Explore every episode of the podcast Forum Radio

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Betsy Pearce (New York) talks to Jessica Fellowes about her work as a lawyer and strategic advisor for creative businesses. In the past, Betsy has overseen deals with with fashion giants such as Alexander McQueen and Gucci. She talks about how investors need guidance into how creatives work, and creatives need to understand the demands made by investment – sometimes the twain do not meet! 

'Ninety to 94 per cent of investors have to go through a succession crisis, which is expensive: when a fashion company has a founder leave, there's a ten to 15 per cent drop in revenue for the next two seasons,' Betsy explains. Tune in for all this – and more! 

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This week's interview is with long-standing New York member John McCormick. Jessica talks to John about his work at InnovaHealth partners, where investment in the healthcare space has brought him to some of the most cutting edge developments in recent years. John also talks about the importance of investing in women's healthcare – notoriously neglected and underfunded – and the new miracle drug, the likes of which only comes along every few decades. And, of course, AI: 'We see the large language model phenomenon as a real opportunity to design advanced devices in our research and development departments at our portfolio companies. It helps us do research and mine clinical data in ways we could have not seen before.'

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In this week's episode, Jessica talks to Anita Beacroft (Singapore). Born and raised in Sydney, before moving to Tokyo and Hong Kong, Anita began her professional career in finance and property. Following health challenges, she trained in energy healing modalities from Reiki to meditation, and now runs The Ascended Heart, a transformational coaching company. She talks about the unconscious divide between what people say they want and what their body says they really want.

'The work that I do often requires you to suspend doubt for a moment and lean in,' says Anita. 'But everybody's looking for that something special, that invisible edge...that will optimise their skill set and allow them to achieve something important, powerful and impactful. It's unusual work but I absolutely love it.'

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Michael Beneville (New York) is a familiar face to many of our members, as the co-founder of Beneville Studios, which hosts Forum breakfasts so brilliantly. An artist, storyteller and futurist, Michael talks to Jessica about his childhood inspirations, LA vs NY, how to ‘step into the shoes of your worth’ and growing a business that has no template. Beneville Studios today has created a wide range of innovative design, from the Empire State Building Experience to Area 15 in Las Vegas.

‘It takes a long time to climb up through the creative ranks and maintain whatever it is that you wanted to do. That’s a long road. Arguably, it takes thirty, forty years to even have something to say that isn’t derivative of everything else.’

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This week's conversation is with New York member James Greenberg, founder of Greenberg Art Advisory, member of the Whitney Museum Library Fellows and Vice Chairman for The Center for Arts Education. He is also an artist himself, working out of a studio in Greenpoint Brooklyn. 

Jim talks to Jessica about his training in art history, finance and law, and how this gave him a different port of entry into the art world: "I think I have a little bit of special sauce in that I understand all of the legal complications and ramifications with authenticity and provenance a little better having worked in the legal realm, and I also think my advantage includes a real understanding of materials from being a practicing artist who works in oil paint and stone."

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Daniel Widdicombe (London), CFO of Devolver Digital, and former head of investment banking for CBB (the world's second-largest bank), talks to Jessica about a career that has bridged east and west, the creative and the financial, and his plans to travel as widely as possible. 

Daniel told us what he has enjoyed about his Forum membership, too:  'It has broadened my perspectives on business and friendships, and also collaborative partnerships...You have people who are willing and hungry to experience together and work together and just interact. We're all so eager to interact and listen and learn from other people. So it's the perfect environment for that kind of experience.'

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Jennifer Schipf (London) is Global Chief Underwriting Officer Fine Art & Specie at AXA XL, which means she sets worldwide strategy for client solutions in the specialised market of fine art underwriting. In her conversation with Jessica, Jennifer talks about inspirational artists, the challenges of intersecting business and art, as well as her own work in the studio.

‘I sit at this very unusual intersection of the two extremes, which makes it a lot of fun, a lot of problem solving, and no two days are the same.’

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Pano Anthos is based in New York, where he is founder and managing partner of XRC Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm. Pano talks to Jessica about how technology has disrupted and changed human behaviour in the retail space, now we live in an 'online first, offline second' world. The future, says Pano, is in increasingly beautiful wearable technology. And, of course, AI. 

'I'm concerned that AI is a fundamental shift because the consumer cannot see the difference for the most part. It's almost indetectable, which means counterfeit grows dramatically. And if counterfeit grows dramatically and there is no truth in a small t, not capital T, we're not talking existentially here, but if there's no small t, then what are we left with?'

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Our latest podcast is an interview with Shwan Ibrahim Taha, our member based in Istanbul. Shwan grew up in Iraq, worked in America (for Franklin Templeton, later co-managing a hedge fund sponsored by George Soros) and has returned to the  region with Rabee Securities, a brokerage and investment firm. You can hear his fascinating insights into the risk and reward that is investing in a country that is at long last experiencing peace.

'It was a war-torn country for 50 years...We have arcane laws. We have very poor infrastructure for investments. The laws are murky still, not too clear. But if you can stomach that and navigate that, then it's a very promising country.'

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Jessica talks to Dan Sandhu (London), CEO of Education Development Trust (EDT), a vast not-for-profit organisation working to improve education outcomes around the world. Dan talks about how COVID changed education globally, how remote learning is enabling education to scale faster in countries without structural policy framework, his plans to expand EDT's footprint in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and identifying opportunities for the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office. 'Education is a great export out of the UK,' says Dan. 

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Jonathan Aeberhard (London) is Senior Vice President of Cheng Chung Design (CCD), leading the foundation of the CCD London studio. Founded in Shenzhen, the award-winning, publicly traded architecture and interior design studio has a focus on hotels and luxury residential developments worldwide. Formerly, Jonathan led GA Designs with his father, Werner Aeberhard, another long-standing and valued Forum members.

Here's Jonathan's take on Forum and why it works so well for him: 'If you're an entrepreneur or in a start-up or you're in a senior role, I found 95% of my consciousness was taken up with my to do list...you don't get a chance to step back and look at the broader landscape, and I think Forum has really helped me do that.'

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Justin Peimani (London), a strategic advisor and investor, talks to Jessica Fellowes this week about his move to London, his excitement about the opportunities for investors in software companies and the constant flow of new information and possibilities. 

We asked Justin what he liked about his Forum membership: "Every time I think that the connecting thread has always been [that] there's always a deep level of reflection and insight that you see within the members and within the conversation. So I think every lunch that I've been to, I feel like I've gotten a little bit smarter."

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This week, Jessica Fellowes is in conversation with Chris Wilkins (London), managing partner of Audley. Chris is an expert in strategic leadership, having whispered in the ears of several Conservative Party leaders and cabinet ministers. Audley advises leaders in business and government around the world, to help them achieve their political, professional or personal goals. 

"To be in the room with some of those brilliant leaders making these world-changing decisions at those critical moments is an incredibly privileged position to be in and it's really what my business now is all about and I wouldn't be doing anything else, I love it."

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In this episode, entrepreneur and executive coach Lara Holliday (London) talks about her women's network ,Tide Risers, as well as the coaching and equine therapy retreats she holds at Shore Hall. 

"If the horse won't follow you willingly, I know that there's some kind of emotional blockage stopping you from being able to make the decision to go down that pathway towards that new career. And that just as an executive coach gives me immediate feedback to know that there's a problem."