Hello and welcome to A Cast of Entrepreneurs, brought to you by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum.
I’m Elaine Stroud, Chief Executive of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and together with Sally Cowling, our Head of Member Experience, we’ve been talking to entrepreneurs from all over the North East about what it’s really like to be an entrepreneur. We’re getting the real insight into their lives, their busine ...
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A Cast of Entrepreneurs is back with another exciting episode featuring three brilliant entrepreneurs from the North East. This week, the cast are discussing what makes a brilliant workplace culture. Hosts Elaine Stroud, Chief Executive of The Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and Sally Cowling, Head of Member Experience, are joined by: Kari Owers. Kari has been a creative communications consultant for over 25 years working with high profile consumer brands and entrepreneurial businesses around the world and is also on the board of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum. She founded O.agency in 2005 and as Chief Creative Officer she leads the client strategy team, who have worked with many top brand names including Dr.Martens, Parkdean Resorts, Fenwick, Flymo and IamProperty. Kari has won multiple awards which recognise her passion in creating a special agency culture, commitment to her people and youth talent and investment in the local community. Brendon Hayward. Brendon co-founded Osbit with two fellow engineers in 2010 and has led a number of key projects for the offshore wind industry, including the development of Osbit’s asset software package and safety framework. Brendon is the Chair of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, Chairman of a local youth charity and is passionate about developing organisational cultures and people. Jonny Grubin. Jonny is the founder & CEO of SoPost, the leading online product sampling platform. A serial entrepreneur, Jonny launched SoPost in 2012 with the goal of helping brands run powerful sampling campaigns online with a focus on relevance, data and analytics. Today, SoPost powers the online sampling for hundreds of brands and ships one order every two seconds to consumers around the world. In this episode, the cast share their experiences of creating a winning workplace culture, the ins and outs of how they got there, as well as why they feel that a great culture is integral to their business. ... Get involved with The Entrepreneurs’ Forum: https://entrepreneursforum.net/ Connect with Kari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kariowers/ Connect with Jonny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgrubin/ Connect with Brendon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendon-hayward-5036b818/
We’re back with a new episode of A Cast of Entrepreneurs, and we have three brilliant entrepreneurs from the North East sharing their experiences of being based in this region. Hosts Elaine Stroud, Chief Executive of The Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and Sally Cowling, Head of Marketing, are joined by: Ammar Mirza, a multi-award-winning enterprise and innovation expert who has helped establish and scale several thousand businesses globally through the design, development and delivery of world leading accelerator and scale up programmes. With a portfolio of interests spanning across numerous sectors including property, edtech, health-tech and investment support Ammar is recognised as a leading authority on organisational growth. Charlie Hoult, a serial entrepreneur, currently involved in 4 businesses with combined staff over 500 and target turnover above £75m in 2024: Opencast, Hyhubs, Futureheads, Cheviot Insured. His work has always involved teams and he rates collaboration partners as the essence of his success. He is a firm advocate for building businesses on strong ethical values. Chloë Clover, the Co-Founder and CEO of the multi-award-winning agency Wander, a Personality First, Boundary Breaking Content Agency disrupting the way businesses market themselves online. Working with the biggest brands on the planet, crafting next level campaigns, and creating consistent and engaging content & social since 2018. Clover appeared in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list, highlighting her as a trailblazer and new world entrepreneur. Clover was also awarded 'Emerging Talent' at the Entrepreneurs Forum Awards and ‘Businesswoman of the Year’ at the Tees Businesswoman Awards. On this episode, the cast share their experiences of being entrepreneurs in the North East, whether they think location matters, their experiences of entrepreneurship in other locations, and how we can make our region a more inclusive space for businesses. ... Get involved with The Entrepreneurs’ Forum: https://entrepreneursforum.net/ Connect with Ammar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ammar-mirza-cbe-2132622/ Connect with Charlie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliehoult/ Connect with Chloë: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-clover/
We’re back with another episode of A Cast of Entrepreneurs, joined by some more brilliant entrepreneurs from the North East. Today, we’re talking all about diverse leadership in the workplace and how this benefits your company. Hosts Elaine Stroud, Chief Executive of The Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and Sally Cowling, Head of Member Experience are joined by: Joanna Feeley, Founder and Chief Executive at TrendBible, a futures agency predicting the future of life at home. Joanna’s career as a trend forecaster spans more than two decades. She has advised retailers, brands, charities, investors and governments all over the world, and had insights published by The Independent and Financial Times. Sarat Pediredla, Founder and CEO of Hedgehog Lab, a human-centred global tech consultancy. Sarat has led the company for over 16 years. He co-founded hedgehog lab in 2007 and transformed it from a small web development agency to a multi-million-pound company with over 100 employees and offices in the UK, US, and Bulgaria. As the CEO, Sarat is responsible for setting the company’s vision, strategy, and culture and overseeing operations, finances, and business development. In this episode, the cast share how they actively create a more diverse workplace, why they think it’s so important to do so, and how you, as leaders, can incorporate this into your everyday lives. ... Get involved with The Entrepreneurs’ Forum: https://entrepreneursforum.net/ Connect with Joanna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-feeley-85919716/ Connect with Sarat: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saratpediredla/
We’re back with a new series of A Cast of Entrepreneurs, and to kick off we’re hosting this special episode for International Women’s Day with three brilliant entrepreneurial women trailblazers from the North East sharing their experiences of running their own businesses in the region.. Hosts Elaine Stroud, Chief Executive of The Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and Sally Cowling, Head of Member Experience are joined by: Lisa Eaton, a marketing expert, strategy consultant and founder of Fabric Academy: an online training provider that empowers ambitious marketers to excel worldwide. With more than two decades of experience in creating and executing marketing and communication strategies for global brands, including P&G, Visit England, Dulux and the NHS, Lisa has a deep understanding of what it takes to develop a high-level marketing strategy that makes an impact while delivering tangible business results. Claire Parry, Director of Week2Week Serviced Apartments Newcastle. Claire is passionate about the accommodation industry and prides herself on ensuring Week2Week is run transparently and honestly with the upmost integrity. Claire took the reins from her mother in 2013 and she strives to continue the strong family ethos within the company. Claire gives all team members a voice, with regular get togethers resulting in shared ideas, allowing Week2Week to grow. Charlotte Stærck, Co-Founder and CEO of Handbag Clinic Ltd. Charlotte is a pioneer in sustainable fashion, transforming the longest running luxury aftercare service into the first fully circular business model. Handbag Clinic buys, authenticates, sells and restores luxury designer handbags. Charlotte leads a business with sustained triple digit growth and a team of 50 throughout the UK. On this episode, the cast share their experiences of being female entrepreneurs in the North East, discuss who their entrepreneurial role models were growing up, the hurdles they’ve faced throughout their business journeys, and how we can do better at opening doors for female entrepreneurs. ... Get involved with The Entrepreneurs’ Forum: https://entrepreneursforum.net/ Connect with Lisa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaeaton-marketingcoach/ Connect with Claire: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-parry-week2week/ Connect with Charlotte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-staerck-00a694ba/
For the final episode of series one of A Cast of Entrepreneurs, we have three more outstanding North East entrepreneurs giving us real insight into their lives and businesses. Hosts Elaine Stroud, Chief Executive of The Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and Sally Cowling, Head of Marketing, are joined by: Bethany Ainsley, CEO & Founder at OptiMe. A qualified Corporate Wellbeing Specialist, Bethany is dedicated to improving wellbeing in the workplace. With OptiMe, she helps businesses create work environments where individuals can flourish and unleash their true potential. The OptiMe app and platform integrates advanced technology, data analytics and personalised experiences to deliver tailored wellbeing solutions. Bethany is also Chair at Nuvo Wellbeing and ActivCare, and a best-selling author. Dale Smith, Founder & CEO at The SDDE Smith Group. Dale leads a group of companies that provide end-to-end real estate solutions, including property consultancy, legal services, architectural and interior design, construction, and ongoing management for commercial, residential and holiday home properties. Dale’s background includes sporting success – he was the England Under-18 Golf captain and achieved a golfing scholarship at the University of San Diego. John Duns, Director and Joint Owner at North East Times Magazine, a leading regional business publication. Born and bred in the North East, John specialises in business development, marketing, and advertising. Previously, he’s held a variety of positions with companies from our region, including Business Development Director at Brewin Dolphin. He’s now passionate about celebrating and promoting the people and businesses in the North East. On this episode, the cast share more about their youth and early influences, their journeys into entrepreneurship, role models and support networks, how the business landscape has changed over time, the importance of prioritising wellbeing, and share top tips for budding entrepreneurs. ... Get involved with The Entrepreneurs’ Forum: https://entrepreneursforum.net/ Connect with Bethany: www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyainsley/ Connect with Dale: www.linkedin.com/in/dalesmithpvl/ Connect with John: www.linkedin.com/in/john-duns-0396891a/?originalSubdomain=uk