The High-Performance Leaders Podcast explores what it takes to operate at the highest level of some of the world’s most high-pressure, technology-led organisations, and how they build cultures of sustained high performance while continuously evolving through technology to stay competitive.
Each episode brings together senior leaders to unpack their journey how they got to where they are today, what it takes to thrive in these environments, and how they approach hiring, leadership, and continuous improvement in complex, fast-moving industries.
It’s a show about real people, real performance, and what it takes to succeed at the top.
How Private Equity Really Works and How to Prepare for Investors, With John Cordrey
John Cordrey is a Director at Foresight Group, which invests in UK and Irish SMEs. He joins James Plant to explain how private equity works in practice, including where the money comes from and how investors back a management team. John also talks through his own route into the industry, from PwC and Inflexion to founding a business of his own. The conversation also takes in the shift in investor appetite towards profitability, how AI is changing the way software businesses are valued, and Jo...
30 Sept 2026
Why ‘Become a Business Owner’ Might Be the Worst Advice You’ll Get: Matt Redwood
Matt Redwood, Vice President of Global Solutions and Consulting Group at Diebold Nixdorf, joins James Plant to challenge one of the more fashionable pieces of career advice in circulation: that everyone should go it alone and start a business. Drawing on nearly 15 years leading global teams across banking and retail technology, Matt makes the case for staying inside the corporate world, and thriving there, and explains why the people who progress fastest are usually the ones who stop comparin...
16 Sept 2026
From Race Engineer to Technical Director: Jody Egginton on 30 Years in F1
Jody Egginton has spent three decades in Formula 1 engineering, from an unplanned first break at a small F1 team to leading Scuderia Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri and now Red Bull Advanced Technologies. In this episode of High-Performance Leaders, Egginton talks to host James Plant about the phone call that pulled him away from a graduate job, the reality of building a Formula 1 team from almost nothing, and the risk-taking, resourcefulness and openness that have shaped how he leads engineering team...
2 Sept 2026
Andrew Sammut-Alessi Returns: Formula 1 Lessons for Business Transformatio
Andrew Sammut-Alessi, who spent twenty-plus years across Formula 1 with Red Bull, Aston Martin and M-Sport, returns to High-Performance Leaders for a second conversation, this time focused on business transformation. He and James Plant unpack how F1 teams structure change, why counting improvements in minutes rather than headlines drives real capacity, and why Toto Wolff treats every failure as a process problem rather than a people one. The conversation also turns to recruitment, including t...
19 Aug 2026
Dominic Littleford: Leading a Technical Team Through Housebuilding's Toughest Years
In this episode, host James Plant sits down with Dominic Littleford, Technical Director at Cala Group, to unpack his career journey from a chance start in architecture to leading technical teams across some of the UK's biggest housebuilders. Having held senior technical roles at Crest Nicholson and Taylor Wimpey before joining Cala Group, Dominic brings a grounded, opportunity-led perspective to a career built almost entirely without a fixed plan. He shares how a childhood misunderstanding fi...
5 Aug 2026
From Help Desk to CIO: Leading Real Tech Change With Barry Smith
In this episode, host James Plant sits down with Barry Smith, former Chief Information Officer at Skanska UK, to unpack his remarkable career journey from an IT help desk in the late 1990s to leading board-level technology change across major global firms. Having held senior leadership roles at WS Atkins, Foster + Partners, and Skanska UK, Barry brings a grounded, people-first perspective to digital transformation. He shares how mentorship shaped his career roadmap, why a rejection for ...
8 Jul 2026
Inside F1's High-Pressure Culture: No PR, Just Real Performance with Andrew Sammut-Alessi
Welcome to the premiere episode of the High-Performance Leaders Podcast. In this episode, host James Plant sits down with Andrew Sammut-Alessi, a senior leader who has spent more than 20 years operating at the absolute pinnacle of global motorsport. From his early days in aerodynamic engineering with Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology, through to his recent role as Head of Technical Operations at the Aston Martin Formula One Team, Andrew has been inside the rooms where World Championsh...
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