#EdInfluence

S05 - E05 Andy Long

Trust isn’t a soft skill; it’s the system that makes ambitious work possible. Nick sits down with Northumbria University’s Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Andy Long, to unpack how an engineer’s mindset, a people-first approach, and a calm decision style can scale both research excellence and social mobility without losing humanity.We start with the formative years: an academic career in composite materials, the coalitions built through conferences, and the moment the UK’s composites community asked Andy to lead a national programme—not because he was the loudest voice, but because he was the most trusted. That experience forged a leadership philosophy centred on appointing great people, co-creating a clear vision, and stepping back so experts can deliver. From there, we explore the personal stakes of being first in the family to attend university and why widening participation isn’t a slogan at Northumbria; it’s a regional mission. Andy opens up about imposter syndrome and the practical habits that keep leaders grounded: prepare well, admit what you don’t know, and don’t try to be the expert on everything. He maps the transfer of engineering habits into executive decisions—test, measure, change one variable at a time, act with incomplete data—and shows how those principles guided Northumbria through pandemic pivots and complex operational choices. When an inherited overseas campus no longer fit, the team closed it with compassion and clarity, treating the decision as proof the institution can take risk, learn fast, and exit responsibly.Looking ahead, we confront funding headwinds, fee freezes, volatile international flows, and the need to prove value to a sceptical political climate. The response is concrete: experiential learning for every undergraduate, from the student law office to the business clinic, building confidence, networks, and outcomes. The 2030 ambition is clear and measurable—equal graduate success across backgrounds, higher for all—backed by an on-campus presence, hybrid communication that reaches thousands, and a culture with real “change muscle.”If you care about leadership that feels human, access that changes lives, and strategy that delivers results you can measure, this conversation offers a playbook you can use tomorrow. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway so we can keep the conversation moving. Let us know what you think of this episode - drop us a message and connect via LinkedIn. 

S05 - E04 Edward Vitalis

Edward Vitalis, CEO of Invictus Education Trust, shares how auditing governance in war-torn Liberia taught him resilience and shaped his leadership approach. He explains why his finance background is a superpower for education CEOs, breaking down the modern leadership "pie chart" where governance, estates, risk and growth outweigh pedagogy. Edward argues schools should lead innovation like industry, describing AI hackathons where staff and pupils solve real problems, yielding funded app ideas. He discusses creating sustainable environments where staff can "kick for the top right-hand corner of the net 20 times, fail 19 times, but get that big win on the 20th occasion". His mission: widening life chances. Let us know what you think of this episode - drop us a message and connect via LinkedIn. 

S05 - E03 Charlotte Blant

Charlotte Blant, founder and CEO of Tiro, shares how childhood adversity shaped her leadership approach. "The obstacle is the way," she explains, describing how early experiences taught her "respect over rescue" and gave her "empathy for people whose lives don't fit in neat boxes".Charlotte discusses how Tiro evolved from Youth Force to a science-focused apprenticeship provider, guided by three core values: think win-win, have a growth mindset, be a pace setter. "We are fusing technical excellence and education with human growth," she says, describing their mission to create shared value.She explores practical strategies for maintaining culture in hybrid work, including daily huddles and six-week goal cycles, whilst warning that "fear is creeping in" to British education and leadership. "You can't innovate with one foot on the brake," Charlotte argues, advocating for "courageous, values-led leadership that plans for success, not just avoiding failure".Drawing on psychoanalytic leadership training, Charlotte explains her shift "from reaction to reflection", and why "trusting people to be brilliant" is the antidote to fear-based control. Let us know what you think of this episode - drop us a message and connect via LinkedIn. 

S05 - E02 Paul Estes

Paul Estes joins us to trace a line from a high school election loss to leading teams at Dell, Amazon and Microsoft. His lesson: “innovation isn't about the idea - it's about the how”.We explore what makes organisations perform: a clear mission, an operating rhythm that works, and success signals sharp enough to guide decisions. Paul argues for practical AI experiments - prompt labs, cross-functional hackathons and shared libraries - that build literacy and judgement. We discuss why most AI agents stall at the last mile and why borrowing expertise beats reinventing it. Paul believes that what keeps leadership human is ritual and care. Real leadership shows up in small acts: recognition, pizza at 9pm, a personal card for a well-earned dinner. Listen to this episode to learn more. Let us know what you think of this episode - drop us a message and connect via LinkedIn. 

S05 - E01 Andrew Warren

How much impact can a simple note have on a child's life? In this conversation, Andrew Warren shares the story of a young boy who kept a tattered "Make me proud" note from his headteacher for years, revealing the extraordinary power of authentic connection in education.Andrew shared experience from his 40-year career, from primary school headteacher to Department for Education regional director, whilst chairing the Teaching Schools Council and being a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching along the way. Having shaped national education policy and worked extensively as a coach and professional mentor with headteachers and senior leaders across the country, Andrew offers valuable insights into leadership that resonate far beyond the education sector.  Let us know what you think of this episode - drop us a message and connect via LinkedIn.