Vanguard Podcast

Welcome back to the Vanguard Podcast - Series 2 is finally here! This first episode is a compilation of interesting and insightful moments from the first series, that we consider to be the 'key takeaways'. If you like the new branding, feel free to share in on social media or give us a rating on your favourite streaming platform. Stay tuned for more innovative stories, with episodes being released every 2 weeks! 

The latest innovator to join Scott is Ian Moore, also known as the "Most Influential Person in Fire Safety". With a versatile career behind him - including 13 years in the Royal Navy - Ian is currently putting his many years of experience working in security and fire safety to good use, as the CEO of the Fire Industry Association (FIA). The not-for-profit FIA now represents over 800 UK companies (the largest in Europe) and promotes professionalism of the Fire Safety industry to a number of Government departments.

Ian is well decorated with awards for contributions to the fire and security industry, including a DTI Millennium Award for Innovation for one of his solutions and the Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2013 for Video Smoke Detection (VSD). VSD technology is now World renowned and manufactured by many companies around the World.

For lucky number 11 Scott is joined by Vanguard, Robert Baugh, Founder and CEO of Keepabl. This May marks the 3rd anniversary of the GDPR legislation coming into effect, so it's only right we bring in an expert! Rob has a magical way of making compliance and governance seem less daunting and more approachable for SME businesses.

With entrepreneurship running in the family, Robert inspires us to explore what makes us happy, take opportunities to travel and to evolve through taking risks and pivoting, whilst reminding us that self-evaluation and reflection is important in order to stay on track.

This episode Scott is joined by Andra Hedden, a natural innovator who eats, sleeps and breathes entrepreneurship. Andra is Chief Marketing Officer at Marketopia - the premier B2B marketing and lead generation agency for technology companies. 

With over 20 years experience in marketing and business development and 12 years of experience focused specifically on the IT channel, Andra's expertise and deep passion enables technology service providers to realize their growth potential. Over the past six years, Marketopia has evolved from a team of two to over 120 staff and recently expanded into Europe and APAC. Her passion has created an organisation recognized as a three-time Inc. 5000 award winner and ranked among the Tampa Bay Best Places to Work. 

We're excited to be joined by digital advocate, Andrew Grill - the 'Pragmatic Futurist'! Andrew has a broad career spanning over 30 years in large corporates such as IBM, British Aerospace and Telstra, as well as 12 years running technology start-ups. 

Andrew is a highly experienced keynote speaker and opens up a wide range of discussion points related to 'the workplace of the future', technology trends and the digital world. Unlike traditional Futurists who paint a picture of the future in 10, 20 or even 50 years’ time, Andrew can deliver practical and immediately actionable insights. Episode #9 is not one to miss!

The latest innovator to join the guest line-up is George Grant - CEO, Co-Founder and Publisher at Housing Technology - the leading technology information service and publisher of tech news and insights for the UK housing sector and local governments with over 20,000 readers.

During the podcast, George makes us aware that there are 300,000+ people homeless in the UK. He believes the housing crisis could be solved using the right mix of technology and social action and it’s his mission to do that by bringing together diverse housing experts globally to collaborate and help solve these problems.

In lucky number #7, Scott is joined by Tony Dalwood, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gresham House plc - the second business he has built. Tony shares his incredible industry insight, tips for investment and the innovation that he has seen in the finance industry over the years. 

Tony has over 25 years of experience in investing and advising numerous public and private equity businesses. He holds a Master of Arts in Management Studies from the University of Cambridge where he was also a junior rugby international and Blue. Tony is also a children's coach at rugby and cricket.

In episode #6, we are joined by well-seasoned security expert, Don Randall MBE who has dedicated his career to protecting people from crime, specialising in fraud, counter-terrorism and cybersecurity.

Don has earned himself some pioneering and industry-defining roles throughout his career... serving with the City of London Police from 1969-1995, he spent four years as Deputy Head of the Fraud Squad and three years in Operational Support Department. Don was also Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase from 1995. In August 2008, Don assumed the role of Head of Security at the Bank of England and in November 2013, he was appointed as the Bank’s first Chief Information Security Officer. In February 2015, Don moved to a consultative position with the Bank as their Cyber Ambassador. 

Don is Chairman of the ‘Sister Banks’, City of London Crime Prevention Association and ‘Project Griffin’ and a member of the City of London Crime Disorder Reduction Panel. Don also sits on the METCloud advisory board.

For episode #5, we are joined by the incredible Rob Scott - an established business leader with a wealth of experience and a reputation among industry insiders as a "competitive turnaround agent" who is willing to share his knowledge to help entrepreneurs (even competitors!) thrive to success. 

Rob is a true Vanguard, demonstrated by his versatile and opportunistic career pivots; from football to Formula 1 race car driving to technology executive. Tune in to hear how Rob stayed focussed and motivated throughout the twist and turns in the road.  

If you're looking for some motivation, this could be it! In our fourth episode, Scott invites industry veteran, Colin Knox - Founder & CEO of Gradient MSP. Colin is a technology innovator, passionate leader, and professional speaker focused on advising entrepreneurs how to grow, expand, and mature their businesses.