In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Duncan Forrester.Duncan is a globally experienced Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and consultant who’s worked with many of the automotive industry’s most famous brands. He cut his teeth at BMW and Volvo in the UK, before being appointed as the global head of Product and Brand Communication for Volvo Cars in Sweden, soon after the Geely acquisition, and relaunching the Volvo brand with the then all-new XC90 and the other model...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Agustina Garcia.Agustina leads a team at BMW dedicated to integrating modular systems into future cars. She has a fascination for technology and communication and believes communication is the key for success in projects and relationships. Her favourite sentence in her company is “Be hard on the process and fair to the people.” And she takes inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s saying, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” In our c...

This is the third of three episodes about how the Guiding Principles of Fulfilling Performance can help us to manage our time or as I prefer to describe it, live our lives intentionally and deliberately.In the first episode I shared some paradigms or ways of looking at our lives that can support us to be more effective in taking ownership of the journey we are on. The second episode focused on how the first two Guiding Principles: Know why and Be clear can help us to invest our time wisely in...

Last week I published the first in this series of Side Mirror episodes about Time Management. It wasn’t my first choice title for this topic but I called it that so it would be as easy as possible to find for people who are looking for help managing their time. After all, they’re busy people.In the first episode I shared some paradigms or ways of looking at our lives that can support us to be more effective in taking ownership of the journey we are on. This episode focuses on how the first tw...

In a recent Aquilae Academy peer mentoring session, team members were discussing how leaders can make time for themselves to do what the author Cal Newport calls "Deep work" when it seems that as soon as they walk through the door everyone wants to speak to them.On a call with a woman I am mentoring, she asked how can I manage all the demands on me without becoming stressed and overwhelmed. When I launched our Fulfilling Performance newsletter, Release the handbrake! on Substack, a couple of ...

The expert I've invited to join me in this episode is Amy Rowlinson.Shining a light on what is possible when you focus on why, Amy Rowlinson empowers people to forge their own path to create a purposeful, sustainable and fulfilling way of life.As a life purpose coach, podcast strategist and podcaster, Amy's chosen mission is to gift a living legacy of inspiration, insight and knowledge and create long-lasting, positive ripple effects.On her podcast, Focus on WHY, Amy provides uplifting and re...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Jean-Luc Cartwright.Jean-Luc is a Director at Maple House Classic CarsHis first experience in the motor industry came at the age of 13, working weekends cleaning cars at a Sports Car specialist in Cheshire in the Northwest of England. Jean-Luc describes himself as an eternal car nerd who has been fortunate to work with some of the most forward thinking automotive brands in the world Lexus and Tesla - He is now pursuing a personal passio...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Susanne Allmendinger-Vogt.Susanne is the founder of BB&R Brand Business & Responsibility Consulting. Prior to starting her business she had a 25 year career with BMW Group where her last role was Global Head of Brand and Communication Strategy for MINI.She has a curious mind always seeking the root causes behind the obvious. She's a challenge seeker who loves to explore new horizons and push things forward. She's an optimist who...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Paul Kirby.Paul is well known in the UK van world as "the Electric Van man" and as a member of The EV Café team.In our conversation we talk about his rocky start in life, and his career journey from his first job with a library suppliers as a warehouse person and van driver to his current position.I'm grateful to Paul for sharing his experiences as openly as he does. His approach to our conversation makes the story of his life and...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Alexandra Smedley.Alexandra’s most recent role was Customer Care and Aftersales Director, Europe for General Motors based in Zurich, Switzerland. After an accomplished tenure with General Motors that took her to five distinct locations within and outside of the US, she’s says it’s time to pause and reflect.The desire to be rooted in community has led her to the decision to stay in Switzerland as she looks to enter the next chapter of he...

In this episode I'm joined by Colin Tomlinson.Colin owns a learning and development company specialising in teaching Project Leadership and Management in the Civil Engineering and Construction industry. He uses techniques adapted from his 24 years career as an Officer in the Royal Engineers and his 12 years of experience within the industry to help navigate through the complexities of working on projects. He has recently completed two legs of The Clipper Race sailing almost 15,000...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Kwan Segal.Kwan is an experienced human-capital consultant and a career coach for International Students and immigrants in the US. With over 15 years of experience at global companies such as Deloitte, Accenture, and BMW, she has aided Fortune 500 firms in creating their talent strategies worldwide. Kwan is now the founder of ICAway /i-see-a-way/, where her goal is to empower international students for global employability and provide t...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Lavanya Wadgaonkar PhD.Lavanya is Chief Communications Officer & Corporate Vice President, Nissan Motor Corporation.As Chief Communications Officer, Lavanya is responsible for strategic communications & campaigns, knowledge dissemination and outreach to the key audiences that Nissan seeks to influence with an aim to build reputation, earn trust and ensure consistent authentic experiences. She is also the global champion for DEI ...

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Chris Kirby.Chris has been speaking about how technology will change the automotive landscape since he published a white paper on the subject in 2017. Since then, he co-founded Tomorrow's Journey, an Enterprise SaaS platform that enables automotive brands to launch and scale fully digital solutions, working globally with the likes of Hyundai, Jaguar and Leaseplan. Chris Kirby has a diverse career spanning multiple roles in the automotiv...

In this Side Mirror, I talk about a powerful way to enhance our own capability that is open to every single one of us regardless of our circumstances. This episode is about learning from experience and the role that reflection plays in that.If you don't already do this, I want to encourage you to reflect on the experience you have built up during your life so far, value it and get into the habit of reflecting on the multiple experiences that you have each day so that you can extract the learn...

In this episode I use my first job to illustrate the contributing factors that came together to enable Fulfilling Performance for me.If you consider your current situation through the lens of Fulfilling Performance, how does it look?Does it provide the healthy levels of Clarity, Culture, Capability and Purpose required for you to experience Fulfilling Performance?Which of those areas, if they were improved, would have the greatest impact on enabling you to perform at an even higher level and ...

In this episode I'm joined by Kees Jan Boorsma.Kees Jan is the owner of Global Automotive, Interim Management and Consultancy. They advise customers and provide interim management focusing on wholesale and retail in the global automotive industry. Their services are geared to OEMs, Importers and Retailers in diverse multicultural environments. They advise and execute in a competent, pragmatic and hands-on fashion.Prior to forming Global Automotive, Kees Jan had a successful international care...

In this episode I'm joined by Louise Brogan.Louise runs a boutique marketing agency working with entrepreneurs, SME’s and professionals who want to raise their profile through LinkedIn in a genuine and valuable way. She is an international speaker, and hosts the LinkedIn with Louise Podcast and YouTube channel.For the past three years, Louise has been a Small Business Britain Champion, in the top 100 Small Businesses in the UK and the top 100 female entrepreneurs. In 2019, Louise was in...

Stephanie May is Commercial Director of the Women Automotive Network, a global community of 34,000+, whose mission is to support and empower women in the automotive industry. She is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the automotive industry, and strongly believes in the power of working together for a better future. In her role, she is responsible for strategic partnerships and steering the Network’s community activities. She is committed to bridging the gender gap in this traditional...

In this episode I talk about how I began to transition very deliberately and intentionally from being in what was already a very good place career wise to now being in my element. I describe at a high level how I now spend most of my time engaged in work that I absolutely love doing. I share why I decided to create this role for myself. I also explain how I set about doing it by describing the first steps which led to me identifying what my element is. I refer to the following additiona...

In this Side Mirror I address the topic of one to ones and demonstrate how by looking at them through the lens of Fulfilling Performance we can make them valuable and effective for the individual, their manager and the organisation which is, let’s not forget, paying their salaries.I refer to the following additional resources:Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub. Our weekly newsletter where I write about how to enable Fulfilling Performance for yourself and those you lead and...

In this episode I'm joined by Beth Sherman.Beth is a speaker, comedian, and Emmy-winning Hollywood comedy writer who's written jokes for the biggest names in entertainment.As a speaker, she helps individuals and organizations harness the power of humour to create meaningful connection and genuine engagement with clients, colleagues and audiences.In our conversation we talk about how she found her way into writing and performing comedy and how skills required for comedy writing and stand up ca...

Paul Flitter is the Chief Operating Officer of HWM a privately owned dealer group based in Walton on Thames, Surrey, England representing brands such as Caterham, HWM Sports Cars and Aston Martin. HWM have the proud accolade of being the longest serving Aston Martin dealership in the world. Paul’s automotive career spans 25 years working for both PLC and Owner/Driver dealerships collaborating with brands such as BMW/MINI, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Chrysler across Aftersales, Sales an...

Moritz is Head of Advanced Simulation Technologies at AVL Germany, leading AVLs Advanced Simulation Technologies Business for the German Market. Together with his team, he's responsible for winning customers for AVLs simulation solutions and helping them get the most out of them.In our conversation we talk about him growing up in a small village in Bavaria before moving to Munich and how his eyes were further opened and his appetite for travel whetted by a chance trip to Asia. Moritz shares s...