The Inspiring Leaders Podcast

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

Giles Thorley, CEO of Development Bank of Wales, and Maria Kyriacou, Chair of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, join Marc Barber, Director of Content at Criticaleye, to explore how CEOs and Boards can work together to navigate risk and make better decisions in an increasingly complex business environment.

Drawing on their extensive leadership experience across media, finance and private equity, Giles and Maria share insights on how Boards can support executives, challenge thinking and improve decision-making in times of uncertainty.

Discussion points include:

• The role of the Board in supporting executive teams and managing risk
• How Boards can challenge thinking and provide valuable perspective
• Balancing risk and opportunity when making strategic decisions
• Staying focused amid increasing volatility and uncertainty
• The importance of strong CEO and Chair relationships

A must-listen for CEOs, Chairs and senior leaders looking to strengthen Board effectiveness, improve decision-making and navigate the complexities of leadership in today’s rapidly changing environment.

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, joins Bridgette Hall, Senior Editor at Criticaleye, to explore what it takes to succeed as a CEO in today’s fast-changing business environment.

As organisations navigate increasing complexity and constant change, the demands on CEOs continue to evolve. In this episode, Mike shares insights from his leadership journey, reflecting on stepping into the top role, building high-performing teams and staying focused on long-term strategy.

Drawing on his experience as CEO of enfinium, Mike discusses the challenges facing chief executives today, along with the importance of continuous leadership development, self-awareness and maintaining an external perspective.

Discussion points include:

• Mike’s career journey and pathway to becoming a CEO
• The surprises and challenges of stepping into a first CEO role
• Navigating the critical first 100 days and balancing learning with decisive action
• Early wins and key lessons learned from mistakes
• How CEOs can communicate effectively and keep teams focused amid constant change
• The role of feedback, data and independent perspective in leadership effectiveness
• Approaches to self-development as a CEO and developing the leadership team
• Advice for first-time CEOs on maintaining strategic focus and avoiding operational overload

A must-listen for CEOs looking to sharpen their leadership impact, strengthen strategic focus and lead with confidence through complexity.

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

Jon Rigby CBE, Senior Cyber Advisor and former Chief Cyber Officer at Liberty Specialty Markets, joins Jacob Ambrose Willson, Senior Editor at Criticaleye, to explore what it truly takes for organisations to build cyber resilience in an increasingly complex and unpredictable threat landscape.

With over 40 years experience across the Royal Air Force, intelligence, cyber operations and commercial advisory roles, Jon offers a unique perspective on how cyber risk is evolving and why many organisations still underestimate its scale.

He explores common misconceptions about cyber attackers, the realities of attribution and state involvement and why cyber must be treated as a strategic business risk rather than a technical issue.

The discussion also looks at how Boards can move beyond a tick box approach and where organisations most often fall short in understanding and managing cyber risk.

Discussion points include:

• Who is behind today’s cyber attacks and how targeting models differ
• The reality of state sponsored cyber activity and the challenge of attribution
• Why Boards often fall into a box ticking approach to cyber risk
• How organisations can better quantify and understand cyber impact
• The importance of independent challenge and realistic testing
• Why cyber resilience depends on preparation, rehearsal and culture
• Common blind spots that lead to failure during live incidents
• The role of third parties in expanding organisational risk exposure

A must listen for senior leaders seeking to strengthen cyber resilience, elevate Board level understanding and lead with confidence in managing evolving cyber risk.

Episode 31: Criticaleye Asia Podcast – Chairing for Impact: Leadership Lessons from Ray Ferguson, Global Board Chair

In this episode, Yu-Wen Hsiao, Marketing and Communications Manager, APAC at Criticaleye, speaks with Ray Ferguson, Global Board Chair and seasoned international banker, shares his perspective on how CEOs and Boards are navigating resilience, growth and change in an increasingly complex global environment.

Drawing on more than 35 years of international leadership experience across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, Ray reflects on the evolving role of the Chair, the importance of strong CEO–Board alignment and how leaders can stay focused on long-term value while responding to short-term pressures. He also discusses how Boards can simplify decision-making, maintain clarity of purpose and support organisations through periods of uncertainty and transformation.

Discussion points include:

• How can CEOs and Boards stay aligned in periods of uncertainty and change?
• What makes an effective Chair in today’s environment?
• How can Boards balance governance, risk oversight and execution during transformation?
• What common pitfalls emerge during major organisational change, and how can they be avoided?
• How should Chairs work with executive teams to build capability and resilience?
• What lessons from a global leadership journey are most valuable at Board level today?

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

Steven Cooper, CEO for financial planning and wealth management provider Fairstone joins Julia Brook, Marketing and Communications Director at Criticaleye to explore the first 100 days of taking on the CEO role.

Drawing on his experience in multiple CEO roles, Steven shares advice and observations on stepping into a leadership role and how to make that crucial initial time period count.

From his personal approach to what leaders should be doing to developing the forward plan for the business, discussion points include:

• The route to the CEO role - gaining the right experiences in order to step into the top job
• Why CEOs need to remember they have two ears and one mouth - meeting and listening too people across the business is vital to understanding as well as being visible
• Realising that a CEO role can be lonely. How do leaders get feedback that is both relevant and supportive. 
• Why it's important to make people decisions as early as possible 

A must-listen for executives looking to step into or better understand the unique challenges and pressures of the CEO role.

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

In this episode, Lorcan O'Connor, CEO for Transport Infrastructure Ireland joins Criticaleye’s Marketing and Communications Director Julia Brook to discuss his journey to the CEO role and reflections of being a Group CEO at Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), Ireland's largest public transport provider.

Managing multiple stakeholders is a key skill for any CEO. In this podcast, we look at what core skills and capabilities are needed to be successful in the role.

Discussion points include:

• Lorcan's own career journey and route to becoming a CEO
• Gaining the skills and attributes needed throughout your career that will lead to a senior leadership role
• The questions executives should ask before taking on the top job and assessing if it is right of them
• Key challenges to navigating important stakeholder groups including the Board and Government
• The CEO-CFO partnership and what makes a winning team which can drive the business strategy

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

Martin Balaam, CEO of Pimberly and Jacqui Summons, NED/Fractional CHRO join Criticaleye's Senior Editor, Jacob Ambrose Willson to explore the demands of private equity ownership from driving value creation and managing Board dynamics to resolving conflict, keeping exit front of mind and leading under pressure in today’s challenging market.

Discussion points include:

• The growing popularity of private equity as a route to business growth and the impact of current market conditions
• How the definition of success in PE has evolved and what value creation looks like today
• Boardroom dynamics in PE-backed businesses and the characteristics of high-performing Boards
• The role of the Chair and executive team in managing investor relationships and resolving conflict
• Keeping the exit in focus throughout the ownership cycle while driving sustainable growth
• Leading through the pressures of the exit process and the current macroeconomic environment

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

Sangeeta Desai, Non-Executive Director at Boat Rocker Media and Board Mentor at Criticaleye, joins Matthew Blagg, CEO of Criticaleye, to discuss how senior leaders can bring clarity of direction and purpose to inspire high performance in today’s volatile and fast-moving business environment.

Hosted by Jacob Ambrose Willson, Senior Editor at Criticaleye, we focus on how Chairs and Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) can best support CEOs in navigating uncertainty, fostering alignment and accelerating strategic decision-making to ensure long-term success.

Discussion points include:

• How Chairs and NEDs can support CEOs during periods of volatility and pressure
• The balance between long-term strategy and short-term pressures at Board level
• Where misalignment occurs across leadership teams and Boards and how to address it
• The role of the Chair in fostering alignment and high performance
• What pace means for effective leadership and decision-making
• How resilience and clarity of direction help leadership teams thrive under pressure

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

In this episode, we hear from Sean Latus, Group CEO at Calisen, as he reflects on his transition from CFO to CEO and the realities of leading a complex organisation in today’s business climate. 

Hosted by Bridgette Hall, Senior Editor at Criticaleye, Sean shares his journey into the CEO role, the key mindset shifts and challenges he faced. He reflects on staying strategically focused, evolving stakeholder relationships and offers advice for others transitioning from CFO to CEO. 

Discussion points include: 

• Navigating the career journey from CFO to Group CEO.
• The motivations, doubts and decisions behind stepping into the top role.
• Shifting responsibilities and early challenges faced as a new CEO.
• Leading from the front without getting pulled back into the detail.
• Redefining relationships with the Board and other key stakeholders.
• Advice for CFOs transitioning to CEO – what to expect and what support is needed.

Criticaleye's Inspiring Leaders Podcast

In this episode, our first for 2025, we kick off the year by speaking to Criticaleye CEO Matthew Blagg about the trends, challenges, opportunities and risks for leaders over the next 12 months. He talks to Jordan Christofis, Senior Marketing Executive & Digital Lead at Criticaleye about the landscape for this year.

Discussion points include: 

• What factors will influence performance and decision making this year?
• Why 2025 will be a growth environment with opportunities and capital available to well-run and productive organisations.
• Increased pressure on Boards  and why the gap between Boards and operational team may widen this year.
• The leadership traits needed to be successful in 2025.
• What support leaders will need - the importance to find ways of benchmarking and testing ideas in a challenging environment.