Menu icon
Screenshot 2023-04-18 at 11.18.10
Open letter to the Mayor of London as London's Child Obesity Taskforce term concludes
Posted
April 2023
| Under
Child obesity
  For four years, I served as the Chair of London's Child Obesity Taskforce.     The taskforce was set up as an independent body by the Mayor to London, Sadiq Khan, to make recommendati
Continue reading
Screenshot 2022-12-07 at 23.57.58
Start-Up, Scale Up: A reason to believe a vibrant economy can return.
Posted
December 2022
| Under
  A vibrant economy is underpinned by a dynamic culture of innovation and flexible structures that support entrepreneurs with sources of investment capital, knowledge-flow and market opportunitie
Continue reading
Screenshot 2022-10-18 at 09.13.25
Only One Major Party has a Viable Plan for Growth
Posted
October 2022
| Under
Politics
    First publsihed in The Times Red Box on 14th October 2022.  image credited to todayuknews.com   As Liz Truss faced Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday she
Continue reading
Screenshot 2022-11-12 at 17.21.24
Farewell to the Queen's 'Reassuring Continuum'
Posted
September 2022
| Under
  I had the privilege of seeing HM The Queen just twice in my life.  The first time, I was 12 years old at an agricultural show in Lusaka, Zambia and she rode slowly past standing in an open
Continue reading
5DC45769-E04C-454F-B17C-76D81D1FB624_1_201_a
The Role of Universities in Global Security
Posted
July 2022
| Under
`Higher Education
    Yesterday I was honoured to be invited to give a lecture to educationalists, policy makers and students at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. I had been asked to consider the role u
Continue reading
FDB1F73B-D244-4AF6-9EE2-BBC1E4947C3B
Graduations: The rubies in the rubble of a news filled week
Posted
July 2022
| Under
higher education
It’s Friday. A scan of the news this week will tell you that the Met Office issued its first ever extreme heat warnings as the UK reported record temperatures; Sri Lanka’s president fled his count
Continue reading
Screenshot 2022-07-02 at 12.25.24
A New Kind of Chancellor for the Univeristy of Reading's Second Century
Posted
July 2022
| Under
Education
    In May 2022 I was appointed as Chancellor of the University of Reading, the ceremonial head of the University. I am the ninth person to hold the position in Reading’s 96 years as
Continue reading
Screenshot 2022-06-17 at 11.26.04
Why I've joined Labour 🌹
Posted
June 2022
| Under
Politics
Yesterday in a speech at the Times CEO Summit, Rachel Reeves once again committed Labour to being the party of business. She amplified Keir Starmer’s pledge, as they put their names to deliver a new
Continue reading
one WEEK to go...
just IMAGINE if... 2022: Ideas to Solve Global Challenges
Posted
March 2022
| Under
entrepreneurship imagine
New Ideas. Where do they come from?  When we have a new one, why hasn’t anyone thought of it before?  How is it that some develop into reality and others don’t? Is it possible to solve g
Continue reading
Screenshot 2021-04-19 at 16.40.54
Healthy Leadership: TESCO's Golden Opportunity
Posted
April 2021
| Under
Right now, the UK’s largest retailer has a momentous opportunity to improve the health of the nation. The opportunity is not only to support the health of their own customers, but also those of
Continue reading
Screenshot 2021-02-15 at 15.09.49
A Resolution to an Unhealthy Problem
Posted
February 2021
| Under
In December I took the plunge and invested £4.80 in two TESCO shares. You’ll know that TESCO is the UK’s biggest supermarket with a 27% market share.  It’s a really important company to th
Continue reading
Screenshot 2020-11-05 at 13.32.36
Putting Children's Healthy Weight Centre Stage in 2021
Posted
November 2020
| Under
Child Obesity
  Last autumn London’s Child Obesity Taskforce published Every Child a Healthy Weight: 10 Ambitions for the city’s children, containing 20 specific calls-to-action to the capital’s leaders.
Continue reading
Screenshot 2020-10-28 at 14.41.31
Everything is Connected
Posted
October 2020
| Under
Child Obesity, Leadership
Everything is connected. So says Professor Corinna Hawkes, in a simple three word sentence - that pretty much explains everything -in the middle of a recent fabulous blog on her The Better Food Journe
Continue reading
Screenshot 2020-10-18 at 12.26.16
Joining the Dots to Create Perspective
Posted
October 2020
| Under
Yesterday was my birthday.  54 if you’re asking, basically still 42 I’m thinking.  I got some lovely thoughtful presents including one that has had my mind both racing and focused for th
Continue reading
Screenshot 2020-08-01 at 12.41.24
A Letter to my 15 Year Old Self
Posted
August 2020
| Under
Last month I was privileged to be the guest on Holly Tucker’s podcast series: Conversations of Inspiration. Which, in 60 minutes, covered a range of subjects centred around business being the key to
Continue reading
Screenshot 2020-07-23 at 13.09.02
Letter to the Prime Minister regarding Child Obesity
Posted
July 2020
| Under
Child Obesity
I sent this letter to the Prime Minister on 17 July 2020, ahead of his welcomed and anticipated-to-be-significant review of the National Obesity Strategy: Dear Prime Minister,   I hope this lette
Continue reading
d30ab3ec-eb5b-4545-8645-4d9a2a752292
Responding to the Unprecedented
Posted
July 2020
| Under
Human Rights, Leadership, Business
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything: exposing the injustices and shortcomings of our society locally and globally. It has also reminded us how much we share, how deeply interconnected we are
Continue reading
Paul and Sadiq resized
Mobilising Action - The Importance of Collaborations and Partnerships
Posted
June 2020
| Under
Children, obesity, health, campaigning
First Publsihed on the London.gov website on 31 January 2020   Now that the dust has settled following the publication of 'Every Child a Healthy Weight'  I’ve taken a moment to reflect on
Continue reading
Every Child a Healthy Weight
Posted
June 2020
| Under
children, obesity, health
First published on the London.gov website 5 Setpember 2019   Eighteen months ago, I submitted my first job application in over 20 years.  It was a long shot, but one that I was surprise
Continue reading
Screenshot 2020-04-03 at 12.46.25
Business as Usual?
Posted
April 2020
| Under
Business
It’s not unprecedented to say we live in unprecedented times.  Corona Virus means that we do.   The good news however, amongst all the chaos and disruption to our economy and health, is th
Continue reading
WordPress_Banner_1024x320 2
Could your idea change the world?
Posted
December 2019
| Under
Innovation, Business for Good, Entrepreneurship
Percy Shaw’s did.  In the early 1930s he wondered why no one had thought of embedding little mirrors in the centre of roads to reflect back oncoming lights at night - a concept of ‘Cat
Continue reading
Shumanity in business
Bring Humanity Back to Business
Posted
July 2019
| Under
#business #human
Believe it or not, businesses don’t exist.People exist. People sign pieces of paper to form companies. People make business decisions, and people receive dividend cheques if those decisions are succ
Continue reading
just IMAGEING if 034
Just IMAGINE if - Business was Always a Force of Good
Posted
April 2019
| Under
Business for Good
The phrase ‘just imagine if’ has stayed with me throughout my life. Imagine a world of gender and racial equality. Imagine a world free from businesses polluting our environment. Imagine if we cou
Continue reading
just IMAGEING if 045
Just IMAGINE if - Nothing was Impossible
Posted
March 2019
| Under
Innovation
The three little words ‘just imagine if…’ have started endless sentences in my head, ever since I was a toddler. “Just imagine if”, we could send a man to the moon and return him safely
Continue reading
IMG_3262
One Person Two Degrees and 30 Years of Perspective
Posted
March 2019
| Under
Education, More in Common
In February I was humbled to be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the Univeristy of Bristol. It was a surreal experience, getting robed up and entering the Great Hall to receive a degree exactly
Continue reading
Chair and Mayor in Taskforce meeting
London Weighs in with Renewed Action on Child Obesity
Posted
February 2019
| Under
Child Obesity
I became a food entrepreneur in my mid-thirties. The lightbulb moment, that trigger to do it, happened as I watched my daughter Ella grow up happily, ‘winning’ at her all-important journey towards
Continue reading
fizz free feb image
Fizz Free February: A Campaign to Cut Sugar with a Recipe that Might Just Cut Through
Posted
February 2019
| Under
Child Obesity
Lent was quite a big thing in my childhood and over the years I gave up everything, from crisps and sweetened breakfast cereals to, bizarrely, Dr Who. Sometimes my Lent restraints remained permanent,
Continue reading
Reading and Feeding Imaginations: How books open young minds to unlimited opportunities
Posted
June 2018
| Under
Last week I had the privilege of attending a fundraising reception for Beanstalk, a small charity that recruits, trains and supports volunteers to provide consistent, one-to-one literacy support to ea
Continue reading
never-bad-time-pursue-export-opportunities
Why It’s Never a Bad Time to Pursue Export Opportunities
Posted
October 2017
| Under
Entrepreneurship
In turbulent economic times, it’s tempting for entrepreneurs to batten down the hatches and stay put, lie low and wait for the storm to pass. Indeed, in times of uncertainty we must do all we can to
Continue reading
Mike Ashley, Philip Green and Matthias Muller Are Only the Start - The Whole Corporate World Is Under Review
Posted
July 2017
| Under
Business For Good
From tax evasion to emission scandals, to executive pay and working conditions, the last twelve months have been dominated by corporate scandal.It is an issue that soared to the top of the agenda once
Continue reading
Forget the Work-Life Balance, We Need to Find the Right "Blend"
Posted
June 2016
| Under
Entrepreneurship
Today, CityAM published an Opinion Piece I wrote about how the concept of finding a work-life balance is irrelevant to our modern society, indeed how it's pursuit can cause unmanageable stress. 
Continue reading
Africa and Young People: Becoming Agents of Change
Posted
October 2015
| Under
Nurturing Potential
There are more people under the age of 20 in Africa, than anywhere else in the world, and the continent’s population is set to double to two billion by 2050.It is these young people that have the id
Continue reading
High Risk, High Reward: How to Export Successfully
Posted
September 2015
| Under
Entrepreneurship
I started Ella’s Kitchen in 2006 with the mission of improving children’s lives by giving them a healthier relationship with food. Nearly ten years on, the business is now the UK’s number one ba
Continue reading
The Lessons Learnt Launching a Business the Second Time Around
Posted
February 2015
| Under
Entrepreneurship
This month, I launched my second start-up. My first - Ella’s Kitchen, is named after my daughter, and is now the number one UK baby food brand. It was conceived simply to improve the lives of childr
Continue reading
Let's Go Further, Together
Posted
December 2014
| Under
Business For Good
Over recent years, the status of the entrepreneur has evolved from that of economic outcast to capitalistic rebel, the brave white knight and bold pioneer of disruption and innovation.But this vision,
Continue reading
Food for Thought: Why a Healthy Tomorrow Can Only Be Secured by the Young Leaders of Today
Posted
November 2013
| Under
Business For Good
Next week I am honoured to be going to Johannesburg as a Counsellor for the One Young World Summit, where 1,300 young delegates will gather from 190 countries to debate many of the world's most pressi
Continue reading
Immediate Action Is Needed to Avert Britain's Recipe for Disaster
Posted
April 2013
| Under
Business For Good
Thousands of British children are going to school hungry every day, while the country faces an obesity and dietary crisis that is costing the NHS £6bn per year. The numbers speak for themselves: Brit
Continue reading