Enter the Boardroom

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Episodes

177

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

Enter the Boardroom is the podcast of the Enter the Boardroom Community. Each week, Nurole CEO Oliver Cummings sits down with leading Chairs, board members, CEOs and academics, drawing out the insights and hard-won lessons that rarely get shared in public. If you enjoy the podcast, the Community goes much deeper. You'll sharpen your board proposition, build a network of serious peers, stay current on the issues reshaping boardrooms, and access opportunities you won't find anywhere else. Visit etb.nurole.com to find out more. Listeners get a 10% discount by applying the code ENTER at checkout.

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60 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 17738 min

177. Natasha Christie-Miller: "Sell the hell out of it" - why boards need to be more focused on commercial reality

Natasha Christie-Miller has spent her executive career building, transforming and ultimately selling some of the UK's most valuable B2B intelligence and media businesses. She was CEO of Emap and is now Chair of Sifted, the FT and PE-backed startup media business. Listen to this episode to hear more about: The 25-year decline nobody at Emap had spotted (01:33) The three pillars every CEO should focus on in sales (10:46) Why a board is like a personal trainer for CEOs (19:18) The grumpy, entitled board member who didn't last long (21:23) The one question Natasha says boards don’t ask enough (23:19) The four reasons people go to B2B events (27:07) Year one vs year five: what your churn pattern is actually telling you (33:05)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(34:41)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

June 3, 2026Episode 17642 min

176. Karen Morton: Family businesses generate 70% of global GDP: why most don’t have boards, and how those that do work

Karen Morton is NED on the boards of daa plc (which operates Dublin and Cork airports), Shaws Department Stores and Fanagans Funeral Directors, two of Ireland's most established family-owned businesses, and Golf Ireland. Listen to our this episode to learn about: What makes family business boards fundamentally different (01:05) The five moments that push a family business to finally get a board (07:25) Karen’s playbook for your first 90 days of joining a family business board (10:38) The hidden family dynamics that can derail board decisions (15:14) When doing the “wrong” thing commercially is actually right (19:40) How to navigate emotional boardroom deadlock (25:24) How to challenge the family while keeping trust intact (28:00) The most difficult boardroom challenge in a family business (33:12) What to do when a high-performing family executive is toxic (35:06) ⚡The Lightning Round⚡(39:36)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

May 27, 2026Episode 17546 min

175. Dhiraj Mukherjee: Co-founder of Shazam on the board lessons from an 18-year journey to a $400m exit

Dhiraj Mukherjee is co-founder of Shazam, where he helped grow the business into a global platform with over 100 billion uses, before it's acquisition by Apple for over a reported $400m. Tune in to the newest episode of Enter the Boardroom to hear about: The three toughest boardroom calls in Shazam’s 18-year journey (01:28) Why Dhiraj would talk his younger self out of starting Shazam (06:27) The "outside-in" perspective every founder needs from their board (09:45) The pricing lesson that saved Shazam The moment Shazam sold its own technology to survive (12:28) What Roger Federer's 55% winning rate teaches boards about backing founders (24:13) Why one bad result doesn't mean a bad strategy - the Arsenal lesson for boards (30:38) The missing voice on Shazam's board that could have saved them years The one board member Shazam never had, and what it cost them (32:29) Why the bottleneck isn't AI, it's you. (36:12)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(41:47)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

May 20, 2026Episode 17439 min

174. Sir John Kingman: Why boards need more misfits - lessons from the financial crisis

Sir John Kingman is Chairman of Legal & General and Barclays Bank UK. In 2018, he led the landmark independent review of the Financial Reporting Council (the Kingman Review) which called for the abolition of the FRC and its replacement with a new statutory regulator. Listen to this episode to hear about Sir John's experience: Running towards the fire: what separates boards that cope from boards that collapse (01:51) Why the RBS board was too big to save itself (06:52) The truth about culture in banks that most boards miss (08:01) The collective failure of imagination that brought the banks down (11:00) Why boards needs more weirdos (14:42) The Kingman Review: why the UK has the best rules and some of the worst companies (16:58) What Sir John thinks makes a truly effective NED (23:47) The three question he asks every potential NED (26:35) Why new NEDs should never try to fit in straight away (28:12)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(31:51)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

May 6, 2026Episode 17340 min

173. Andy Higginson: Laura Ashley's near collapse, Tesco's legendary strategy and turning round Morrisons

Andy Higginson is Chair of JD Sports Fashion plc. Previously, he was Chair of Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc and a non-executive director at organisations including Tesco, Sky, Clarks, FirstGroup and Woolworths. Listen to this episode to hear about: The three boardroom moments that shaped Andy's career (01:06) What a near-bankrupt Laura Ashley taught him about simplicity and focus (03:58) The Laura Ashley banking crisis that changed Bank of England policy (07:18) The four strategy Tesco pillars (09:54) Inside the Tesco succession that went wrong (14:35) Why a new CEO should keep their rivals (18:23) What every retail NED should do when they first join (21:36) The first thing Andy did when he arrived at a struggling Morrisons (25:58) Morrison’s acquisition by private equity (31:35)⚡The Lightning Round⚡(36:46)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

April 29, 2026Episode 17234 min

172. Danuta Gray: What nobody tells you about the Chair-CEO relationship (2/2)

Danuta Gray is Chair of Croda plc and NED and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Burberry Group plc. Previously, she was Chair of Direct Line Insurance Group plc during its acquisition by Aviva. Tune into this episode to hear about: How Danuta has improved on CEO hiring (01:46) The importance of staying curious about AI (06:42) Why every board waits too long to change their CEO (08:01) Why Danuta looks internally first when a CEO blames external headwinds (11:56) The board decision that has nothing to do with right or wrong (13:59) What to do when you think the CEO needs to go but the Chair disagrees (20:40) Why Danuta learns more from Gareth Southgate than a remuneration roundtable (25:21) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡ (28:59)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

April 22, 2026Episode 17143 min

171. Danuta Gray: The hardest decisions a Chair has to make (1/2)

Danuta Gray is Chair of Croda plc and NED and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Burberry Group plc. Previously, she was Chair of Direct Line Insurance Group plc during its acquisition by Aviva. Listen to this episode to learn about: The formative board experiences that shaped how Danuta operates today (01:03) The criminal case that showed her what great chairs are made of (05:14) Why she always doubles the time commitment she's given for a board role (07:31) What witnessing fraud taught Danuta about boardroom groupthink (08:16) What every chair gets wrong in a takeover approach (13:22) A takeover bid doesn't have to damage your business (18:32) How to block out the noise and make the right call under pressure (22:43) The question every board forgets to ask before recommending a deal (28:11) Why every new chair should force their way in to meet shareholders (35:38) Danuta's three rules for surviving your first unsolicited bid (39:00)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

April 15, 2026Episode 17044 min

170. Julian Metcalfe OBE: founder of Pret and Itsu - why most boards fail founders

Julian Metcalfe OBE is the founder of Itsu and Pret. Alongside these, he is also founder of the Metcalfe Food Company and NED at Knoops Chocolate. Tune into this episode to here about: Why traditional ideas of good governance frustrate Julian (01:26) Why it’s important that board members are willing to be unpopular (04:54) One key lesson Julian would pass on to his successor (07:14) The actual purpose of boards (09:22) How obsessive quality control built and sustained Pret and Itsu (12:33) The Pret ritual that kept the whole business honest (14:12) The counterintuitive Pret rules that built a loyal customer base (14:58) The short–termism trap that's killing most boardrooms (18:19) How to balance the focus vs. choice dynamic (25:24) Why two 24 year olds gave away 30% of Pret for free (27:56) The detail behind Itsu's most affordable product (31:31) How Julian would describe his approach to building successful companies (35:15)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(40:10)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

April 8, 2026Episode 16943 min

169. Laura Hagan: What boards get wrong about people: founders, talent and pay

Laura Hagan is CPO at Deliveroo and NED at Fever-Tree Drinks plc, where she chairs the Remuneration Committee. Previously, Laura has help senior people leadership roles a Gymshark, Tate & Lyle and Dyson. Listen to this episode to learn more about: The three moments that shaped how Laura thinks about boards (01:31) Board composition differences from private to PE to listed companies (05:06) What every board member needs to know before working with a founder (07:40) What Laura looks for when hiring a NED (12:45) The high ego low ego framework for hiring board members (15:26) The crisis playbook every board needs (17:14) The hidden people risk every fast-growing business ignores (21:50) What RemCo meetings are really like (26:59) Laura’s tips on what makes the best pay (32:39) Why your retention scheme might be working against you (35:02)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(38:21)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

April 1, 2026Episode 16835 min

168. Peter Norris: Leading through crisis: Barings Bank and Virgin Atlantic's Covid fight for survival

Peter Norris is Chair of the Virgin Group. Formerly, he was CEO of Barings Bank during its fateful collapse in the mid 1990s. Listen to this episode to hear about: Three moments that shaped how Peter behaves in the boardroom (00:59) Why Peter took responsibility for a fraud he didn’t commit (11:23) The one question every board should ask when the numbers look too good to be true (14:27) How fraud gets stronger every day it goes undetected (16:11) The moment Peter Norris knew Virgin Atlantic might not survive (18:01) What a Chair should do when their company is facing extinction (19:07) The four buckets Virgin Atlantic focused on to survive COVID (22:15) The Richard Branson PR disaster (23:50) How Virgin Atlantic saved itself with no shareholder and no government support (24:54) Peter’s thoughts on Brexit (29:15)⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(33:04)Host: Oliver CummingsProducer: Will FeltonEditor: Penelope CoumauMusic: Kate MacAudio: Nick KoldEmail: podcast@nurole.comWeb: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom