Join Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, and Chris Maguire, Executive Editor of BusinessCloud, as they sit down with Steve Rigby, CEO of Rigby Group.

In this episode, Steve Rigby discusses:

• Life as an entrepreneur, business leader, investor and philanthropist
• His remarkable father Sir Peter Rigby
• Growing Rigby Group’s turnover from £1.5bn to £4bn
• Investing in disruptive AI firms
• How the US differs from the UK
• Getting growth back into the economy
• Importance of LinkedIn in leadership

Join Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, and Chris Maguire, Executive Editor of BusinessCloud, as they sit down with John Hughes, Chairman of Cortus Advisory Group and serial board member.

In this episode, John Hughes discusses:

• Rediscovering his mojo after a 29-year career at KPMG
• Turning around the fortunes of loss-making delivery giant Yodel
• Supporting ambitious companies like Modern Milkman
• The pain of electric cargo bike firm Zedify going into administration
• His role as Chairman of the ambitious Cortus Advisory Group
• Getting married again and having his daughter Harriet in his 50s

Join Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, and Chris Maguire, Executive Editor of BusinessCloud, as they sit down with Tom Dunlop, Founder and CEO of Summize.

In this episode, Tom Dunlop discusses:

• Turning his back on Olympic dream to launch Summize
• Lessons learned from 150+ investor pitches
• Growing ARR to 8 figures
• Raising $50m
• How to crack American market and
• Staying true to yourself

Join Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, and Chris Maguire, Executive Editor of BusinessCloud, as they sit down with Ruth Percival, Founder and CEO of Contollo Group.

In this episode, Ruth Percival discusses:

• Dealing with misogynism
• Why women have to work harder than their male counterparts
• Making 5 acquisitions and growing to £35m turnover in less than two years
• Building the right culture
• No dickheads rule
• Finding the right private equity partner
• Being married to Jonathan Boyers

Join Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, and Chris Maguire, Executive Editor of BusinessCloud, as they sit down with Fernando Kufer, CEO of Emmy award-winning visual experiences giant Disguise.

In this episode, Fernando Kufer discusses:

• How watching Massive Attack at Glastonbury in 2014 changed his life

• Speaking 7 different languages

• Tripling the size of Disguise

• Surviving and then thriving after Covid

• Winning two Emmy Awards

• Finding the right private equity partner

• Using tech to make Oasis, Bono and Beyonce immersive

Join Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, as he sits down with Adam Farricker, CEO of Empower Youth Zones, the charity behind Hideout Youth Zone in Manchester and Salford Youth Zone.

In this episode, Adam Farricker discusses:

• Growing up in one of Manchester’s most deprived neighbourhoods and how youth work changed the course of his life;
• The collapse of traditional youth services across the UK and the safeguarding challenges that created;
• How state-of-the-art Youth Zones provide safe spaces, hot meals, and life-changing opportunities for thousands of young people;
• The story behind philanthropist Fred Done’s involvement and the dealmaking required to fund and build Youth Zones;
• Partnering with local authorities and the private sector to create sustainable, long-term youth provision;
• The scale of impact so far, including thousands of members and tens of thousands of hot meals served; and
• Why backing Youth Zones isn’t just morally right, but a smart business decision for companies investing in future talent and their local communities.

Join Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, and Christopher Maguire, Executive Editor of BusinessCloud, sit down with the King of Fudge Cakes himself, Chris Ormrod, CEO of Cakesmiths, the entrepreneur who turned Ministry of Cake into a private equity success story… not once, but twice.

Episode summary

• Building, selling, re-acquiring and selling again the same cake business, turning Ministry of Cake into a private equity success story;
• Buying and selling six businesses;
• Learning people skills from Sir Richard Branson;
• Selling his house to become a first-time entrepreneur at 40;
• Importance of having no Plan B;
• Identifying your buyer on day one;
• Appointing yourself Prime Minister; and
• Working with private equity successfully.

Join Jonathan Boyers, Head of Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance, and Chris Maguire, Executive Editor of BusinessCloud, as they sit down to discuss Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget. In the second half of the episode, Jonathan will looks at the trends in the 2025 deals market and look at what 2026 might have in store.

Episode summary

• Who are the winners and losers from the long-awaited Budget?;
• Will we now see more companies listed in London?
• What impact will the Budget have on the deals industry?
• Will entrepreneurs now head for the UK exit door? and
• Quiet optimism for 2026.