Advertise on podcast: Ceannas Conversations

Alex Hynes was appointed Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance in June 2017. Two years later, he was promoted to the broader role of Managing Director, Scotland’s Railway, following further operational devolution from Network Rail to Scotland. He currently leads the delivery of Scotland’s Railway through the ScotRail Alliance. In a wide ranging conversation with Don Ledingham, Co-CEO  of Ceannas, Alex explores: Impact of childhood experiences on his leadershipWorking 'on', not 'in' the businessManaging a systemAccountabilityScanning horizonsBusiness are all about peopleCustomers and Employees are inextricably linkedImpact of climate changeSafe home every dayBalancing Warmth and EdgeEntrepreneurshipMaking or breaking someone's day as a leaderLeadership as a journeyListening and learning for freeCulture and the future

For seven years Adrienne Muir was COO of Voxsmart, a global technology company, based in Queenstown New Zealand she led teams based in locations around the world. In this episode she shares some of the challenges that face anyone leading a team operating in multiple locations and in different times zones. In the course of a fascinating interview Adrienne provides us with a range of practical suggestions that any leader would be well advised to consider implementing - regardless of whether their team is spread around the globe of simply operating in a hybrid fashion.

Lee Smith has had an extensive career with HSBC most recently leading a global team in the technology space. He has joined Ceannas as an Executive Consultant and executive coach. In this podcast Lee delves into the challenge of Value Stream Co-Leadership where he explores how technology and business leaders need to work together in a very different manner to enable the long-term success in delivery and continuous enhancement of complex products.

Don Ledingham is in conversation with Jack Houghton, the co-founder and chief product officer for Mindset.ai, who have a mission to become the digital infrastructure for the knowledge economy. Jack talks with passion and insight about his journey from Barrow-in -Furness to his current role.    Jack's journey provides a great example to others who don't follow the traditional route to success.  There are lessons here for businesses and leaders about ai that are of critical importance to their futures.

As part of the Ceannas celebration of International Women's Day, Don Ledingham interviews Debbi McCulloch the Depute Chief Executive of Spartans FC Foundation, and Head Coach of the Scottish Premier League Spartans FC Women's Team. Debbi brings to life her mantra of 'Dream Big, Dream Fierce'  through her own career journey and her inspiring approach to 'giving back' to her community as a true example of leadership.

As part of our Ceannas celebration of International Women's Day, Don Ledingham interviews Kirsty Nicholson, a partner with Addleshaw Goddard, the international legal company. In the course of an extensive conversation Kirsty explores how the legal profession is moving towards a gender balance in leadership roles; how it can further normalise female leadership; the need to promote equal responsibility between men and women for caring duties in the early years; and the importance of role models in promoting women in business.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week Don Ledingham speaks to Charlie Winton, Founder fo OK Positive, a platform that allows people to monitor their own mental health and then take positive action.

Benjamin Kayser played rugby for France on 37 occasions. He is currently studying for an MBA at the University of Oxford and is also a highly sought after and respected sports broadcaster.  If that wasn't enough  Benjamin is also an Executive Consultant with Ceannas where he is working with senior executive leaders from the corporate world. In this podcast he shares his insights into the importance of strategic resilience, switching back and forth between the worlds of sport and business. 

This Conversation between Rob Roger and members of the Ceannas Team took place back in March 2021.  At the time Rob Roger was CEO of IQ Student Accommodation,.  In February 2020, Blackstone announced plans to purchase the company for £4.66 billion, in the UK’s largest ever private real estate transaction.  It's fascinating insight into the mind and practice of one of the UK's top executive leaders.

In this podcast Colonel Gill Wilkinson helps us to get behind the language of 'Mission command' and 'commander's intent', to show how clarity of purpose, authority, responsibility and accountability actually creates the conditions for disciplined and productive initiative that is often missing in organisations where leaders' fear to accept the authority that their role provides. Interestingly Gill pointed out that the motto of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where until recently she was Deputy Commander (Reserves) reads 'Serve to Lead'.

I was privileged to have a wide ranging conversation about diversity and inclusion with Sinead O'Brien, FCIPD in the first episode of our second series of Ceannas Conversations. There are so many insights provided by Sinead on this critically important topic that I cannot begin to list them here. All I can do is recommend the listen.

Rob Harley was the Student President at Natal University, South Africa in 1994, the year that Nelson Mandela came to power. In his current role as a Senior Investor with Stewart Investors Sustainability Team he reflects on those experiences and how it has shaped him as a person and a leader.