The UK is ranked last in Europe for bathing water quality. With a small team and limited resources, how have a ‘bunch of surfers from Cornwall’ got parliament to listen and launch a commission on England’s chemical cocktail of stinking sewage?

Today’s guest on All About Business is Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, a water reform charity that’s been around for over three decades.

In this episode, we discuss the dangers of not taking sustainability seriously, how to get the government to sit up and listen and why community lies at the heart of every charitable brand.

Giles Bristow is the CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, a marine conservation charity. Founded in 1990 by a group of surfers in Cornwall, SAS is a powerful environmental movement that addresses a range of ocean-related issues. Giles joined SAS in 2023 and has over 20 years of experience in environmental advocacy.

01:31 Introduction

02:22 What are the problems with the UK's oceans?

08:32 Recent environmental changes

10:41 Why can't water companies solve this?

13:38 Time for systemic change

16:45 Voters against floaters

31:31 Giles' advice for effective campaigning

36:42 Circular economies

38:53 Plastic - it's everywhere

40:40 How to lobby - transparency and connections

45:52 Just Stop Oil – Are they effective?

50:22 Helping businesses become more sustainable

53:55 Community and brand

59:19 Interview round

Links

Check out SAS’s website

Follow Giles on LinkedIn

Follow James Reed on LinkedIn

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more at: https://www.reed.com/?utm_medium=AABshownotes.This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

What should you do if you have a brilliant business idea but don’t have the funds to bring it to life?

In today’s episode of All About Business, I'm joined by venture capitalist Sasha Kaletsky. Sasha is the co-founder of investment firm Creator Ventures which he started with his cousin Caspar Lee. They have injected millions of dollars into digital tech companies in six short years.

In this episode, we explore how to craft the perfect pitch, how social media is shaping our economy, and how you can use simple AI tools to scale your business quickly.

Sasha Kaletsky is the co-founder and Managing Partner at Creator Ventures, a firm that invests in technologies shaping the digital landscape.

Before founding Creator Ventures, Sasha gained extensive experience in private equity, technology, and consulting. He started at Bridgepoint in private equity, contributed to the launch and expansion of Uber, and worked as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group.

Timestamps

01:58 Introduction

02:31 Creator Ventures

17:37 Setting up in the United States

18:48 CEOs becoming creators

20:35 Building companies with AI

25:51 The future social landscape

29:28 Uber

31:12 The network effect

34:04 The secret behind a 5-Star passenger rating

35:09 What makes a good pitch

39:18 How Sasha determines future markets

41:12 Presenting to VCs

42:39 Due diligence

43:20 How to pitch to Sasha

43:53 Working with family

47:06 When due diligence fails

49:15 How companies can make better use of AI

54:53 Interview round

Links

Send Sasha your pitch

Check out Creator Ventures

Follow James Reed on LinkedIn

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more at: https://www.reed.com/?utm_medium=AABshownotes

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk.

How can you use psychology to quickly go from struggling employee to productivity machine?

Today’s guest on All About Business is Octavius Black CBE, the co-founder of MindGym, a corporate learning company that merges behavioural science with leadership development to turn struggling teams into powerhouses of productivity.

In this episode, we discuss the psychology behind high performance, why most leadership programmes are a waste of time, and the psychometric test that can predict your team’s future.

Octavius Black CBE is the founder and executive chair of MindGym, a company that delivers corporate learning and development programmes through 90-minute training sessions known as workouts.

Octavius has also co-authored several books that provide actionable insights and techniques to improve mental fitness and overall wellbeing.

In recognition of his contributions to business, Octavius was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2023.

Timestamps

00:41 The origin story of MindGym

03:50 The 90-minute learning revolution

07:11 Coaching and performance improvement

13:24 The importance of belonging and inclusion

19:43 HR challenges and innovations

27:42 Addressing workplace stress and wellbeing

30:15 Five conditions for thriving at work

35:39 The role of feedback in the workplace

41:54 The importance of emotional self-regulation

49:06 The future of AI in talent development

Links

Sign up for MindGym

Read Octavius’ book

Follow Octavius Black on LinkedIn

Follow James Reed on LinkedIn

All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more at:

https://www.reed.com/?utm_medium=AABshownotes

This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk