Nicola Shaw - National Grid

Our guest is Nicola Shaw, Executive Director UK of National Grid. Nicola will share with us how National Grid came up with a simple clear purpose and how they've embedded it in the organization.

Nicola is positioned firmly at the heart of meeting the energy challenges of the future. She joined National Grid in July 2016 after holding the CEO role at HS1 for five years.

She is highly regarded in the UK transport industry and in July 2015 was asked to report to the UK Government on the future structure and financing of Network Rail. The subsequently named Shaw report was published in March 2016.

Nicola holds a BA in Modern History and Economics from Oxford University and an MSc in Transport from MIT. She was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2015.

Nicola Shaw

Darren James - Keltbray Group

Our guest is Darren James, Chief Executive Officer of Keltbray Group. He shares with us how he's gone about developing a purpose and strategy for Keltbray - as well as some tips for getting great staff engagement through the process, especially from junior staff.

Darren was appointed Chief Executive of the Keltbray Group in April 2020. Prior to this he was an Executive Director of Costain Group PLC from 2007 as Managing Director of the £1.2bn Infrastructure Division for over 10 years and latterly as the Chief Operating Officer for the Costain Group. In addition to overall P+L responsibility for the Groups operations he held specific responsibility at the Executive Board for Safety, Health and Environment and Chaired the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Board.

An honours graduate in Civil Engineering from the University of Surrey, Darren has undertaken further postgraduate executive educations programmes at Harvard (Leadership), Wharton (Strategy) and London (Finance) Business Schools.

A Chartered Civil Engineer, Darren is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, the Institution of Civil Engineers and Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation.

Darren is a Non-Executive Director of the Port of London Authority a Director of the Rail Industry Association, a member of the Rail Supply Group Council as industry champion on one of the Rail Sector Deal Pillars and a member of the Princes Trust Built Environment Leadership Group.

Darren James

Gillian Charlesworth - BRE Group

Our guest is Gillian Charlesworth, Group Chief Executive Officer of BRE Group, a world leading, multi-disciplinary centre for building science. They provide products, services, standards and qualifications used around the world to bring positive change in the built environment. 

As BRE Group’s Chief Executive, Gillian is responsible for the organisation’s strategy, culture and performance.  She is passionate about the importance and potential of the built environment in supporting sustainable, vibrant and productive life on the planet.  She aims to be a responsible leader, choosing to work in purpose-led organisations, and has held roles in the UK civil service and various professional bodies.

Listed in Kind Leadership 50 Leading Lights UK 2018 https://www.kindnessrules.co.uk/,  Gillian believes that leading with kindness – by which she means respect, honesty, empathy, inclusivity and fairness – motivates people to do their best every day and strive for results, producing long-term success for both organisations and individuals.  In addition to leading BRE, she mentors a wide range of women in the construction sector, as her contribution to achieving a more diverse – and therefore successful – industry.

Gillian Charlesworth

Peter Burrows - The Cambridge Building Society

Our guest is Peter Burrows, Chief Executive of The Cambridge Building Society. He describes how they have brought to life their purpose of helping people to have a home - beyond providing mortgages. He also discusses how he sees his role as Chief Executive in setting the organisation’s purpose and how that makes him feel.

Peter was appointed Chief Executive of The Cambridge Building Society in 2019, having joined as Finance Director in 2016.  He is a chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience in financial services, gained in a combination of executive management and consulting roles in the UK and overseas.

Prior to joining The Cambridge, Peter was CEO of Engage Mutual, a mutual insurance business.  His earlier career was spent with Aviva plc and Ernst & Young.  Peter has also served as a director of the Association of Financial Mutuals and as a governor of a leading further and higher education college.  He is a mathematics graduate of Oxford University.

Peter is married with two daughters, and a keen club cyclist and rugby union watcher.

Peter Burrows

The Purposeful Strategist

The Purposeful Strategist podcast launches 22 June 2021

There is a lot of discussion currently about how organisations need to embrace a broader social purpose. This podcast shifts the conversation from what organisations should do to what they are doing to embrace their broader purpose and translate it into tangible action.

We’re going to hear from business leaders like:

• Peter Burrows, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Building Society

• Gillian Charlesworth, Chief Executive of BRE Group

• Darren James, CEO of Keltbray (a leading construction engineering specialist)

• Nicola Shaw, Executive Director UK for National Grid

• Robin Mortimer, Chief Executive of Port of London Authority

• Tara Waite, Group Chief Executive of Premium Credit

• Mark Walley, Chief Executive of STEP

The Purposeful Strategist podcast

The Purposeful Strategist podcast

There is a lot of discussion currently about how organisations need to embrace a broader social purpose. This podcast shifts the conversation from what organisations should do to what they are doing to embrace their broader purpose and translate it into tangible action.

We’re going to hear from business leaders like:

• Peter Burrows, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Building Society

• Darren James, CEO of Keltbray (a leading construction engineering specialist)

• Gillian Charlesworth, Chief Executive of BRE Group

• Nicola Shaw, Executive Director UK for National Grid

• Robin Mortimer, Chief Executive of Port of London Authority

• Tara Waite, Group Chief Executive of Premium Credit

• Mark Walley, Chief Executive of STEP

Join us on 22 June for our first episode. Or subscribe now on Apple Podcasts.