Pull up a Chair with Melissa Geiger

Pull up a Chair returns with our new host, Melissa Geiger, Group, Chair KPMG UK and Switzerland.  Her first guest is Sir Damon Buffini CVO, Chair, National Theatre. Together they explore the importance of self-awareness, clear purpose driven leadership, decisive boards in difficult moments and collective resilience.   Sir Damon also shares his views on the future of creativity and work in a world being shaped by AI and how the value of human judgement and collaboration, strong communities, ambition and creativity will remain essential to making a difference. Guest: Sir Damon Buffini, OVO, Chair, National Theatre

Pull up a Chair returns for Series 4 on 29 October. Join Melissa Geiger, Group Chair of KPMG UK and Switzerland, as she speaks to fellow Chairs and leaders from some of the world’s most influential organisations, to unpick how they make the difference on the biggest challenges facing business.  Series 4 will feature guests such as Sir Damon Buffini, Chair of the National Theatre, Dame Julia Cleverdon, Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund, and Dr Gerry Murphy, Chair of Tesco and more. New episodes will be released monthly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube..

Sir Jon Symonds, Chair of GSK was Bina’s first guest when Pull up a Chair launched in 2022. Three years on, Jon returns to give an update on what the world has learned since: geopolitically, economically and technologically. Can health systems do more than just treat sickness? Hear the highlights from their conversation in under 10 minutes. This episode is part of Pull Up a Chair’s ‘Insights’ series, featuring bite-sized perspectives and advice from podcast guests.

In the final episode of ‘Pull up a Chair’ series three, Bina is joined by Sir Jon Symonds, Chair of GSK. Jon was Bina’s first guest when the podcast launched in 2022, and together they reflect on what’s happened in those three years – geopolitically, economically and technologically – and explore why Jon believes now is the most difficult time businesses are facing.

Dame Julia Hoggett is the CEO of the London Stock Exchange. Hear her insights on the UK’s key strengths – from the far-reaching impact of the City, to why we need to lean into our long history of outperforming our global rivals. When it comes to the UK’s biggest weaknesses, Julia’s also got thoughts to share. This episode is part of Pull Up a Chair’s ‘Insights’ series, featuring bite-sized perspectives and advice from podcast guests.

In the latest episode of the ‘Pull up a Chair’ podcast, Bina is joined by Dame Julia Hoggett – CEO of the London Stock Exchange. Together they discuss shifting the conversation on the UK’s capital markets. Whether that’s about how to encourage more start-ups, recognising the far-reaching impact of the City into communities across the nation, or why we need to lean more on our credentials and a long history of outperforming our rivals.

Rob Desborough is Chair of Seraphim Space Accelerator and partner at Seraphim Space – the most prolific investor in SpaceTech globally. Hear some of the highlights from his conversation with Bina on why the Space sector is seeing incredible growth and how SpaceTech is helping us solve some of our planet’s most pressing challenges – from climate change to geopolitics and defence. This episode is part of Pull Up a Chair’s ‘Insights’ series, featuring bite-sized perspectives and advice from podcast guests.

In the latest episode of the ‘Pull up a Chair’ podcast, Bina is joined by Rob Desborough, Chair of Seraphim Space Accelerator and partner at Seraphim Space. The most prolific investor in SpaceTech globally, Seraphim Space has a combined portfolio of more than 147 companies across 32 countries. Their portfolio companies have raised more than $7bn US dollars, five have gone on to attain unicorn status and five have become public-listed companies. With an incredible wealth of knowledge in this sector, Rob has invaluable insights on the new space economy, the future of SpaceTech, geopolitics and defence, and so much more.

Sainsbury’s Chair, Martin Scicluna, reflects on how the supermarket is facing into the challenges of climate change – from long-term contracts that support British farmers to grow sustainably, to deploying AI to forecast sales and reduce food waste. This episode is part of Pull Up a Chair’s ‘Insights’ series, featuring bite-sized perspectives and advice from podcast guests.

In the latest episode of the ‘Pull up a Chair’ podcast, Bina is joined by Martin Scicluna, Chair of Sainsbury’s plc. Martin reflects on years of experience in executive and non-executive roles. He shares his perspectives on how resilient businesses are against today’s most pressing challenges, how Britain’s supermarkets can support industries to thrive, and how technology can turn the tide on food poverty.