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What We Don't Know with Matt Brittin & Hayaatun Sillem

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by Boxlight Creative Studio

5.0(1 reviews)

17 episodes

Updated Daily

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Podcast Overview

In a crazy world, how do we get better leaders?  This is the boardroom, unplugged. — Whether starting out, or a seasoned leader, you face a world we’ve never seen before - the future of work, politics, technology and society is harder to predict than ever. So how do we survive the uncertainty and thrive in complexity? The successful leaders of the future will need a different set of skills and come from a broader range of backgrounds. This is for you.  We’re by leaders, for leaders - human stories, messy realities, tips and tricks to use today… not corporate talking points or retrospective perfection. How it really felt, the stuff we don’t see, the advice and events that shaped you and the hard-won wisdom you’d pass on to future leaders.  — What We Don’t Know is a collaboration between: Matt Brittin CBE, Hayaatun Sillem CBE & Boxlight Creative Studio - the award winning production powerhouse behind UK’s biggest business shows.

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Publishing Since

3/31/2026

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Recent Episodes

July 17, 2026

From Boots the Chemist to Lewis Hamilton's Boardroom - Dr. Hayaatun Sillem & Jimmy McLoughlin OBE

This week, a special crossover episode: Jimmy's Jobs of the Future meets What We Don't Know. Hayaatun Sillem spent eight years as CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering - the first woman, and the first person in over two decades, to hold the role. Before that: 8 years of biochemistry, a walkout from the lab that ended her PhD overnight, and a stint advising Parliament on everything from forensic science to carbon capture. She also co-chaired Lewis Hamilton's commission on the representation of Black people in UK motorsport, and is now a founding trustee of his charity, Mission 44. In this conversation, Jimmy and Hayaatun cover the moment people mistook her for anyone but the CEO, the leadership skill she thinks is most underrated, the decision to leave a job she loved while she was still doing her best work, and why she thinks "more jazz than classical" is the only way to lead through uncertainty now. 🔗 Watch more from Jimmy's Jobs of the Future: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxoL7OXNn-JuGzZj7LQrtIA/ — What We Don't Know is a podcast about better leadership in a crazy, uncertain world, co-hosted by Hayaatun Sillem CBE and Matt Brittin CBE, produced in partnership with Boxlight Creative Studio. If you have any questions or want to come on the show, email us at: whatwedontknow@boxlight.io ⚡️ Powered by Boxlight.io https://www.boxlight.io/ ---- TIMESTAMPS Timestamps 00:00 — Intro 01:00 — First job: Boots the Chemist, £2.32 an hour 01:09 — Becoming head girl 01:12 — The lab walkout that ended her PhD 01:15 — Parliament and the Science & Technology Select Committee 01:22 — What the Royal Academy of Engineering actually does 01:26 — Working with Lewis Hamilton 01:32 — Becoming CEO — "So what is it you do here?" 01:35 — The most underrated leadership skill 01:39 — Splitting the leadership team 01:41 — Deciding when to leave 01:43 — "More jazz than classical" — how leadership has changed 01:44 — What's next: starting a new venture, "back yourself" 01:50 — Quick fire round 01:53 — Most embarrassing moment as a leader 01:55 — What she failed at 01:59 — Is AI overhyped? 02:01 — What separates great from exceptional 02:04 — Outro ---- Credits: Producer: Sunny Winter Producer: Thuy Dong Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

July 8, 2026

From Leaving Dyson to The Washing Machine Project | Navjot Sawhney

What Washing Machines Teach Us About Leadership | Navjot Sooni & The Washing Machine Project This time Hayaatun is joined by Navjot Sawhney, founder of The Washing Machine Project, about how engineering and leadership intersect through a mission to reduce the unpaid labor of hand-washing clothes. Nav describes being raised by his mother and sisters after his father died when he was eight, early leadership roles encouraged by his mother, and values of Sikh seva and Jugaad problem-solving. After working at Dyson, he quit to work with Engineers Without Borders in India, where he met Divya, whose lack of electricity and running water inspired him to create a manual washing machine. The patented flat-pack Divya machine saves 75% of time and 50% of water, has impacted over 100,000 lives, won Time Invention of the Year, and is scaling with partners like Whirlpool and JCDecaux, aiming to reach 1 million people by 2030. 00:00 Intro 00:27 Meet Nav 02:45 Founder Life Today 03:52 Curious Childhood Roots 05:24 Loss and Raised by Women 07:12 Responsibility as Leadership 10:13 Seva Scouts and Service 11:26 Engineering and Jugaad 13:08 Dyson Dream and Culture 16:23 Purpose Crisis and Leap 19:49 India Fieldwork Reality 23:07 Washing Machine Born 26:41 Scale of the Problem 28:12 Humanitarian Training Tests 29:42 Divya Machine Impact 30:37 Leading a Blended Movement 31:12 Building a Movement 33:26 Keeping Divya Central 35:08 Billboards and Partnerships 36:41 Frugal Innovation Matters 39:21 Identity and Team Space 40:52 Resilience and Chardikala 43:58 Learning to Scale Leadership 46:06 Aspirations and Legacy 48:01 Salad Spinner Origins 49:03 Iterating with User Feedback 51:20 Pitching and Funding Reality 54:01 People Who Inspire 55:18 Quick Fire Round 01:00:08 Reflections Subscribe to not miss an episode! ▶️ ⚡️ Powered by Boxlight.io https://www.boxlight.io/ Credits: Producer: Sunny Winter Producer: Thuy Dong Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

July 1, 2026

Why Coachability Beats Talent (And It Costs Your Promotions) | Nationwide former CEO Joe Garner

Joe Garner (Ex-CEO Nationwide) on Leading Through Crisis, Values-Driven Culture & Sustainable Performance Hayaatun interviews Joe Garner, former CEO of Nationwide Building Society (and previously at HSBC and Openreach), now an advisor to CEOs across the private and public sectors and the royal household. Garner traces formative experiences from age 11, his early leadership through rowing, and career lessons from P&G’s principle-led culture, a brief command-and-control dotcom stint, and the fast-paced environment at Dixons/Currys. He describes empowerment at HSBC via a signed “blank” £3m marketing spend and explains how crises like the financial crisis and COVID drove introspection about ethics and decision-making. Joe argues business overuses incentives and fear versus motivating through purpose, potential and play, and shares removing variable incentives at Nationwide. He emphasizes self-discipline, stopping before “finishing,” staying balanced, coachability (growth mindset), culture, and transitioning from workmates to playmates via sport. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Blank Check Leadership 00:42 Welcome to the Show 01:25 Meet Joe Garner 02:35 Life at Nationwide 04:21 Childhood Turning Point 07:22 Rowing Into Leadership 08:58 First Jobs and Values 10:39 Culture Clash Startup 12:22 Retail to Banking Leap 15:12 Crisis and Decision Ethics 16:53 The Private Lessons Book 18:42 Motivation Beyond Bonuses 24:19 Leading Under Pressure 27:56 Wolves and Wise Sayings 28:19 Wolf Proverbs Wisdom 29:16 Early Alarm Optimization 32:17 Discipline CEO Tradeoffs 35:02 Sport After CEO Life 38:07 Coachable Growth Mindset 40:41 CEO Coaching Framework 42:34 Stop Before Finish 44:15 Finance Culture Manosphere 46:57 Quick Fire Reflections 51:08 Episode Takeaways Subscribe to not miss an episode! ▶️ ⚡️ Powered by Boxlight.io https://www.boxlight.io/ Credits: Producer: Sunny Winter Producer: Thuy Dong Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is What We Don't Know with Matt Brittin & Hayaatun Sillem?: In a crazy world, how do we get better leaders?

This is the boardroom, unplugged.

—

Whether starting out, or a seasoned leader, you face a world we’ve never seen before - the future of work, politics, technology and society is harder to predict than ever. So how do we survive the uncertainty and thrive in complexity?

The successful leaders of the future will need a different set of skills and come from a broader range of backgrounds. This is for you.

We’re by leaders, for leaders - human stories, messy realities, tips and tricks to use today… not corporate talking points or retrospective perfection. How it really felt, the stuff we don’t see, the advice and events that shaped you and the hard-won wisdom you’d pass on to future leaders. —

What We Don’t Know is a collaboration between:

Matt Brittin CBE, Hayaatun Sillem CBE & Boxlight Creative Studio - the award winning production powerhouse behind UK’s biggest business shows.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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