Explore every episode of the podcast The Business Case - with Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark

Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an engaging conversation with Richard Pindar, Chief Executive Officer, and Paul Pindar, Chair of Literacy Capital plc. In Season 2 Episode 10 of The Business Case, Richard and Paul discuss the story behind Literacy Capital, which they co-founded in 2017, and its approach to investing in and supporting growing UK private businesses over the long term. They share insights into Literacy’s distinctive investment model, working closely with management teams to help businesses grow and create additional value, while maintaining a disciplined approach to selecting new investments and managing the existing portfolio. The conversation explores private equity, capital allocation, portfolio management, value creation and the opportunities and challenges facing smaller UK businesses. Richard and Paul also reflect on their respective leadership roles, the evolution of Literacy Capital from its origins with £54 million of capital to a listed investment trust, and the company’s long-term approach to building successful businesses while supporting its unique charitable objective of improving literacy among children in the UK.

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Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an engaging conversation with Benjamin Faes, Chief Executive Officer of RWS Holdings plc. In Season 2 Episode 9 of The Business Case, Benjamin discusses his journey into leadership at RWS and the Group’s transformation as it focuses on technology, AI and profitable organic growth. He shares insights into RWS’s global technology and language services business, its proprietary technology and specialist expertise, and the opportunities created by the rapid development of artificial intelligence. The conversation explores RWS’s refreshed growth strategy, operational efficiency, innovation and the role of technology in reshaping the language and content services market. Benjamin also reflects on his extensive career across the technology and media sectors, including senior leadership roles at AOL and Google, and how his experience in digital transformation is helping RWS navigate its next phase of growth and create long-term value for customers and shareholders.

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Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an engaging conversation with Marc Bishop Lafleche, Chief Executive Officer of Ecora Royalties plc. In Season 2 Episode 8 of The Business Case, Marc discusses Ecora’s evolution into a leading critical minerals-focused royalty company, providing investors with exposure to the global mining sector through a diversified portfolio of royalties and streams. He shares insights into the company's strategic pivot towards commodities essential to electrification and the energy transition, the unique advantages of the royalty and streaming business model, and how Ecora seeks to generate long-term cash flow while supporting the development of world-class mining assets. The conversation explores disciplined capital allocation, portfolio management, leadership, and the role of critical minerals in meeting growing global demand. Marc also reflects on his journey from investment banking to leading Ecora, the opportunities and challenges shaping the mining industry, and how the company is positioning itself to create sustainable long-term value for shareholders.

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Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an engaging conversation with Helen Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of Grainger plc. In this episode, Helen discusses Grainger’s position as the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, specialising in the ownership, development and management of high-quality rental homes across the country. She shares insights into the growing build-to-rent sector, the changing needs of renters, and how Grainger is creating professionally managed communities designed for long-term living.

The conversation explores Grainger’s strategy for delivering sustainable growth through investment in new developments, disciplined capital allocation, and operational excellence. Helen also reflects on the evolving UK housing market, the opportunities and challenges facing the residential rental sector, the importance of customer experience, and how Grainger is balancing growth, sustainability and long-term value creation for residents and shareholders alike.

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Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an engaging conversation with Alk Brand, Chief Executive Officer of Wynnstay Group plc. In this episode, Alk discusses Wynnstay’s role as a leading supplier to the UK agricultural sector, supporting farmers through a comprehensive range of products and services spanning feed, seed, fertiliser, grain marketing, animal health, machinery, and specialist retail. He shares insights into the importance of building long-term customer relationships, navigating changing market conditions, and maintaining a resilient business in an industry shaped by economic, environmental and regulatory pressures.

The conversation explores Wynnstay’s strategy for sustainable growth, including investment in its operational capabilities, expanding its product and service offering, and helping customers improve productivity while adapting to the evolving needs of modern agriculture. Alk also reflects on leadership, the value of people and partnerships, the opportunities and challenges facing UK farming, and how Wynnstay continues to create long-term value for its customers, colleagues and shareholders in a rapidly changing agricultural landscape.

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Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an engaging conversation with Steve Murray, Group Chief Executive Officer of Chesnara plc. In this episode, Steve discusses Chesnara’s evolution into a leading European life, pensions and investment company, specialising in the consolidation and management of life and savings businesses across the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands. He shares insights into the company’s three-pillar strategy of maximising value from existing business, acquiring life and pensions businesses, and enhancing value through profitable new business. The conversation explores Chesnara’s disciplined approach to acquisitions, including the transformational acquisition of HSBC Life (UK) and the proposed acquisition of Scottish Widows Europe SA, as well as the opportunities these transactions create for future growth and cash generation. Steve also reflects on leadership, capital allocation, customer outcomes, dividend growth, and the long-term trends shaping the life and pensions sector as Chesnara continues to scale its platform and deliver value for policyholders and shareholders alike.

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Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an insightful conversation with Andrew (Andy) Thomis, Chief Executive of Cohort. In this episode, Andy reflects on the journey of co-founding Cohort and growing it into a leading defence and security technology group, serving customers across the UK and international markets. He discusses the evolving defence landscape, the increasing role of innovation and specialist expertise in national security, and how Cohort has built a portfolio of high-performing businesses through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. The conversation also explores leadership, long-term value creation, and the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of the defence sector.

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Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an in-depth conversation with Allan Lockhart, Chief Executive of NewRiver.

In this episode, Allan discusses the evolution of UK retail real estate, how shopping centres and retail parks have adapted to the rise of online shopping, and why he believes the sector is now in its strongest position in over a decade. The conversation also explores NewRiver’s growth journey, investment strategy, use of consumer data, and the future of UK retail property.

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Join hosts Mark Wharrier and Phil Clark for an in-depth conversation with Colin Godfrey, Chief Executive of Tritax Big Box REIT. Since its IPO in 2013, the company has grown into a FTSE 100 leader with a portfolio valued at nearly £8 billion. 

In this episode, Colin reveals how Tritax became the largest listed investor and developer in UK logistics and why their "mission-critical" warehouses are the backbone of modern supply chains. We explore the company’s ambitious roadmap to 2030, driven by three core levers: an embedded 28% rental reversion, a valuable 33-million-square-foot development pipeline, and a pioneering 1GW "power-first" data centre strategy.

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Having previously served as Chief Strategy Officer until 2018, Paul was appointed CEO of Zoopla in 2025. Paul’s wealth of digital and marketplace experience has helped propel Zoopla's goal of building the largest UK audience of motivated movers and delivering high-quality leads to their estate agent & homebuilder customers.

In this episode, we discuss Paul's career, Zoopla’s evolution from a property listings site into a data-driven audience platform, and how digital tools and AI are reshaping the housing market. We also explore challenges in the UK property sector—like slow transactions and policy uncertainty—and highlight opportunities for innovation and growth.

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Season 2 of The Business Case brings even more brilliant guests and even better business stories. If you're curious about how great companies are actually built, or how close some came to not working at all, this upcoming season is for you!

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Andrew Griffith MP is the Shadow Business Secretary and has been MP for Arundel and South Downs since 2019. Before his political career he held senior management roles at Sky for 20 years, culminating in Chief Operating Officer.

In this discussion we talk about his time in business, where different thinking is needed in government and the potential for the City of London in a changing macro regime.

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Andrew Jones is the CEO of LondonMetric PLC, a FTSE 100 Real Estate company which owns a £6bn portfolio of predominantly UK assets. In the conversation Andrew shares the philosophy behind LondonMetric’s successful approach which focuses on selecting the right assets and compounding their returns over the long term.

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Darren Waters is the Chief Executive of Eurocell, the UK’s largest manufacturer, distributor and recycler of uPVC building products, with a national network of over 200 branches. In this conversation we discuss the evolution of the group, its growth strategy, life as a listed business and Darren’s approach to management.

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Please text us with any comments.

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Please text us with any comments.

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Andrew Griffith MP is the Shadow Business Secretary and has been MP for Arundel and South Downs since 2019. Before his political career he held senior management roles at Sky for 20 years, culminating in Chief Operating Officer. In this discussion we talk about his time in business, where different thinking is needed in government and the potential for the City of London in a changing macro regime.

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Support the show

Andrew Jones is the CEO of LondonMetric PLC, a FTSE 100 Real Estate company which owns a £6bn portfolio of predominantly UK assets. In the conversation Andrew shares the philosophy behind LondonMetric’s successful approach which focuses on selecting the right assets and compounding their returns over the long term.

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Support the show

Darren Waters is the Chief Executive of Eurocell, the UK’s largest manufacturer, distributor and recycler of uPVC building products, with a national network of over 200 branches. In this conversation we discuss the evolution of the group, its growth strategy, life as a listed business and Darren’s approach to management.

Please text us with any comments.

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Subscribe to our regional business newsletters here: www.insidermedia.com/newsletters/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please text us with any comments.

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Henry Engelhardt is one the UK's most successful business leaders. Founder of the insurer Admiral Group in 1991. We'll be deep diving into Henry's career, understanding what makes him tick, the high's and low's he has experienced and the insights that have shaped his success. 

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Please text us with any comments.

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Our first guest on the Business Case is Nigel Terrington, the CEO of Paragon Banking Group, one of the UK's largest specialist lending banks. Nigel is the longest serving CEO in the FTSE 250, having held the position since 1995. In this conversation we discover the factors behind this remarkable leadership tenure, what he believes the market is missing in the underlying quality of Paragon and how the bank is positioned to use data and technology to drive continued success.

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Ric Traynor is the founder of Begbies Traynor, the UK’s market leader in business rescue and recovery services, receiving more corporate insolvency appointments than any other UK firm. Ric founded the group in 1989 and under his leadership has diversified into corporate finance, business advisory and real estate consultancy with over 100 offices across the UK. The Group has grown pre-tax profits over 20% p.a. for the last decade.

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Helen Mahy is the Chair of NextEnergy Solar Fund Plc, a leading specialist solar energy and energy storage investment company and a NED at SSE Plc. In this conversation we discover the factors behind what makes a successful Board and Executive working relationship, discuss the merits of ESG and some of the challenges of the energy transition in the UK. Helen really brings to life her extensive corporate experience with some fantastic insights.

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Mark Browning is the CEO of Zinc Media, a TV production and brand content creation company listed on AIM.  Mark has been CEO since 2019, during which time the Group has been transformed through a series of acquisitions and disposals.  

Zinc has developed a strong track record of growth during Mark’s tenure and Mark gives some great insights into what’s been behind the Group’s success, key opportunities ahead for the Group and some of the challenges and complexities of operating a production business given the radically shifting media landscape.                    

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Katherine Roe is the CEO of Pharos Energy, an oil production group with assets in Egypt and Vietnam.  Katherine was previously the CEO of Wentworth Resources after a career in Finance focused on the oil and gas sector. 

Katherine shares some great insights into operating in both the Finance and Oil industries and the importance of building relationships with diversified stakeholder groups.  Katherine explains her strategy for Pharos and the opportunities for further growth for Pharos.

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Simon Rogerson is a Co-Founder and CEO of Octopus Group.  From a start up 25 years ago Octopus is now a multi-billion pound enterprise with activities across energy, financial services and education.  In a revealing conversation, Simon explains how he and the team have achieved this success and where he sees compelling future opportunities.

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Chris Jowsey is the CEO of Admiral Taverns, one of the leading pub companies in the UK with over 1400 pubs owned by private equity group.  In this conversation, Chris shares the key factors behind what has made Admiral successes and the ultimate value in being a partner of choice of all stakeholders.  

Chris talks about the differences between being public and being owned by private equity.  Chris has had a fascinating career journey and really shows his passion for the pub business.

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Helen Mahy is the Chair of NextEnergy Solar Fund Plc, a leading specialist solar energy and energy storage investment company and a NED at SSE Plc. In this conversation we discover the factors behind what makes a successful Board and Executive working relationship, discuss the merits of ESG and some of the challenges of the energy transition in the UK. Helen really brings to life her extensive corporate experience with some fantastic insights.

Please text us with any comments.

Support the show

Ric Traynor is the founder of Begbies Traynor, the UK’s market leader in business rescue and recovery services, receiving more corporate insolvency appointments than any other UK firm. Ric founded the group in 1989 and under his leadership has diversified into corporate finance, business advisory and real estate consultancy with over 100 offices across the UK.  The Group has grown pre-tax profits over 20% p.a. for the last decade.

Please text us with any comments.

Support the show

Henry Engelhardt is one the UK's most successful business leaders. Founder of the insurer Admiral Group in 1991. We'll be deep diving into Henry's career, understanding what makes him tick, the high's and low's he has experienced and the insights that have shaped his success. 

Please text us with any comments.

Support the show

Please text us with any comments.

Support the show