Scaling with Integrity

Dedication to your purpose need not be sacrificed during firm growth. For Dean Proctor, CEO of 7IM, keeping purpose, people, and performance aligned is the challenge—and opportunity—of leadership.

Since stepping into the role six years ago, Dean has helped grow 7IM into a nearly £30 billion firm with around 850 colleagues, blending organic expansion with the acquisition of high-quality advice businesses. Today, the firm serves both direct clients and advisers across the UK.

In this episode, Dean reflects on how 7IM’s dual B2B2C and direct-to-consumer model is something they are continually learning from and why preserving a ‘client-first’ culture is critical as the business scales. He shares how 7IM’s values are brought to life through storytelling and how 7IM’s purpose has taken shape through colleague-led sustainability and diversity initiatives. Dean also speaks candidly about industry consolidation, the need to attract a new generation of financial advisors, and the role of technology in broadening access to advice.

Dean Proctor

How to Learn and Grow With Purpose

How can leaders learn and grow while ensuring an organisation’s core purpose? Fiona Dunsire, the UK Government Actuary, shares her views and experience on how leaders can learn and grow together in teams, all while ensuring an organisation delivers its core purpose.

Fiona is the first woman to head the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD), which provides actuarial analysis and advice across the public sector. With her team at GAD, Fiona unlocks value in her behind-the-scenes work advising the current government on big and long-term financial risk decisions.

In this episode, Fiona discusses the importance of voluntary inclusion by team members in organisational strategy planning and the impact of GAD’s public and transparent strategy on team culture. After a recent transition to the public sector, she touches on the differences in measuring success in the public versus private sector.  She also describes how they are capturing opportunities to use AI to streamline workflow and limit risk.

Fiona Dunsire

Keeping Strategy Simple

For Gavin Slark, CEO of SIG, keeping strategy simple, flexible, and people-driven is key to building a business that can thrive across geographies and adapt to change. Leading a multinational distribution company, he believes that when strategy is clear and straightforward, it empowers teams at every level to align around a common purpose. His approach is clear: keeping things simple increases the chances of successful delivery.

SIG is a leading European supplier of specialist insulation and sustainable building products, with 7,000+ colleagues, 440 branches, and operations across six countries. The business connects over 75,000 customers with expert products and solutions, playing a vital role in making construction supply chains more efficient and sustainable. While each business has its own local identity, they are united by a shared culture and ambition to be the best provider for their customers. Gavin joined SIG in 2023, bringing over two decades of leadership experience, including 11 years as CEO of Grafton Group. With extensive experience in the same industry, he recognised an opportunity for himself to guide SIG through its next phase of growth.

In the episode, Gavin shares how SIG approaches strategy as an evolving conversation – one that’s shaped by local insight, guided by common sense, and driven by people on the ground. The conversation also explores SIG’s approach to growth through M&A, its ambitions around sustainability, and the operational realities of decarbonising a large distribution business. Gavin also offers insight into what authentic leadership looks like in a multinational context, and why creating an environment where people can develop and be themselves is central to delivering both purpose and performance.

Gavin Slark