioned:

• Rally Assets: https://rallyassets.com/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

What if the next stage of your business starts in the place you have been avoiding?

In this episode, Richard speaks with David Engel, CEO of Drake & Farrell, about purpose, resilience and the discomfort zone that comes with multiplying impact.

Drake & Farrell is a European leader in reverse logistics, working across telecoms, EV charging and other sectors to reduce electronic waste. David's leadership challenge is not just operational expansion. It is the inner work of staying clear, resilient and open to being challenged while the business moves into new markets.

For scaling founders and CEOs, this is CEO Evolution in practice. The CEO cannot be the expert in everything. The work is to find the essence, trust the right people, let the team challenge you and keep choosing the bigger game even when it makes you feel like a beginner again.

You'll learn:

• Why David focuses on purpose as the anchor for impact and resilience
• How trusted CEO peers helped him think differently about his role
• Why he schedules the big things and the small things, but avoids the middle
• What it means to be comfortable not being the smartest person in the room
• How leadership changes when the company moves into a new strategic arena

The standout idea: the discomfort zone is often where the CEO's next level of leverage begins.

Resources mentioned:

• Drake & Farrell: https://drakeandfarrell.com/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

What if the biggest constraint on nonprofit impact is not generosity, but friction?

In this episode, Richard speaks with James Citron, CEO of Pledge, about building technology that makes it easier for companies, individuals and nonprofits to unlock billions in funding for good causes.

James moved from scaling text-messaging companies into tech for good after seeing how a crisis-support nonprofit used his platform to save lives. Pledge grew from that deeper question: how can technology remove the barriers that stop people from giving, fundraising and connecting business activity to meaningful impact?

For CEOs, this is a Vision Execution and CEO leadership conversation about turning purpose into infrastructure. A mission gets more powerful when the operating model makes the right action easier for everyone else.

You'll learn:

• Why James left a commercially successful path to build a tech-for-good platform
• How Pledge reduced friction in charitable giving and fundraising
• Why early strategic partnerships with platforms like Evite helped the model scale
• How purpose can increase customer lifetime value when it is built into the business model
• What hiring for passion and mission alignment looks like in practice

The standout idea: generosity scales when the system makes contribution simple.

Resources mentioned:

• Pledge: https://www.pledge.to/
• James Citron: [email protected]

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

How do you take on a global giant without becoming a smaller version of the giant?

In this episode, Richard speaks with Andy Hunter, CEO of Bookshop.org, about building a values-led alternative to Amazon for independent bookstores and the readers who want to support them.

Bookshop.org did not win by trying to acquire every customer one by one. Andy designed a coalition model around bookstores, authors, publishers, media, book clubs and readers who already cared about the future of books. The result was a market-shaping platform that helped independent bookstores compete online, especially when COVID forced the industry to move fast.

For scaling founders and CEOs, this is Strategic Leadership and CEO leadership for scaling businesses in a dominated market. When the incumbent owns scale, the challenger needs a different kind of leverage.

You'll learn:

• Why Andy built Bookshop.org around stakeholders with existing audiences
• How timing and COVID accelerated several years of adoption into months
• Why trust with independent bookstores mattered before growth could compound
• How challengers can build feature parity without copying the incumbent's values
• What CEOs can learn from ecosystem strategy when direct acquisition looks impossible

The standout idea: you do not beat a giant by copying its scale mechanics; you activate the people it leaves behind.

Resources mentioned:

• Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/
• Wired profile on Andy Hunter: https://www.wired.com/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast

What if the market is not yet asking for the standard you know it deserves?

In this episode, Richard speaks with Maria Carell, CEO of Revision Skincare and Goodier Cosmetics, about raising standards in skincare through proof, education and business-model change.

Maria joined a smaller family business after a career in large pharmaceutical companies, then helped turn it into a category leader by applying a more rigorous standard to an under-regulated market. Instead of waiting for customers to demand better proof, the company invested in clinical evidence, physician education and a clearer philosophy of what responsible skincare should look like.

For scaling founders and CEOs, this is Strategic Leadership and CEO leadership about courage before certainty. Category leaders often move first, then teach the market how to recognise the difference.

You'll learn:

• Why Maria believes impact can start with small steps, not grand gestures
• How Revision Skincare raised expectations in a loosely regulated category
• Why evidence and education can become market-shaping tools
• How small improvements can create the courage for larger business-model shifts
• What CEOs can learn about setting standards before the market gives permission

The standout idea: standards compound when a leader chooses the harder path before everyone else sees why it matters.

Resources mentioned:

• Revision Skincare: https://revisionskincare.com/
• Goodier Cosmetics: https://www.goodiercosmetics.com/
• Maria Carell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/

---

BONUS RESOURCE – ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER

Turn your leadership team into a strategic growth engine, without micromanaging or drama. Download and implement the Accountability Charter today.

https://xquadrant.com/go/accountability/

---

GO DOWN THE XQUADRANT RABBIT HOLE

📧 The Leverage Letter

https://xquadrant.com/letter

📒 The 10X Reckoning

https://xquadrant.com/reckoning/

📕 Making TIME For Strategy

https://xquadrant.com/time/

🎧 The Defining Move Podcast

https://xquadrant.com/podcast/

---

NEW SHOW BRAND & FORMAT

This episode was released as part of The Impact Multiplier CEO Podcast. We’ve now rebranded the show to The Defining Move, and upgraded the format.

The Defining Move is a podcast about CEO leadership for scaling businesses, and the CEO transformation that drives the next level of growth.

Check out our newest episodes, in which Richard Medcalf hands one of the world's most accomplished leaders a fictional defining move, already made, that changes the trajectory of their business.

You’ll learn from how they think and how they lead when the stakes rise. And you’ll discover the hidden sources of leadership leverage that take them to their next level, and will take you to yours.

https://xquadrant.com/podcast