The Amber Moment
The podcast that tells stories of remarkable careers.
Episodes
25 episodes
Barry Jessup - Part 2
The second part of my chat with the founder of property companies Socius and Populate. Here Barry talks about becoming a CEO and business owner; dealing with imposter syndrome; the power of intense curiosity; being unafraid to fail; "never sett...
Barry Jessup - Part 1
Barry is the founder of the property companies Socius and Populate. In this first part of our chat, he talks about being uninspired by the town where he grew up until he discovered punk and alcohol; getting pinned against a factory wall by an u...
Mark Denton Esq - Part 2
Mark talks about "magical happenstance"; his mystifying lack of anger; the abandoned principle of being entertaining; analogue skills for a post-apocalyptic world; encouraging people to dance on his grave; eating soup through a Mexican wrestlin...
Mark Denton Esq - Part 1
Mark is an artist and all-round creative person. Here, he talks about discovering his "party trick"; carrying a pencil and paper; the great influence of telly and comics; how a playground phrase became a piece of work exhibited in the Royal Aca...
Mark Dolder
After a distinguished career in retail, Mark launched Bazaar Group in 2005 alongside his entrepreneur wife Jayne. Here he talks about running student discos at 15; the M&S management training scheme; a breakthrough in hypnotherapy; Jayne's ...
Steve Hatch
Steve is the former CEO of YouGov and VP of Facebook/Meta, heading up their operations in Northern Europe. Here he talks about having parents who were entrepreneurial and intellectual; dyslexia; getting a call from "the Robin Williams" of the m...
Andrew Kaempfer - Part 2
The second part of my chat with actor and Global Head of Facilities Andrew. Here, he talks about a tendency to focus on what's NOT working; being a team of one; "not confusing access with merit"; authenticity and unflinching curiosity; being co...
Andrew Kaempfer - Part 1
Andrew is the Global Facilities Director at wealth management firm AlTi Tiedemann Global. He's also an actor (of course!). In this first part of our conversation, he talks about having to "show up to the dinner table"; trying to sabotage his ow...
Annie Chave
Annie is the founder of the County Cricket Matters magazine. She's also a writer, journalist and commentator. Here, she talks about how cricket "seeps into your bones"; being banned from playing because she was a girl; falling in love with Some...
Sara Jones
Sara is the founder of Pearl Metrics. She 's built econometric models for some of the world's most famous brands including VW, Coca-Cola, Sky, IKEA and Virgin. Here, she talks about having parents who were gregarious and mathematical; telling t...
Aatif Nawaz
Aatif is a cricket commentator on the BBC's Test Match Special. He's also an award-winning actor, writer and stand-up. Here he talks about growing up in Wembley; discovering the Pakistan cricket team were "his guys"; an unexpected first gig at ...
Paul Burke - Part 2
The second half of my chat with author and radio advertising legend Paul. Here he talks about a lucrative career move that didn't quite work; the happiest time of his ad career as THE radio guy at the agency; the terror of a two-book deal; havi...
Paul Burke - Part 1
Paul is a novelist and the greatest exponent of radio advertising the world has known. In this first part of our chat, he talks about trying to get his latest book away; being "born in black and white"; realising he was a genius at five (and “b...
Sarah Jennings - Part 2
The second part of my conversation with Oban International CEO Sarah. Here she talks about setting up her own company with a working model ahead of its time; the importance of shared values; the transition from non-exec chair to CEO; and the pa...
Sarah Jennings - Part 1
Sarah is the CEO of Oban International. In this first part of two, she talks about her early years in Harlow; the joy of "Topic" at school; switching from teaching to media planning; learning "the Ogilvy way"; an influential mentor and colleagu...
Philippa Roberts
Philippa is the co-founder of PLH Research and co-author of Inside Her Pretty Little Head and Brandsplaining. Here, she talks about "larky" school days; fulfilling the scripted role of "the good girl"; the lack of understanding of female audien...
Jonathan Wilson - Part 2
The second part of my chat with football writer Jonathan Wilson. Here, Jonathan talks about reading as a superpower; alternative definitions of talent; the challenges facing journalism and newspapers; the thirst for long-form content; the "cama...
Jonathan Wilson - Part 1
Our latest Jonathan is a renowned football journalist and author. Here, he talks about his formative days in Sunderland and the inevitability of leaving; teaching in an Indian monastery; reading MOST of Dickens; catching the back end of the "ol...
Jonathan Trimble - Part 2
Jonathan talks about the "loud and visceral" experience of launching an agency; winning a huge financial client (and later suing them); securing an incredible deal to sell his company; the relationship between capital and innovation; the joy of...
Jonathan Trimble - Part 1
Jonathan is the founder of And Rising, a creative studio and investor in new consumer brands. In this first part of our conversation, he talks about the entrepreneurial influence of his mum's nail salon; his foray into the music industry as a t...
Jo Hind
Jo is the co-founder of the people transformation consultancy BirdSoup. Hear her talk about quick maths in a bakery during childhood; male-dominated environments; the digital industry before it became sophisticated; assumptions that bosses make...
Rebecca Tickle
Rebecca is the COO at Poppy's, a company that takes a fresh approach to funerals. Here, she talks about being an "organiser of everything"; working on the Labour Party account in the run-up to the 2001 election; the challenges facing working mu...
Glen Lomas - Part 2
We rejoin Glen in South Africa with the "smell of jacaranda and ambition" in his nostrils. Hear about an early Unilever ultimatum; the best networking braai imaginable; the incredible fortitude of a business partner; hiring waiting staff to wor...