Jeremy’s career proves the best finance leaders are built, not born and rarely in a straight line. From Big Four consulting to Royal Mail, ethics and compliance, to finance transformation at Rotork, he shares how valuable leadership skills can come from roles that weren’t the original destination.

If you’re thinking about your next career moves, wondering how people build influence, or how to turn cross-functional experience into a leadership advantage, then buckle up as this conversation offers practical insights and lessons. Jeremy reflects on his journey from chemistry graduate to business leader, and how he approached each role as an opportunity to learn and grow.

You’ll discover:

• Why resilience, risk awareness, and commercial thinking matter alongside technical finance skills
• How a nontraditional career path can become a competitive advantage
• What he learned from leaders who coached, challenged, and trusted him early
• How asking for more responsibility helped shape his career
• Lessons from building a new business unit and leading international change
• What it takes to create a global business services strategy that lasts

From navigating complex transitions across China and Europe to leading organisational change, Jeremy shares hard-won insights on leadership, legacy, and doing the job the right way. Leaving with his key message of keep learning, keep moving, and leave something meaningful behind.

Whether you're looking to break into senior finance roles or expand your leadership toolkit, this episode provides the mindset and methods to elevate your career.

Rich Longley, Chief Finance Officer at Legal & General Retail, joins Michael to reflect on the career choices and leadership lessons that shaped his path across consulting, retail, food manufacturing, and financial services.

Rich shares how early mentors, competitive sport, and a willingness to step into unfamiliar challenges helped build his approach to leadership. The conversation explores navigating high-stakes decisions, handling imposter syndrome, creating psychologically safe teams, and choosing roles that bring new skills, trusted leaders, and meaningful challenge.

You’ll discover:

• How to build a career around curiosity, challenge, and opportunities to learn, not just job titles.
• Why its important to treat every role as a chance to develop new skills, broaden your perspective, and test yourself.
• How to prepare thoroughly and stay open to challenge when working with senior stakeholders.
• Recognise imposter syndrome without letting it prevent you from contributing or taking opportunities.
• A formula of how to create high-performing teams through psychological safety, respect, and honest communication.
• Look for leaders you can learn from, and invest in relationships across industries.
• For finance professionals, his formula to being a successful finance professional

Rich also opens up about the career path that shaped him, from chemistry student and GB kayaker to KPMG M&A, Morrisons, Greencore, and now the boardroom at Legal and General Retail. Along the way, he explains how early role models, high-performing teams, and psychological safety helped him build confidence in rooms full of senior executives.

This episode is especially useful if you work in finance, lead a business through results season, or want to understand how great leaders balance hard numbers with human judgment.

From cocktail bars to racing circuits and boardrooms, Ian Halshall’s journey proves resilience is the secret to an extraordinary career. When faced with rejection, uncertainty, or a daunting challenge, most hesitate. Ian, however, leveraged every “no” and setback into fuel for his explosive rise, from being a trained cocktail bartender to engineering supercars at McLaren, and leading innovative electric vehicle startups. Now, he reveals how adopting a fearless mindset, relentless adaptability, and smart systems transformed chaos into success, and how YOU can do the same.

You’ll discover:

• How to turn early failures into lifelong lessons that set you apart.
• The importance of building resilience through diverse experiences, from bars in Bournemouth to Le Mans winners.
• The key frameworks Ian uses to streamline teams, manage change, and drive innovation in fast-paced environments.
• Why moving roles every 2-3 years isn’t risky but essential for continuous growth.
• Real talk about leadership, consistency, emotional intelligence, and why “getting back up” matters most.

Ian's eclectic career showcases that success isn’t linear. It’s crafted through strategic risks, resilient mindsets, and systems that keep you moving forward, even when the road gets tough. This episode is perfect for aspiring leaders, engineers, entrepreneurs, or anyone feeling lost or stuck, who needs a reminder that your next breakthrough is often just a brave step away.

Don’t miss Ian’s behind-the-scenes stories from working with Hollywood stars, launching award-winning cars, and leading startups through failures, each lesson more valuable than the last. If you're ready to challenge your limits and build a career with impact, this episode is your blueprint.