Northern Leaders Podcast
Northern Leaders is BusinessCloud’s new podcast that interviews some of the North’s most dynamic leaders.
Lisa Morton: From washing cars to tackling sexism - and why Gary Neville is a true leader
Lisa Morton is a doyen in the world of Manchester PR.
She’s the founder and CEO of PR and marketing agency Roland Dransfield, which she named after her mentor who got her into business at the age of eight.
“He bought me a bucket and sponge and told me ‘you’ve got a car washing round’,’’ she recalled. “He taught me about repeat customers, attention to detail and raising your prices on the back of good performance.”
Morton, who once sold ladybirds in matchboxes to make money, founded her...
Andrew Turner: Why people come before profits in business
Andrew Turner started his life sharing a bedroom with his four brothers and went on to launch the near £300m turnover business Chorley Group.
The car dealership now spans 22 franchise outlets across Lancashire but Turner has continued to live by the mantra that it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.
The larger-than-life character has gone on to raise millions of pounds for charity and is a life-time President of Inspire Youth Zone in Chorley.
As one of eight brothers and siste...
Sara Davies; Roisin Currie; Sophie Milliken: Dragons’ Den to steak bakes (and everything in between)
The latest episode of the Northern Leaders podcast is a live recording with three of the North East’s most influential businesswomen.
Sara Davies is best known for being a Dragon on Dragons’ Den and recently rescued the business that she founded, Crafter’s Companion, from administration.
She explains why she can’t be a stay-at-home Mum and doesn’t beat herself up for missing her kids’ sports day.
Davies explains the early lesson Deborah Meaden taught her in the Den – and is grilled over who her favourite Dragon is.
Roisin Curri...
Matthew Scullion: ‘AI is going to change every aspect of our lives’
Matthew Scullion is the CEO of Manchester’s newest unicorn – but he’s refuses to drink his own Kool-Aid.
The CEO of Matillion believes too many UK entrepreneurs sell too early and says his journey has just started.
During his school sixth form he undertook a work placement in the IT department of Regatta and ended up co-founding his own tech company at the age of 17.
Fast forward to 2011 and he and Ed Thompon quit their days jobs to launch Matillion and change the world.
A slid...
Garry Partington: ‘Brush with death transformed our business’
Garry Partington is the son of a Rochdale butcher, who went on to become the CEO of Manchester-based consultancy Apadmi, which will turn over an estimated £40m next year
The self-confessed tech geek taught himself how to code at the age of 10 and worked three jobs in order to buy his dream computer.
He revealed how a brush with death was the catalyst for turning Apadmi from a lifestyle business into one with global aspirations.
When he was made redundant in 2009 he launched Apadmi with three friends.
However, when staff numbers r...
Nazir Afzal OBE: ‘Why I Won’t Ever Be Silenced'
After spending his childhood standing up to bullies and racists, Nazir Afzal OBE devoted his legal career targeting some of the UK’s most notorious criminals.
As the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West he handled the case of police killer Dale Cregan and was responsible for prosecuting the Rochdale grooming gang and BBC presenter Stuart Hall.
His fearless pursuit of justice saw him targeted by Far Right thugs but he refused to take a backward step.
However, his life has also repeatedly been touched by tragedy.
As a child he...
