Behind The Chain
I've spent the last decade as a headhunter, partnering with some of the world’s largest and most influential companies & brands, I've had a front-row seat to the mechanics behind how businesses are built—from their leadership structures and talent strategies to their operational models and cultural DNA.
What’s always fascinated me is that while every company might aim for growth and innovation, how they get there varies dramatically depending on the industry they’re in. The way a cutting-edge eCommerce brand scales is worlds apart from how a legacy Logistics provider evolves or how a high-street Retail giant adapts to digital transformation. These intricacies are often overlooked, yet they shape the way industries function, grow, and impact the wider world.
Through countless conversations with Founders, Executives, and hiring managers, I began to see patterns—and differences—that sparked a deeper curiosity: What makes each of these arenas tick? What challenges do they face behind the scenes? How do the people at the helm make decisions that ripple across the economy, employment, and society at large?
That’s why I launched Behind the Chain.
This podcast is a place where we unpack the business models, leadership mindsets, and industry dynamics that define different sectors—from eCommerce to healthcare, manufacturing to fintech, and beyond. I sit down with the operators, thinkers, and builders who are in the trenches, bringing their stories to light so we can better understand how industries really work behind the chain of command, decisions, and outcomes.
It’s part curiosity, part professional obsession—and 100% driven by a desire to uncover the layers of business that often go unseen.
Whether you're a Founder, CEO, aspiring Execuitive OR simply fascinated by the architecture of business, Behind the Chain offers a rare lens into what it really takes to build and scale in today’s ever-changing landscape.
Behind The Chain
The Fulfilment Playbook: Hacks you can't ignore
He built his reputation in the fast-moving world of eCommerce fulfilment, first as the Founder of Parcel Station, then rising to become Business Development Director at Whistl, one of the UK’s leading delivery management companies. With over 15 years of hands-on experience, James has lived and breathed the operational challenges of scaling fulfilment businesses in an era defined by next-day delivery, rising consumer expectations, and the explosion of online retail.
In this exclusive episode, I sit down with James Hayes to uncover his entrepreneurial journey from start-up founder to board-level leader at Whistl. We dive into the evolution of UK eCommerce fulfilment, the tactics that separate successful logistics operators from the rest, and the future of delivery in an ever-demanding market.
We peel back the realities of what it truly takes to build, scale, and stay competitive in the fulfilment game:
Listen & Enjoy.