Business Leader Magazine
Business Leader Magazine is a trusted source of long form journalism, interviews and analysis for founders and CEOs building ambitious, growth stage businesses.
Latest issues
Issue One, 2026
Unleashing the middle
In this issue:
- We investigate the economic possibilities of the UK’s neglected mid-market sector
- Laurence Newman used multiple forms of funding as he built The Beauty Tech Group into a global enterprise
- AA chief executive Jakob Pfaudler explains how he set about modernising a 120-year-old British institution
- Is AI a risk or reward for Gen Z? As opportunities shrink in the latest technological revolution, should businesses rethink their entry-level roles?
- Three entrepreneurs tell their personal stories and struggles of raising capital from different sources
- From crowdfunding to revenue-based finance, entrepreneurs are finding inventive ways to fund growth
Issue Four, 2025
CEO of the Year
In this issue:
- We get the inside track on the turnaround of one of the most famous names in British business in an exclusive with the CEO of Rolls-Royce, Tufan Erginbilgiç
- From masters of the turnaround to those who have played the long game, we profile the FTSE chiefs who have created more than £1bn in market value during their tenure
- After years in the doldrums, the City’s IPO market is stirring again. However, hopes are rising that a handful of ambitious listings allied to market reforms might break through the clouds as we take a deep dive into the subject
- Columnists, founders and the Business Leader team reveal the productivity hacks that can transform your time management
- Long-term leadership, commercial courage and cultural clarity sit behind the Guardian’s survival story. We speak with the publication's editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner
Issue Three, 2025
The future starts here
In this issue:
- The secrets of success with AI. Get tips from OpenAI, Deliveroo, Sir John Hegarty and more on collaborating with technology to unlock its potential to transform your business
- How can you build a culture of innovation? We speak with experts on how to cultivate an environment that allows people to push what’s possible and create something game-changing
- Exclusive interviews with Sir Chris Hoy. He explains why his golden Olympic career offers lessons on how to grow a business, and Gtech founder Nick Grey on how he built a multimillion-pound consumer tech company
- HMV, Kodak and Nokia. Perhaps they thought they were too big to fail, but we take a deep dive into what went wrong at the market leaders who suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of history.
- Our expert columnists Tom Beahon, Ed Smith and Amelia Sordell talk about how to use M&A to drive growth, why human creativity is vital when using AI, how to grow your personal brand and more.
Issue Two, 2025
Growth 500
In this issue:
- Our celebration of the UK's fastest-growing companies
- From masters of the turnaround to those who have played the long game, we profile the FTSE chiefs who have created more than £1bn in market value during their tenure
- After years in the doldrums, the City’s IPO market is stirring again. However, hopes are rising that a handful of ambitious listings allied to market reforms might break through the clouds as we take a deep dive into the subject
- Columnists, founders and the Business Leader team reveal the productivity hacks that can transform your time management
- Long-term leadership, commercial courage and cultural clarity sit behind the Guardian’s survival story. We speak with the publication's editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner
Issue One, 2025
Fixing UK Plc
In this issue:
- How do we fix UK Plc? We have spoken to those who have done it – the founders of some of this country’s biggest businesses – as well as experts in politics, economics and leadership
- An exclusive interview with Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Machin, looking into his mission to turn around one of the most iconic brands in Britain
- How to make it in America. With it often being the first stop for UK businesses looking to expand, we talk to experts and those who have been there and done it - both well and poorly - and created a guide for success
- Our expert columnists Steven Swinford, Szu Ping Chan, Ed Smith and Catherine Baker analyse the Labour government's latest move, what the sporting world's learning culture could teach business and more
- We go inside a luxury CEO burnout clinic in Switzerland to learn about the pressures that cause executives to succumb to stress and how to guard against them
- We talk to hypnotist and author Paul McKenna about the power of manifestation and how it can help with strategic planning
Issue Five, 2024
How to build an effective team
In this issue:
- Inside Ikea: Jesper Brodin, the chief executive of Ingka Group, the company that runs Ikea shops around the world, explains to Dougal Shaw how the Scandinavian furniture group was built
- Jake Humphrey reveals that Toto Wolff, the boss of the Mercedes Formula One team, is so obsessed with making the most of his time that he eats the same food for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- The extraordinary rise of Huel: James McMaster, the chief executive of Huel tells Graham Ruddick about his unique approach to recruitment and how Huel became one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK
- How to build a board: Sarah Vizard hears from the experts about how to build an effective senior team
- Michelin-star chef Simon Rogan and his managing director Sam Ward explain how they grew a restaurant business that has eight Michelin stars around the world
- How to hire with AI: Josh Dornbrack explores how new technology can be used to recruit the strongest team
Issue Four, 2024
Understanding the modern consumer
In this issue:
- An interview with Monzo chief executive TS Anil discussing how the digital bank has scaled to become a business worth more than £4bn and taken on the traditional high street banks
- A look at how businesses can truly be customer-centric and anchor all their decisions around their customers
- Masterclasses on how to do market research and marketing from Little Moons, Virgin Media O2 and the Italian football league Serie A
- A fascinating interview with John Cleese on how to be creative and the story behind comedy classics such as Fawlty Towers
- Behavioural scientist Richard Shotton on what businesses need to understand about the innate biases of their consumers
- Our Business Leader Experts help you understand the issues that matter, including Tom Beahon, co-founder and chief executive of Castore, on his concerns about the outlook for entrepreneurs in the UK and Ed Smith on the lessons from England cricketer James Anderson’s career
Issue Three, 2024
Great British founders and how they built billion-pound businesses
In this issue:
- We shine a spotlight on the stories behind the UK's billion-pound businesses, which include the likes of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Denise Coates and Richard Harpin
- We speak to Steve Hare, the chief executive of Sage, about leading a £10bn technology company
- We look at how some businesses have been able to turn themselves into CEO factories that produce a conveyor belt of successful leaders
- Our expert columnists help you understand the political and economic landscape in the UK after the general election, explain why setbacks shouldn’t be seen as terminal and much more
Issue Two, 2024
Can you bootstrap a billion-pound business?
In this issue:
- We look at some of the country’s biggest and brightest bootstrapped companies, the state of venture capital and how to pitch your business
- We talk to Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss, Deliciously Ella founder Ella Mills and BAFTA-winning presenter and entrepreneur Big Zuu
- We reveal the powerful story behind the cheeky nation's favourite Nando's and break down the lessons behind its international success
- Our Business Leader experts also cover finding your point of difference, attracting and retaining a multi-generational workforce, lessons from the US and much more
Issue One, 2024
Simon Arora
In this issue:
- A cover interview with Simon Arora, co-founder and CEO of B&M, detailing the journey of building one of the UK’s largest retail success stories.
- In-depth features on AI and innovation, including insights from OpenAI, Deliveroo, and Sir John Hegarty.
- Expert columns from leading figures such as Tom Beahon, Ed Smith, and Amelia Sordell, covering topics like M&A, human creativity in AI, and personal branding.
- A deep-dive analysis of why market leaders like HMV, Kodak, and Nokia failed despite their size.
- The launch of regular features like Bookshelf, Against the Grain, Secret Sauce, and Case Study.
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