In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Geraint Evans, Chief Executive Officer of UK Major Ports Group—the organisation representing the UK’s nine largest port-owning groups, responsible for around three-quarters of the nation’s maritime trade. Sitting at the intersection of infrastructure, trade, and national resilience, UK Major Ports plays a critical role in shaping decisions that will influence the UK economy for generations. Since taking on the role in 2023, Geraint has brought a distinctive perspective shaped by senior experience in government and strategic consulting.

Geraint shares how the ports sector is navigating a pivotal moment: balancing long-term investment, sustainability, and competitiveness while remaining anchored in the regional communities ports serve. He reflects on why ports are often overlooked despite being foundational to supply chains, energy transition, and national resilience—and how leadership, trust, and clarity are essential when competitors, policymakers, and investors must align around shared challenges.

In their conversation, they explore:
• Why strategy is a process rather than an event—and what that means for execution.
• How to lead effectively in complex, multi-stakeholder systems.
• The importance of trust, pace, and clarity when competing interests sit around the same table.
• Why government and the private sector often struggle to align, even when using the same language.
• The role of ports in enabling the energy transition, including floating offshore wind.
• How decisions made today will shape the UK’s economic resilience for the next hundred years.

UK Major Ports Group: https://ukmajorports.org.uk/

MenKus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus, Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, works with CEOs and senior leaders to align their strategy and purpose. Working with organisations where leadership is shared rather than centralised, Belden's work is defined by intellectual clarity, collaboration, and a commitment to practical results. Drawing on his experience at McKinsey & Company and decades spent advising complex organisations, he supports mid-sized institutions—particularly law firms and membership bodies—as they navigate strategic inflexion points and build enduring value during periods of uncertainty.

He is a public speaker and strategic thinker with a wide intellectual range, bringing together business insight, historical perspective, and cultural curiosity—combining the instincts of a consultant with those of a historian and an explorer of ideas. In addition to consulting, he hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast discussing how business leaders themselves bring purpose into real strategic action.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Helen Drayton, CEO of Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, a full-service UK and international law firm with more than 300 years of history. With offices across the UK, Europe, and Asia and FY25 revenue of £120 million, the firm is focused on purposeful growth, guided by its ambition to become ‘the most human law firm.’

Helen shares how she is leading the firm through evolving client expectations, all while keeping people, values, and sustainability at the core of the firm’s decision-making. Helen also shines light on how the firm is thoughtfully integrating AI and aligning its three-year strategic plan around what clients truly value.

In their conversation, they explore:

· How ‘the most human law firm’ became the organising ambition for Penningtons’ strategy and culture.

· The role of Project Alaska in defining the firm’s values and identity.

· Why strong foundations –brand, collaboration, innovation—drive sustainable commercial performance.

· How the firm is integrating AI to support quality, sustainability and client value.

· Why authenticity, accessibility, and trust sit at the heart of Helen’s leadership.

· How the firm is shaping its long-term strategy following the Thomas Cooper merger.

Penningtons Manches Cooper: https://www.penningtonslaw.com/

Menkus & Associates website: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus, Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, works with CEOs and senior leaders to align their strategy and purpose. Working with organisations where leadership is shared rather than centralised, Belden's work is defined by intellectual clarity, collaboration, and a commitment to practical results. Drawing on his experience at McKinsey & Company and decades spent advising complex organisations, he supports mid-sized institutions—particularly law firms and membership bodies—as they navigate strategic inflexion points and build enduring value during periods of uncertainty.

He is a public speaker and strategic thinker with a wide intellectual range, bringing together business insight, historical perspective, and cultural curiosity—combining the instincts of a consultant with those of a historian and an explorer of ideas. In addition to consulting, he hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast discussing how business leaders themselves bring purpose into real strategic action.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Douglas McCormick, Chief Executive Officer of Pegasus Group — one of the UK’s leading independent multidisciplinary development consultancies, bringing together planning, design, environment, infrastructure, and heritage. Since stepping into the role in 2024, Douglas has guided Pegasus through a period of strategic growth, building scale and capability while preserving what makes the firm distinctive: its boutique feel, deep expertise, and exceptional people.

Douglas shares how Pegasus is expanding its services, strengthening its influence across the built environment, and growing client relationships that endure beyond any single individual. He reflects on the challenge of balancing creative ambition with commercial discipline, and how clarity of purpose acts as an anchor for decision-making.

In their conversation, they explore:

• How to scale a thriving specialist consultancy without losing its character or values.
• Why purpose must define strategic boundaries, investment choices, and behaviour.
• How to balance design creativity, client ambition, and return on investment.
• Why “people buy people” — and how culture, trust, and listening sustain growth.
• How to create places people love to be in, from community spaces to service stations.
• The role of courage, generosity, and assertive conversations in leading through change.

Pegasus Group: https://www.pegasusgroup.co.uk/

MenKus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus, Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, works with CEOs and senior leaders to align their strategy and purpose. Working with organisations where leadership is shared rather than centralised, Belden's work is defined by intellectual clarity, collaboration, and a commitment to practical results. Drawing on his experience at McKinsey & Company and decades spent advising complex organisations, he supports mid-sized institutions—particularly law firms and membership bodies—as they navigate strategic inflexion points and build enduring value during periods of uncertainty.

He is a public speaker and strategic thinker with a wide intellectual range, bringing together business insight, historical perspective, and cultural curiosity—combining the instincts of a consultant with those of a historian and an explorer of ideas. In addition to consulting, he hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast discussing how business leaders themselves bring purpose into real strategic action.