Finding Your North Star - hgkc podcasts

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have built businesses and their careers in the county. 

In this episode, Sarah Chilcott speaks to Neil Douglas, Co-Founder and now Non-Executive Director at Viper Innovations in Portishead, North Somerset. Viper Innovations is a global engineering business, which delivers intelligent electrical integrity solutions that help organisations optimise performance and prevent failures in land, sea and sub-sea assets. Headquartered in the UK, it also has offices in the US and employs 90 specialists worldwide.

Neil talks about how connections with several of the local educational establishments have helped to drive innovation in the business, alongside the importance of understanding their customer’s challenges and a gated process to manage cash risk in a bootstrapped business. He also explores the step-by-step exit by him and his co-founder from the business, and why preparation was key to the success of their relatively less well-known VIMBO (Vendor-Initiated Management Buy-Out).

If you would like to find out more about Viper Innovations, you can do that here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients prepare for their exit, pivot to a new market, grow through innovation, or develop their leadership teams, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Carol Paris, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Bath and West of England Society.

Moving to Somerset for work, Carol fell in love with the county and now won’t be moved! She loves the Mendips – her go to place for walking and riding - and Topsham is one of her favourite places.

Established in 1777, the Royal Bath and West Society is the oldest agricultural charity in the country but is as relevant today as it was when Edmund Rack moved here from Norfolk and was horrified by the living standards of the local population. 

Today, the Society is working with Sustainable Food Somerset and advising and signposting farmers on agritech, sustainable and regenerative farming. 

She is passionate about skills development. Especially close to her heart is generating real excitement about the potential for a career in agriculture – it’s not just sitting on a tractor! The ‘Field to Food’ day the society put on earlier this year attracted 1600 key-stage 1 and 2 students and was so popular they will soon be running another, closely followed by a careers day. 

If you would like to find out more about the Royal Bath and West of England Society, please visit their website. Or if you are and employer or a young person curious about your future, why not go to the Careers Fair on the 18th November?

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Jamie Cox, Tasmanian born cricketer who captained Somerset County Cricket Club in the early 2000s, then returned after the pandemic to become Chief Executive Officer.

Jamie’s passion for cricket comes through loud and clear, but so does his deep connection with his adopted county. He has visionary plans for the development of the club – on and off the field – setting out an ambitious plan for the development of the County Ground in Taunton as a venue offering more than cricket, whilst still firmly anchored in what he describes as ‘the main thing’ – cricket. 

He is proud that many of Somerset’s players – men and women – are local and wants to tap into the stories that can be told about their successes as a way of inspiring and lifting the mood of the people who live and work in the county.

If you would like to find out more about what Somerset Cricket Club offers – as a sporting venue as well as conferences and concerts – visit www.somersetcountycc.co.uk, or get down to the County Ground to watch a game. Or you can contact Jamie here.  

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Jade Farthing, Managing Director of family-owned Haskins Furniture, based in Shepton Mallet.

Taking over her family’s business after the pandemic, Jade is aware that her role is as much about shaping the future for the next generations of her family as it is about preserving the legacy, even though the heritage plays a massive part and there is such a wonderful story to tell. 

Recent winners of the Somerset Business Award for Growth and Resilience is recognition of how Haskins has not just survived by thrived under her stewardship.

Not that the elders in her family don’t still have a role to play. Nan, who is 90, supplies Jade with coffee when she needs to ‘chew her ear off’!

Like many high street businesses, Haskins faces lots of challenges, not least the rapidly rising costs of raw materials, energy and people. But Jade and her team don’t just accept those challenges - they are always looking for ways around them to avoid having to pass costs on to their customers.

If you would like find out more about Haskins Furniture, why not visit their store on the high street in Shepton; or you can reach Jade here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Sakina Buoy, Founder and Chairman of The Somerset Toiletry Company. 

Returning from Canada in her ‘20s, Sakina joined a toiletry company called Applewoods, where she met her future husband. In 1999, they founded The Somerset Toiletry Company, which began life in buildings behind a pig farm in Clutton.

Their small family business soon began to grow, but rather than move into the city, Sakina was intent on staying in Clutton, waiting 12 years for the right commercial premises to become available so that she could make sure all her team were able to stay working with her.

On their 25th anniversary, they celebrated with 25 ‘acts of kindness’, a marathon series of events and charitable projects that raised their reputation locally.  

Hers is an inspirational story of perseverance, of growth, of genuine love for the Somerset countryside, and pride in the products her business designs, manufactures and sells all over the world. Despite the regulatory, transport and housing challenges, Sakina would not want to be anywhere else.

If you would like find out more about The Somerset Toiletry Company, why not visit their shop or their café – it’s here, on the main street through Clutton; or you can reach Sakina here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Becky Flower.

Born and raised in Somerset, Becky went to London to study sociology and social policy but came back after graduating to train in social work. She did some placements and eventually ended up doing some cover teaching at Richard Huish College. This experience led her to decide to go into teaching, and she has now risen to be Vice Principal. She is rightly delighted that Richard Huish is currently considered the highest performing college in the Southwest in terms of student progress.

She is a strong believer in creating an inclusive and safe environment for the students to be who they want to be, to respect that other people have different opinions, to have a really open mind, to have faith in the skills that they have learned and to understand that they are transferable. She also advises students to recognise that even in your dream job there may be bits that are boring, but you just have to get on with it!

If you would like find out more about Richard Huish College, or find out more from Becky about how they develop young people to be curious, to turn up, to work hard and to be kind, you can contact her here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have built businesses and their careers in the county. 

In this episode, Sarah Chilcott speaks to Jonathan Lawson, who took over as CEO of Butcombe Group in 2019.  Butcombe Group includes Butcombe Pubs and Inns based in North Somerset and the Channel Islands’ Liberation Brewing Co. It employs over 1900 people and has 120 pubs across the south of England, with its growth outpacing its competitors in a challenging market.

Jonathan talks about Butcombe’s roots and evolution to where it is today. He also covers their approach to growth and innovation in their product range and pubs, the importance of bringing a new generation into their business, and why their sustainable approach makes sense for the business’ commercials, not just the environment.

If you would like to find out more about Butcombe Pubs and Inns, you can do that here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients prepare for their exit, pivot to a new market, grow through innovation, or develop their leadership teams, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Karl Tucker. 

Karl joined Yeo Valley in 1996 as they were expanding and developing the organic and quirky brand that we see today, rising to become their Chair in 2021. In 2017 he joined the Heart of the South LEP, becoming their Chair in 2019, and then went on to become chair of the Great South West in 2023, one of the few public private partnerships in the UK, along with the Midland Engine and the Northern Powerhouse, receiving funding from the Government.

He talks about his utopia - to see all 4000 jobs at Agratas filled by young people coming out of college now and doing apprenticeships. He is acutely aware of the challenges facing Somerset and the rest of the Great South West – to persuade inward investors that the education and skills sector will produce the workforce needed, and that workforce has the infrastructure – housing, transport, broadband – to live.

He is not afraid to say that he thinks we underestimate the scale of the problem, but he also says that the willingness and desire to make it better for investors is there, and if we can get this right, there is nowhere better in the country to locate and live and work and operate from.

If you would like find out more about the Great South West, visit their website here,   or you can contact Karl here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Mark Bolton. 

Born in the North-East, Mark started out as a freelance graphic designer supplementing his income with part-time lecturing. He must have good at it, because soon he was lecturing full-time, then moving into management. 

A serendipitous meeting with the then Dean of Yeovil College (Mark couldn’t have put a pin in the map to locate Yeovil at the time!), brought him to the college as Director of Employer Engagement, and then in 2019 he became CEO and Principal of the college himself. 

His tenure has seen the college double the size of the student population and increase the proportion of students who live outside Yeovil to almost 50%.

Add to that over 400 apprenticeships in engineering, of which 150 are at the higher level, a close relationship with all the major employers in the area, particularly Leonardo, and his claim to be creating opportunities for young people to realise great career opportunities has considerable credibility. 

As he says, when you can access the level of support that Yeovil and the other colleges offer, have leading edge engineering companies on your doorstep, and enjoy all the benefits that come from living in Somerset, why would anybody want to be anywhere else?

If you would like find out more about how Yeovil College work with the community of businesses in South Somerset, North and West Dorset, or find out more from Mark about the opportunities Yeovil College could help you realise, you can contact him here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Harry Singer. 

Leading a company founded by his Grandfather that has just celebrated it’s 90th birthday, Harry talks with passion about the work he and his team are doing for biologists all around the world to accelerate science. 

Describing himself and his team as lucky enough to do some really nerdy, cool high-tech work, he recognises the privilege of living in an amazing part of the world. 

A stuffy old company Singer Instruments is certainly not, though, as one look at their website will tell you. He describes his Grandfather and Father as real characters, and is following in their footsteps to continue to build a company with real purpose that people want to be a part of.

But he also recognises the challenges in there being not enough bright young sparks entering the STEM sector, and the problems that historically have caused so much friction in the planning process. 

If you would like find out more about the work Harry and his team at Singer Instruments does, you can contact him here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here.

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Sarah Chilcott speaks to Sandy Luck, Managing Director at Aldwick Estate. 

Born and bred on Aldwick Estate, Sandy’s family has been farming the 300 acres of land now for five generations. When tragic circumstances propelled Sandy back into the business in 2011, she inherited a nascent events business and vineyard. The brainchild of her brother, she has grown both into a highly successful business which continues to innovate and move forward. 

In this episode, Sandy talks about what it means to be located here and the connections with other local producers. She also covers the Estate’s environmental approach, funded through the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and her desire to get young people engaged in all aspects of the business to drive innovation and growth. 

If you would like find out more about how Aldwick Estate, their events venue, vineyard tours and wines, you can contact them here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients prepare for their exit, pivot to a new market, grow through innovation, or develop their leadership teams, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Sam Harper. 

Born in Somerset, Sam describes himself as a proud Somerset person, ‘privileged to live and work in this wonderful place’. He travelled as far north as Bristol (!) to study for his geography degree and then overseas to see the world but has made his life in Somerset since returning to the UK in 2008.

After working as a town planner in the public sector, he joined Stantec in 2019, where he is now Director of Planning and Growth. He has worked on many significant projects in Somerset – Hinkley Point, Gravity, Nexus – but is also proud of some of the smaller projects he has delivered, including improving pedestrian and cycle connections in Taunton town centre. 

In a wide-ranging conversation that includes the role of Somerset’s academic institutions as well as the need for investment in housing and new employment opportunities, Sam’s love for Somerset shows through. He ends with a plea to young people to take a look at what is on offer for them in the county – training and career options, as well as the quality of life living in Somerset offers. 

If you would like find out more about the work Stantec do, or find out more from Sam about opportunities he sees around the county, you can contact him here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients navigate their business towards their goals, please contact us here. 

In this podcast season, curated in partnership with Somerset Chamber of Commerce, hgkc are exploring Somerset with prominent business leaders who have made their lives and their careers in the county. In this episode, Peter Quintana speaks to Emma Warren. 

Wearing multiple hats - Chair of Somerset Chamber, Co-Chair of the Economic Growth Board, and now involved with the Skills Health partnership for Somerset – Emma is involved right at the heart of strategic visioning and planning for the county of Somerset. 

Born and bred here, she left for several years to expand her horizons, returning when she felt it was time to put down deeper roots and have her family. Growing up in a family of business owners, it felt right for her to follow, and she founded Elite Recruitment Solutions, which has built a reputation for helping their clients find the right people – in Jim Collins words, to get the right people on the bus. 

She talks about creating a world for young people where aspirations are achievable, where they have choices when they leave school, for education or for work, that encourage them to stay in Somerset, and encourage their families that this is the right place for them to develop their place in the world.

If you would like find out more about how Emma and her team at Elite Recruitment Solutions help their clients find the right people, you can contact her here.

If you would like more information about hgkc help clients prepare for their exit, pivot to a new market, grow through innovation, or develop their leadership teams, please contact us here. 

Peter Quintana talks to David Macdonald, founder of Path Financial, a wealth management firm that only invests client money in funds committed to positive impact. In a wide-ranging and inspirational conversation, David talks about the moment he realised he could no longer continue what he was doing and remain true to his values, how the Path is firmly focused on doing good for the planet and earthlings, his thoughts about the future of impact investment, and the problem that is green-washing.

Peter Quintana talks to brothers Andy and Tim Fussell about their farming heritage, their pioneering move into producing cold-pressed, virgin rape seed oil and earning a place for it alongside olive oil in the culinary world, how buying steel is like buying a coffee, and why there is only one ‘l’ in fussels fine foods. The way that they have developed the fussels brand, to the point that is has become associated with rape seed oil, is an excellent example of the power that brand can have for your business.

Peter Quintana talks to Carol Massay, Head of Construction at the Access Group, about her career in construction stretching over 30 years, the challenges she has faced in becoming recognised for what she knows, and her drive to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in a sector that has traditionally been dominated by white males.

Kim Jones in conversation with Paul Netto, hgkc Associate, Accountant, Business Advisor and owner of Equifino. 

Paul has a long track record helping independent business owners achieve their goals, and in this podcast shares his strategic and practical advice to help independent business owners realise better exits from their businesses by starting early, focusing on their goals and getting a good understanding of value and the range of options to achieve a good deal.  

Kim Jones in conversation with Sam Talby of undebt, a turnaround specialist, qualified mediator and insolvency practitioner, Sam shares his practical and thoughtful advice to help directors and owners get the best possible outcome when they hit their lowest point. We delve into the essential tests of viability, why transparency matters and options open to businesses facing failure. His compassionate approach is refreshing and reassuring when dealing with the most difficult of times. 

Peter Marchbank MD of Rotary Precision Instruments was interviewed by Kim Jones as he reflects on his four-year journey at RPI UK, bringing a specialist engineering company with a long history of innovation in rotary measurement into its next generation – of products and people.  He generously shares his lessons learned along the way and some of his blueprint for success.  His enthusiasm and lifelong passion for engineering shines through this interview as does his desire to inspire and invest in the next generation of engineers and innovators. 

Kim Jones speaks to Helen Isherwood is the Innovation Director at Adey, Queen’s Award-winning company recognised for their pioneering work in maintaining and protecting central heating systems in the UK and around the world.  Helen leads an ambitious team focused on product development and commercialisation of new products and services.  It’s an exciting time at Adey’s and Helen shares their secrets of success and how they are re-framing their innovation for a more disrupted future; from the customer-centric orientation of the business working with engineers and consumers to the collaborative and engaged mindset of the people at Adey. It’s a case study on the benefits of putting innovation at the heart of your culture.

As a founding Director of a digital creative agency Gavin Jones shares his insights from the early days of a graduate start-up to a fully-fledged firm.  Elixel has a highly collaborative way of working.  Through design-led thinking, they create powerful digital experiences in websites and apps for their clients.

 Our conversation is a people-centred approach, exploring creative thinking, collaboration, problem- solving, trust, decision-making and that digital is not always the answer. Gavin and the team have grown a strong network of partners and a skilled local talent pool in Plymouth has enabled a thriving ecosystem to develop around them. Sharing the challenges of selling a digital product.

Modern have only ever known digital disruption and embrace the twin drivers of being technology-propelled and hyper-relevant to deliver success for their clients and their agency.

How Modern is run is at the heart of their success. Kim Jones, in conversation with Nicola Ray MD, used the seven strategies of high performing businesses from Accenture’s recent book “Pivot to Future” to frame our discussion. They have a well-balanced approach of being customer-centric and working collaboratively, a talented team supported by strong internal processes and a culture of innovation and experimentation. A focused and energetic peek into an exceptional business.

Zak Daud, founder and CEO of Eazi-Apps, talks about his mission to help entrepreneurs establish and build their mobile app businesses using an innovative drag and drop, ‘business in a box’ platform and a comprehensive package of support services, the satisfaction that he gets from seeing his partners successful, and his drive to change the very essence of capitalism for good.

Investing in data and technology to help clients optimise building performance - Phil Warren of ETS talks about improving building connectivity, healthy buildings, employee productivity and customer experience, and greatly easing the process of mothballing buildings and then bringing them back into service as we come out of lock-down.

Jeremy Hymans, CEO of the Claims Consortium Group talks about how empowering people, with the right training tools and innovative technology, can disrupt the household claims sector and establish a new benchmark for how employees and customers are treated.

Fourth generation family firm Managing Director, Martin Thatcher, talks about continuous change, the desire to win, and how innovation is shaping the past, present and future of Thatchers cider and his family.

Andy Bounds is a leading author, consultant and communication expert. In this interview he focuses on how leaders can communicate better and get people confidently to ACTION by finding their “AFTERS”. From asking great questions to top tips on effective proposals, emails and meetings using a simple ABC method. To find out more visit his website here.

Pia Gonzalez-Nazareno, CEO and Managing Partner of award-winning strategic marketing, communications and business development consultancy Ideas and Action, talks about how she has led her company to success in the complex and highly competitive world of financial services.