What does it mean to build a company with purpose? In this episode of The Responsible Edge, we sit down with Mark Goyder, founder of Tomorrow’s Company, to explore the lessons of failure, the fight to keep values alive in business, and why he believes leaders must sometimes “be a rebel, be a pirate.”

Mark shares his journey—from community service volunteering and politics to decades spent shaping corporate governance and embedding the idea of enlightened shareholder value into UK company law. He reflects on the challenges of scaling values-driven businesses, the cautionary tale of Ben & Jerry’s, and how Tomorrow’s Company is now inspiring the next generation of leaders in schools.

🔑 In this episode:

- Why failure is never wasted

- The birth of Tomorrow’s Company and its lasting impact

- Lessons from Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever on protecting purpose

- How education can unlock the next wave of responsible leadership

- Why being a “pirate” might be the most important career advice

👉 Don’t miss Mark’s call to action for a new generation of leaders to rethink ownership, governance, and the future of responsible business.

🔗 Connect with Mark:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-goyder-72713827/

- Tomorrow’s Company: https://www.tomorrowscompany.com/

🎙 Listen to more episodes of The Responsible Edge: https://theresponsibleedge.com/

#ResponsibleBusiness #Governance #Leadership #Sustainability #Purpose

Fashion has no shortage of sustainability promises — but where’s the action? Simon Whitmarsh-Knight joins The Responsible Edge to discuss what frustrates him most about the industry, and why regulation, digital product passports and fibre innovation are the three pillars that could finally make change real. Plus, his magic wand solution: clarity.

How do you get business leaders to take sustainability seriously? Senior strategist Rebecca Ward believes the answer lies in linking environmental and social impact to financial performance. In this episode of The Responsible Edge, Rebecca shares her journey from geophysics to corporate strategy, her fight for gender equality in STEM, and why optimism is essential in a world of daunting climate challenges.

Andy Last — author of Business on a Mission and co-founder of Salt — joins The Responsible Edge to explore the hard realities of leading responsibly. From Lifebuoy’s breakthrough in combining health and profit, to the trust gap created by greenwashing, Andy reveals why governance, honesty and integration matter more than ever.

Can luxury fashion really be sustainable? La Pochette founder Justine Rouch joins The Responsible Edge to discuss how she’s challenging the industry’s waste culture, designing for longevity, and making tough leadership choices in an era of overproduction.

Is dialogue always the best way for companies to handle criticism? TDI Sustainability founder Assheton Carter joins The Responsible Edge to discuss the limits of corporate virtue, the importance of governance, and why alignment — not altruism — is the key to leading responsibly.

Policy strategist Charlie Garner joins The Responsible Edge to unpack the UK’s aviation dilemma. With the third runway at Heathrow approved, can Britain still claim climate leadership? Charlie discusses sustainable aviation fuels, the “valley of death” for clean tech startups, and why we need a national strategy — not political cycles. A must-watch for anyone interested in responsible growth and real climate policy.

CIBSE's Technical Director Anastasia Mylona joins The Responsible Edge to reveal why UK engineers took climate standards into their own hands. Discover how the new net zero building standard is reshaping the built environment—and why it matters more than ever.

How do you make responsible decisions when the truth is up for debate? Beehive News co-founder Rafael Cossi joins The Responsible Edge to discuss the emotional power of misinformation, why article-level transparency matters, and how businesses can incentivise better news—before it's too late.

Only 2% of real estate funds are managed by women. Why? Investor and entrepreneur Anna Clare Harper joins The Responsible Edge to explore the structural barriers that still dominate the built environment—plus how AI, sponsorship, and smarter capital could transform the way we invest in homes and in leaders.