Transformer CEOs

ERIK SCHMIDT CONSULTING & ADVISORY ⁠https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk ⁠This week, it is a real honor to be joined by Sylvia Coutinho, the former CEO of UBS Bank Brazil and Latin America. Sylvia shares her incredible journey of becoming the first female Latin American banking CEO, how she transitioned from a background in agricultural engineering into global finance, and why building a genuine meritocracy is crucial for sustainable success. KEY TAKEAWAYS A constant drive for innovation and personal reinvention is essential for navigating and leading through complex corporate transformations. True meritocracy evaluates not just the end results (the "what") but the teamwork and approach used to get there (the "how"). Leaders must be highly mindful of their wake; driving hard for results should never come at the cost of leaving collateral damage within the team. BEST MOMENTS "Innovation for me, the changing... being able to reinvent myself and what I'm doing, it's something that has always driven me." "People... they get to the result but not always the best way, right? And they do a lot of collateral damage getting there." "Meritocracy for me has the way you do it... It's not just what you do, it's how you do it." ABOUT THE GUEST Sylvia Coutinho is the former CEO of UBS Bank in Brazil and Latin America and holds the distinction of being the first female Latin American banking CEO. Beginning her career unconventionally as an agricultural engineer with a deep passion for nature, she successfully pivoted into the financial sector, where she has spent decades leading major business integrations, restructurings, and transformations across the globe. Today, she continues to champion sustainability, forward-thinking leadership, and strong corporate cultures as an active board member. ERIK SCHMIDT CONSULTING & ADVISORY ⁠https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk⁠ Erik is described as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader". After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC and Pandora, he now leads a successful consulting & advisory business where he partners with CEO’s, Chairs and Investors to help their companies achieve out-performance. Connect with Erik on Linkedin - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/ ⁠This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

This week, I'm excited to introduce you to Andy Hamilton, CEO of When and a serial tech entrepreneur. Things that really stood out to me are his focus on leveraging AI-driven technology to solve complex transition issues within the US healthcare market. He describes how prioritising speed, empathy, and problem-solving helps his team successfully transition individuals away from group healthcare plans. He also confirms that for any startup to scale effectively, leadership must acknowledge their blind spots—such as hiring a Chief Revenue Officer when founders lack natural sales expertise—and commit to sharing the company's financial success across the entire team. In addition to Transformer CEOs, I run my own successful advisory and consulting company, working with CEOs, Chairmen and investors to deliver successful business transformations. I hope you enjoy what you're going to hear from Andy. I certainly find his commitment to empathetic problem-solving inspiring. KEY TAKEAWAYS * A critical metric for success in the healthcare transition space is effectively moving individuals away from standard group plans to better, cost-effective options. * Building a compassionate corporate culture requires hiring employees who have personally experienced job loss, ensuring they bring authentic empathy and act as dedicated solution builders for clients. * Scaling a startup from 22 to 40 employees demands strategic delegation and a willingness to distribute equity so that all contributing team members share in the company's financial victories. BEST MOMENTS * "So, we have a bunch of different ways that we touch individuals and get them thinking and realizing that we're a partner." * "I really want our workers who have gone through some sort of job loss... so that they not only have that empathy, but they also understand where the pain is, so that they're all solution builders." * "If our company is successful, I want everybody that has worked here to made us successful be able to have financial success with a win for the company." ABOUT THE GUEST Andy Hamilton is the CEO and Co-Founder of When, an AI-powered post-employment and workforce transitions platform based in Chicago. A serial tech entrepreneur, he previously co-founded ApartmentJet, which was successfully acquired by Expedia Group. Leveraging artificial intelligence, When helps transitioning employees navigate the complex US health insurance market to find alternatives to standard COBRA coverage, saving money for both individuals and self-insured employers. Andy holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering Science from Dartmouth and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Website: https://www.forwhen.com/ PODCAST DESCRIPTION If you're a CEO, Chairman or investor this is a destination podcast for you. At some time, all companies get out of step with their consumers, fall behind the competition, or lose their top talent – or all three. The financial fallout can be severe. The Transformer CEO podcast meets global leaders who have taken on the brief to transform their company from ugly duckling to swan. It explores their corporate and personal journey, their leadership values, their challenges, and successes along with their mis-steps and learnings. It inspires those about to start, re-assures those already underway and offers a benchmark for those who feel they have concluded. If you want to know what it takes to succeed in tough environments, you'll not want to miss Transformer CEOs. HOST BIO Erik is described by CEO and Chairmen as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader". After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including serving as the CHRO of Pandora, as well as working with Diageo, GE, LEGO, and HSBC, he focuses in the podcast on sharing the unique character of corporate leaders who take on some of the biggest challenges and win. This is also a critical topic in his consulting work where he partners with CEO’s, Chairmen and Investors as Founder & Managing Director of Erik Schmidt Consulting & Advisory (erikschmidt.co.uk) to help companies achieve out-performance. https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

ERIK SCHMIDT CONSULTING & ADVISORY ⁠https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk⁠ This week, it is a real honor to be joined by Frank Ehmer, a Partner at Apax Partners and one of the leading lights from the private equity world in London. Frank discusses how his team scouts for investment opportunities and follows businesses all the way through to their exit. He also highlights the pivotal role chief executives play in the value creation journey and how they work together to build global market leaders. KEY TAKEAWAYS Private equity firms constantly scout for new investment opportunities, ranging from conceptual ideas to established businesses that are up for sale. The core ambition during an investment hold period is to make businesses bigger, better, and significantly more relevant to their end markets. Chief Executive Officers are pivotal to the value creation journey, working closely with investors to transform companies and build global number ones. The private equity journey is a full-lifecycle partnership, meaning investors actively support and follow the company through to its final exit. BEST MOMENTS "We constantly scout for investment opportunities, those might be just ideas, they might be actual businesses that come up for sale." "We aspire to make the businesses better, bigger, better, more relevant to their end markets." "I guess it's not every day you get to make a market leader." ABOUT THE GUEST Frank is a Partner in the Services team. He joined the Firm in 2000 in Munich, moved office three times and since 2008 has been based in London. Prior to joining the Services team in 2009, Frank focussed on investments in the Media sector. He has been involved in a number of key deals including S&W, Veriforce, Norva24, Palex, WGSN, EcoOnline, Alcumus, PIB Group, TOI TOI & DIXI, GamaLife, Safetykleen, Azelis, Rhiag, Garda, Ascential, Tommy Hilfiger, TIM Hellas, CME, and Tropolys. Frank holds a Diploma in business administration from the University of Mannheim and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Frank has served as a board member to a number of Apax Fund portfolio companies including S&W, Rodenstock, Palex, Alcumus, TOI TOI & DIXI, Safetykleen, Azelis, Rhiag, Garda, Ascential, Tommy Hilfiger, TIM Hellas, and CME. ERIK SCHMIDT CONSULTING & ADVISORY ⁠https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk⁠ Erik is described as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader". After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC and Pandora, he now leads a successful consulting & advisory business where he partners with CEO’s, Chairs and Investors to help their companies achieve out-performance. Connect with Erik on Linkedin - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/⁠ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/⁠

ERIK SCHMIDT CONSULTING & ADVISORY ⁠https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk⁠ This week, I'm thrilled to sit down with Carsten Heron Olsen, the CEO, owner, and Race Director of Atlantic Campaigns, the organisation behind the world's toughest trans-ocean races. Carsten shares his highly unconventional journey to leading a global event company, proving that attitude, personal connection, and a hands-on approach often outshine a traditional CV. KEY TAKEAWAYS Hiring for attitude and personal connection can build a tighter, more dedicated team than relying on standard resumes or formal contracts. Leading from the front—acting as "the runner" who is fully hands-on and involved in the operational details—earns deep respect and unwavering loyalty from your staff. Transformational, high-stakes experiences, such as rowing across an ocean, can drive immense personal growth for participants while serving as a powerful platform for charitable giving. BEST MOMENTS "I've never asked for anyone's CV. That's not interesting for me. The personal connection is very important for me." "It's like a brotherhood, sisterhood. They see that I'm involved and they also see that it means something for me. I mean, they have seen me with tears in my eyes." ABOUT THE GUEST Carsten Heron Olsen is the CEO, owner, and Race Director of Atlantic Campaigns. Carsten brings a deeply human and unconventional approach to business leadership. Under his guidance, Atlantic Campaigns has transformed from a single Atlantic race into a growing global platform, recently expanding to the Pacific Ocean. His unique leadership style has cultivated a fiercely loyal workforce—some even sporting company tattoos—and has facilitated millions in charitable fundraising. Connect with Carsten on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsten-heron-olsen-6b7994143/?isSelfProfile=false World's Toughest Row (Official Website): https://www.worldstoughestrow.com/ About Atlantic Campaigns: https://www.worldstoughestrow.com/about-us/ Atlantic Ocean Race Information: https://www.worldstoughestrow.com/the-atlantic/atlantic/ ABOUT THE HOST ERIK SCHMIDT CONSULTING & ADVISORY ⁠https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk⁠ Erik is described as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader". After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC and Pandora, he now leads a successful consulting & advisory business where he partners with CEO’s, Chairs and Investors to help their companies achieve out-performance. Connect with Erik on Linkedin - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/⁠ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. ⁠https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/⁠

ERIK SCHMIDT CONSULTING & ADVISORY https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk This week, I'm excited to introduce you to Andy Ransom, who recently stepped away as the group CEO of Rentokil Initial. He shares the fascinating journey of how his team transformed Rentokil, quadrupling its enterprise value to $20 billion and turning it into a global number one in its sector. KEY TAKEAWAYS - Financial success in a service business is a direct result of happy, engaged frontline colleagues who are motivated to deliver great customer service. - Fixing a company's basic negatives and operational pain points often yields a faster, more profound impact than attempting to over-engineer positive initiatives. - When faced with a crisis, leaders must make a deliberate choice: you can either step back, or you can step forward and take control of the situation. BEST MOMENTS "If you get happy, engaged frontline colleagues... That in turn leads to great customer service... they'll look after the business." "When the shit hits the fan, you've got a choice and you can either step forward or you can step back." "Being a CEO is the best job on the planet. It can also be the worst job on the planet." ABOUT THE GUEST Andy is a highly accomplished Chief Executive and Board Director who transformed Rentokil Initial plc into one of the world’s largest business services companies. Under his strategic leadership, the company experienced unprecedented growth, quadrupling its enterprise value from $5 billion to over $20 billion and climbing from approximately 165 to 44 in the FTSE 100. Leveraging his deep expertise in capital allocation and legal frameworks, he has a proven track record of executing high-volume M&A—most notably the landmark $6.7 billion acquisition of Terminix—while consistently driving operational excellence, technological innovation, and a strong corporate culture. Named Management Today’s UK CEO of the Year in 2023, his leadership extends beyond his primary executive duties; he serves as a Non-Executive Director for Informa plc and has championed social causes as the former Vice Chair of the youth employment charity Street League and a Patron of Malaria No More. The King's Birthday Honours List 2026 - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/malcolm-padley-40920012_congratulations-andy-many-congratulations-share-7471526777270697984-Y3mZ/ Connect with Andy on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-ransom-obe-25909810/ Rentokil Initial PLC - https://www.rentokil-initial.com/ ERIK SCHMIDT CONSULTING & ADVISORY https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk Erik is described as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader". After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC and Pandora, he now leads a successful consulting & advisory business where he partners with CEO’s, Chairs and Investors to help their companies achieve out-performance. Connect with Erik on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

This week, I'm excited to introduce you to MC Gasco Busson, CEO of Unilever Prestige. Things that really stood out to me are her incredible engineering mindset and systemic thinking that she brings to everything that she does. She describes the set of paradoxes that all transformer CEOs face, and she confirms that for any transformation to be successful, the people and organisation in your company needs to be 100% match fit. In addition to transformer CEOs, I run my own successful advisory and consulting company, working with CEOs, Chairman and investors to deliver successful business transformations. I hope you enjoy what you're going to see and hear from MC. I certainly find her energy inspiring. KEY TAKEAWAYS Transformational CEOs don’t run steady state; they actively seek inflection points - turnarounds, accelerations, and realignments. Leaders who start with brutal diagnosis and re‑anchoring avoid wasting years on expedient fixes that don’t move market share. When teams share a meaningful “why” for the change e.g. getting a beloved brand’s “mojo” back - they endure pain, setbacks, and ambiguity in ways that pure incentives never unlock. BEST MOMENTS “There is a difference between modulating your style and changing who you are.” "Every transformation is more about people than about anything else." "I think transformational CEOs have to be masters of paradox." ABOUT THE GUEST Mary Carmen (MC) Gasco-Buisson is a global transformational leader with over 25 years of experience building iconic consumer brands across six countries. As CEO of Unilever Prestige, she steers a €1.6bn portfolio of high-growth beauty brands, including skincare, haircare, and cosmetics. Prior to Unilever, MC was CMO and EVP at Pandora, where she orchestrated the brand’s evolution into a culturally resonant jewellery house, driving double-digit growth and record share price performance. With a 20-year foundation at P&G across ventures and innovation, MC is a specialist in blending engineering discipline with creative "magic" to scale global businesses. PODCAST DESCRIPTION If you're a CEO, Chairman or investor this is a destination podcast for you. At some time, all companies get out of step with their consumers, fall behind the competition, or lose their top talent – or all three. The financial fallout can be severe. The Transformer CEO podcast meets global leaders who have taken on the brief to transform their company from ugly duckling to swan. It explores their corporate and personal journey, their leadership values, their challenges, and successes along with their mis-steps and learnings. It inspires those about to start, re-assures those already underway and offers a benchmark for those who feel they have concluded. If you want to know what it takes to succeed in tough environments, you'll not want to miss Transformer CEOs. HOST BIO Erik is described by CEO and Chairmen as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader". After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC, and Pandora, he focuses in the podcast on sharing the unique character of corporate leaders who take on some of the biggest challenges and win. This is also a critical topic in his consulting work where he partners with CEO’s, Chairmen and Investors as Founder & Managing Director of Erik Schmidt Consulting & Advisory (erikschmidt.co.uk) to help companies achieve out-performance. https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

This week I am joined by Chris de Bruin, CEO at Acenda, the large Australian life business. Chris is a serial CEO, having transformed a number of businesses. He's very much a strategic thinker and problem solver. Among his key messages is the fact that deep thoughtfulness is required by all CEOs to judge timing, what to change, what not to change, how to develop as a master of influence and successfully manage multiple stakeholders.  If you think it's about control, forget it. Get the right talent on the bus and the wrong people off the bus. Decide quickly, don't wait. Then implement your plan fully and do so always with dignity. KEY TAKEAWAYS The CEO is a "final assembler" of vision, not the holder of hierarchical power. Treating the role as a craft of influence rather than a title of control enables the CEO to take successfully take everyone on a shared journey of transformation. CEOs must establish a brutal honesty about the numbers, or they will map a journey from a starting point that doesn't exist. Acting quickly on weak leadership or toxic personalities provides the economic resources needed for 'empathetic exits,' ensuring that those who leave are treated with the care they deserve while the remaining team focuses on the road ahead" BEST MOMENTS "If you think it's about control, forget it." "Decide quickly, don't wait. Then implement planfully and always with dignity." "Using digital as a disruption vector is not a strategy, it's just one part." ABOUT THE GUEST Chris J de Bruin is a global transformational leader with over 25 years of experience at the intersection of financial services and technology. As Group CEO of Acenda, he leads a premier life insurance and retirement platform uniting the heritage of MLC Life Insurance and Resolution Life Australasia. Prior to this, Chris was Chief Executive of Consumer & Business Banking at Westpac, where he spearheaded the group’s multi-billion-dollar digital transformation. His career spans leadership roles at Standard Chartered, where he co-founded Africa’s first digital bank. He guided development of industry leading solutions at Zafin and Deem Finance and a former McKinsey Associate Principal. He is a specialist in driving "step-change" economics through radical digitization and customer-centric innovation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjdebruin PODCAST DESCRIPTION If you're a CEO, Chairman or investor this is a destination podcast for you.   At some time, all companies get out of step with their consumers, fall behind the competition, or lose their top talent –  or all three.   The financial fallout can be severe.    The Transformer CEO podcast meets global leaders who have taken on the brief to transform their company from ugly duckling to swan.  It explores their corporate and personal journey, their leadership values, their challenges, and successes along with their mis-steps and learnings.   It inspires those about to start, re-assures those already underway and offers a benchmark for those who feel they have concluded. If you want to know what it takes to succeed in tough environments, you'll not want to miss Transformer CEOs. HOST BIO Erik is described by CEO and Chairmen as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader".  After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC, and Pandora, he focuses in the podcast on sharing the unique character of corporate leaders who take on some of the biggest challenges and win.   This is also a critical topic in his consulting work where he partners with CEO’s, Chairmen and Investors as Founder & Managing Director of Erik Schmidt Consulting & Advisory (erikschmidt.co.uk) to help companies achieve out-performance. https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/

DESCRIPTION This week, it is great to be joined by Dominic Kovacs, CEO of Colossyan. He stands out as the youngest CEO on my podcast, and yet, in a few short years, he has transformed himself, his business and the learning sector using tech and AI.  Dominik is humble about his learning. Yet he has achieved much his transformation maxes on internal locus of control, using culture to drive sustainable growth and a mathematical approach to problem solving.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Technical founders who take the CEO role out of responsibility, not ego, can become exceptional leaders when they treat CEO as a craft to be learned, not a title to be worn.   Deep-tech companies must flip the script from “build first, validate later” to continuous customer validation, or they will ship beautiful products that nobody truly needs.   Continuing to develop a product  that the market and regulators aren’t ready for is folly.  Cultures that worship speed and ignore quality eventually pay in lost customers and credibility.   Transformer CEOs, treat customers as long‑term partners. They protect their experience over short‑term speed or vanity releases – is what turns painful product mistakes into deeper trust, better design, and stronger, more sustainable growth.   When you reward teams for quality, provide ownership and develop a “don’t hurt the customer” culture you turn values from posters on the wall into products and experiences clients truly trust.   A strong team and culture will move mountains through setbacks and hypergrowth.   The next generation of CEOs will win by embedding AI into workflows, not as shiny tools but as invisible “cog wheels” that keep knowledge fresh and training effortless at scale. BEST MOMENTS “You've founded and been the CEO for two companies, and yet you haven't hit your 30th birthday yet.” ‘I took on the role for basically doing everything I can to create like a stronger position for all of us who are already part of the business.’ “Transformation is never linear. There's always hiccups, potholes or cliff edges." ABOUT THE GUEST https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikkovacs https://www.colossyan.com PODCAST DESCRIPTION If you're a CEO, Chairman or investor this is a destination podcast for you.   At some time, all companies get out of step with their consumers, fall behind the competition, or lose their top talent –  or all three.   The financial fallout can be severe.    The Transformer CEO podcast meets global leaders who have taken on the brief to transform their company from ugly duckling to swan.  It explores their corporate and personal journey, their leadership values, their challenges, and successes along with their mis-steps and learnings.   It inspires those about to start, re-assures those already underway and offers a benchmark for those who feel they have concluded. If you want to know what it takes to succeed in tough environments, you'll not want to miss Transformer CEOs. HOST BIO Erik is described by CEO and Chairmen as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader".  After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC, and Pandora, he focuses in the podcast on sharing the unique character of corporate leaders who take on some of the biggest challenges and win.   This is also a critical topic in his consulting work where he partners with CEO’s, Chairmen and Investors as Founder & Managing Director of Erik Schmidt Consulting & Advisory (erikschmidt.co.uk) to help companies achieve out-performance. https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Welcome to another episode of transformer CEOs. Matt Stephens has led two of his own companies in consulting and employee insight Quest Agency and Inpulse. He's worked with hundreds of CEOs globally, some of them transformers. So brings both perspectives through his own work. Matt has transformed how CEOs value employee insight data and use it to drive performance. He also brings a distinct societal generation, political and even spiritual angle to leadership by transformer CEOs. KEY TAKEAWAYS Annual engagement surveys alone are not effective. Short, frequent “how do you feel and why?” pulses expose what’s really driving performance and risk.   Emotion is hard data. When CEOs track feelings and the reasons behind them team-by-team, they can link them directly to engagement, attrition, sickness, and output.   Most issues are relational. Better conversations between managers and teams fix more than new programmes and expensive initiatives do. True transformation demands CEOs go beyond “did we make more revenue?” to a richer definition of winning that includes engagement, growth of people, client impact, retention, and the health of the culture.  Transformer CEOs start with self‑awareness. If you can’t read and regulate your own emotions, you can’t authentically lead anyone else.   BEST MOMENTS “To be a transformer, you've got to know how to sell…You have to know how to influence people.” “We can't walk on eggshells, because eggs are going to get cracked here, because we're talking about issues that are challenging, difficult, personal, real.” “You can think you're a leader, until you realise no one's following you.” ABOUT THE GUEST https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-stephens-a210051 PODCAST DESCRIPTION If you're a CEO, Chairman or investor this is a destination podcast for you.   At some time, all companies get out of step with their consumers, fall behind the competition, or lose their top talent –  or all three.   The financial fallout can be severe.    The Transformer CEO podcast meets global leaders who have taken on the brief to transform their company from ugly duckling to swan.  It explores their corporate and personal journey, their leadership values, their challenges, and successes along with their mis-steps and learnings.   It inspires those about to start, re-assures those already underway and offers a benchmark for those who feel they have concluded. If you want to know what it takes to succeed in tough environments, you'll not want to miss Transformer CEOs. HOST BIO Erik is described by CEO and Chairmen as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader".  After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC, and Pandora, he focuses in the podcast on sharing the unique character of corporate leaders who take on some of the biggest challenges and win.   This is also a critical topic in his consulting work where he partners with CEO’s, Chairmen and Investors as Founder & Managing Director of Erik Schmidt Consulting & Advisory (erikschmidt.co.uk) to help companies achieve out-performance. https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Patrick Svensk is CEO of PodX and chairs three other companies. He's a straight-talking senior media executive who's transformed multiple companies as well as the industry. I loved his ability and willingness to flip between CEO and chair roles depending on need, his take on what it makes for a great transformer CEO in media and his total disregard for career planning and politics, but deep passion for great ideas wherever they come from, and entrepreneurship. KEY TAKEAWAYS Instead of waiting for head-hunters create your own roles - pitch bold ideas directly to owners. Your growth as a leader is accelerated by finding a true mentor and an industry with high levels of growth and change. Ensure consistency in communication across all levels so the core strategic message remains focused and is understood by everyone. Become agile, lower fixed costs, don´t be afraid of outsourcing and focus on high-margin products. Build sustainable businesses by identifying future leaders early and providing equity-based incentives that mirror the success of founders. BEST MOMENTS “Two CEOs at 27 - One is impressive. Two is something special.” ‘We transformed into a company that generated new ideas and formats and sold those into production.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Patrick Svensk is a Swedish media and entertainment leader with 35+ years’ experience as CEO, President, CoB, managing director and NED of several international entertainment, media, online gaming, SaaS and B2C and B2B digital businesses. Including Kinnevik (TV3), Hallstedt & Hvid, Kanal 5, Zodiak Media Group, MTG and Bright Group, several of which are Nasdaq listed. He founded SkyVentures  and is the co-founder and CEO of PodX Group, backed by Qarlbo. He has held non-executive positions for Betsson, Squid, Readly Group and several others. Today, he serves as non-exec chairman of Thunderful, Scrive Group and Hacksaw. Patrick has led a major shift in European TV production – selling off in-house studios and technology, cutting fixed production headcount and building an IP-first model that relied on format development and flexible, freelance production teams. Today, he is transforming the world of podcasting. https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricksvensk https://podx.com PODCAST DESCRIPTION If you're a CEO, Chairman or investor this is a destination podcast for you.   At some time, all companies get out of step with their consumers, fall behind the competition or lose their top talent –  or all three.   The financial fallout can be severe.    The Transformer CEO podcast meets global leaders who have taken on the brief to transform their company from ugly duckling to swan.  It explores their corporate and personal journey, their leadership values, their challenges and successes along with their mis-steps and learnings.   It inspires those about to start, re-assures those already underway and offers a benchmark for those who feel they have concluded. If you want to know what it takes to succeed in tough environments, you'll not want to miss Transformer CEOs. HOST BIO Erik is described by CEO and Chairmen as "exceptional", "undoubtedly one of the top global HR leaders" and "a strong strategic thinker and amazing change leader".  After 35 years working with some of the most successful companies on the planet including Diageo, GE, LEGO, HSBC and Pandora, he focuses in the podcast on sharing the unique character of corporate leaders who take on some of the biggest challenges and win.   This is also a critical topic in his consulting work where he partners with CEO’s, Chairmen and Investors as Founder & Managing Director of Erik Schmidt Consulting & Advisory (erikschmidt.co.uk) to help companies achieve out-performance. https://www.erikschmidt.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-erik/ This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/