POWERED BY PEOPLE

About POWERED BY PEOPLE

At Three Hills, we are investors who know that people are at the centre of every great business story. That’s why our new podcast, Powered by People, puts the spotlight on the pivotal role of leadership and talent in unlocking growth and achieving lasting business success. Across eight episodes, our Operating Partner & Portfolio Chief People Officer, Tim Pointer, speaks with trailblazing guests from sectors including finance, hospitality, non-profit, and global brands, to understand what makes a high-performing team.

Publisher

Three Hills

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Oct 2025

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Scaling a People Business: Logan Naidu of Kernel on Excellence, Kindness and Talent Networks That Last Decades

   In the third episode of Season Two of Powered by People, Three Hills Operating Partner Tim Pointer interviews Logan Naidu, CEO of Kernel. Kernel's teams operate at C-suite and C-suite minus one level, finding the people who genuinely power and transform businesses and, through them, entire industries. The group brings together Dartmouth Partners, built on a classroom-to-boardroom model spanning early careers through to board appointments; Pure Search, covering tax, finance, governance and legal; Catalyst, focused on Chief People Officers, HR Directors and Head of Reward; and two newer brands in consulting and in energy, power and critical infrastructure. What unifies them is that the sectors and roles they serve are mission critical. Logan shares his route to becoming a founder. He wanted to be a banker from an early age, joined investment banking at twenty-one and realised within weeks that it was the wrong choice, spent a year at JP Morgan and two at PwC in corporate finance, then joined a recruitment firm before selling his first business in 2005 at the age of twenty-five. He speaks openly about faith, an immigrant family's expectations and his sense of purpose, and about why he was never quite built for the usual strictures of employment. The conversation explores the two values Logan talks about openly: excellence and kindness. He explains why he does not expect perfection but does expect people to want to do good work, and why perspective matters in a business where nobody's life is on the line. In professional services, as he puts it, the assets walk out of the door every evening and then choose to come back in the next day. Logan describes the classroom-to-boardroom model in practice. The business runs early-careers recruitment for around sixty-five organisations, reviews well over ten thousand applications a year and meets four to five thousand undergraduates and interns, placing roughly one in ten. It is deliberately inefficient by design, because today's candidate is tomorrow's client. Around seventy per cent of Dartmouth's clients have known the firm since they were nineteen or twenty years old. The episode also examines developing people at pace. Logan believes growth requires being comfortably uncomfortable, and is candid that growth has at times outrun the organisation's ability to look after its people, prompting a decision to rebuild learning and development from the ground up across five brands and multiple geographies, from London, Hong Kong, New York, Charlotte and beyond. Logan discusses why the rise of AI increases rather than reduces the value of human judgement, why clarity of thought and storytelling define good leadership, why he hires for character rather than performance, and how reducing the number of decisions he makes each day protects his focus. He also describes the group's Classroom to Boardroom Foundation, which applies the firm's core skill, career advice, to social mobility in inner-city London schools and has already worked with around a thousand young people. On partnering with Three Hills, Logan explains that the decision came down to people and deal structure, and that he was surprised by how much less didactic the approach was than expected: supportive and challenging, but leaving the management team to work out what was right for the business. Listen for a direct and thoughtful conversation about values, scaling a people business, resilience and ambition. As Logan says: "All businesses will talk about the importance of key talent, despite the rise of interest in AI. They need really, really great people to power them — and that creates a massive opportunity for businesses like us."

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Scaling advertising production and AV services for a global audience: Ivo van Vollenhoven of TwentyFour Seven on Craft, Partnership and Creative Excellence

   In the second episode of Season Two of Powered by People, Three Hills Operating Partner Tim Pointer interviews Ivo van Vollenhoven, CEO of TwentyFour Seven — an entrepreneur with a deep love of the craft of production. TwentyFour Seven is a global audio visual and advertising production company, headquartered in Madrid with production operations spanning Europe and South America. Its work includes Super Bowl campaigns and FIFA World Cup advertising for brands including Adidas, Nike and Lego; Hollywood fiction; and high-end fashion photographic campaigns. Revenue is approaching 200 million euros a year, with more than 230 full-time employees and a further 1,500 people working alongside them on a project-by-project basis. Ivo describes the partnership model at the centre of the business. Twenty-two business partners have come together over fifteen years, consolidating a historically fragmented industry with people who already share the same language and values. The conversation explores craft as the company's defining differential, and what that means in the age of AI. Ivo explains that whilst AI is used to enhance processes, add scale and speed work up, ninety per cent of the output depends on human effort and craft. Audiences recognise and reward the effort factor, and can tell the difference between content that has been crafted and content that has not. Ivo also shares how he stays close to a business operating across many countries: splitting his time evenly between in-market delivery and strategic planning. He describes how homegrown talent keeps culture consistent internationally, and how B Corp certification and giving back locally, including restoring an urban football pitch after a World Cup shoot, are embedded in day-to-day operations. The episode examines what Ivo looks for when adding businesses and people to the group, and why personal connection and shared ambition matter more than the spreadsheet. He explains why he takes prospective partners away to spend real time together, and how partnering with the next generation of a founding team can work for everyone involved. Ivo explains why TwentyFour Seven chose Three Hills, having wanted a genuinely international partner with both Latin and English roots that understood and supported founders. He describes the value of support teams working inside the business day to day, and what the partnership has enabled: consolidating a fragmented structure onto a single P&L, strengthening finance, people and IT, expanding across Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, opening in Milan, and launching a new art studio combining AI, traditional VFX and animation. Listen for a candid conversation about craft, partnership, international growth, culture at distance and the discipline of staying close to the work as a business scales. As Ivo says: "What I would share with my younger self is to trust in the craft. Trust in what you produce and the business will follow. One thing brings the other — don't chase the business. And be patient with people, because people will give you good surprises."

3. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Scaling a Founder-Led Luxury Platform: Tommaso Pacini of La Bottega Collective on Hospitality, Growth and Entrepreneurial Obsession

   In the first episode of Season Two of Powered by People, Three Hills Operating Partner Tim Pointer interviews Tommaso Pacini, CEO of La Bottega Collective—an entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for hospitality. La Bottega Collective operates at the intersection of luxury hospitality, beauty, design and guest experience. Its platform brings together bespoke hotel amenities, fragrances, accessories, textiles and curated products designed to help leading hotels create distinctive and memorable experiences for their guests. Tommaso shares the personal story behind the business: his experience of being the founder’s son, establishing his place in the organisation, discovering his own entrepreneurial purpose and taking an originally domestic Italian business global. The conversation explores how La Bottega Collective has evolved internationally while preserving the artisanal character at the heart of the original family business. Tommaso explains why global expansion required more than opening offices: acquisitions brought new products, capabilities, locations and cultures into the group, creating the foundations of the worldwide organisation it is today. Tommaso also emphasises the importance of remaining close to customers and understanding the hotel guest’s experience in every location. He shares how curiosity, storytelling and bespoke product development can help hospitality brands avoid a standardised experience and give guests a reason to return again and again. As the company grows, Tommaso reflects candidly on leadership, delegation and the changing role of the entrepreneur. He explains why leaders must build teams capable of running the day-to-day business, allowing them to focus on future opportunities and the “extra mile”. Growth, he argues, requires developing people, trusting their capabilities and accepting that others should be able to perform important roles better than the CEO. The episode also examines what La Bottega looks for in an acquisition, how entrepreneurial leaders can become part of a wider collective, and why people and cultural alignment are as important as financial and geographic logic. Tommaso explains why La Bottega chose Three Hills as an investment partner, highlighting the importance of working with people who understand hospitality, share the platform’s vision and take an entrepreneurial, tailored approach to the company’s next stage of growth. Listen for an honest and highly personal conversation about founder legacy, international growth, acquisitions, customer obsession, delegation and the determination required to build an exceptional business. As Tommaso says: “I think the real CEOs and entrepreneurs are the ones who never give up. They are the ones who spend sleepless nights, break out in a cold sweat and deal with problems every day—and they never give up. I think 1% is talent, 1% is luck and 98% is obsession.”

4. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Powered by People Season Two: Leadership and Growth Across the Three Hills Portfolio

   The Three Hills business podcast, Powered by People, returns for Season Two, turning the lens on our own investment portfolio. Hosted by Three Hills Operating Partner Tim Pointer, the new season features candid conversations with CEOs leading ambitious, fast-growing businesses across a breadth of markets, sectors, products and services. Season One explored organisational transformation through the experiences of leaders from external organisations. Season Two brings the discussion closer to home, examining how the CEOs of Three Hills-backed businesses translate investment ambitions and growth strategies into operational performance. Guests discuss the founder and CEO experience, leading a private-capital-backed business, international expansion, digital transformation and AI, acquisitions and integrations, operating models, organisational development, talent and communication. The season launches with Tommaso Pacini, CEO of La Bottega Collective, followed by Ivo van Vollenhoven of TwentyFour Seven, Logan Naidu of Kernel, José Luis Molina Zamora of Hispatec and Graham Roadnight of LCAP. Listen for practical perspectives on the decisions, challenges and leadership approaches involved in building organisations capable of achieving scale, transformation and sustainable performance. New episodes will be released fortnightly from Tuesday, 22 September 2026.

5. 

   10 Feb 2026

   Superconnecting customer experience with employee performance to achieve repeat revenue & global business growth @Eugenio Pirri EMEA Business Partner @TELUS Health & former CEO @Dorchester Collection

   In our eighth episode of Powered by People, Three Hills’s Operating Partner, Tim Pointer, discusses global business growth and creating brand ambassadors from colleagues and customers alike with @Eugenio Pirri EMEA Business Partner @TELUS Health & former CEO @Dorchester Collection. Eugenio gives his playbook of developing talent, championing culture and readying a business for expansion. Eugenio shares examples from his time as Chief People & Culture Officer and then Joint CEO at Dorchester Collection, and more recently as EMEA Business Partner at TELUS Health. He details how to superconnect customer experience with employee performance, where technology can be embraced, the building of careers pathways that deliver business growth, and the establishment of organisational performance across different sectors, cultures and geographies. Eugenio is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, and the author of leadership book ‘Be a People Leader’. In 2021 he was voted by his peers the Most Influential HR Practitioner in the UK. Eugenio has worked across the USA & Canada, EMEA and the Middle East, and brings his global experience and insight to this podcast. Listen for real-world examples of global growth, customer-centricity, the integration of technological advances, and expansion into new geographies. Eugenio shares examples that delighted customers, strengthened leaders, made capable and adaptable teams, and realised new business opportunities. As he says, “We had hotels that were well over a hundred years old. We couldn't do it like we did it a hundred years ago. People have different expectations. You have multi-generations - Both as employees and as customers and guests. As a result, you have to adapt. If you're not curious, you're going to fall behind and hurt your business in the long run.”

6. 

   27 Jan 2026

   Developing & Aligning Talent to Drive Global Brand Execution @Nadine Bainbridge, former @PlayStation VP - People & Talent, shares cross-sector business performance playbook @NewsUK @Reckitt Benckiser

   In our seventh episode of Powered by People, Three Hills’s Operating Partner, Tim Pointer, discusses international business-building and the power of global brands with @Nadine Bainbridge, former People & Global Talent VP @PlayStation. Nadine shares her experience of building talent and delivering change across household names including PlayStation, News UK, and Reckitt Benckiser. Nadine explains her approach to ensuring people are set up to achieve today's business results whilst being readied to manage future challenge & disruption. Nadine has implemented people-led transformation for a range of branded businesses, each building new products, services and experiences as their consumers' expectations evolved. From manufacturing to journalism, and technology to health, Nadine gives proven methods of creating and sustaining business capability and connection. Listen for actual examples of business evolution, from setting up international learning provision to integrating M&A to building global communications. Nadine shares examples that evolved colleagues, progressed customer solutions and created new business operations. As she says, “We can so often overlook what the end state will look like to our people on the ground. We have to be transparent about that.”

7. 

   13 Jan 2026

   Readying Businesses to Win in Tomorrow’s World @Melanie Steel, Interim People & Change Specialist, discusses her cross-sector transformational work @ATPI @ARUP @Arriva Rail London @Ministry of Defence

   In our sixth episode of Powered by People, Three Hills’s Operating Partner, Tim Pointer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-pointer-0154353/), interviews @Melanie Steel, Interim People & Change Specialist, on her exceptional breadth of cross-sector transformational work which includes @ATPI @ARUP @Arriva Rail London and @Ministry of Defence. Melanie Steel implements change at pace and at scale, overhauling longstanding structures and business operations. In this podcast, she reflects on how she aligns people and data to purpose, in order to drive successful transformation. Melanie has led people-centric business change for a fascinating cross-selection of organisations and plotted their alignment to sustainable business delivery in tomorrow’s world.  Challenging longstanding ways of working takes courage and the skill to create the professional connection required to push through any discomfort. Melanie shares her methodology for ensuring that business direction is delivered in step with employees, the leadership group, and the wider stakeholder mix. Listen for actual examples of transformation from orienting a variety of global offices to setting up a 24-hr rail provision for Londoners. Melanie shares real examples and personal considerations that aligned customer and colleague experience as these organisations evolved and scaled. Melanie's track record in building capability and positioning change team-by-team gives real insight into tackling real business challenges. As she says, “There is no playbook. One starts off the journey that they need to progress.”

8. 

   9 Dec 2025

   Building Brands as Great Places to Work: When Culture Drives Revenue & Navigates Turbulence. Jen Lawrence, Founder of @TGI Monday & former HR Leader at @Lindt & Sprüngli, @Virgin Atlantic & @Unilever.

   In our fifth episode of Powered by People, Three Hills’s Operating Partner, Tim Pointer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-pointer-0154353/), interviews Jen Lawrence, Founder of @TGI Monday & former HR Director at @Lindt & Sprüngli, @Virgin Atlantic & @Unilever. Jen has led people strategy for a selection of the world’s best-loved brands and navigated sustainable growth alongside stand-out employee autonomy and engagement. She shares her approach to aligning her colleagues’ direction and experience to the business strategy. Listen for true stories, from leaning into the gift of giving with Lindt’s gold bunnies to the reality of a Virgin Atlantic flight crew forming a new team ready to go on every flight. Jen shares real insights and judgements that built consumer and employee loyalty as these brands scaled into new markets and experiences. Jen's proven ability to build leadership capability and embed acumen alongside empathy gives contemporary leaders case studies of how to build teams, build business and build brand advocacy. Jen’s work at @Lindt & Sprüngli led to recognition as a @Great Place to Work and the overall winner prize at the @Business Culture Awards – This is an accredited, winning insight into leading outstanding business performance.

9. 

   25 Nov 2025

   Designed by the People: How Culture Drives Performance: Claire Smith, Head of People & Culture at UK law firm gunnercooke, on creating business leadership at every level to drive business growth.

   In our fourth episode of Powered by People, Three Hills’s Operating Partner, Tim Pointer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-pointer-0154353/), interviews @Claire Smith | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/culturegamechanger/), Head of People & Culture at UK law firm @gunnercooke (https://www.linkedin.com/company/gunnercooke-llp) and former Chief People Officer at @ www.linkedin.com/company/home-of-movera (https://www.linkedin.com/company/home-of-movera) Movera and @ www.linkedin.com/company/mortgage-advice-bureau (https://www.linkedin.com/company/gunnercooke-llp) Mortgage Advice Bureau. Claire shares multiple insights into creating business leadership at every level to drive resilient business expansion and how it's critical to listen to 'Sharon from Finance' when rewiring business processes. Claire's unique take on implementing a people-first strategy in professional services evidences how colleague engagement & accountability drives business expansion, engagement and results. Both @Mortgage Advice Bureau and @gunnercooke have been awarded the overall winner prize at the @Business Culture Awards so Claire provides a peer-recognised best-of-class approach to people-led business performance.

10. 

    12 Nov 2025

    Leading with Purpose: Delivering transformation at Swiss Re, The Nottingham & Leeds Building Society, uplifting colleague communication, recognition & engagement with authenticity & social connection.

    In this new episode of Powered by People, Three Hills’s Operating Partner, Tim Pointer, sits down with James Hartley, former MD at Swiss Re, interim People Lead at The Nottingham and Leeds Building Society, and co-founder of The London Cat Clinic. James describes how leaders can create the conditions for teams to show up authentically and courageously, helping everyone to stay connected to the business mission and results. This original perspective on the financial sector deep dives into the importance of people, purpose and performance. As James say, "Change is never won by a process or by PowerPoint. Challenging the corporate status quo is what's driven me: Metrics without Purpose are meaningless, and Purpose without Metrics becomes intangible."

11. 

    28 Oct 2025

    Transforming Samaritans and National Trust for tomorrow’s world: How people and purpose recreate trusted not-for-profit organisations for a contemporary world with human connection at their heart.

    On this week’s episode of Powered by People, Three Hills’s Operating Partner, Tim Pointer, discusses with Tiger de Souza MBE, Executive Director of People & Culture at Samaritans, how to lead in the charity sector, why leaving a legacy matters, and how both skilful storytelling and active listening can connect and support people across our society. Tiger's experience within the NSPCC, The National Trust and Samaritans, tells us that legacy does not necessarily mean standing still in time. By placing importance on innovation, inclusion and adapting to new generations, Tiger demonstrates how driving change internally - in an inclusive, accessible way - can lead organisations to evolve to the needs of their audiences, and impact society in a meaningful way.

12. 

    14 Oct 2025

    Powered by People - Trailer

    At Three Hills, we are investors who know that people are at the centre of every great business story. That’s why our new podcast, Powered by People, puts the spotlight on the pivotal role of leadership, talent and culture in unlocking growth and achieving lasting business success. Across eight episodes, our Operating Partner, Tim Pointer (ranked #1 on HR Magazine’s 2025 Most Influential list), explores what creates and maintains a high-performing team delivering organisational success. Every other week, you’ll hear candid stories and actionable insights on “People-Powered Transformation” – real experiences of how a strong culture, clear strategy and purpose, and engaged colleagues empower businesses to evolve and meet tomorrow’s challenges. From select market-leading brands in diverse sectors (including finance, hospitality, non-profit, and FMCG) trail-blazing guests discuss the role of strategic intent, leadership alignment, colleague engagement, the power of storytelling, and bespoke learning in priming organisations to win. They share their experience of energising workforces to enter new markets and implement new services, and the role that people-centric approaches have in driving positive and sustained business growth. Guests include former Chief Growth & People Officer at Hawksmoor, Ceri Gott; Executive Director of People & Culture at Samaritans, Tiger de Souza MBE; former Vice President, HR and Global Talent & Learning at PlayStation, Nadine Bainbridge; and more. Whether you’re investing in growth like Three Hills, leading a team, scaling a start-up, or simply passionate about people, you’ll pick up practical ideas and expert perspectives to help build resilient, future-ready teams and businesses – all Powered by People.

13. 

    14 Oct 2025

    The growth story of Hawksmoor: The powerful vision and people-centric culture that scaled a £100m international hospitality business.

    Kicking off our brand-new podcast, Powered by People, Three Hills’ Operating Partner, Tim Pointer, sits down with Ceri Gott, former Chief Growth, Culture & People Officer at Hawksmoor. Ceri was an architect of Hawksmoor’s impressive growth, scaling from £10M to £100M and expanding their restaurants internationally. Ceri shares her playbook for building customer-centric, high-performing teams – teams that maintain a productive relationship with one another and their work. Evolving a company mindset to prioritise resilience, kindness, and purpose doesn’t just support team development – it shapes guest experience and brand reputation. Ceri shares how this approach has underpinned Hawksmoor’s impressive growth across the UK and USA in the past decade, offering practical insights for anyone looking to build a thriving, purpose-driven business.

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Spotify

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4 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.