Episodes

  • S4 EP4 - Considering the Future: How AI and Private Equity Will Change Professionals' Work

    S4 EP4 - Considering the Future: How AI and Private Equity Will Change Professionals' Work
    Nov 3 2025

    Guest: Michael Izza CBE, CEO (former) of ICAEW


    For almost 20 years, Michael led the ICAEW, with more than 200,000 members in almost 150 countries.


    So he has a distinctively long-term and global perspective on the accounting profession.


    Focusing on the interrelated changes of Gen AI and PE ownership, Laura and Michael explore: What is already happening and what changes lie ahead?


    Website: https://www.lauraempson.com

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadingProfessionals

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-laura-empson-69820773/

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    35 mins
  • S4 EP3 - Electing Leaders: How to Choose Your Leaders and How To Get Elected

    S4 EP3 - Electing Leaders: How to Choose Your Leaders and How To Get Elected
    Oct 20 2025

    Guest: Michael Ensser, Chair of Egon Zehnder


    Laura asks Michael: Why does a world leading firm of leadership consultants choose to elect their senior leaders, and how do their elections actually work?


    They discuss what really goes on behind the scenes of professional service firms’ carefully stage managed leadership elections.


    Website: https://www.lauraempson.com

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadingProfessionals

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-laura-empson-69820773/

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins
  • S4 EP2 - Doing the Right Thing: How to Make Ethically Tough Decisions

    S4 EP2 - Doing the Right Thing: How to Make Ethically Tough Decisions
    Oct 6 2025

    If you are a lawyer you may be able to guess why Laura has asked Georgia Dawson, Senior Partner of Fresh Fields, to explore the challenging theme of professional ethics with her.


    In a complex commercial, social, and political environment, how do you balance the competing interests of multiple stakeholders?


    How do you decide, what is the 'right' thing? And then, how do you make sure you do it?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    34 mins
  • S4 EP1 - Leading in Uncertain Times: How to Respond to Geopolitical Change and AI Disruption

    S4 EP1 - Leading in Uncertain Times: How to Respond to Geopolitical Change and AI Disruption
    Sep 22 2025

    Guest: Fabien Curto Millet, Chief Economist of Google.

    Fabien joins Laura to discuss how he and his team of economists anticipate, analyse, and understand the scale of change with which Google must contend. How does he lead his team of professionals, and manage himself, during these uncertain times? And what does he remember from when Laura taught him Strategy at Oxford 25 years ago?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    43 mins
  • S4 EP0 Welcome to Leading Professionals

    S4 EP0 Welcome to Leading Professionals
    Sep 15 2025

    Professor Laura Empson introduces key topics and guests from the upcoming series.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    5 mins
  • David Bickford: Spies as professionals

    David Bickford: Spies as professionals
    Dec 11 2023
    What are the parallels between the worlds of espionage and professional services? Laura and Tony talk to David Bickford, previously General Counsel to MI5 and MI6, about his role as the agencies’ Legal Director and Under Secretary of State. They explore how to build trust when professionals are working remotely, how to collaborate when knowledge is shared on a need-to-know basis, and how to stop powerful professionals from going rogue.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    28 mins
  • Katherine White: Leading discretely

    Katherine White: Leading discretely
    Nov 27 2023
    Laura and Tony speak to Katherine White, the first Chief Talent Officer of global executive search firm, Spencer Stuart. They explore the challenges of being a senior leader when you are not a fee-earner, and of leading the so-called talent when the fee-earners themselves do not see you as the talent. Katherine explains how she built trust and influence, and how she learnt to add value quickly while working slowly and discretely to bring about change.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    35 mins
  • Gianpiero Petriglieri: Coming out of the psychological closet

    Gianpiero Petriglieri: Coming out of the psychological closet
    Nov 13 2023
    Gianpiero Petriglieri, Associate Professor at INSEAD, is ranked as one of the top 50 management thinkers in the world. Laura and Tony talk to him about the difficult emotions that often stay hidden and suppressed in organisations and individuals, and how leaders of professional organisations can become more effective when they engage more directly with these emotions.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    36 mins