On this week’s ‘You’re On Mute’, Lord Michael Hastings is in conversation with Tom Ilube CBE, Chair of England’s Rugby Football Union, CEO of Crossword Cybersecurity PLC, Non-Executive Director for advertising giant WPP and more.   By age ten, Tom's irrepressible nature had seen him overcome the early challenges of being a care leaver due to his bi-racial heritage, surviving a near death experience after being confronted by the barrel of a gun, in Idi Amin’s Uganda, as well as setting up a...

On this weeks Episode of BBI’s ‘You’re On Mute’, we hear from Baroness Tina Stowell, former Chair of the Charity Commission, now Chair of the Communications and Digital Select Committee in the House of Lords.   Baroness Tina Stowell MBE’s growth and achievement is exemplary and demonstrates, self-belief, integrity and passion are paramount for achieving excellence! We learn how a girl from the UK’s East Midlands realised with each success, her potential for advance was greater than she...

On this week’s You’re On Mute, we hear from Julian Douglas, Chairman of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and CEO & Vice Chairman of VCCP, one of the UK’s top three advertising agencies. Julian shares details of his Jamaican father's transformational and inspiring journey, growing up in Manchester and how a ground-breaking advert, caused Julian to pursue a career in advertising instead of becoming a City of London derivatives trader. We learn first-hand about his...

On this week’s episode of ‘You’re On Mute’, Bianca Miller-Cole is joined by Amanda Rajkumar, adidas Executive Board Member, Global Human Resources, People and Culture, discussing adidas’s ‘New Agenda’. Amanda’s journey demonstrates the transformational power of education and how with the support of her direct and extended West Indian family, she overcame obstacles to build an extraordinary career and bring about generational change. We learn about the impact, hustle, bustle and energy of...

In this episode of ‘You’re on Mute’, Eunice Olumide MBE, is joined by activist and professional agitator Livia Firth, Founder & Creative Director of Eco-Age, The Green Carpet Fashion Awards, The Renaissance Awards and Co-Founder of NGO The Circle, also an acclaimed documentary film maker. From her early years growing up in Rome, to her mother embracing the practical benefits of sustainability, falling in love with Bruce Springsteen’s music to dancing to Beyoncé, we learn first-hand about...

On this episode of ‘You’re On Mute’, Eunice Olumide is in conversation with Abigail Rappoport, Former Global Director of Enterprise Operations for META, who has very recently, become Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at Expedia. Abigail shares her memories of growing up in North London, time working on a kibbutz and reaching beyond any barriers and limitations to realise her full ground breaking potential.   Abigail also discusses the infamous South African Sharpeville Massacre...

On this episode of ‘You’re On Mute’ Lord Michael Hastings is joined by Tom Athron, CEO at Fortnum & Mason. Tom shares his memories of growing up in a military family, and life at a military boarding school which provided a lot of structure in his life when he most needed it.   Tom attends Newcastle University, where he develops a strong sense of social justice, after which his business management studies lead him into the world of work as he travels to South Africa during Nelson Mandela's...

In the first episode of season 2 of ‘You’re On Mute’, Lord Michael Hastings is joined by Gus Casely-Hayford OBE, British curator, cultural historian, broadcaster and Director of V&A East, where they discuss Gus’s passion and dedication to showcasing African history on the global stage through art, music and culture.   Gus gives us insights into his early life, from his family moving over to the UK from Sierra Leone and Nigeria in the 1960’s, to discovering his artistic interests at a...

Launched to coincide with Black History Month, ‘A Moment of Introspection’, is a new podcast series and platform for exemplary leaders to both reflect and share their visions. These collective discussions, comprise of four to five participants, each one making a meaningful contribution from an alternative perspective. There is especially a keen focus on business sectors where traditionally, there has been Black underrepresentation and a chance to unpick what progress has been made since the...

BBI Host, Lord Michael Hastings is in conversation with Nicholas Coleridge CBE, Chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum and Co-chair responsible for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant. With the eyes of the world fixed on an event to celebrate Britain’s longest reigning monarch, the podcast provides compelling insights into the character of a person that can deliver at such a demanding level. Nicholas is that person and shares a few of the experiences that helped shape his...

This week we speak to Paul Lindley, Founder of Ella's Kitchen, the baby food company that has over 30% of the baby food market and is sold in countries across the globe. Paul talks about how growing up in Zambia allowed him to listen and learn from an array of different people, and how these learnings and sense of belonging shape much of the work he does today. He discusses what made Ella's Kitchen a success, offers advice for any young entrepreneurs seeking investment and the need for change...

This week Michael Hastings speaks to Arlo Brady, CEO of freuds & Chairman of the Blue Marine Foundation. He speaks about his time growing up in a small, rural village in Norfolk and the impact watching Live Aid as a young boy had on him and his motivations. Arlo goes on to talk about his upbringing, degree, time at Cambridge and how this influenced much of the environmental work he does today. We also learn about his career and the path he took to becoming the CEO of freuds, including his...

This week Bianca speaks to the President of NET-A-PORTER, MR PORTER and The Outnet, Alison Loehnis, about her incredible life in the fashion world and how she got there. She discusses discovering an initial fascination for fashion from a young age, how her parents' work ethic and commitment to balancing family and business inspired her career journey, her time spent at huge advertising agencies in New York & London, and why she made the leap to work brand-side. She also discusses the...

In our tenth episode, Lord Michael Hastings speaks to Jason Tarry, CEO of Tesco UK and Ireland about his career journey to the pinnacle of Tesco, the UK’s largest private employer, with a focus on his plans to drive boardroom racial diversity. Jason provides unique insights into his early life, inspirations as to what it takes to run one of the globes largest and most sophisticated supermarket operations, as well as his vision for the company’s future. Tesco is a big player by any standard,...

This week Bianca spoke to Riki Bleau, Co President of Since '93 Records, Sony. He talks through his fascinating journey from his early years living on a council estate in Hackney, to meeting his hero, fellow record executive and businessman Jay-Z. He talks about his inspiration and initial infatuation with the music world, the artists that helped catapult his business to success and help win Best Publisher at the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards. Riki finishes the podcast with his thoughts on...

In our eighth episode, Bianca speaks to Stephanie Phair, Chief Customer Officer at Farfetch, an online luxury fashion retail platform that sells products from over 700 boutiques and brands from around the world. She discusses her early life and time spent in different countries across the globe, as well as her education at Oxford University, before embarking on her career. She talks about the importance of being a values-driven business and having a diverse board, as well as her other...

In our seventh episode of You’re on Mute, our host Bianca Miller-Cole meets with Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Corp, who are leading a new wave of business culture. He discusses his early life, career experience, and how working for Barack Obama led to him needing to do more. He also explains the importance of B Corp’s pledge to creating a community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using businesses as a force for good. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out...

In our 6th episode of You're On Mute we speak to Vinod Kumar, CEO of Vodafone Business, about his life, inspiration and the future of communication. He discusses his early life and family who inspired him to build the career he has today, despite challenges and prejudice against him. We delve into his passion and dedication to supporting communities in the business world, and overcoming obstacles to achieve success. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In our 5th episode of You're On Mute we speak to Patrick Hutchinson, the man who received worldwide attention after he was photographed carrying an injured counter-protestor to safety during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in central London. He discusses the experience and his subsequent rise to fame, from TV appearances on This Morning to meeting Prince Harry. He also discusses his early life and role models, his time working in The City, and what people can do to strive for a more...

The fourth episode of You're On Mute features William Waldegrave, currently Chairman of Coutts Bank and a life member of the Tory Reform Group, who also served in the Cabinet from 1990 to 1997. He talks to Lord Hastings about his early life & influences, his path into politics and how different things are now. He also discusses what institutions such as Eton College and Coutts Bank are doing in order to create more diversity within them, and describes how important it is to set targets if...

In the third episode of You're On Mute, our host Bianca Miller-Cole speaks to Rose Hulse, Founder & CEO of ScreenHits TV. She discusses her early life and inspiration, her time in the film industry and some of the obstacles she faced during her career in the studio world. She also speaks about the journey she went on in launching ScreenHits TV, the need for equity investment in underrepresented groups and how this contributes to a better society for everyone. See acast.com/privacy for...

Joining Lord Michael Hastings for our second episode is Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health England's director for London. Among his many other roles, Professor Fenton was previously the director of the United States National Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. He joins us to discuss his early life and inspiration, distinguished medical career and how he became an advocate for equity and equality in public health. He also touches on subjects such as the societal disparities in the...

In the first special episode of 'You're On Mute', our host June Sarpong, Director of Creative Diversity at the BBC, speaks to Christo Brand, the man who served as Nelson Mandela's jailer and eventually became his best friend. Christo provides insight into a very special relationship between these two men, racially from opposite sides of society. This multi-layered tale contains many lessons and demonstrates how the kind, measured and respectful use of powerful authority can bring an...