Baachu Talk Podcast

Showcasing the human leadership stories behind UK public and business services

Baachu Talk Ethos

Great achievements are usually born of great sacrifices and are never the result of selfishness. There is no grey area: You’re either with that ethos, willing to go out of your way to help people or you aren’t.

The Why?

We have a once in a generation opportunity not only during but also following this pandemic for a reset and re-think about what kind of society we want to emerge from this crisis. Government, public and private sector teams put so much on the line – to create something of value for themselves, their community and the country. Behind every service there is a leader with a passion. Baachu Talk shares these human stories.

Hosted by
Baskar Sundaram

As a student immigrant from India, arriving to UK in 2003, I was so blessed to be experience the multi-cultural UK society. I started my career at Serco PLC and have always been fascinated by UK public services having worked for Local Councils, NHS trusts and few charities.

Part of 18-24 May 2020, mental health week kindness theme, I shared my kindness stories

I then reached out to few industry leaders to share their kindness story, Baachu Talk Podcast was born 1st June. I noticed everyone has different views and priorities, differences aside they all want the best for the country.

This podcast is my little part to showcase human leadership behind our public services (private, public, tech, third sector) and enable us to come together and kickstart a concerted effort to maintain and build on this – ‘Together’.

I personally invite you to listen to Baachu Talk

Sincerely

Baskar Sundaram

Baachu Talk – What you’ll learn?

Baachu Talk is a weekly podcast produced by Baachu and hosted by Baskar Sundaram. Baskar will take you on a journey with government leaders, outsourced business services leaders, gov-tech entrepreneurs, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) leaders, and policy think-tank leaders. He’ll deep dive into the topics that public service delivery professionals like you can use to help understand stakeholders and their why.

Regardless who you are, which institution you belong to, and what values you have, there is one common theme — you are passionate about delivering public and business services. Lets Baachu Talk.

The coronavirus pandemic is testing the leaders of companies and organisations in every sector around the world. Many of our leaders have established or reinforced behaviors and values that are supporting their organisations and communities during this crisis, however long it continues, and preparing them well for the next large-scale challenge.

I support /together and will play my part in making the next 10 years a decade of reconnection.

I dedicate Baachu Talk to these leaders who are collectively making a difference to our society. Listen in and get to know them personally.

EPISODES

Episode 31 - Mark Levy, Founder, Levy Innovation LLC

Mark Levy is the founder of Levy Innovation LLC, a positioning and strategy firm that helps organizations and thought leaders differentiate by using, what he calls, a Big Sexy Idea. The ideas Mark and his clients have created are known worldwide by hundreds of millions of people. Mark has consulted to some of the world’s most prominent companies and individuals, including CEOs of major brands; the former head of Strategy at the Harvard Business School; and thought leaders, such as Simon Sinek of “Start with Why” fame. Mark has also consulted to a TV special on the History Channel, as well as to the iconic TV and streaming series, “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” In 2018, he was elected into the Million Dollar Consulting Hall of Fame. The hall’s founder calls Mark’s positioning and messaging skills “unparalleled.” Before devoting his work full-time to Levy Innovation, Mark served as Chief Marketing Officer of an Inc. 5,000 experiential branding organization with clients such as Nordstrom, Time Warner, and Stanford University. Mark is a keynote speaker. He’s spoken about strategy to dozens of organizations, including Adobe, American Express, and Google. He is in fact a member of the National Speakers Association, and served as the organization’s 2023 Winter Conference chairman. Previously, he served as an organizer for TEDx. Mark is a writer. He has written for the New York Times, and has written or co-created five books, including “Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content,” which has been published in eleven languages, and has been a bestseller in three different formats. He has taught entrepreneurial strategy and persuasive business writing at Rutgers University. Besides his positioning work, Mark creates magic tricks and shows. One of the shows he co-created, “Chamber Magic,” has run for over two decades, and appears on TripAdvisor as New York City’s highest-rated live show, ranked higher than even the musical “Hamilton.”

Episode 30 - Neil Carberry, Chief Executive, Recruitment & Employment Confederation

Neil Carberry was appointed as Chief Executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation in June 2018 having been managing director at the Confederation of British Industry, leading the CBI’s work on the labour market, skills, energy and infrastructure. In 1999, Neil began his career in recruitment working for executive search firm Fraser Watson before doing a post-graduate degree in Human Resources at the London School of Economics and joining the CBI in 2004. He is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a Fellow of the RSA. He is a member of the council of the conciliation service ACAS and a former member of the Low Pay Commission, which recommends UK minimum wages. A three-time nominee to the SIA staffing100 in Europe, he is also on the board of the World Employment Confederation and a primary academy trust in Oxfordshire. Neil is an RFU qualified rugby coach and is one of the 8000 co-owners who made Heart of Midlothian the UK’s biggest fan-owned football club.

Episode 29 - Mike Adamson, Chief Executive, British Red Cross

Mike Adamson is Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, the country’s leading voluntary crisis response organisation, and part of the worldwide Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Mike is responsible for all of the British Red Cross’ UK and International work. Prior to his current appointment, he held several other senior positions within BRC, including Managing Director of Operations. Mike has also worked as a Director of Commissioning in the NHS and spent five years as Managing Director for Services at another national charity. He began his career as an economist in management consultancy.

Mike is currently:
• Chair of Voluntary & Community Sector Emergency Partnership
• Member of the Foreign Secretary’s Human Rights Advisory Panel
• Trustee of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)
• Member of CASS External Advisory Panel for Charities Masters

Mike also chaired the NCVO review on how charities enable donors to give consent. In June 2021 Mike has been awarded a CBE honour for services to the humanitarian sector and the Red Cross Movement. He lives in Gloucestershire with his wife Lorna and two daughters Eleanor and Sophie. In his spare time he likes to run, cycle and read – he is also a founding member of his local film club. Mike has an MPhil in economics from Oxford University and an MBA with distinction.

Episode 28 - Liz Barclay, Small Business Commissioner

Episode 27 - Benjamin Taylor (@antlerboy, Public Service Transformation Academy, Fellow of the Cybernetics Society)

Episode 26 - Reshma Ramachandran, Senior Vice President & Head of Group Transformation, The Adecco Group

Episode 25 - William Butler-Adams OBE CEng – Chief Executive Officer, Brompton Bicycle

Episode 24 - Kamel Hothi OBE, NED TLC Lions and Trustee/Advisor on Charity Boards

Episode 23 - Baachu Talk 23 - William Butler-Adams OBE CEng – Chief Executive Officer, Brompton Bicycle

Episode 22 - Matt Hyde, Chief Executive , The Scouts (UK’s largest coeducation youth movement), Trustee of Comic Relief and a patron of UNLOCK (the National Association of Reformed Offenders), Former Chief Executive of the National Union of Students (NUS)

Episode 21 - Julie Ennis, Chief Executive Officer, Corporate services, Sodexo, UK & Ireland

Episode 20 - Dawn Austwick OBE, Chief Executive Officer, The National Lottery Community Fund

Episode 19 - Michael Weller, Managing Director, Thames Cleaning and Support Services

Episode 18 - Cheryl A Avery, Executive Director - Prison Reform at Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and Non-Executive Director Government Facility Service (GFSL) Limited. Ex Chief Commercial Officer, Ministry of Justice

Episode 17 - Susan Sutherland, Market Intelligence Lead Global Corporate Solutions, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL)

Episode 16 - Nicola Mc Queen, Chief Executive Officer, NHS Professionals

Episode 15: Shelagh Legrave OBE DL Principal and Chief Executive at Chichester College Group Chair, Colab Group

Episode 14: Claire Dove CBE, Crown Representative, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector and Ex. Chief Executive, Blackburne House

Episode 13: Tracey Williamson, Chief Commercial Officer, Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)

Episode 12: Yash Kapila, Managing Director, Integral JLL

Episode 11: Karamjit Singh CBE, Chairman, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Episode 10: Peter Ankerstjerne, Global Facility Management & Employee Services Lead at JLL and Chair, International Association of Facilities Management Association (IFMA)

Part 1 – Peter’s early life, career, future of work, future of workplace, gratitude, values and kindness and people influential in his life and career

Part 2 – IFMA Exclusive – IFMA journey, memories, vision for IFMA with RICS and IAOP Memories

Episode 9: Samantha Ulyatt, Chief Commercial Officer, Home Office