Where does Executive Greatness come from? By helping executives, founders, and leadership teams communicate with conviction, clarity, and presence.

Ash is the Founder & CEO of the Executive Greatness Institute, where he has coached leaders at Cisco, Uber, Google, HPE, and Sprinklr to deliver powerful strategic narratives and keynote talks that inspire teams, boards, and customers.

He has also founded the Duh AI company, an incubator for AI-driven ventures.

The common thread across Ash's ventures and advisory work is conviction: the belief that when leaders communicate with purpose, people follow with energy and commitment. So, whether he is coaching executives, advising on digital transformation, or building AI platforms, his mission is to help people and organisations find their voice, tell their story, and realise their boldest ambitions.

The meeting begins with casual conversation as the participants introduce themselves and discuss topics like virtual backgrounds, lighting issues, and health concerns. They establish a relaxed, conversational tone.

The discussion turns to the importance of executive presence and effective communication. Ash Seddeek shares his expertise in helping leaders craft and deliver impactful messages tailored to their audience. He emphasises the need for energy, storytelling, and adapting the delivery style.

The group delves into the nuances of delivering effective investor pitches. Ash explains the importance of understanding the investors' perspectives and crafting the message accordingly, versus a more general employee communication. He highlights the need to build trust and excitement.

The conversation explores the potential impact of AI on communication and presentation. Ash and the hosts discuss the balance between AI-powered tools and the value of human expertise, presence, and the ability to provide honest, trusted feedback.

The meeting concludes with the hosts and Ash reflecting on the key takeaways from the discussion, including the importance of energy, audience adaptation, and the evolving role of technology in communication. They express gratitude for the insightful conversation.

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled in 2014 to provide data from The UK High Net Worth Database to marketers targeting affluent and high-net-worth customers. He's the founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, creating lead generation AI Agents & Workflows and introducing the MeclabsAI Platform. Graham also provides an Answer Engine Optimisation solution to get your website in shape to be found by LLMs.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He's the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com

With a Dragon's Den appearance being released the day before we release this podcast, we wanted our returning guest, John McClarey, on Business Fives to explain the process.

• Dragon's Den Appearance: Business Fives will appear on Dragon's Den (Feb 19, BBC) after being scouted by producers. John McClary pitched for £50k for 5% equity to fund international expansion.
• Rigorous Vetting Process: The 5-month BBC vetting process was a "stress test" for the business, including deep financial due diligence and a psychological welfare check to ensure readiness for public scrutiny.
• Strategic Goal → Mentorship: The primary goal was mentorship from a Dragon, not just capital. The investment was earmarked for international research and a new CRM, not hiring, to protect the company's personal service USP.
• Podcast Release Delayed: The episode release was moved to Feb 20, 2026, to comply with a BBC embargo that prevents pre-show publicity and protects the broadcast's impact.

• Growth: Surpassed £1M revenue milestone.
• Operations: Delivers corporate charity sports events (football, rugby, golf) across the UK, Ireland, and Amsterdam.
• Charitable Impact: Raised nearly £1.4M for charity to date.
• Example: A winning team from Stockton (MAP Group) recently raised £3k for Butterwick Hospice, which was doubled via the Big Give campaign.

• Origin: Scouted directly by a BBC producer, not via application.
• Pitch: £50,000 for 5% equity.
• Process (Feb–June): A 5-month, highly confidential vetting process.
• Due Diligence: Thorough financial review by the BBC to verify all claims.
• Psychological Welfare Check: A call with a psychologist to assess mental readiness for public exposure.
• Secrecy: The process was consuming, requiring John to internalize all details.

• Primary Goal → Mentorship: To gain a strategic partner with a shared passion for the mission, not just capital.
• Investment Allocation:
• International expansion research (e.g., Australia, Abu Dhabi, US).
• New CRM implementation.
• Business Protection (Barriers to Entry):
• Network: A community of 5,000+ companies.
• Expertise: 10 years of perfected event management processes.
• Brand: The "As Seen on TV" status from Dragon's Den.

• Franchise Model: A key option for non-English speaking markets (e.g., Hungary, Georgia).
• Rationale: Leverages local knowledge where the core team lacks it.
• Challenge: Protecting the brand and ensuring partner alignment with the mission.
• Vision: A "World Business Fives" tournament, modeled on FIFCO's international corporate leagues.

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled eleven years ago to help businesses market to affluent and high-net-worth...

Marc Walton is a Professional Forex Mentor and Trader, and ex-fund manager, who has been working in the finance industry for over 25+ years. He started FMP in 2008 and mentors students on how to trade professionally.

He retired from full-time trading in spring 2020 and now focuses on running Forex Mentor Pro, which is his passion. On top of that, he takes on a few private clients who wish to fast-track their trading progress each year. He also actively invests in metals, mining stocks, and cryptocurrencies, which he shares with students in his second business, Your Investing Future.

Marc discussed the importance of financial education, noting that most people lack understanding of how money and the financial system work. He shared his own experiences of learning about personal finance, investing, and alternative income streams like trading and crypto. Marc emphasised the need to be proactive in managing one's finances and not relying solely on traditional retirement plans, which he believes are inadequate for the longer lifespans people are now experiencing.

The group discussed the growing impact of AI and automation on jobs, with Marc and Kevin sharing examples of how AI is already replacing certain tasks previously done by human workers, including graduate-level research and analysis. They noted that this trend will likely accelerate, requiring people to adapt and find new ways to create value.

The conversation turned to the challenges of finding fulfilling activities and ways to spend time in retirement. Marc shared his own struggles with this, while Graham and Kevin acknowledged similar difficulties in figuring out how they want to spend their time post-retirement, beyond hobbies like golf that they don't find particularly engaging. The group agreed that maintaining mental and physical health is crucial.

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled ten years ago to help business owners and marketers market to affluent and high-net-worth customers. He's the founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, where he introduces AI Agents that you can talk to, that increase engagement, dwell time, leads, and conversions. Now, Graham is offering Answer Engine Optimisation that gets you ready to be found by LLM search.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He's the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com