Episodes
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Episode 12: The Winds of Change - Jakob Askou Bøss
When going green meant leaping into the unknown
In this episode, we hear from Jakob Askou Bøss, Senior Vice-President of Corporate Strategy at Ørsted.
In 2006, having successfully merged with 5 other energy companies, Ørsted (then DONG Energy) were about to embark on an expensive and complex project to build a coal-fired power plant in Germany. But the world’s attitude towards fossil fuels was changing rapidly, and Bøss was faced with a decision. Push forward with the project, despite the turning tide? Or venture into the unknown, and be part of radical change?
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Jakob Askou Bøss
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
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Episode 11: The Unlikely Entrepreneur - Ekaterina Malievskaia
When a mother’s love knows no bounds.
In this episode of Make or Break, we’re joined by Dr. Ekaterina Malievskaia, co-founder and chief innovation officer of COMPASS Pathways, a life science company that develops psilocybin to help people with treatment resistant depression.
Malievskaia and her husband, George Goldsmith, first started researching psilocybin - a chemical compound found in magic mushrooms - after an ongoing battle to find adequate help for their son who suffers from severe depression. The couple founded the charity COMPASS Pathways with the hope to get psilocybin approved and the drug to market. However they soon faced an obstacle; they would need to raise an eye-watering sum of $300 million, a task that for any charity would be close to impossible.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Ekaterina Malievskaia
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
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Missing episodes?
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Episode 10: Mum’s the word - Justine Roberts
You’ve got the big idea but no funds, do you go it alone or take up a problematic partnership?
In this episode of Make or Break, we meet founder of Mumsnet, Justine Roberts, who through sheer perseverance, grew a penniless new internet business into the UK’s biggest network network for parents.
At the turn of the millennium, the dotcom bubble was about to burst when Roberts found herself raising funds for a new internet business. Inexperienced and coming up against reluctant investors and troubling terms and conditions, Roberts found herself in a difficult position, call it quits or change her tack.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Justine Roberts
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
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Episode 9: Money Talks - Jorge Silva and Angeles Tella Arena
It’s not always about getting ahead. Sometimes in business it’s about raising others up too.
In this episode of Make or Break, we speak to Jorge Silva and Angeles Tella Arena, co-founder and senior developer of 10Pines, a software company that took a radical approach to staff salaries and structure.
After a team member turned down a pay rise because others had not been offered the same, it was time to rethink how 10Pines operated. Silva and co threw out the rulebook and put their heads together to decide just how much each of them should be paid.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Jorge Silva and Angeles Tella Arena
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Episode 8: Mindful matters - Marc Champagne
When popularity doesn’t always equate to success.
In this episode of Make or Break, we’re joined by Marc Champagne, founder of mental health app Kyo, which at its height reached almost 90 million users.
A strong advocate for meditation and journaling, Champagne launched Kyo in 2016. It was an instant hit with users and became a regular feature on app-store homepages and ‘top 10s’ lists. But all was not as it seemed. Although popular with audiences, the coding was deeply flawed and Champagne just didn’t have the means for an overhaul. Was there a way through this or was it time to pull the plug?
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Marc Champagne
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Beating the Crash - Sir George Buckley
When the economy is on its knees and job losses are looming, do you follow the received wisdom or buck the trend?
In this episode of Make or Break, we’re joined by Sir George Buckley. a businessman who did the seemingly impossible to save jobs during a financial crisis.
When the 2008 financial crisis hit, it hit hard. As 3M’s chairman, chief executive and president, Buckley was under immense pressure to cut jobs. But by drawing upon his skills in engineering, Buckley was able to minimise the damage, and revolutionise the way 3M would respond to future crises.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Sir George Buckley
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
In a diverse world, the colour ‘nude’ should reflect the people living in it. But lingerie brands have a lot of catching up to do.
In this episode of Make or Break, we speak to entrepreneur Ade Hassan, who left her career behind to serve an untapped market in the world of lingerie.
Unable to find lingerie or hosiery to match her skin tone, Hassan found herself frustrated.
It was time to challenge the concept of what ‘nude’ meant, and meet the demand of an underserved corner of the market. But Hassan’s first challenge was to take a leap into an industry that she knew nothing about.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Ade Hassan
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
When it comes to marketing, ‘Go big or go home’ is not always the best approach.
In this episode of Make or Break, we’re joined by Neal Stewart, a marketing mogul who went against the grain to turn around a dying brand.
When Stewart took on the role of brand manager for Pabst Brewing Company, their Blue Ribbon beer was in the gutter. But there was one region where the brand was thriving. To capitalise on this, Stewart went against the advice to go big with billboards and national ads. Instead, he saw an opportunity to plug into the small, but loyal community who had brought the brand back to life.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Neal Stewart
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Winning battles in the Cola Wars - Ramesh Vangal
What’s in a name? Well, when it came to breaking cola brands in India in the 80s, it turns
out, quite a lot.
In this episode of Make or Break, we hear from Ramesh Vangal, former president of Pepsi
Co India, who found himself against the clock to make one of the company’s biggest ever
branding decisions.
Having reached the final stages of negotiations to bring the Pepsi cola to India, Vangal found
himself put on the spot by the country’s food processing minister. Unable to get hold of his
senior colleagues, it was down to Vangal to make a decision that could potentially tank the
whole deal.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Ramesh Vangal
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
A Place For All
WHO: Third-generation furniture maker, Jan Christian Vestre, is rethinking the way cities are
built. His family company, Vestre, manufactures urban furniture and aims to create public
spaces that encourage human interaction. Sustainability lies at the heart of production, and
Vestre is committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It is one of the most
successful companies of its kind in Europe.
DECISION: Vestre was approached by London Council with a lucrative contract to design
urban furniture throughout the city, however there was one catch. Vestre was asked to
include elements of hostile design within the plans. Vestre faced a quandary, to uphold the
company’s guiding principle of inclusivity and turn down a quarter of a million pounds or
compromise his morals.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Jan Christian Vestre
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
The Prawn Sandwich Disaster
WHO: In the wake of the 1980s economic boom, Gerald Ratner took over the small family jewellery business. Within just seven years, Ratner had transformed it into a multi-million pound empire and even broke into the American market. The company was immensely popular with the British public as it offered affordable products at bargain prices. Ratner was at the top of his game and had shops on every highstreet.
DECISION: In 1991, Ratner was invited to speak at the Institute of Directors conference taking place at the Royal Albert Hall. He sent a draft of his speech to the company heads for approval, and one director advised him to add a couple of gags. In front of 6000 business people and journalists, Ratner read the infamous speech, gags and all. Although the jokes were not intended to offend, the British press had a field day and splashed stories about Ratner’s contempt for his customers across the front pages. The public were incensed by his jokes, and felt mocked. The company’s shares dropped £500 million in a matter of days. Ratner was eventually fired and would remain penniless and the butt of jokes for years. He would return to the jewellery industry at the turn of the millennium but in a very different format, taking the business online.
This Podcast is brought to you by Radio Wolfgang for Auddy
It was presented by Owen Bennett Jones and it featured Gerald Ratner
It was produced by John Jo Devlin and Eli Block and the Executive Producer was Ellie DiMartino
With support from The Open University - www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Aiming High and Low
WHO: In 1997, fashion writer turned entrepreneur, Liz Lange, created the world’s first fashion forward maternity brand. Until that point, the fashion world hadn’t offered much to expectant mothers. In fact, retailers repeatedly told Lange that women were disinterested in their appearance during pregnancy. But Lange knew better. She went on to establish three wildly successful boutique stores and a cult celebrity following, including the likes of Cindy Crawford, Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts.
DECISION: In 2002, Target Corp proposed a lucrative licensing deal with Lange to design inexpensive maternity clothes. Her advisors warned against partnering with the budget-friendly retailer on the grounds that she would lose her cachet and it would damage her high end platform. However Lange decided that women of all budgets deserve to be as empowered as the celebrities she dressed and went ahead with the partnership. Sales rose in all three boutiques and today, Liz Lange Maternity has the largest maternity apparel market share in the US.
Make or Break is a Radio Wolfgang production for Auddy, with support from The Open University.
www.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Make or Break In life, facing tough decisions is always a possibility, in business, it’s only a matter of time.Join journalist Owen Bennett-Jones as he meets leaders of the business world to unpack thesingle most defining decision of their careers. From winning big to losing it all, we hear from aspectrum of remarkable people who reached critical junctures and took a leap of faith.Deftly interrogating these make or break moments, we discover the guests’ business savvy,greatest learnings and ultimately, how their decision shaped the course of their lives.This is a teaser for the new series and features conversations with Liz Lange, Gerald Ratner and Jan Christian Vestre...It's a brand new podcast from Radio Wolfgang and Auddy with support from the Open Universitywww.openuniversity.co.uk/management
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Make or BreakIn life, facing tough decisions is always a possibility, in business, it’s only a matter of time.Join journalist Owen Bennett-Jones as he meets leaders of the business world to unpack thesingle most defining decision of their careers. From winning big to losing it all, we hear from aspectrum of remarkable people who reached critical junctures and took a leap of faith.Deftly interrogating these make or break moments, we discover the guests’ business savvy,greatest learnings and ultimately, how their decision shaped the course of their lives.It's a brand new podcast from Radio Wolfgang and Auddy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
