#14 - Ed Couchman

This week on the podcast, we sit down with Ed Couchman, General Manager of Snap in the UK.

Our guest this week is Tim Steiner, CEO of household-name grocery delivery business Ocado. Tim got his start as a bond trader at Goldman Sachs, before leaving to set up Ocado with two of his colleagues in 2000. Twenty years later, he is now the only founder remaining at the company, which gives him unparalleled insight into its path to success. In the episode, we discuss Tim’s decision-making process and how he weighed up the risk of leaving a stable corporate job to run his own business. Tim also shares how he dealt with early criticism to make Ocado what it is today and offers some useful guidance on how to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Holly Gabrielle is a vegan student lifestyle vlogger who has gained huge success on her YouTube page. Having become one of the most influential study vloggers in the world in a very short space of time, Holly shares her perspective on what it means to be a voice of calm to so many students. Holly is also incredibly passionate about social issues like veganism, animal welfare and online bullying, so if you are a socially conscientious student this episode is for you!

This week’s episode sees Sol sit down with the CEO of Vodafone Business and telecommunications industry leader Vinod Kumar. Vinod is an extremely experienced business leader, with over 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Having lived and worked around the world, Vinod offers a unique perspective on global business. Over the course of this episode you’ll hear some great tips about building a career in the corporate world, including how to get advice from people in leadership roles and some of the key traits you must possess to succeed at work.

This week we are joined by Anthony Collias and Jacob Wedderburn-Day, co-founders of Stasher, the world's first luggage storage network. Anthony and Jacob developed the idea for Stasher when they were at university, and benefited from support and free office space thanks to the UCL Innovation & Enterprise network. With three young founders in the room, conversation quickly shifts to the different roles played by founders and the skills our students need to not only start their own business but act in any leadership capacity.

This week we are joined by two special guests in Paul Stephenson and Ameet Gill, co-founders of PR agency Hanbury Strategy. We naturally dive into the world of politics, recalling Paul and Ameet’s former roles as Director of Communications for the Vote Leave campaign and Director of Strategy to David Cameron respectively. Paul and Ameet urge our students to always do something they believe in, whether they go into politics or not. The duo also emphasise the importance of treating others with respect, arguing that kindness and politeness will always be remembered.

Our guest this week is Josh Browder, one of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs and founder of DoNotPay. As the world’s first robot lawyer, DoNotPay enables drivers to appeal their parking tickets automatically. Like the many great ideas that derive from experiences, Josh was inspired to launch the platform after he kept racking up fines outside school. Josh explains why he always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and encourages every university student to either start a business or try working for themselves at some point before they graduate. He also emphasises the importance of learning from failure, recalling the initial difficulty of things that are now second nature to him.

Our guest this week is Annabel Croft, former professional tennis player and Wimbledon Girls champion. Annabel was on track for an incredibly successful career on the circuit until she decided to step away from the game at just 21 years of age. She has since made her name as a broadcaster, hosting live tennis events as well as a number of prime time TV shows. We discuss Annabel’s rise and fall in the game, with her loss of love for tennis resulting from an inability to cope with the emotional toll of losing consistently. Regarding her decision to step away, Annabel has no regrets. Instead, she uses her experience to encourage our students to follow what makes them happy, just as she did.

This week’s episode revolves around the life of Steve Clarke, former chief executive of WHSmith. Whilst at university, Steve spent time working part-time in a range of retail stores, experiences that encouraged him to pursue a career in the sector full time. After stints at Dixons and Argos, Steve joined WH Smith as a Marketing Director in 2004, rising up the ranks before being appointed CEO in 2013 — a role he held for six years. After stepping down in 2019, Steve has since joined IVC Evidensia, Europe’s largest chain of vets, as CEO. Steve recalls his own university experience, reassuring our students that he wasn’t at all aware of where his career would lead whilst he was studying. He believes his own journey proves that doing something you love is more likely to spark progression, and modestly stresses the importance of both good fortune and having a great mentor.

Our guest this week is Ed Foy, founder of PRESS, the health juice and food retail business that is now a household name across the UK. After stints at L’Oreal and as Head of Marketing at Jack Wills, Ed took the plunge and launched his own business to resounding success. Ed shares valuable advice for students with entrepreneurial ambitions and explains why young people are best-placed to deal with the challenges of running a business. Ed and Sol also discuss whether experience is necessary for anyone starting a business, and attempt to put a finger on the personal qualities that make for a successful founder...