Graham Ruddick- 11 February 2025
Melanie Smith is the chief executive of the NEC Group, the owner of the NEC in Birmingham, the largest event venue in the UK. Before that, she ran Ocado's retail business with Marks & Spencer and started her career with McKinsey. Originally from New Zealand and from a family with little business background, Smith has fought her way to the top of the business world.
In this episode we cover the "extraordinary" Blackstone conference where Smith gets to meet and learn from other chief executives, why she has the best job in Britain, why private equity ownership is better than being listed on the stock market, the opportunities that HS2 will bring to the economy, the challenges of M&S/Ocado and why she walks hundreds of miles on her own in some of the remotest parts of the world.
Related and recommended
Years of decline have hollowed out London’s listing market, but founders, banks and ministers are quietly pushing for a revival
Healthcare and income tax require radical reform, but the Budget revealed little ambition to tackle the big issues
Bob Skinstad’s journey from rugby prodigy to business leader is shaped by scrutiny, setbacks and second chances
After a decade as editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner is using her business acumen to reinvent The Guardian