Nottingham Business School Business Leaders

Matthew Swann is director of the BBC Concert Orchestra which performs for millions of listeners and viewers around the world, across radio, television and digital platforms. His career as an arts executive, producer and curator has taken him through some of the UK’s most influential cultural organisations, including the Roundhouse and the City of London Sinfonia. At the BBC, he has helped broaden the orchestra’s reach through innovative programming, blending classical repertoire with jazz, film scores and collaborations with artists including Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Gary Barlow. In Episode 83 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Matthew tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi how leadership in a modern cultural institution extends far beyond the narrow confines of a single discipline like music. He discusses balancing artistic ambition with commercial realities, the importance of collaboration and why leaders should not be afraid to take carefully calculated risks. “Not every risk will pay off,” says Matthew. “But the danger of not taking the risk is retrenchment and business as usual.”

Ben Dorks has taken Nottingham-based Ideagen from a £100m local software company to a £1bn international tech business. He left school with just a handful of GCSEs. But his drive, ambition and entrepreneurial spirit have built him a career as a hugely successful international CEO. A lifelong Nottingham Forest fan, his company’s logo also sits proudly on the shirt sleeve of the team he supports. And he has turned his passion for football into community impact, teaming up with Forest to launch the Think Big initiative that helps local teenagers discover careers in technology. In Episode 68 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Ben tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about his desire to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Dr. Marcellus Baz BEM is an award-winning social entrepreneur, youth mentor, and the founder of Switch Up and the Marcellus Baz Foundation. Honoured with a British Empire Medal and an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University, Baz has dedicated his life to empowering young people affected by crime, violence, and inequality. Through sport, mentoring, and education, he leads a powerful movement for change across Nottinghamshire and beyond. In Episode 66 of the podcast, Baz shares his journey, the challenges of social enterprise, and how business can be a force for community transformation.

Anton Roe first joined the fledgling MHR payroll software company as an apprentice, on a £27-a-week Youth Training Scheme. More than 30 years later, Anton is now the company’s CEO – and MHR software pays the salary of more than three million people across Britain. In Episode 64 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Anton tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about his rise from tech trainee to strategic leader. He passionately believes that chief execs are only as good as the teams of colleagues they build around them. Which is how the best companies nurture talented staff – and grow their own future leaders.

Sarah Ellis is co-founder of the pioneering Amazing If company that is revolutionising the way in which people view their careers. She and her business partner Helen Tupper have written two Sunday Times best-selling books about their innovative Squiggly Careers theory. They also host the hugely popular Squiggly Careers podcast. In Episode 62 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ Podcast, Sarah tells Visiting Honorary Professor Mike Sassi about recognising that the traditional career ladder no longer exists... and embracing squiggly careers.

Marvin Cooke OBE was Vice President of Manufacturing for Toyota Europe – responsible for more than 20,000 staff and the production of 800,000 cars, at factories in Britain, France, Poland, Turkey and the Czech Republic. He started out as an apprentice engineer. Today he is Professor of Entrepreneurship at Derby Business School. During a candid conversation for Episode 60 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, David talks to Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about the importance of mentors, the fascination of engineering, and the nagging fear of failure that drives him on.

Dan Maher has spent more than four decades in and around the construction industry. He is now MD of both Via East Midlands and Arc Partnership, two companies providing services for Nottinghamshire County Council. But he started his career as a teenage apprentice at Sheffield City Council. In Episode 58 of the Nottingham Business School’s Business Leaders’ podcast, Dan tells Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi about people-centric culture, walking the business… and the differences between working in the public and private sector.