The Rise of the COO podcast
The COO role isn’t what it used to be.
Today’s COO isn’t just delivering the strategy – they’re shaping it, stress-testing it, and increasingly stepping up as the natural successor to the CEO. They sit at the centre of everything: growth and efficiency, transformation and stability, people and performance. And the pressure to get it right has never been higher. As more execution and capability move outside the organisation – into platforms, partners and AI – what remains at the core is something harder to define: judgement, accountability, trust and resilience.
This podcast is built for that reality.
Each episode brings you into candid conversations with COOs and senior leaders navigating these tensions in real time – what’s changing, what’s working, and what’s coming next.
No theory. No noise. Just real insight from those doing the role.
Because operating today – and preparing for what’s next – takes more than execution. It takes perspective.
Episode 14: Whose job is it anyway?
The modern COO and the disappearing boundaries of leadership
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Episode 14: Whose job is it anyway?
The modern COO and the disappearing boundaries of leadership
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Episode 13: The COO’s Mental Decision Equation
Every COO is solving the same equation – whether they name it or not.
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Episode 13: The COO’s Mental Decision Equation
Every COO is solving the same equation – whether they name it or not.
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Episode 12: The tyranny of the urgent: how COOs stop the firefighting loop
Here’s how COOs design calm – so reliability beats heroics, every time.
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Episode 12: The tyranny of the urgent: how COOs stop the firefighting loop
Here’s how COOs design calm – so reliability beats heroics, every time.
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Episode 11: COOs as translators: Bridging the boardroom and the business
What does it really take to be the ultimate connector in business, building relationships that drive influence, accelerate delivery and create lasting value?
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Episode 11: COOs as translators: Bridging the boardroom and the business
What does it really take to be the ultimate connector in business, building relationships that drive influence, accelerate delivery and create lasting value?
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Episode 10: The resilient COO: Finding your inner edge beyond the boardroom
In episode 10, we delve into what it actually takes to be resilient at the top, exploring the habits and approaches that help leaders perform under pressure.
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Episode 10: The resilient COO: Finding your inner edge beyond the boardroom
In episode 10, we delve into what it actually takes to be resilient at the top, exploring the habits and approaches that help leaders perform under pressure.
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Episode 9: The COO’s compass: Setting direction and driving impact
In episode 9, we explore what it really takes to succeed as a COO. From balancing the second-by-second running of the UK’s electricity system to planning the energy system out to 2050.
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Episode 9: The COO’s compass: Setting direction and driving impact
In episode 9, we explore what it really takes to succeed as a COO. From balancing the second-by-second running of the UK’s electricity system to planning the energy system out to 2050.
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Episode 8: Operational resilience: from crisis to comeback
In episode 8, we discuss the critical role of the Chief Operating Officer during times of crisis and transformation.
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Episode 8: Operational resilience: from crisis to comeback
In episode 8, we discuss the critical role of the Chief Operating Officer during times of crisis and transformation.
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Episode 7: Evolving from operator to orchestrator
In episode 7, we look at how the COO role is rapidly evolving from operational manager to strategic orchestrator, helping to shape the future of the firm.
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Episode 7: Evolving from operator to orchestrator
In episode 7, we look at how the COO role is rapidly evolving from operational manager to strategic orchestrator, helping to shape the future of the firm.
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