Enter the Boardroom

Dr. Annalisa Jenkins has held around fifty board and trustee roles across biotech, venture capital, public bodies and medical charities, including Compass Pathways, AVROBIO, Affimed and Mereo BioPharma. Tune into this episode to hear more about: The cold call that led to Annalisa’s first public board seat (01:37) The CV mistake that keeps first-time NEDs off boards (04:14) Two things Annalisa checks before joining any board (05:55) How she earned a reputation for replacing CEOs (12:23) Life as a CEO, IPOs and genetic risks (15:20) Joining a board with no diligence, and what happened next (18:21) Losing a chair role by misreading the investors (21:33) A mental model for non-execs joining a biotech board (25:13) Running twenty boards, and her criteria for selecting board roles today (30:22) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(36:42)

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Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Conor Boden spent over two decades building boards for private equity funds. He was Head of Portfolio Board Development at Advent International. Listen to this episode to learn more about: What decides who private equity appoints as a chair or NED (01:42) Where to focus your time when no private equity board role is on offer (05:18) How private equity weighs track record against potential (10:05) How to move from someone's radar into an interview process (14:21) Psychometrics versus other assessment techniques (19:48) The most common reason credible candidates miss out (21:37) Whether you can change how you come across in a private equity interview (23:01) The board intervention that changes a business most (25:19) Why chairs and NEDs don’t get invited back (30:55) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡ (33:41)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Debbie Hewitt MBE is Chair of The Football Association, the first woman to hold the role in its history. She is also a Vice-President of FIFA. Alongside football, she chairs Visa Europe and Compare the Market. Tune into this episode to hear about: Common misunderstandings about the FA (02:36) How to prioritise amongst stakeholders (05:30) How Debbie decides when to step in (09:08) Working with governance rules created in 1863 (11:12) Why Debbie didn’t immediately push for women's clubs to join the FA (15:00) What CEO succession teaches you about choosing an England manager (20:10) The personal cost of chairing the FA (22:18) Three questions to ask yourself before you speak to the press (29:30) Debbie’s mistakes, building a portfolio (31:12)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(37:42)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Matthew Lester is Chairman of Kier group plc and NED and Chair of the Audit Committee at Intermediate Capital Group plc. Previously, he was CFO of Royal Mail plc. Listen to this episode to learn more about: Two moments where non-execs had the biggest impact on the business (01:39) Why motivation outweighs knowledge in CEO hires (08:03) The hardest habit to break when you become a chair (16:21) How Matthew checks whether the board is getting the full picture (22:18) The case for giving employees a seat in the boardroom (31:06)⚡The Lightning Round⚡ (33:54)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Dame Hayaatun is the founder and CEO of Argentic Associates. Previously, she was CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation. Listen to this episode to learn more about: How a non-exec role helped carve Dame Hayaatun’s path to CEO (01:35) How she landed her first non-exec role (11:22) How sitting on boards helped her improve in her day job (15:16) Two moments Dame Hayaatun felt like the board added the most value (18:52) Why asking for more information can create a bottleneck (26:09) Where non-execs cross the line with management (28:36) A 3-step framework for deciding what’s next: motivation, aspiration, consideration (35:22) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(38:52)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Nick Wheeler OBE founded Charles Tyrwhitt in 1986 from his university room in Bristol. Forty years later it is a £400 million revenue business operating across the UK, US, and Europe. Listen to this episode to hear about: The tortoise rule: why the first 20 years are boring and the next 20 get exciting (04:34) Why the best business decision Nick ever made had nothing to do with shirts (08:03) The fine line between founder magic and founder interference (12:27) Why Michael Dell's £158 billion business still annoys Nick (19:38) The expansion mistake that sent Charles Tyrwhitt bust (21:02) Why a great interview tells you almost nothing - and what Nick does instead (26:18) The difference between building a brand and building a business (32:12)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(34:30) Audience Q&A (39:31)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Debbie Wosskow CBE is one of the UK's best-known entrepreneurs. Today, she is NED of Channel 4 and co-chair of the government-backed Invest in Women Taskforce. Tune into this episode to hear about: Debbie's discipline around cash (01:17) Picking your boards wisely: what’s on the line as a non-exec (08:32) Why storytelling is important for founders (09:48) What surprised Debbie the most during her first exit (16:55) The Series B decision that split the Love Home Swap board (18:53) Three questions a NED should ask before accepting investment (26:07) "Organ donor rejection": why big names don't always survive in startups (28:49) How Debbie built her portfolio career (38:04) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(42:08)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Sir Lloyd Dorfman CBE is founder of Travelex, the world's largest retailer of foreign exchange. Today, he is Chair of the Royal Ballet and Opera and sits on the Mayor of London's Business Advisory Board and is Chair of Dorfman Media Holdings. Listen to this episode to hear about: How Sir Lloyd talked his way into Heathrow Terminal 4 (01:35) How Travelex outbid the clearing banks for the Heathrow contract (09:06) Why entrepreneurial businesses see opportunities incumbents miss (14:04) Why Sir Lloyd bet Travelex on a £440m acquisition (16:05) The integration lesson from the £440m Thomas Cook acquisition (20:47) The challenge of leading a cultural institution after COVID (24:32) Why he banned hybrid board meetings (28:17) The mistake nonprofits make about commerciality (31:42) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(34:34)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Jacqui Ferguson started her career as a technologist in Scotland and rose to become a divisional CEO at Hewlett Packard. Today, she is a SID at Croda International plc and NED at National Grid plc. Listen to this episode to hear about: How Jacqui found out she was becoming chair of Tesco Bank (01:52) How a board actually decides who becomes its next chair (08:27) Working for Meg Whitman during Hewlett-Packard’s $8bn turnaround (10:12) Leading the search for Croda’s next chair, and why there’s no such thing as a perfect candidate (14:57) The 30 days it takes to run a FTSE 100 chair search (19:21) What separates the finalists in a chair search (22:13) Why Softcat kept its chair past the nine-year limit (25:38) The succession maths that made Jacqui rule herself out at Croda (30:44) Why 12 months as chair designate creates more problems than it solves (33:38)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

James Thornton is CEO of Intrepid Travel, the world's largest adventure travel B Corp, operating in more than 100 countries with $809 million in revenue and 317,880 customers in 2025. He became the company's first non-founding CEO succeeding co-founders Darrell Wade and Geoff Manchester. Tune into this episode to hear about: The five-year test: how James was quietly auditioned to become CEO (01:38) His advice for any founder building a CEO (04:31) Why becoming CEO felt anticlimactic (08:16) The founder trick for empowering a CEO without micromanaging them (12:55) How to stress-test an acquisition (18:50) What James looked for when hiring board members (22:22) Running a travel company through Covid (34:14) The advice James would give himself looking back on his nine-year journey (37:43)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(39:44)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Ilse Howling is Chair of Frontier Developments, the AIM-listed video games company behind Planet Zoo and the Jurassic World Evolution franchise. Previously, she spent over a decade as Managing Director of Freeview. Listen to this episode to learn more about: The three things that actually make a great chair (02:23) How to get shareholders to give up what they individually want for what the company needs (07:18) What Ilse learned from Sky about a ruthless focus on the customer (09:29) How disagreeing with the founder got Ilse the job (17:24) The question Ilse asked in her first board meeting that she was told not to ask (23:25) Frontier's 20% cost cut, and the exec team's surprise offer to the board (30:03) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(36:24)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Tom Toumazis spent 8 years as EVP and Managing Director of Disney-ABC-ESPN in EMEA. Since stepping off the executive track a decade ago he has built a portfolio career which includes SID at PRS for Music, NED at Directors UK and Deputy Chair of the University of Westminster amongst others. Interested in what it takes to build a portfolio career? Tune in to hear about: How investing his own money became Tom's way into his first board seats (01:35) His rule for the money he put behind those first bets (05:20) What Tom didn't anticipate about small-table board life (07:51) How he figures out what he's actually bringing to a board beyond money (10:11) What nobody tells you about explaining a portfolio career at a dinner party (11:26) How Tom got his first board seat, and the mistake he admits he made once he had it (12:58) Do you need a stellar career to sit on a board? (15:48) Getting a board role is a numbers game (22:05) Tom’s tips for board interviews (26:28) An easy way to enhance your networking strategy (29:39) Enter the Boardroom Community Q&A (32:42) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(34:51)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Dame Anne Richards is Chair of Coutts, NED at Land Securities and Chair of TheCityUK Leadership Council. Previously, she was CEO of Fidelity International. Listen to this episode to find out more about: The three boardroom experiences that shaped Dame Anne Richards (01:57) The afternoon the entire board resigned (06:01) Why trust matters more than governance processes (14:38) Why boards should think of their CEO like a battery, and how to recharge them (17:00) How boards can kill good ideas without realising it (18:45) The puddle and stream problem every CEO faces (21:48) Why board agreement doesn’t mean board commitment (24:07) The unexpected risks of planned CEO successions (25:02) The chair's balancing act during a CEO handover(26:29) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(28:57) Audience Q&A (34:05)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Why becoming a NED made Gavin a better CEO (01:33) The advice Gavin would give himself looking back (09:12) How to unlock the high-flying CEO who always thinks they’re right (14:34) The two warnings Gavin ignored before BT fell apart (18:27) The truth about his departure from BT (21:46) Why Gavin doesn’t agree with ‘I’ll back you ‘till I sack you’ (26:41) What everyone could learn from PE firms about senior appointments (30:29) Gavin’s advice on firing a CEO (34:21) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(36:11) Enter the Boardroom Community questions (40:47)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Ian Filby spent almost 30 years at Alliance Boots before becoming CEO of DFS. He then served as Chair at Joules and Pendragon, where he navigated activist shareholder pressure. Listen to this episode to learn about: What private equity taught Ian about how boards should behave (01:34) The danger of drifting from data to anecdote (05:36) The KPI mistake that leaves boards blind to the future (08:04) Why Ian had an operating board and a strategy board (10:36) The warning signs your bank may not back you when it matters (17:20) The private equity lesson every PLC board should steal (19:33) How Ian handled an activist investor, a blocked takeover and a boardroom revolt (23:14) Why Ian stepped down as chair (29:02) How to handle activist-investors (30:05)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(34:26)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Celia Huber is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and leads McKinsey's boards services work in North America. Celia also serves on the executive committee of the California Business Roundtable, is a board member of AMN Healthcare and is a trustee of the AltaMed Foundation. Tune into this episode to learn about: The two questions that reveal where your board really stands on AI (01:27) The stat that shows how far behind most boards are on AI governance (09:00) Business pioneer, pragmatic adopter, internal transformer or functional reinventor: which AI archetype are you? (10:42) The five value levers that reveal where your AI opportunity actually is (16:13) How McKinsey builds its own AI tools instead of just relying on existing ones (23:45) How boards are using AI in the boardroom (26:30) Transparency, access, and risk: the three things boards get wrong about AI guardrails (30:50) The six-month AI learning journey every board should design (36:20) The one change Celia would make to improve any board by 20% in a year (38:08) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(41:37)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Chris Murray MBE has chaired National Grid Gas plc, National Grid Electricity pls and National Grid Gas Holdings. He now sits on the board of SGN. Listen to this episode to hear about: What Chris got wrong about boards early in his career (01:28) The most common mistakes first-time NEDs make (02:55) How Chris defuses a board disagreement before it reaches the table (08:10) Four things to know before joining a regulated board (14:58) Which of privatisation, liberalisation and decarbonisation did boards handle worst? (19:30) The three phrases Chris never wants to hear in a boardroom (28:14) How to know if your safety culture is real or just rhetoric (31:17) The moment that made safety personal for Chris (38:06)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(41:17)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Betsy Atkins has sat on more than 38 public company boards, been through 17 IPOs, and has done it all while running three companies of her own. She co-founded Ascend Communications and took it to a $23 billion acquisition by Lucent. She's also the author behind 'Be Board Ready' and 'Behind Boardroom Doors'. Tune in to this episode to learn more about: Why every board member should take the Hippocratic oath (01:28) The superpowers Betsy looks for in every executive (04:45) What she would do differently if she started her board career again (06:51) The day the FBI walked into Betsy’s boardroom (08:08) How she stress-tests a board candidate's character (12:47) The moment Betsy knew she had to leave HealthSouth (16:32) What happens when an AI agent goes rogue in your company (23:50) How to upskill a board that thinks AI is just a buzzword (28:49) How boards are using AI in the boardroom (33:36) What Betsy does differently to stay at the top of her field (35:27)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(37:23)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Gareth Penny spent 22 years at De Beers, joining the board in 2003 and serving as Group CEO from 2006 to 2010 during which he dismantled over a century of supply-side monopoly. From 2013 to 2022 he was Independent Chair of Norilsk Nickel, winning Russian Chairman of the Year in 2016, and from which he resigned following the invasion of Ukraine. Listen to this episode to find out more about: Why being the world's biggest diamond monopoly was almost worthless (01:52) The people inside a business are the last to see what's wrong with it (06:20) Governing a boardroom with a government, a corporate and a family in it (11:20) The advice Gareth gives any CEO about to reinvent their company (14:36) What a fit board and a great sportsman have in common under pressure (20:36) The secret to a calm boardroom (24:42) Why the chair should always be the last person to speak (27:21) How a board handles one of the worst oil spills in Arctic history (30:15) The board function Gareth thinks almost every company is missing (35:36) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(37:55)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

The Rt Hon Justine Greening has served as Economic Secretary to the Treasure and later held three Cabinet posts. She left the Cabinet in 2018 to found the Social Mobility Pledge, now the largest business campaign of its kind with over 800 organisations covering more than eight million people. Tune in to this episode to hear about: The childhood lesson that drove Justine Greening into politics and the boardroom (01:48) What the England squad has to do with your hiring strategy (07:38) The three things every organisation can do on social mobility starting tomorrow (10:08) Social mobility isn't just for multinationals: here's what smaller organisations can do (18:29) Justine on corporate Britain's progress on social mobility (22:58) How to get your board to actually act, not just talk about it (27:34) Why getting the first NED role remains so difficult (37:59) The reason boards hire NEDs is rarely where they end up adding most value (39:58) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(41:57)

Support the show

Host: Oliver Cummings

Producer: Will Felton

Editor: Penelope Coumau

Music: Kate Mac

Audio: Nick Kold

Email: podcast@nurole.com

Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom