Building a Different Kind of Leadership
A Conversation with Scarlett Allen-Horton
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.
Scarlett’s story is one of resilience. She left home young, worked her way up in recruitment, and eventually decided to create something that aligned with her values. Today she advises some of the most important companies in energy and infrastructure on leadership and talent. Our conversation ranged from the skills gap in the sector, to diversity and inclusion, to the future of work. It was a reminder that the energy transition is not just about technology — it is about people.
From Grit to Leadership
Scarlett described how leaving home at sixteen shaped her. It forced her to be independent early, but it also gave her a drive to create something on her own terms. She didn’t present it as a dramatic backstory — more as the reality of her circumstances. It helped me understand the grit that runs through her approach today.
In recruitment, she learned the mechanics of placing candidates. But over time she saw the deeper question: not just who can do the job, but who will bring the leadership needed for long-term change. Founding Harper Fox was her answer to that. She wanted to build a firm that wasn’t just about transactions, but about shaping industries.
The link between personal history and professional focus was clear. Experiences that demand resilience often create leaders who are determined to build things differently.
The Energy Talent Gap
A theme we kept coming back to was the scale of the talent gap in energy and sustainability. Electrification, renewables, grid resilience, and AI are transforming the sector, but there simply aren’t enough people with the right skills to lead this transformation.
Scarlett described companies trying to deliver ambitious net zero strategies but struggling to find the leaders who can bring both technical expertise and organisational vision. That rang true for me. At Powerverse we see the same challenge: the energy transition isn’t short of ideas or technology, but it is short of leadership bandwidth.
The real bottleneck is human. Without leaders who can understand systems, balance stakeholders, and motivate teams, progress stalls.
Diversity as a Systemic Advantage
Scarlett’s passion for diversity in leadership came through strongly. For her, this isn’t a side issue. It is central to solving the sector’s biggest problems.
She pointed out that industries like energy and infrastructure have been slow to diversify. Leadership teams often look and think the same. Yet the problems we’re facing — from decarbonisation to resilience — demand fresh thinking. Diversity brings that.
This is where Scarlett’s perspective connected with my own systems view. A system with too much uniformity becomes brittle. It lacks the adaptability needed to respond to shocks. A system with diversity — of perspective, of background, of thought — is more resilient. For companies, the same is true.
The Apprentice and Entrepreneurship
Lauren brought up Scarlett’s experience on The Apprentice. Scarlett described it as tough but formative. Being put under pressure, challenged in public, and tested week by week gave her confidence that she could hold her own.
But what mattered more was what she did after. Instead of simply using the platform for short-term gain, she channelled it into Harper Fox and into causes she believes in. That says something about how she views entrepreneurship: not as a personal brand exercise, but as building something that can shift an industry.
It was a reminder that opportunities only matter if they are used with intent.
The Future of Work in Energy
We spent a good part of the conversation talking about the changing nature of work itself. Hybrid models, flexible expectations, and generational shifts are transforming what people want from their careers.
Scarlett described how younger candidates often prioritise purpose and flexibility over pay. They want to work for companies that take climate seriously, that offer balance, and that invest in development. For an industry like energy, which can sometimes feel slow and traditional, that is a major challenge.
Her advice to companies was clear: adapt or lose talent. The best people won’t wait around for leadership that ignores what they value.
AI, Cyber, and Grid Resilience
Another important thread was the technology agenda. Scarlett pointed to cyber security and AI as growing areas of concern for the sector. With electrification tying more of daily life into the grid, vulnerabilities multiply. At the same time, AI offers new opportunities to optimise systems but also raises questions about skills and oversight.
For me, this highlighted how leadership now requires breadth as much as depth. It’s not enough to know one domain. Leaders need to navigate across technology, policy, and human factors. The same is true inside Powerverse: success depends on seeing the whole system, not just one part of it.
Culture Over Control
Listening to Scarlett describe how she advises clients, I found myself reflecting on my own journey. In my first business, I held on tightly, driving everything myself. It delivered results but also carried costs. Over time, I’ve learned that culture matters more than control.
Scarlett reinforced that point in her own way. She said that leadership today is less about command-and-control and more about creating an environment where people want to stay and contribute. Retention comes from culture, not pressure. That matches my experience. No amount of driving effort will compete with the power of a team that feels trusted and valued.
Recruitment as System Change
Scarlett framed recruitment not as filling jobs, but as shaping the system. Every placement changes the leadership of an organisation, and with it, the culture and direction. Seen this way, recruitment becomes a lever for systemic change.
If you place more diverse leaders, you accelerate inclusion. If you place leaders who understand sustainability, you accelerate the transition. Recruitment isn’t just a service — it’s part of how industries evolve.
What I Took Away
What I took away from our conversation with Scarlett was threefold.
First, the energy transition depends as much on people as on technology. The skills gap is real, and without the right leaders in place, progress will slow.
Second, diversity is not optional. It is a source of resilience and adaptability. If we want to solve big, complex problems, we need leaders who bring different perspectives.
And third, leadership itself is changing. Culture, purpose, and flexibility are now central to how companies attract and keep talent. Those who ignore that reality will find themselves left behind.
Scarlett’s journey — from leaving home at sixteen, to building a career in recruitment, to creating a firm that aligns with her values — shows how personal resilience and professional vision can come together. For me, it was a reminder that the energy transition isn’t abstract. It is shaped by the leaders we choose, the teams we build, and the systems we design.