It felt oddly familiar walking into the Macadam Building at King’s College London again. The same view over the Thames. The same top-floor buzz. Thirty years ago, that space turned into a nightclub after dark; now it’s a lecture theatre. Today it still hums, only with different possibilities.

When I invited Rowley Douglas MBE onto Next Time Around, I knew the conversation would be worth having. He’s lived two very different careers — Olympic rowing and software sales leadership — and I wanted to explore what connects them. What followed wasn’t a neat retelling of his journey, but a set of reflections that apply as much to building businesses as they do to winning medals.

On Next Time Around, Lauren and I spoke with Susan Robson MBE, CEO of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES). Before taking on that role, she spent two decades at National Grid in risk, investment, and leadership positions, and was named by the Financial Times as one of its Top 100 Future Female Leaders. She was awarded an MBE for services to energy.

On Next Time Around, Lauren and I spoke with Scarlett Allen-Horton — founder and CEO of Harper Fox Partners, a global executive search firm specialising in energy and sustainability. Many will know Scarlett from her appearance on The Apprentice, where she became Lord Sugar’s business partner. What matters more is what she’s chosen to do since: building a business that focuses on diverse leadership, the energy transition, and shaping a workforce that can take on the challenges of climate and sustainability.