The Purposeful Strategist

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Sarah Waddington, Chief Executive of the PRCA, the world’s largest professional body for public relations and communications. She discusses what it means to represent the PR sector through uncertain times, and why the moment calls for a renewed understanding of what PR is and what it does.

Sarah brings two decades of experience across agency leadership, governance, and industry development, and she discusses how she has reoriented the PRCA's mission and unify the membership body through changing times. In their conversation, they discuss:

• Why public relations is not media relations or crisis management, but a strategic management discipline — and why that distinction matters enormously for how organisations use it and what they get from it.

• What Sarah found when she stepped into the CEO role, and how she rebuilt confidence by renewing the vision, mission and values and making them the basis for every decision.

• The PRCA’s two-pronged strategy: First, to increase understanding of what PR is and does, backed by a new industry definition. Second, to build a sector that is inclusive by default.

• The AI and reputation challenge — why organisations that are not actively managing their brand narrative and monitoring for misinformation are exposed in ways they may not fully appreciate, and what a strategic PR adviser can do about it.

• What drew Sarah to the role: her conviction, built over years of industry engagement, that PR has a larger contribution to make — not just to commercial outcomes, but to the wicked problems of fractured communities, damaged trust, and the narratives that either divide or bring people together.

PRCA: https://www.prca.org.uk/

Menkus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a senior strategic advisory practice that provides strategic clarity for businesses with a public remit, where scrutiny is high, governance is complex, and the answers aren’t obvious. His McKinsey training combined with more than 30 years working at Board and ExCo level gives him both the analytical rigour and the relational experience that complex, high-stakes leadership situations demand.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast. It explores how senior leaders bring purpose to life through strategy and reflects the same questions that drive the consulting work.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Scott Heath, CEO of DJH, about what it takes to grow a professional services firm at pace without losing the culture that made it work in the first place.

Scott joined DJH in 2003, and has led its transformation from a £4.5 million turnover business to one approaching £80 million in revenue across 16 UK sites. In their conversation, they discuss:

• Why culture comes before strategic fit in every acquisition decision — a lesson learned from a formative early experience when a cultural mismatch caused a team to walk out.
• The discipline of running lean: how managing the business tightly during early growth instilled principles that still govern how DJH operates today.
• How DJH used the first year of PE investment to build the operational platform — governance, technology, and client service infrastructure — before scaling further, and how that foundation now enables robust AI deployment and a specialist-led service model at scale.
• What Scott has learned about leadership as the firm has grown, particularly the shift from ‘doing’ to ‘listening,’ the power of ‘people-first’ values, and the importance of surrounding oneself with experts in their domain.

DJH: https://www.djhaccountants.co.uk/

Menkus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a senior strategic advisory practice that provides strategic clarity for businesses with a public remit, where scrutiny is high, governance is complex, and the answers aren't obvious. His McKinsey training combined with more than 30 years working at Board and ExCo level gives him both the analytical rigour and the relational experience that complex, high-stakes leadership situations demand.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast. It explores how senior leaders bring purpose to life through strategy and reflects the same questions that drive the consulting work.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Patrick Heath-Lay, CEO of People’s Partnership, about how the organisation behind The People’s Pension has grown into one of the UK’s largest workplace pension providers, and what it takes to build a system that works for millions.

They explore the organisation’s transformation from its roots in the construction industry, the impact of automatic enrolment, and how a not-for-profit, profit-to-member model shapes decision-making at scale.

In their conversation, they discuss:

• What a master trust pension is and how it works in practice.

• How legislative change forced a strategic reinvention of the organisation.

• Balancing commercial discipline with member outcomes in a purpose-driven business.

• Why the pensions system must work for those who don’t actively engage with it.

People’s Partnership: https://peoplespartnership.co.uk/

MenKus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a senior strategic advisory practice that provides strategic clarity for businesses with a public remit, where scrutiny is high, governance is complex, and the answers aren't obvious. His McKinsey training combined with more than 30 years working at Board and ExCo level gives him both the analytical rigour and the relational experience that complex, high-stakes leadership situations demand.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast. It explores how senior leaders bring purpose to life through strategy and reflects the same questions that drive the consulting work.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax, about leading through the complexity of the energy transition and what it takes to operate in a system under growing pressure. They explore the strategic choices required as demand for electricity accelerates, the realities of managing a more volatile, renewables-led system, and how the narrative around energy is evolving beyond net zero.

In their conversation, they discuss:

• Why flexibility is critical in a system increasingly shaped by intermittent wind and solar.

• How Drax’s strategy has evolved from multiple growth bets to a clearer focus on generation and volatility.

• The challenges of grid constraints, misaligned incentives, and building infrastructure at pace.

• How rising demand, particularly from AI and data centres, is reshaping the energy landscape.

• Why leaders must do more to communicate the value of energy and rebuild public trust.

Drax: https://www.drax.com/

Blueprint for Business: https://www.blueprintforbusiness.org/

MenKus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a London-based advisory firm working with CEOs and senior teams to align strategy with purpose. Drawing on decades of experience in strategy consulting, leadership, and organisational transformation, he helps mid-sized firms—particularly law firms and membership bodies—tackle complex decisions and unlock long-term value.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast exploring how business leaders bring purpose into strategic action. His work is marked by intellectual clarity, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to practical results. A strategic thinker with wide intellectual range, blending business acumen with curiosity and cultural literacy. He brings a distinct mix of consultant, historian, and explorer of ideas.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Ruth Boumphrey, Chief Executive of Lloyd’s Register Foundation, about how the organisation is working to “engineer a safer world” — using data, partnerships, and long-term investment to drive impact at scale.

They explore the Foundation’s evolving strategy, its shift towards locally led decision-making, and the role of evidence, including the World Risk Poll, in understanding and reducing risk and harm globally.

In their conversation, they discuss:

• What safety means in practice across infrastructure, people, and systems.

• How a charity can operate with a business mindset to drive change.

• Why better data is essential to tackling global risk.

• The importance of having difficult conversations in safer outcomes.

Lloyd’s Register Foundation

MenKus & Associates

Supported by Norman Broadbent

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a London-based advisory firm working with CEOs and senior teams to align strategy with purpose. Drawing on decades of experience in strategy consulting, leadership, and organisational transformation, he helps mid-sized firms—particularly law firms and membership bodies—tackle complex decisions and unlock long-term value.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast exploring how business leaders bring purpose into strategic action. His work is marked by intellectual clarity, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to practical results. A strategic thinker with wide intellectual range, blending business acumen with curiosity and cultural literacy. He brings a distinct mix of consultant, historian, and explorer of ideas.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Alistair Gosling and Ben Brown, co-founders of Wavelength Network, about building a media business for a world where platforms, creators, and algorithms shape how content is produced, distributed, and monetised. Drawing on backgrounds spanning global TV networks, consulting, music, and the creator economy, they reflect on how the traditional broadcast model is giving way to a more fragmented, creator-led ecosystem, and what that means for talent, brands, and audiences.

In their conversation, they explore:

• How media consumption has shifted toward algorithm-driven, “lean back” experiences.
• The difference between creators and publishers — and why both matter in today’s ecosystem.
• Why many creators struggle to capture long-term value despite large audiences.
• How Wavelength combines owned distribution, creators, and brand partnerships to build scale.
• The emergence of new formats, from micro-content to creator-led IP, and what comes next for the industry.

Wavelength

MenKus & Associates

Supported by Norman Broadbent

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a London-based advisory firm working with CEOs and senior teams to align strategy with purpose. Drawing on decades of experience in strategy consulting, leadership, and organisational transformation, he helps mid-sized firms—particularly law firms and membership bodies—tackle complex decisions and unlock long-term value.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast exploring how business leaders bring purpose into strategic action. His work is marked by intellectual clarity, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to practical results. A strategic thinker with wide intellectual range, blending business acumen with curiosity and cultural literacy. He brings a distinct mix of consultant, historian, and explorer of ideas.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with James Maxey, Founder and CEO of Express Solicitors, about building one of the UK’s largest specialist personal injury firms in a market shaped by regulatory change, fragmentation, and increasing institutional investment. From starting with just 22 clients in 2000, Express has grown into a 900+ person organisation handling around 45,000 live claims — combining scale with a tightly integrated, client-focused operating model.

In their conversation, they explore:

• How to build and scale a specialist law firm in a fragmented, competitive market.

• Why in-sourcing key parts of the value chain, from barristers to medical reporting, drives both quality and control.

• How regulatory change has reshaped the personal injury landscape, and how to respond strategically rather than reactively.

• What private equity enables beyond capital, including succession planning and accelerated growth.

• Why training, process, and performance standards are central to delivering consistent client outcomes at scale.

• How to balance efficiency with quality in a system where better legal work can materially change client outcomes.

Express Solicitors

MenKus & Associates

Supported by Norman Broadbent

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a London-based advisory firm working with CEOs and senior teams to align strategy with purpose. Drawing on decades of experience in strategy consulting, leadership, and organisational transformation, he helps mid-sized firms—particularly law firms and membership bodies—tackle complex decisions and unlock long-term value.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast exploring how business leaders bring purpose into strategic action. His work is marked by intellectual clarity, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to practical results. A strategic thinker with wide intellectual range, blending business acumen with curiosity and cultural literacy. He brings a distinct mix of consultant, historian, and explorer of ideas.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Mia Drennan, Founder and CEO of GLAS, about building a global financial services firm by reimagining a function that once sat inside banks. From launching with £6,000 after the financial crisis to administering hundreds of billions in assets today, GLAS has grown into a leading independent platform serving private credit, banks, and capital markets worldwide.

In their conversation, they explore:

• How the 2008 financial crisis created the opportunity for an independent loan agency model.

• Why independence, proactivity, and execution became GLAS’s strategic edge.

• How opportunistic expansion — from the UK to the US and Australia — shaped the firm’s growth.

• What private equity backing changed (and didn’t) after a decade of founder-led scaling.

• How technology, data, and AI are transforming back-office financial services — and why human judgment still matters.

GLAS

MenKus & Associates

Supported by Norman Broadbent

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a London-based advisory firm working with CEOs and senior teams to align strategy with purpose. Drawing on decades of experience in strategy consulting, leadership, and organisational transformation, he helps mid-sized firms—particularly law firms and membership bodies—tackle complex decisions and unlock long-term value.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast exploring how business leaders bring purpose into strategic action. His work is marked by intellectual clarity, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to practical results. A strategic thinker with wide intellectual range, blending business acumen with curiosity and cultural literacy. He brings a distinct mix of consultant, historian, and explorer of ideas.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Max Dubiel, co-founder of Redemption Roasters, a social impact coffee business working to reduce reoffending in the UK through training and employment. This mission-driven startup has grown into a multi-site retail and wholesale business, employing a significant proportion of prison leavers while operating in one of the UK’s most challenging sectors.

Max shares how Redemption is navigating a pivotal moment — from rapid expansion to disciplined consolidation in response to a tougher hospitality market. He reflects on raising institutional capital, restructuring the business under pressure, and strengthening operational foundations, from cost control to hiring and management systems. Alongside this, he explains how the business has continued to deepen its impact, increasing the proportion of prison leavers in its workforce and expanding its wholesale and training model.

In their conversation, they explore:

• What it takes to balance profit and purpose in a volatile market.

• The realities of scaling a bricks-and-mortar business under pressure.

• Why disciplined hiring and management systems are critical to performance.

• How investor alignment shapes long-term decision-making.

• Where Redemption Roasters is focusing next and what sustainable growth looks like.

Redemption Roasters

MenKus & Associates

Supported by Norman Broadbent

Manager Tools

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a London-based advisory firm working with CEOs and senior teams to align strategy with purpose. Drawing on decades of experience in strategy consulting, leadership, and organisational transformation, he helps mid-sized firms—particularly law firms and membership bodies—tackle complex decisions and unlock long-term value.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast exploring how business leaders bring purpose into strategic action. His work is marked by intellectual clarity, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to practical results. A strategic thinker with wide intellectual range, blending business acumen with curiosity and cultural literacy. He brings a distinct mix of consultant, historian, and explorer of ideas.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Francesca Lagerberg, CEO of Baker Tilly International, about leading a global professional services network in a rapidly changing economic and technological landscape. Baker Tilly International brings together independent firms across more than 140 territories, providing mid-market clients with advisory, audit, legal and tax services delivered by a global community of over 50,000 professionals.

In their conversation, they explore:

• How global networks balance independence with shared standards, strategy, and trust.

• Why helping clients make well-thought-out decisions with imperfect information sits at the heart of Baker Tilly’s purpose.

• The 18-month process of developing a new global strategy and why successful execution is so important.

• How technology and AI are reshaping professional services, from automation to simulated learning.

• The shifting expectations of clients in an uncertain economic environment and how advisors can deliver real value.

Baker Tilly

MenKus & Associate

Supported by Norman Broadbent

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, a London-based advisory firm working with CEOs and senior teams to align strategy with purpose. Drawing on decades of experience in strategy consulting, leadership, and organisational transformation, he helps mid-sized firms—particularly law firms and membership bodies—tackle complex decisions and unlock long-term value.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast exploring how business leaders bring purpose into strategic action. His work is marked by intellectual clarity, a collaborative approach, and a commitment to practical results. A strategic thinker with wide intellectual range, blending business acumen with curiosity and cultural literacy. He brings a distinct mix of consultant, historian, and explorer of ideas.