The Lemonade Principle

In the final episode of the series we speak with CEO of the British Youth Opera and Founder Director of Opera UK, Dr Nicola Candlish.

We hear Nicola’s story, from studying music at Durham University to building a career around her passion for the arts. We get an insight into an industry that, as Nicola says, is often shrouded in mystery and glamour and we get a real understanding of the challenges the industry faces in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The arts in particular have been devastated by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, and we hear Nicola’s thoughts on some of the challenges ahead when the doors to theatres around the country can open again – as well as how we can help the industry recover when they do!

We explore Nicola’s role as a CEO, we find out about the British Youth Opera and the valuable work they do, and we hear all about Opera UK and how the organisation came to be founded. We also discuss her current MBA and Nicola shines a light on the ways in which management education and formalising your knowledge of business and strategy can add real value to the work that you do.

Ioannis Blekos is an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs, based in Frankfurt, Germany.

Ioannis progressed fast, from finishing a Masters in Finance and Accounting at Durham University Business School in 2015 and joining HSBC, to moving to Goldman Sachs in 2017 and quickly climbing the ladder to where he is today.

In this episode we hear Ioannis's story and we seek to understand how he discovered a career that he's passionate about, having completed internships in audit and consulting before settling on the banking sector. We also explore the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the corporate environment, whether it's working from home and making sure the lines don't get blurred, or ensuring that you look after your mental health while we're separated from colleagues and friends.

This is a truly insightful episode and we really see how Ioannis's passion, discipline and motivation have taken him to where he is today, with more to come in the future.

Nitish Singh and Prasanna Amanan are from the Durham University Business School MBA Class of 2019.

This week on The Lemonade Principle podcast we get an insight into the world of elite sport with former professional rugby player and Team Manager of the Bristol Bears, Nick Fenton-Wells.

We hear Nick’s story, including his 8 year playing career in which he represented Stormers in South Africa and Saracens, Bedford Blues and Bristol in the UK, where he still is today.

In this episode we get a real insight into how a Professional Development Manager at Saracens encouraged Nick to think beyond his playing career, resulting in an MBA at Durham University Business School. We explore the importance of having the right mindset in elite sport, and how the right culture can bring about transformational change and, ultimately, success on the pitch. This is something that Nick knows more about than most, having studied the subject during his MBA before seeing it play out in front of him at Bristol Bears.

Soumya Singh graduated 2 years ago but you'd never know it from speaking to her.

Soumya is now a Software Engineer with Deutsche Bank in London and in this episode we explore Soumya's journey so far, including the decision to leave India as a 17 year old to study Computer Science at Durham University. We hear about some of the challenges she faced, as well as getting an insight into the programme itself before discussing the steps she took to get to where she is today. Soumya was motivated from the start, securing 'Spring Weeks' with Citi and J.P. Morgan during her studies, before an internship with Deutsche Bank that led to a place on their graduate programme. 

We hear about the value of applying for internships (even when you aren't successful!) and Soumya talks us through the Deutsche Bank graduate programme. We also get an insight into her current position as a Software Developer before hearing her views on the role of technology in the finance sector, where we learn about everything from AI and machine learning to Bitcoin and smart contracts.

From the way Soumya speaks and the knowledge she so clearly has, you won't believe she only graduated in 2019. This is just the beginning of her story and you can guarantee there's more to come in the future!

Abdel Karim Traore is Regional Lead for Power Generation and Delivery with Deloitte, based in West Africa. He’s spent the last decade working on renewable energy projects around the world, including with the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), where he was the first Regional Coordinator for Africa and managed projects across 40 countries.

In this episode we hear Abdel’s story, from studying Renewable Energy at Durham in 2009, to his journey in a relatively new industry and some of the projects that he's worked on throughout. We hear about the importance of clean energy projects, including the impact they have on the other UN Sustainable Development Goals, and we hear how business can have a real impact in the fight against climate change.

Find out more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals here: https://sdgs.un.org/goals 

Doris Sew Hoy is an executive coach, a leadership coach and a career counsellor with over 20 years' experience working with individuals from companies including the BBC, Deutsche Bank, the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the World Health Organisation and, more recently, the NHS. Prior to coaching she had a 20 year career in the financial services, IT and education sectors in both the UK and New Zealand, working for organisations such as the New Zealand Government and the London Stock Exchange.

In this episode we hear Doris's story, starting with her MBA at Durham in 1984 and coming right up to present day. We hear about her business, Lifeworks Unlimited, and we discuss the importance of psychological safety at work as well as the need to be seen, heard and "witnessed" at a time when the world can feel more isolated than ever.

Travis Callaway is Managing Director, Private Equity at Strategic Group in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and a Founding Partner of ÆVUS Venture Partners, an angel investing firm specialising in technology startups.

In this episode we discuss Travis’s career journey from an MBA at Durham in 2014 through to finding a passion and a career in finance, including a wrong turn along the way. We explore his role as Managing Director before diving into angel investing and hearing about the less glamorous side of an industry with more failures than success stories, always in search of that one opportunity that can change your life.

Travis also tells us what he looks for when deciding whether or not to invest in a business, or more accurately, a person, and we get some expert advice on what not to do when approaching an investor.

Nitish Singh and Prasanna Amanan are from the Durham MBA Class of 2019 and both now work for technology consulting firm, Lardi & Partner Consulting.

They joined Lardi & Partner shortly after finishing their MBAs and we discuss the transition into consulting as a career, and the challenges the global pandemic has brought to them and their clients. We also get their views on the ways that work has changed in the last 12 months, along with their vision of the future from a technology perspective. As an added bonus, Nitish and Prasanna give us their tips for those interested in starting a career in consulting and what you can be doing now to improve your chances.

Lardi & Partner Consulting were recently named 'Digital Business Transformation Firm of the Year' in Business Worldwide Magazine's 2020 Global Corporate Excellence Awards.

Sarah (Elize) Ferero is Senior Manager, People and Performance at Kraft Heinz, based in Amsterdam. 

With 23 years’ experience in HR positions around the world, including South Africa, New Zealand and now the Netherlands, this episode is a fascinating insight into a life and career that is driven by a strong sense of purpose.

We explore Sarah’s motivations for a career in HR, some of the challenges of relocating internationally and the desire to pursue an MBA at Durham, which she completed in 2017. We hear about the positive impact an MBA can have and we discuss the importance of staying at the top of your game and the personal responsibility involved in your own career, life and decisions.