Conversation with Hash Ladha…
Hash Ladha was until recently CEO of Jigsaw and former Group CEO of Oasis and Warehouse, with a background in marketing and operations at Aurora Fashion, ASOS and Arcadia. If you had to pick one person, who has influenced your career the most, and why? Liz Evans. When I joined Aurora in 2010, she was […]
How to grow in a stagnant economy
During the 2007-9 recession, many companies had no choice but to hit the brakes on their growth ambitions. Today we face stagnation rather than downturn, but that is scant comfort. At least recessions imply recovery. Unless Chat-GPT rides to the rescue with AI-driven universal productivity increases, the horizon is looking pretty flat. And unlike the […]
Why culture fit is a dangerous but essential concept
A month or two back, actress Saoirse Ronan did a rare thing, silencing a panel of celebrities in full flight on the Graham Norton Show. Eddie Redmayne had just explained how he had been trained how to defend himself with a phone, for his role in The Day of The Jackal. So far, so banter. […]
Is it time to be more optimistic about the UK?
Whoever picked D-Ream’s Things Can Only Get Better for Tony Blair’s 1997 election campaign soundtrack, deserves a medal. Even now, the early days of New Labour embody a spirit of optimism and renewal encapsulated in that song. With Barack Obama, it was a chant that captured the mood. Yes. We. Can. Keir Starmer and Rachel […]
New CEOs & the Gareth Southgate problem
He won’t be the last either. But as a headhunter, I can’t help but sympathise with the FA’s board as they look to replace him. The departing England manager resembles a great FD-turned-CEO, a stabilising force who built a great team out of a group of high performing individuals, but who lacked strategic flair or […]
Hiring a new CEO? Stop looking for a clone
But unfortunately, the tendency is to hire people just like you. It’s understandable really. Our cognitive biases generally mean we see our way of doing things as the right way of doing things, which means we instinctively hire mini-me’s without even realising that’s what we’re doing. But it’s not a good idea. Not only do […]
How to get perspective (without quitting your day job)
Great leaders need vision, not only to see their business and market as they really are, but also to imagine a different and better future. As we wrote recently though, this isn’t enough. To have any chance of making their vision a reality, they also need top-notch execution. Unfortunately, vision and execution have almost opposite […]
How to build better boards
On the one hand, sound governance provides vital protection from the risks that have befouled so many companies over the years. On the other hand, it’s an opportunity for executive directors to benefit from the experience, expertise, perspective and networks of non-execs, which can guide the business in often unexpected ways. Finding the right non-executive […]
Why it’s getting harder to hire a great CFO
The latest version of the UK corporate governance code, commonly referred to us as UK SOx, leaves them personally liable, at least in part, for the accuracy of financial statements, and the effectiveness of internal controls and risk management frameworks. I’m all for preventing fraud and accounting scandals, but no one should be surprised that […]
When should founders step back
If leaders are expected to have all the answers, the same goes doubly for founders. You are often synonymous with the business, its guiding light. It makes it tremendously difficult to admit that you’re out of your depth, even drowning in your work. This is ironic, because founders arguably face this challenge more than anyone […]
