In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Clare Montagu, CEO of Poppy’s, a funeral director serving Greater London from three premises. Clare joined Poppy’s as Chief Operating Officer in 2021 and became CEO in 2022. Under her leadership the business has grown to three premises and achieved B Corp status.

In their conversation, they discuss:

Why Poppy Mardall founded Poppy’s in response to television exposés on poor care of the dead and exploitative pricing, and how Poppy’s approaches funerals and the care of the dead differently.

Why Clare urges everyone to talk about death and dying, and the basics worth discussing with the people who will arrange your funeral.

How Poppy’s recruits for emotional intelligence and supports its team through boundaries, reflective sessions and rituals like their culture breakfast.

Why Poppy’s is growing at a sustainable pace, funding expansion itself for now and opening premises selectively, and how its culture can outlast its current leaders.

Poppy’s: https://www.poppysfunerals.co.uk/

Menkus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, the strategy firm for businesses with a broader purpose. His McKinsey training combined with more than 30 years working at Board and ExCo level gives him both the analytical rigour and the insight that complex, high-stakes leadership situations demand.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast. It explores how senior leaders bring purpose to life through strategy.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Ricardo Baptista Leite, CEO of HealthAI, the global agency for responsible AI in health. HealthAI is an implementing partner between national governments and international standard-setters for AI safety in healthcare. Ricardo has led HealthAI since 2023, and he is clear that AI can only scale to help people if its rollout is safe.

In their conversation, they discuss:

· How HealthAI works with member countries on national AI policy: assessing the regulatory baseline, strengthening policy and filling gaps, and continually monitoring as the AI landscape changes.

· The global infrastructure HealthAI has built for AI safety, including the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network and the HealthAI Global Early Warning System.

· HealthAI’s own style of strategy development for scaling beyond 10 member countries.

· The economic incentives that push for speed, and why Ricardo argues that safety is essential to scale. He leaves listeners with a call to action: have a position on AI safety and share it with your legislator.

HealthAI: https://healthai.agency/

Menkus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, the strategy firm for businesses with a broader purpose. His McKinsey training combined with more than 30 years working at Board and ExCo level gives him both the analytical rigour and the insight that complex, high-stakes leadership situations demand.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast. It explores how senior leaders bring purpose to life through strategy.

In this episode of The Purposeful Strategist, Belden Menkus speaks with Peter Haden, Chief Executive of Fletchers Group, one of the UK's leading personal injury and clinical negligence law firms. As a PE-backed firm, a major focus for Fletchers is scaling while maintaining service and values. In their conversation, they discuss:

· The relatively new role of private equity in the legal space, and how it plays out at Fletchers.

· How Peter and his exec team manage through rapid change, including weekly review meetings across every aspect of the practice.

· The strategic thinking behind how Fletchers approaches acquisitions.

· The unique challenges of a firm built around caring for clients who are facing serious injury or malpractice.

· Why Peter sees doing right by people and doing right by the business as the same thing.

Fletchers: https://www.fletcherssolicitors.co.uk/

Menkus & Associates: https://www.menkus.com/

Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/

Belden Menkus is the Managing Director of Menkus & Associates, the strategy firm for businesses with a broader purpose. His McKinsey training combined with more than 30 years working at Board and ExCo level gives him both the analytical rigour and the insight that complex, high-stakes leadership situations demand.

Belden hosts The Purposeful Strategist, a weekly podcast. It explores how senior leaders bring purpose to life through strategy.