"What kind of CEO are you?" 

City A.M.'s UK Editor Jon Robinson sat down with the UK CEO of IKEA, Peter Jelkeby, trying to uncover what makes him and the group tick behind the boardroom. 

In addition to being the kind of CEO who "walks the talk", he believes he is "approachable" and "part of the family". 

Is that one of the reasons behind his and IKEA's success? Find out in the first episode of Boardroom Uncovered. 

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The chief executive of Bloom & Wild turned to a secret WhatsApp group with fellow founders to combat the "isolation" of being the sole head of his rapidly expanding flower delivery business.

In the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, Aron Gelbard revealed what it's like to run Bloom & Wild without his co-founder Ben Stanway who stepped back to set up MoneyBox.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

In the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, PensionBee UK CEO Romina Savova sat down with City AM UK Editor Jon Robinson and opened up about what sparked her to found the now London-listed platform and revealed what she describes as the big secret behind a successful pension.

The entrepreneur set Pensionbee up almost a decade ago and has overseen its rapid growth after quitting a career in corporate finance after spotting a gap in the market.

A decade since workplace pension schemes were introduced, the battle to encourage employees to merge their pension pots has heated up in recent months, with the likes of PensionBee facing competition from its rivals and more established providers such as Royal London.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Travelex, the world's largest foreign currency exchange, is expecting to have new owners within the next two years, its chief executive has revealed.

In this episode of Boardroom Uncovered, Richard Wazacz said the Peterborough-headquartered company will change ownership having been taken over by its debt holders in 2020 when the business collapsed into administration.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

In this episode of Boardroom Uncovered, the boss of Robinhood UK Jordan Sinclair talks about his journey from South Africa to the City of London, how the trading and investing app is taking on the likes of Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell as well as what kind of a leader he is.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Leaving New Zealand wasn't always the plan for Josh Bayliss. However, this has arguably turned out alright – given he's now the long-established chief executive running Sir Richard Branson's Virgin empire.

The CEO, who is the latest guest on City AM's Boardroom Uncovered, has opened up about his journey halfway across the world to now be in charge of one of the biggest names to come out of the UK in recent decades.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Sir Tim Martin, the founder and chairman of pub giant JD Wetherspoon, has opened up about the impact being such a prominent campaigner for Brexit has had on him and whether he thinks he actually made a difference in the debate.

The businessman became a household name during the 2016 referendum campaign thanks to his passionate and full-throated advocacy for the UK's exit from the EU.

His stance saw him featured heavily in the media ahead of the vote and in its aftermath, attracting both supporters and detractors alike.

In the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, Sir Tim Martin explains to City AM's UK editor, Jon Robinson, the impact putting his head above the parapet had on him and his company, which included the resignations of two board directors.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The rental market is “completely broken” and is a “disaster for first-time buyers” unless they can rely on the bank of mum and dad, the chief executive of Purplebricks has said.

In the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, Sam Mitchell, speaking with City AM's UK Editor, Jon Robinson, said that even that method of getting on the housing ladder is “becoming much harder”.

The CEO also revealed how he bought his first house after joining two friends, getting £10,000 loans to buy cars and a three-bedroom house in London in their early 20s – plus more. 

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Totally Wicked was established with a simple goal: to convert as many smokers as possible into vapers in order to 'improve their health'.

This mission has led the Lancashire-headquartered company to become one of the largest names in the industry and a major employer across the country.

In this episode of Boardroom Uncovered, City AM's UK editor Jon Robinson sits with the group's boss Marcus Saxton to find out if Totally Wicked can really stick to its claim to be a healthier alternative given the negative headlines that vaping has generated over recent years. 

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

You'd have thought that trying to turn around the fortunes of American Golf was enough for Nigel Oddy to be getting on with.

The retailer endured a difficult few years during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Oddy being parachuted in just over a year ago to revive the ailing brand's finances.

Since then, American Golf's balance sheet has been revitalised and the company is looking to the future with renewed confidence.

In the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, Oddy opened up about the pressures of the job and the ways that he manages his busy workload.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The boss of Trainline has outlined his European expansion plans as the online ticket giant faces government-backed competition at home.

Jody Ford, speaking on the latest episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered, opened up to UK Editor Jon Robinson about the company's growth in the likes of Spain in recent years and which other European nations are next on his target list.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

A career that's taken him from his home in Mexico all the way to Norwich to lead Naked Wines, via Belgium, was probably not something Rodrigo Maza could have predicted when he first started out.

But the chief executive, who has only been in the job for less than a year, has not only settled into his new surroundings, but also already had an impact on turning around the ailing company which enjoyed huge success during the pandemic.

In the latest episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered, Maza opened up to Jon Robinson about why he thinks Naked Wines is a "company worth fighting for" and that he has "absolute belief in its value".

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The UK boss of Haribo has revealed how he's gone from being too "optimistic and challenging" at the start of his career working for Heineken to more of a realist now he's leading one of the UK's largest confectionary makers.

Jon Hughes has been in the top job at a Pontefract-headquartered company, which also makes Maoam, since the back end of 2018.

Speaking on the latest edition of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered on-camera interview series, the UK managing director reflected on how he's changed since he first started out and what advice he would give his younger self.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The UK boss of trading platform eToro has opened up about the firm's plans to become a public company and what the London Stock Exchange has to do to win its backing.

The London-headquartered division of the Israel-headquartered trading and investment group has been weighing up floating in London or on another international exchange for a number of months.

Daniel Moczulski previously told City AM that London needs to do more if it wants Etoro to float in the capital.

Now, speaking with Jon Robinson on Boardroom Uncovered, Moczulski said: "It's a process. Conversations are always being held. It's well stated that Etoro wants to IPO in the next X number of years."

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The boss of Warburtons has said the bakery giant would not be where it is today without the help of Hollywood A-listers Samuel L Jackson, George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone – and The Muppets.

Chairman Jonathan Warburton, part of the fifth generation of the family to lead the Bolton business, has seen the firm's finances transformed by the use of film stars in their adverts in recent years.

The tactic, which has come at a hefty financial price, seems to have paid off in spades with Warburtons being elevated to a truly household name and its sales and profit surging.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

How this Arla Foods managing director went from selling cigarettes to selling milk

A globe-trotting career that began selling cigarettes at British American Tobacco and has led to heading up the UK arm of dairy giant Arla Foods is maybe not what Bas Padberg could have predicted when he started out in the early 1990s.

The managing director of the group behind Lurpak, Cravendale, Skyr and B.O.B milk now leads 2,000 farmers in the UK and close to 4,000 employees – a long way away from those early days in a "different world".

Padberg, who took on his current role at the start of 2024, has opened up about his career journey in the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, where he reveals to City AM's UK editor Jon Robinson what he considers to be the key ingredients to having a successful career as well as his leadership style and the importance of UK farms to the business.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

A business should be more like a family in order to attract employees with the right moral and cultural judgements, the boss of B&Q has said.

Graham Bell added that the DIY giant's approach to company culture gives it "credibility" and that business and family can't be separated.

The comments from the boss of Kingfisher-owned B&Q were made in the latest episode of City AM's on-camera interview series, Boardroom Uncovered.

As well as insisting that B&Q's family-like culture was not the red flag some might consider it to be, Bell also opened up about his ambitions to reach the top job and what he expects from new employees.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The CEO of FTSE 100 Auto Trader UK has revealed that he is "not the most sophisticated of car buyers". However, he admitted that he uses Auto Trader "loads". 

Nathan Coe, speaking to Jon Robinson on the latest episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered podcast, said the government needs to encourage more investment into companies listed on the London Stock Exchange to revive the fortunes of the City.

Coe added that the UK doesn’t have the same level of “encouragement or incentivisation” around building tech businesses.

He also said that it “feels a bit lonely” as one of the largest technology companies in the UK and that’s a stark difference between this country and the US.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The boss of Interactive Investor has shared his top three tips for investing in UK and foreign markets.

Richard Wilson, speaking to Jon Robinson on the latest episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered podcast, has set out what he thinks all investors should do in order to maximise their returns.

The chief executive was speaking ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivering her Spring Statement on 26 March.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Checkatrade can still do more to protect customers from rogue traders despite blocking a record number of applicants last year, its chief executive has said.

Jambu Palaniappan, speaking to Jon Robinson on this episode of City AM's interview series Boardroom Uncovered, said the home improvement platform is in the business of trust and that it forms "a core part of who we are".

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

In this episode of Boardroom Uncovered, Neville Koopowitz, the chief executive of health and life insurance giant Vitality, opens up about growing up in South Africa and living through the transition from Apartheid to democracy as well as talking about whether leadership sits comfortably with him.

The CEO also talks to host Jon Robinson about his approach to attempting to maintain a work-life balance, what it takes to be a good chief executive and his biggest successes and failures in his career.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The UK boss of LinkedIn has revealed her top three tips to help boost your profile on the social media platform.

Speaking to City AM's UK Editor, Jon Robinson, on the new episode of the Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Janine Chamberlin admitted that she doesn't have direct access to the all-important algorithm, but she does know a few hints and tips to help drive engagement on the site.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Capitalism is "unbelievably tedious" and needs to be rebranded in order for people to fight for its survival by the end of Donald Trump's second US administration, marketing veteran Rory Sutherland has said.

Speaking on the latest episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Sutherland said that free market capitalism has been made "so boring that I'm not sure people really feel the urge to defend it anymore".

He added that another name for capitalism is needed – one which recognises that "markets do not mean financial markets, but fundamentally wealth is created through innovation, marketing, behavioural change".

The Ogilvy chairman also touched on the impact of having the 'bank of mum and dad' and how difficult buying a house in London has become. 

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The UK is at risk of "taking too many steps down a road of not wanting to celebrate risk takers and wealth creators", according to the co-CEO of sports apparel brand, Castore.

Thomas Beahon, who shares the top job with his brother Phil, added that "there's not a lot of incentive for anyone to take risks right now" and called for a flat rate of income tax to be introduced.

Speaking to Jon Robinson on this episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Beahon said it is "hard to be overly positive" about the state of the UK economy and that actions taken by the Labour government "haven't necessarily matched the rhetoric that came before them coming into power".

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The UK boss of pizza chain Papa Johns has branded the rising costs his business is facing as a result of a "perfect storm of difficulty".

Speaking on this episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, managing director Chris Phylactou also called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to "start giving some relief to businesses" as companies are having a "hard time".

He pointed to the increase in employers' contributions to National Insurance as one of the major impacts on his business since Labour came to power last summer.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Gen Z are ditching the pub and instead choosing to socialise with their friends at the gym more, the boss of one of the UK's largest chains has said.

Will Orr, the chief executive of The Gym Group, told Jon Robinson on this episode of Boardroom Uncovered that the trend is an "incredible generational opportunity" for his company and one he is hoping to further capitalise on in the coming years.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The move to working from home (WFH) and hybrid office policies post-pandemic are having an impact on where Pret A Manger is considering opening new stores, its UK boss has said.

Speaking to Jon Robinson on this episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Clare Clough said the business is having to adjust to the changes in working patterns and locations.

She said the result will be the brand looking to launch stores "where people live as much as areas where people work, especially in London".

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The chief executive and co-founder of UK technology unicorn Motorway has spoken out about whether his company will choose London for a possible future initial public offering (IPO).

Speaking to City AM's UK Editor Jon Robinson on the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, Tom Leathes opened up about the chances of Motorway going public on the London Stock Exchange.

The main market has come under pressure in recent years following a number of high-profile exits and a fall in the number of companies completing IPOs.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The chief executive of Omaze has set out the reasons why he believes the UK is the right place for his growing business to invest.

Matt Pohlson, who helped found the company in the US before moving full-time across the Atlantic,  also acknowledged the well-known pitfalls of choosing to invest in this country rather than in the States.

Speaking to City AM's UK Editor on the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, the Omaze boss also revealed what he thinks the Labour government could do to support businesses more.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

In this episode of Boardroom Uncovered, the CEO of Allwyn UK has insisted The National Lottery is not gambling, despite the company being regulated by the Gambling Commission.

Andria Vidler, who has been the head of Allwyn for nearly two years at the time of recording, sought to set The National Lottery apart from betting giants such as Bet365, Betfred and PaddyPower. 

Vidler also opened up to City AM's UK Editor and host, Jon Robinson, about her aim to encourage the British public to spend a few pounds extra on the National Lottery. 

The CEO said this would help Allwyn UK invest in The National Lottery, continue its digital transformation, as well as increase the amount of money donated to good causes and the prize money.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The CEO of Bupa has rejected calls for the NHS to move to an insurance model and said that while it needs "fine-tuning", its "soul will remain" intact. 

Speaking to City AM's UK Editor, Jon Robinson, on this episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered, Carlos Jaureguizar said the NHS changing to an insurance model would be "too disruptive". 

His comments follow those of former Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who has joined calls for a major overhaul of the NHS, proposing a universal social insurance-based model.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Since Trustpilot was founded in 2007 by Peter Holten Mühlmann, the company has set about becoming a household name and, for many, a go-to destination to find out more about what others think of particular companies and experiences.

Now, Trustpilot's CEO has insisted that the reviews site "isn't perfect" but wants to be "the universal symbol of trust".

Speaking to City AM's UK editor, Jon Robinson, on the latest episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered, Adrian Blair defended the FTSE 250 business when asked whether Trustpilot could actually be trusted itself.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The chief executive of holiday park chain Butlin’s has hit out at Chancellor Rachel Reeves after saying increases taxes on businesses is not the way to improve the UK economy.

He added that both tax rises has made it harder for companies such as Butlin’s to hire new employees and that the Autumn Budget in 2024 felt like a “tax on jobs”.

Speaking to City AM's UK editor, Jon Robinson, on the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, Jon Hendry Pickup said the country is “not going to tax ourselves to success” and that last year’s Autumn Budget “felt like an own goal”.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

The chief executive of Ordnance Survey has revealed why he thinks pop icon Rihanna would make the perfect addition to his boardroom.

Nick Bolton, who runs the history national mapping agency, told City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast that the singer-turned-entrepreneur embodies the kind of imagination and edge every company needs.

Speaking to City AM's UK editor, Jon Robinson, on the latest episode of City AM's Boardroom Uncovered, Bolton said: "Rihanna would be brilliant. Not just as a performer, but as an entrepreneur."

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

In the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, City AM's UK Editor Jon Robinson sits down with Phil Halliday, Managing Director of HMV, to unpack the storied retailer’s unlikely resurgence.

Once a cautionary tale of the high street’s decline, HMV has quietly engineered a turnaround, with Halliday at the helm steering Britain’s most famous music shop into the streaming age.

Far from a nostalgic throwback, Halliday argues HMV’s strength lies in curation and community, noting how vinyl sales have surged alongside the appetite for band merchandise and limited editions.

Watch or listen to more Boardroom Uncovered episodes here 👇
https://linktr.ee/boardroomuncovered

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

In the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, City AM's UK Editor Jon Robinson delves into issues of tax fairness with ClearScore CEO Justin Basini, who describes it as “unforgivable” that large companies can avoid paying their due tax in the UK.

Basini also reveals his ambition to float ClearScore in London, calling it the “signature achievement” he hopes to deliver for the business.

He argues that the capital is the “natural home” for the company, given its UK‐centric operations and brand familiarity.

More from Boardroom Uncovered here 👇
https://linktr.ee/boardroomuncovered

#fintech #economy #news #business #politics #uk #uknews

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

In the latest episode of Boardroom Uncovered, City AM's UK Editor Jon Robinson sits down with James Reed, CEO of Reed, to chart the recruitment firm’s evolution and unpack his vision for Britain.

Reed discusses how he’d remake the UK into a powerhouse for entrepreneurs - emphasising the need for less red tape, smarter tax policy and a thriving job market that delivers for all.

He reflects on how his family-run business has adapted in a changing world and shares insights on leadership, economic growth and the road ahead for talent-hungry companies.

More from Boardroom Uncovered here 👇
https://linktr.ee/boardroomuncovered

#fintech #economy #news #business #politics #uk #uknews

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.

Boardroom Uncovered is also available in video format as well.