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Brands Transforming Our World

Brands2Life

A new podcast that’s essential listening for tech, comms and marketing leaders. Former BBC Tech Correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones OBE, and Brands2Life Co-Founder, Giles Fraser, tackle the big industry questions. They dig into what it takes to be at the helm of the world’s most innovative companies and explore the inside stories of how these brands are transforming our world. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • 19 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 39 min
  • English

Episodes 19

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  • S1 · E19
    July 30 · 22 min

    Programming Biology: How Basecamp Research is using AI to transform medicine – Part 2

    The conversation continues: in part two of our discussion with Basecamp Research co-founders Glen Gowers and Oliver Vince, we explore what the future of AI-powered medicine could look like, how the company is working with partners including NVIDIA and Anthropic, and why they believe biology can become programmable. The founders discuss personalised healthcare, the role of large-scale biological datasets, the challenge of communicating ambitious scientific ideas, and the leadership lessons they've learned while building one of the UK's most exciting AI companies. If you haven't already, be sure to listen to part one where Glen and Oliver share the origin story behind Basecamp Research and the expedition that inspired its mission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E18
    June 25 · 37 min

    Programming Biology: How Basecamp Research is using AI to transform medicine – Part 1

    What if the biggest limitation in biology isn't computing power, but the data itself? In this episode we speak to Basecamp Research co-founders Glen Gowers and Oliver Vince about their mission to uncover Earth's undiscovered biology and use AI to transform medicine. The conversation explores the expedition to Iceland that inspired the company, how large language models can learn the language of DNA, and why the future of healthcare may depend on making biology programmable. The founders also discuss the personal experience that shifted their focus towards therapeutics and the role the UK can play in the next generation of scientific innovation. This is part one of a special two-part conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E17
    April 28 · 39 min

    Building trust in the age of AI with Onfido and ollo founder, Husayn Kassai

    In this episode, Husayn Kassai, founder of both Onfido and ollo, shares his journey of building one of the UK’s most successful AI companies and launching his next venture. He reflects on leadership, the realities of scaling a startup and why talent and regulation will shape the future of AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E16
    February 26 · 34 min

    Caring Wildly: How Bloom & Wild reinvented flower gifting

    Bloom & Wild co-founder and CEO Aron Gelbard joins Brands Transforming Our World to share how he reinvented the online flower industry. Having pioneered letterbox flowers and built a tech platform designed for gifting, Aron explains why customer feedback drives every decision, why Bloom & Wild stopped selling red roses for Valentine’s Day and what “caring wildly” looks like at scale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E15
    Dec 11, 2025 · 40 min

    Clue CEO Clare Elford on the hidden tech powering investigations worldwide

    Clue Software CEO Clare Elford joins Giles Fraser and Rory Cellan-Jones to discuss how she’s turned a once-niche policing tool has become a critical AI-powered investigation and intelligence platform used across policing, sport, nonprofits and the private sector. Clare shares how she rebuilt Clue into a modern SaaS company and why cross-sector collaboration is essential to tackling growing threats in a world transformed by AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E14
    Oct 23, 2025 · 38 min

    Technology, tenacity and the future of urban delivery with Stuart CEO, Cornelia Raportaru

    Cornelia Raportaru has built her career on curiosity and adaptability – growing up in post-communist Romania and rising to lead one of Europe’s most innovative logistics tech companies. In this episode, she shares how Stuart is transforming last-mile delivery through AI, sustainability and precise delivery models, and what she’s learned about leadership, resilience and the future of urban logistics. Visit URL: https://stuart.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E13
    Sep 16, 2025 · 40 min

    Inside the quantum revolution with Oxford Ionics CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Chris Ballance

    Oxford Ionics CEO & Co-Founder, Dr. Chris Ballance, joins us to share his journey from getting (very briefly!) expelled from school to leading one of the UK’s most exciting quantum computing companies. We discuss breaking world records, building a $1bn business, the race to commercialise quantum and why brand matters as much as science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E12
    Jul 8, 2025 · 39 min

    Nina Mohanty on Bloom Money, savings circles and the future of inclusive fintech

    In this episode of “Brands Transforming Our World“, we sit down with fintech founder Nina Mohanty, whose start-up Bloom Money is reimagining financial services for immigrant communities. Drawing on her Silicon Valley upbringing and her personal experience as the child of Indian and Taiwanese immigrants, Nina explains how traditional savings circles (used by communities worldwide) can serve as powerful tools for inclusion and economic resilience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E11
    May 27, 2025 · 44 min

    Six decades of technology with Richard Holway, MBE

    Richard Holway MBE joins the Brands Transforming our World podcast to reflect on six decades in UK tech: from starting as a programmer in the 1960s to becoming one of the industry’s most trusted analysts and investors. He shares hard-won lessons on leadership, resilience, investment, and what makes a great tech business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E10
    Apr 30, 2025 · 43 min

    Dame Stephanie Shirley: The woman who rewrote the rules of tech

    In this episode of Brands Transforming Our World, we sit down with Dame Stephanie Shirley CH: child refugee, pioneering tech entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She shares her extraordinary journey from arriving in the UK without her parents, founding an all-female remote working start-up in the early 60s and building it into a $3bn tech company. We also explore her game-changing approach to philanthropy and what still drives her at the age of 91. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E9
    Apr 7, 2025 · 36 min

    Executing a flawless IPO

    In this conversation we speak with James Robinson, an innovative senior communications leader who spent six years leading global communications for fintech pioneer Marqeta, including its successful IPO on Nasdaq in 2021. James discusses the strategies, tactics and learnings while leading Marqeta through the lead up to and through its public listing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E8
    Mar 4, 2025 · 45 min

    The Future of AI with Graphcore CEO, Nigel Toon

    Listen as we sit down with Nigel Toon, CEO of Graphcore, to hear how one of the UK’s most successful engineers, entrepreneurs and leaders is accelerating the future of AI. From a fascinating career at the cutting edge of semiconductor technology - through founding Graphcore in a Bristol pub, selling to Softbank and innovating at the cutting edge of AI - it’s a fascinating 45 minutes.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E7
    Feb 4, 2025 · 51 min

    Martha Lane Fox - a British technology icon tells her story

    Join us for episode seven of the Brands Transforming Our World podcast as we dive into Martha Lane Fox’s remarkable journey. From co-founding and floating Lastminute.com through surviving a horrific accident to championing digital accessibility and innovation within government and joining the board of a (pre-Elon Musk) Twitter, we can think of few UK businesspeople who’ve inspired so many within our industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E6
    Jan 16, 2025 · 35 min

    Accelerating towards a sustainable future with Hitachi ZeroCarbon CEO, Ram Ramachander

    In this episode conversation we meet with Ram Ramachander, CEO at Hitachi ZeroCarbon. Ram takes us on a deep dive into the innovations driving a sustainable future and how Hitachi ZeroCarbon is spearheading efforts to achieve a zero carbon world. From groundbreaking technology to bold strategies, we’ll explore how brands like these are reshaping industries and making a difference to our planet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E5
    Nov 28, 2024 · 44 min

    The Playbook for Global Tech Success with Stephen Kelly

    Join us for a fascinating conversation with Stephen Kelly, CEO of Cirata and former UK Government COO. Stephen shares insights from his extensive career building global tech companies, transforming public sector technology, and leading organisational change. From saving £50bn in government to his current mission at Cirata, Stephen discusses the keys to authentic leadership and creating lasting impact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E2
    Aug 29, 2024 · 40 min

    Scaling a European AI pioneer

    In the second episode of our brand new series, our next guest is David Parry-Jones, Chief Revenue Officer at language AI pioneer, DeepL. He covers everything from scaling a true AI innovator and beating the industry giants to finding roles where you can truly be yourself. It’s a fascinating listen from an incredibly experienced, people-focussed tech leader. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • S1 · E1
    Jul 23, 2024 · 40 min

    Taking on the world one semiconductor at a time

    In the first episode of our brand new series, we speak with David Moore, the CEO of UK semiconductor success story, Pragmatic, about his leadership lessons; how Pragmatic’s flexible chips are the industry’s future; running a global tech firm out of the UK and of course AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Showing 1–19 of 19 episodes