Podcast · 93 episodes
Big Boss Interview
by BBC News · English
Big Boss Interview is where the most high-profile chief executives and entrepreneurs come to give you their insights and experiences of running the world's biggest and well-known businesses. The series is presented by Sean Farrington, Felicity Hannah and Will Bain, who you'd normally hear presenting the business news on BBC Radio 4's Today programme as well as BBC 5 Live's Wake Up To Money. Each week they'll be finding out just what it takes to run a huge organisation and what the day to day challenges and opportunities are. You can get in contact with the team by emailing bigboss@bbc.co.uk
Latest episodes
EDF CEO: Another Energy Crisis is ComingEDF Energy CEO Simone Rossi warns the UK is heading into a “second energy crisis” after the Ukraine-triggered one four years earlier.29 Sep 2026 · 40 min
Aviva CEO: We're Building Uninsurable HomesAviva CEO Dame Amanda Blanc discusses UK investment and pensions, insurance regulation and customer value, and flood risk—arguing that some new homes may become “uninsurable” if built in known…28 Sep 2026 · 59 min
Sage CEO: Don't Build Data Centres in UKSage CEO Steve Hare discusses AI adoption for SMB finance software, trust/auditability requirements, UK business growth and policy stability, and argues against building data centres across the UK;…23 Sep 2026 · 42 min
All episodes
EDF CEO: Another Energy Crisis is ComingEDF Energy CEO Simone Rossi warns the UK is heading into a “second energy crisis” after the Ukraine-triggered one four years earlier.29 Sep 2026 · 40 min · 20 chapters
Aviva CEO: We're Building Uninsurable HomesAviva CEO Dame Amanda Blanc discusses UK investment and pensions, insurance regulation and customer value, and flood risk—arguing that some new homes may become “uninsurable” if built in known…28 Sep 2026 · 59 min · 21 chapters
Sage CEO: Don't Build Data Centres in UKSage CEO Steve Hare discusses AI adoption for SMB finance software, trust/auditability requirements, UK business growth and policy stability, and argues against building data centres across the UK;…23 Sep 2026 · 42 min · 14 chapters
INEOS CEO: I Have No Confidence in the UKSir Jim Ratcliffe (INEOS CEO) argues the UK lacks confidence in fossil-fuel industry and carbon capture, driving North Sea decline, higher import dependence, energy insecurity, and “politics of envy”…18 Sep 2026 · 22 min · 10 chapters
Paul Smith Exec Chair: Working From Home Doesn't WorkEwan Venters (Executive Chair of Paul Smith) explains why Paul Smith has been loss-making, what he’s changing, and why he argues working from home reduces learning and productivity.16 Sep 2026 · 46 min · 21 chapters
Arm CEO: AI Will Cure CancerInterview with Arm CEO René Haas about how AI will drive chip demand, robotics, and health breakthroughs, including a claim that AI could cure cancer within his lifetime.7 Sep 2026 · 39 min · 23 chapters
Veolia CEO: We Can Help Run Thames Water If Govt Nationalise ItVeolia CEO Estelle Brachlianoff discusses “environmental security” as national security, arguing the UK should act now to prevent water shortages, and that Veolia can help whether water assets are…3 Sep 2026 · 43 min · 16 chapters
Thames Water CEO: We Welcome Greater Public Control, Not NationalisationThames Water’s financial crisis (about £20bn debt, cash running out) and the proposed lender-led debt-for-equity restructuring, with CEO Chris Weston arguing for “greater public control” rather than…30 Jul 2026 · 48 min · 18 chapters
etoro CEO: Our Customers Are Moving Away from CryptoBBC Big Boss Interview (#50) with eToro CEO Yoni Asiyar arguing that eToro isn’t abandoning crypto; instead it says crypto users have rotated away during recent cycles while eToro is expanding into…22 Jul 2026 · 37 min · 19 chapters
Allwyn UK CEO: Britain Risks Losing the National Lottery if it Doesn't InnovateAllwyn UK CEO Andrea Vidler discusses taking over the National Lottery in Feb 2024, the two-year technology overhaul (new retailer terminals, upgraded infrastructure, digital front end), and how the…15 Jul 2026 · 44 min · 24 chapters
Lloyds Banking Group CEO: The End of Halifax and the Future of Bank BranchesLloyds Banking Group CEO Charlie Nunn discusses ending the Halifax high-street brand after 180+ years, the future of UK bank branches, and how regulation, AI, investing, and housing policy affect…8 Jul 2026 · 56 min · 25 chapters
Lloyd's of London CEO: Autonomous Weapons Are Rewriting War RiskInterview with Lloyd’s of London CEO Patrick Tiernan on how the world’s shifting risk landscape (cyber, geopolitical choke points, drone/AI warfare, climate change) is forcing insurance to rethink…1 Jul 2026 · 48 min · 29 chapters
Reed Recruitment CEO: Back Humans, Tax RobotsUK jobs market and hiring trends amid political instability and Brexit-era fallout, with a focus on how AI is changing recruitment, graduate opportunities, and job applications.24 Jun 2026 · 44 min · 25 chapters
Mondelēz CEO: We're Questioning Our Future UK InvestmentInterview with Mondelez International CEO Dirk van der Poort on global shocks affecting chocolate/snacking—US-Iran conflict and oil/packaging inflation, war impacts in Ukraine and Bahrain, ongoing…16 Jun 2026 · 46 min · 19 chapters
TSMC: Humanoid Robots Will Look After the ElderlyTSMC’s role in the AI chip boom, whether demand is a bubble, and how the company is expanding capacity amid US-China geopolitical pressure.11 Jun 2026 · 23 min · 8 chapters
#43 Debenhams Group CEO: Our Fightback Against China's Fast FashionDan Finlay, CEO of Debenhams Group, discusses turning Debenhams (rescued from administration) into “Britain’s online department store,” modernizing the wider group of fashion brands, and fighting…9 Jun 2026 · 38 min · 14 chapters
#42 Hinge CEO: The Cost of Living Crunch Is Changing How We DateHinge CEO Jackie Jantos discusses how Gen Z’s loneliness, reduced in-person time, and the cost-of-living crunch are reshaping dating, and how Hinge uses AI to improve profiles and safety while still…3 Jun 2026 · 58 min · 25 chapters
#41 Barratt Redrow CEO: Bricklaying Robots & Echoes of 2008Big Boss Interview with David Thomas (Barratt Redrow CEO) on UK housing affordability and supply, climate-ready home design, and how AI/automation may change construction jobs.27 May 2026 · 48 min · 21 chapters
#40 Next CEO: The Crisis Facing Entry-Level EmploymentSimon Jack interviews Simon Wolfson (Lord Wolfson), CEO of Next, about the UK’s entry-level employment crisis and broader economic/political reforms needed to boost growth.25 May 2026 · 30 min · 15 chapters
#39 Amazon UK Boss: Make Work Experience Mandatory for Over-16sInterview with John Bamfrey, Amazon UK country manager, about Amazon’s UK strategy amid cost-of-living pressures, global supply disruptions, competition, technology (AI, drones), jobs and skills,…21 May 2026 · 50 min · 24 chapters
#38 Raspberry Pi Founder: People Overestimate What AI Can DoBBC Big Boss Interview with Dr Eben Upton (Raspberry Pi founder/CEO) on building Raspberry Pi from Cambridge to a UK-listed tech “unicorn,” and on how AI tools may be overestimated.14 May 2026 · 45 min · 28 chapters
#37 Standard Life CEO: British Aren't Sufficiently Financially LiterateUK pensions and retirement adequacy amid political change, global instability (Iran), and the Pension Schemes Act; Standard Life’s stance on diversification, private/productive assets, and opposition…7 May 2026 · 37 min · 22 chapters
#36 Bank of England: Private Credit Has Echoes of Great Financial CrisisSarah Breeden, Bank of England deputy governor for financial stability, warns that private credit’s rapid growth (to about £2.5 trillion) shows “echoes” of the 2007–08 crisis.27 Apr 2026 · 24 min · 13 chapters
#35 Pret CEO: Inflation From War Starting to BitePret-a-Manger CEO Pano Christou discusses inflation and war-driven cost pressures, especially energy volatility affecting daily ingredient deliveries; how Pret is responding without raising prices;…22 Apr 2026 · 49 min · 23 chapters