Speaking Business Podcast

My guest today is a global brand and business builder, recognised strategy expert, author and speaker.  He has more than 20 years of hands-on experience in successfully creating or re-staging brands that have grown to generate over a billion dollars in combined incremental sales annually around the world. In our chat we learn what the Uber brands are doing and that it isn’t always wise to follow every whim, need and trend of the consumer.  Please welcome JP Kuehlwein. Bio JP Kuehlwein is a global brand builder, accomplished business leader and recognised strategy expert. He has a 20+ year track record of creating or repositioning brands that then win in the market. JP’s diverse experience ranges from introducing the concept of disposable diapers and Pampers brands to India and South-East Asia to reviving an iconic New York Hair Care and Prestige salon services business. Before co-founding the brand consultancy ‘Ueber-Brands’ in 2016, JP was Executive Vice President of Frédéric Fekkai and Managing Director of

My guest today is a motivation expert and a student of the art of mastery. She has helped champions to win medals, business leaders to transform performance, sales people to win multi-million-pound deals and individuals to perform beyond their own wildest expectations.  She is a grand prix dressage rider, a former national equestrian champion, a ski instructor, a bestselling author, and was Head of Content for the global computer giant, Dell.  As part of the research for her latest book “Find Your Flame - Why Motivation Matters More Than Talent”, she interviewed 50 world class performers from business, science, the arts and sport.  She identified five new intrinsic motivation types that reveal how ordinary people tap into the motivation and achieve extraordinary things.  Bio Sophie Bennett is a best-selling author and champion dressage rider with a strong business background. She has been researching what drives successful people for the last 20 years and is the author of several books. Her new book about wha

My guest this week is a futurist, with an artist’s eye and an inventor’s mind.  She prototypes future world designs for the entertainment industry, technology companies and cities.  A large part of her time is devoted to research and strategy in the immersive media technology space. Her work consists in connecting bleeding edge technological innovation with some of the world’s most original creative visions. She is co-founder of ALLFUTUREEVERYTHING, an agency & a platform for prototyping futures. In her talks, she leads audiences on a journey through what could be. She takes the most cutting-edge digital concepts and places them squarely in our material world, opening our eyes to a future where we live with, in, and around technology much more deeply than we do today.  My guest is Monika Bielskyte Bio A futurist with an artist’s eye and an inventor’s mind, Monika Bielskyte prototypes culturally diverse, socially and environmentally engaged future world designs for the entertainment industry, technology c

My guest this week has 25 years as a technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist.  Nowadays he also advises large corporations, the European Commissions and various non-profits.  He’s a founder, a funder and a futurist.  For me he’s an interpreter of trends and we find out all sorts of amazing things that are going to be happening in our future and that are happening already plus we get to meet Ripley!  Please enjoy, Nicklas Bergman. Bio Nicklas Bergman has spent the last 25 years working as an entrepreneur and technology investor, mostly focusing on investments and business development in emerging markets, IT, instrumentation, nanotechnology, computing, new materials and new media art, currently through more than 10 direct and indirect investments. Nicklas is the strategic advisor to European Commissioner Carlos Moedas and the European Innovation Council, working on a new innovation strategy for Europe. He is also Scandinavian representative of the TechCast Technology Think Tank in Washington and member o

Each week I invite one of my speakers to talk about their life, work, passions and leisure so that you can get to know the person who is the speaker behind the mic. This week is a really special edition of the Speaking Business podcast. This is special because it is not very often that you get a guru of this stature to be a guest.  This is why we are going out today on a Monday when normally we wouldn’t because he has been available only this morning.  My guest says of himself ‘I am a succeedor in a long line of succeedors, Julius Casear, Abraham Lincoln, Tim Henman and Phil Collins all undoubtedly used my methods.  L. Vaughan Spencer or L.Vo as he is known to the hip, is a self-help guru and gangster motivator.  No longer will you be a success-a-phobe. 2004 business speaker of the year for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire L.Vo always came top in the northern hemisphere motivator of the year under 40 middle weight section.  Although not long ago he had just 19p to his same.  As he says ‘somehow only when you ar

This week we are talking to Thomas Anglero.  He is Director of Innovation for IBM in Norway, a two-time entrepreneur, a veteran basketball coach, and an extremely popular motivational speaker.  Thomas was born in New York but has lived in Norway for more than 20 years. He has been an executive for large private and public global companies that gives him a unique perspective on people, technology and culture.  Thomas’ favourite presentations are all-out Q&A’s with the audiences, no slides, no rehearsal, in real-time living in the moment with the audience making life happen!  In this episode you may be surprised to hear ‘All You Need is Love’, the Beatles were right! Bio Thomas F Anglero is one of the most exciting and sought-after public speakers in the Nordic countries.  He is an expert in “the new culture challenges that comes with the AI revolution”, innovation, teaching disruption to executives, and artificial intelligence’s effect on people, society and businesses.  In 2017, Thomas key-noted at over

Angela Oguntala is a futurist and a director at Greyspace – a design and futures consultancy that partners with organisations to think, plan and design for the future. She has worked in education, healthcare, finance, fashion, sustainability and in a range of other spaces across culture and technology. Selected clients of hers include IKEA, Hermès, Microsoft, Philips, and various media groups. She has also been an advisor for policy organisations and large-scale city planning projects in Northern Europe. Angela is a Salzburg Global Fellow and has been named a Future Innovator by The United Nations ICT / Ars Electronica for her thinking and work. In 2017, she was also named a leading creative entrepreneur by Kinfolk and featured as part of their best-selling book series The Kinfolk Entrepreneur. She previously served as the head of the Innovation Lab at EH Design, a group focused on designing and experimenting around emerging technologies. Angela Oguntala is a frequent speaker at conferences and events on futu

This week we are doing something a little different. As well as finding out about the speaker who is the person behind the mic we also find out a bit more about the actual presentation/keynote and we deconstruct the speaker's keynote and tell you bit by bit how he presents his content to the audience. My guest this week is the creator and author of Celebrity Service & OMG Marketing.  He’s challenged and inspired audiences across six continents to create award-winning ideas to outperform the competition. Recently featured in Forbes…. they said Celebrity Service was ‘A Game Changer’. His clients include, Emirates, Specsavers, IHG and McDonalds. Bio Geoff Ramm is the creator of Celebrity Service and OMG Marketing.  He knows the only way you can attract more customers is to create jaw-dropping marketing and that great customer service leads to lucrative, repeat business.  A multi-award winning customer service and marketing speaker, Geoff has challenged and inspired audiences across five continents.  As well

This week my guest is the Fons! Dr Fons Trompenaars! Fons is a world leader in understanding cultural difference.  His seminal book Riding the Waves of Culture, Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business put culture in business on the map.  He has been ranked as one of the world’s most influential management thinkers in the world by the Thinkers50.  Fons has spent over 30 years helping leaders manage and solve their business and cultural dilemmas to increase global effectiveness and performance. He turns corporate leaders into top performers through developing their ability to identify and reconcile dilemmas. We also find out that he’s probably Neil Young’s biggest fan, so I hope Neil is listening in. Bio Dr Fons Trompenaars is recognised around the world for his work as a consultant, trainer, motivational speaker and author of various books on all subjects of culture and business.  He is a world leader in understanding cultural difference, his seminal book Riding the Waves of Culture, Understanding Cultura

This week I’ve gone a bit off-piste, I haven’t got one of my speakers as a guest, instead I have Chris Wharton who is Creative Director of 2ndfloor, a web and design Studio. Chris is my go-to guy for all things website and branding and I thought I’d quiz him a bit to help speakers or anyone else looking for assistance in this field. Chris has been working on a computer since he found MS Paint and created bank cards for his sister to play shop with. He has successfully managed, consulted and worked on projects for RBS, Renault, Coutts Bank, IKEA, WorldPay, Schroders, amongst others. Chris has a wide range of skills including digital consultancy, UI design, UX and web build, sketch and illustration and project management. He knows a lot basically! Chris has created the branding for two of my businesses, Maria Franzoni Ltd, speaker bureau and for Speaking Business Academy. He also designed, built and maintains the Speaking Business Academy website as well as creating our company brochure.   Recorded: 5th Februar

Each week I invite one of my speakers to talk about their life, work, passions and leisure so that you can get to know the person who is the speaker behind the mic. In this episode we are going to talk about economics and history with Dr Linda Yueh. Dr Linda Yueh is a leading economist, writer and broadcaster. Her latest book, The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today answers the biggest economic questions of our time by drawing on the ideas of the thinkers who have changed our world. It was selected as The Times’s Best Business Books of 2018 and also by Newsweek magazine in the U.S. as the Best Fiction and Non-Fiction of 2018. Bio Dr Linda Yueh is Fellow in Economics at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, Adjunct Professor of Economics at London Business School, and Visiting Professor at LSE IDEAS. She is a broadcaster, including for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, and was the BBC’s Chief Business Correspondent and host of “Talking Business with Linda Yueh”, as well as Economics Editor at

Each week I invite one of my speakers to talk about their life, work, passions and leisure so that you can get to know the person who is the speaker behind the mic. In this episode we are sharing the secrets behind some of the world's elite business, sports and military organisations. My guest is high performance culture expert and best-selling author James Kerr.  James authored the global best-selling book Legacy: What the All Blacks can teach us about the business of life.  His work explores what drives the best teams to extraordinary results, including a relentless focus on excellence a collective commitment to an 'uncommon cause' and emphasis on individual accountability James has advised US and UK Special Forces, Formula 1 teams and Olympic Performance Directors - as well as corporations from Google to PayPal, Red Bull to Unilever, and Shell to Boeing.  Bio James Kerr is a bestselling author, speaker and business consultant specialising in defining, designing and delivering change for leaders of world-

Each week I invite one of my speakers to talk about their life, work, passions and leisure so that you can get to know the person who is the speaker behind the mic. This week we talk about how the Americans and the British do business very differently. We discover the mistakes businesses make when entering the US market and what leaders should be doing to build their personal brands. My guest this week is advisor, author, broadcaster and entrepreneur - Allyson Stewart-Allen. Allyson has advised over 200 businesses in 26 countries on how to successfully avoid the minefields of international expansion. She has authored the best-selling book Working with Americans, and is a regular media commentator for the BBC, CNN and the FT.  Bio Allyson Stewart-Allen is a renowned marketer, whose expertise in brand internationalisation is sought by leading businesses globally through her consultancy, publications, appearances, mentoring and corporate education. A Californian based in Europe for over 25 years, Allyson applies

Each week I invite one of my speakers to talk about their life, work, passions and leisure so that you can get to know the person who is the speaker behind the mic. Today we are going to find out about the commercial advantages of B2B sponsorship and the importance of being relentless in your quest for success.  My guest is author and entrepreneur, Jackie Fast. Jackie sold her sponsorship agency for millions just 6 years after starting it in her bedroom with £2k, she now covets clients including Sir Richard Branson and the Rolling Stones along with FTSE 100 brands.  More recently she’s launched a global ice wine brand to create a new drinks category for the masses.  And if you are a fan of The Apprentice, we are going to ask the questions that you are dying to ask. Bio Jackie Fast, former Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Media Disrupter of the Year recipient is no stranger in utilising change to amplify growth.  She directs leaders on how to succeed through the power of sponsorship in the current era of dis

Each week I invite one of my speakers to talk about their life, work, passions and leisure so that you can get to know the person who is the speaker behind the mic. This week we talk about letting go of the old command and control style of running organisations in order to transform them.  We talk about how leaders' egos can get in their way.  And my guest who is ranked 4th most influential living management thinker in the world by The French National Foundation for the Management and Business Education) reveals that he will coach CEOs for free provided they have paid him to speak and bought him lunch. My guest this week is Isaac Getz.  Isaac is a Professor at the top-ranked ESCP Europe Business School and is former Visiting Professor at Cornell and Stanford. Dr. Getz’s work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Strategy+Business, Financial Times, Le Monde, CNBC, Fox and other leading media on four continents. He is a columnist in Le Monde and won the best Op-Ed 2017 award. Bio A 2016 study by

Each week I invite one of my speakers to talk about their life, work, passions and leisure so that you can get to know the person who is the speaker behind the mic. My guest this week is Maneesh Juneja, Digital Health Futurist, or as we call him MJ. In this episode we talk all things technology but with some talk of gadgets too, which I absolutely love.  Maneesh also tells us why all business and organisation are going to be in the business of health.    Bio Maneesh Juneja is a Digital Health Futurist who explores the convergence of emerging technologies to see how they can make the world a healthier and happier place. He looks at these technologies in the context of socio-cultural, political and economic trends, helping organisations to think differently about the future. In 2016, he was ranked 7th most influential in Digital Health, and at the beginning of 2015, Maneesh Juneja was ranked 10th most influential in Wearable Technology. In 2012, he left the security of his career at GlaxoSmithKline, to immerse

This week we are doing something a little bit different, going a bit off piste, because my guest this week isn't one of my speakers, he's actually a voice coach. You would think that people who use their voice as an instrument for their work would actually have voice coaches but many speakers don't look after their voices and end up struggling, straining and not using their voices to their full potential. So my guest is jazz singer and voice coach, Jimmy Cannon.  Bio Jazz singer and vocal coach Jimmy Cannon teaches techniques to sustain and protect the most important instrument in speaking; your voice. Jimmy has toured and recorded with Sir Tom Jones, The Commitments, Rodriguez, Roger Taylor, and has appeared on ‘The One Show’ and ‘This Morning’. Recorded: 13th December 2018 Links: More about Maria Franzoni Ltd Connect with Maria on Linkedin Connect with Maria on FaceBook To book any of the speakers featured on the Speaking Business podcast, click here

My guest this week is world record breaking mountaineer and adventurer, Jake Meyer In this episode we talk about being too cool for school, the dangers of getting out of the wrong side of the bed, embracing stress and the importance of choosing the right team mates when your life is in their hands.  Bio Jake Meyer is an experienced public speaker whose incredible story of climbing Mt Everest aged only 21 is an inspirational tale of determination, tenacity and an unerring will to succeed. Jake was only 14 when he set his sights on wanting to climb the ‘7 Summits’ – the highest mountain on each continent. At 6.30am on the 4th June 2005, aged only 21 and 135 days old, he reached the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world and his 7th continental highpoint. At the time, he was the youngest Briton to climb Mt Everest, and the youngest man in the world to complete the 7 Summits. Not content with just the 7 Summits, he also holds the record for the fastest ascent of the highest mountain in each of

My guest this week is bestselling author, broadcaster and leader of the global Slow Movement, Carl Honoré.  In this episode we talk about slowing down.  How it makes you more productive, improves your relationships and your health. So, if you would like to learn how to unleash your inner tortoise this podcast is for you. Bio Carl Honoré is a bestselling author, broadcaster and leader of the global Slow Movement. His TED talk on the benefits of slowing down has been viewed 2.6 million times. Described by the Wall Street Journal as “an in-demand spokesman on slowness,” Carl travels the world to deliver powerful keynotes that put time and tempo in a whole new light. His message is simple but counterintuitive: To achieve peak performance in a fast world, you have to slow down. Carl’s talks are dynamic, inspiring, informative and full of humour and his audiences range from business leaders, entrepreneurs and sales professionals to teachers, academics and medical practitioners. Carl’s first book, In Praise of Slow,

My guest this week is business analyst, consultant and former Trustee and Communications Director for the Cutty Sark, Stephen Archer. Stephen talks about leadership in the context of the changes in European and global economics and the shifts in the political impetus behind globalisation.  He is both excited and vexed by what is going on.  His work is focused on supporting leaders to navigate through the chaos of what may seem impossibly unpredictable times.  In this week’s show, we talk about making sense of the chaos of what is going on in world and we hear about the 5 traits that make a great leader. Bio Stephen Archer’s expertise and experience uniquely places him to speak on the changes in worldwide economics and structural changes and their impact on your organisation. The ‘new order’ of globalisation is now being rocked, free trade is no longer a given and even democracy cannot be taken for granted.  In short, we have entered a period of instability. All of these fundamental 21st century changes are ha