What We Don't Know with Matt Brittin & Hayaatun Sillem

Positive Leadership in a Chaotic World: Natasha Frangos on Culture, Growth, and Leading a Partnership Welcome to What We Don't Know with Matt Brittin & Hayaatun Sillem. The show about better leadership in a truly chaotic world. Across the series, episodes are hosted by Matt and Hayaatun as well as a range of other leading figures, bringing different perspectives to each conversation. Subscribe to not miss an episode! ▶️ ⚡️ Powered by Boxlight.io https://www.boxlight.io/ ------ Recorded at the Anthropy Conference at the Eden Project in Cornwall, Hayaatun interviews Natasha Frangos, managing partner of accountancy firm Haysmac, about leading with energy, authenticity, and optimism amid industry headwinds. Natasha shares how her Greek Cypriot upbringing, resilient grandmother, and accountant father shaped her leadership and view of trusted advisory relationships. She traces her path from leading the firm’s Creative Media & Tech sector to a firm-wide corporate role during COVID, then being elected as the firm’s first female managing partner in its first contested election. We cover partnership leadership and governance, culture as a driver of growth, developing and retaining homegrown talent, mentoring outside the sector, AI and automation strategy, competing as a mid-tier firm, staying independent amid PE consolidation, and sustaining energy through family, yoga, and theatre. 00:00 First Female Managing Partner 00:33 Rainforest Podcast Setup 02:27 Natasha Role Overview 03:47 Family Roots and Resilience 08:18 Ambition and Peer Support 09:45 Ant Trail Interlude 10:14 First Leadership Sector Focus 12:22 Founder Lessons and Investors 15:29 COVID Board Leadership 18:03 Chief Herder of Cats 19:47 Election and Imposter Feelings 23:03 Mentors and Outside Perspective 24:37 Growth Is Never Done 25:43 Creating Shared Momentum 27:31 People Over Numbers 29:24 Defining Culture In Practice 31:49 AI Anxiety And Upskilling 34:51 Mid Size Edge And Partnerships 37:22 Staying Energized As Leader 39:03 Role Model Pressure And Legacy 41:53 Big Priorities For The Year 44:25 Quickfire Leadership Round 47:50 Consolidation And Career Loyalty 51:25 West London And Final Takeaways 53:59 Closing Reflections And Wrap Credits: Producer: Sunny Winter Producer: Thuy Dong Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time Management for Leaders: The 4Ds, Being Present, and Making Busy Work Matter Welcome to What We Don't Know with Matt Brittin & Hayaatun Sillem. The show about better leadership in a truly chaotic world. Across the series, episodes are hosted by Matt and Hayaatun as well as a range of other leading figures, bringing different perspectives to each conversation. Subscribe to not miss an episode! ▶️ ⚡️ Powered by Boxlight.io https://www.boxlight.io/ Hayaatun and Matt explore why leaders obsess over time and how choices, not sheer scarcity, shape outcomes. They discuss practical tools for overload, including Hayaatun’s “4Ds” (delegate, delay, drop, do), getting worries out of your head and into reliable systems (quadrant to-do lists, calendars, colored pens), and tackling the scariest task first to reduce stress. Hayaatun shares formative lessons from the high-pressure pace of the House of Commons and the value of trusted teamwork, while Matt reflects on preparing for leadership “set pieces,” using low-meeting days, processing time (commutes), and block time for deep work. They cover signals leaders send through calendars, the importance of hiring and tough conversations, meeting waste, and why sleep matters despite occasional crunches. 00:00 Zombie Consultants Intro 00:33 Time Choices Question 01:32 Meet The Hosts 02:09 Leader Time Signals 04:30 Four Ds Framework 06:10 Drop And Do 08:30 Quadrant List System 12:07 House Of Commons Pace 16:40 Fast Drafting Lesson 20:02 Prepared CEO Style 22:54 Safety Valves And Fridays 24:47 Calendar As Choices 27:02 Sauna Politician Aside 27:49 PhD Roots Of Time 29:01 Overwhelm And Fear 29:41 Do Scary Thing First 30:52 PhD Stress Triggers 32:20 Emotions As Data 34:19 Peak Hours Block Time 35:23 Travel Energy Management 37:42 Busy Leader Signals 40:48 What Leaders Cant Delegate 43:53 Chunk Time Strategy 46:16 Calendar And Team Alignment 51:15 Time Audits And Meetings 53:56 Sleep And Crunch Times 56:36 Key Takeaways On Time Management Credits: Producer: Sunny Winter Producer: Thuy Dong Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Post Producer: Ben Alexander Kippen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to What We Don't Know with Matt Brittin & Hayaatun Sillem. The show about better leadership in a truly chaotic world. Across the series, episodes are hosted by Matt and Hayaatun as well as a range of other leading figures, bringing different perspectives to each conversation. Subscribe to not miss an episode! ▶️ ⚡️ Powered by Boxlight.io https://www.boxlight.io/ Mark Read on Leading WPP Through Chaos: Succession, Return-to-Office, AI & Creative Culture In this episode of What We Don’t Know, hosts Hayaatun and Matt interview Mark Read, who recently stepped down as CEO of WPP, about the realities of leading a 100,000-person global public company serving major clients like Google, Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Ford. Mark discusses moving from head-office “pigeon” roles to running a business, following a founder with a very different style, and why succession planning enables promotion. He shares CEO disciplines like fast responsiveness, balancing urgent vs important work, and communicating at scale during COVID. He explains his controversial return-to-office policy, handling a large employee petition, and learning to engage better. Mark also argues AI will transform work but won’t replace human judgment and creativity, illustrating with a “Fitbit on a chicken” campaign, and reflects on early-tenure decision-making, career risk-taking, and his next chapter. 00:00 Beachside Leadership Hook 00:45 Meet Mark Read 02:29 CEO Scope and Pressure 05:12 Early Career Origins 08:47 Learning by Doing 12:51 From Pigeon to Operator 15:54 Stepping Up to CEO 19:30 Taking the WPP Helm 22:39 Succeeding the Founder 26:03 Inbox Discipline and Introverts 29:08 Leading Your Own Way 30:18 Interviewing Visionaries 31:05 Elon Musk Takeaways 31:54 Showing Up as CEO 35:07 Return to Office Debate 39:25 Data Behind Attendance 40:06 Optimism in AI Era 41:52 Fit Chick Creativity Story 43:38 Building Creative Culture 46:49 Leadership Lessons Ahead 49:18 Next Chapter Plans 51:38 Quickfire Round Finale 53:42 Hosts Reflect and Wrap Credits: Producer: Sunny Winter Producer: Thuy Dong Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Post Producer: Ben Alexander Kippen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to What We Don't Know with Matt Brittin & Hayaatun Sillem. The show about better leadership in a truly chaotic world. Across the series, episodes are hosted by Matt and Hayaatun as well as a range of other leading figures, bringing different perspectives to each conversation. Subscribe to not miss an episode! ▶️ ⚡️ Powered by Boxlight.io https://www.boxlight.io/ Today we meet our co-host, Matt Brittin! After 18 years at Google - including a decade running Europe, the Middle East and Africa — Matt Brittin has stepped away from one of the most powerful roles in global tech. In this first episode of What We Don’t Know, hosts Hayaatun Sillem and Matt turn the lens inward - unpacking what happens when high-performance leadership stops, and what comes next. Matt opens up about his “midlife gap year,” life after intensity, and learning to be present again following the loss of his father. From a disruptive childhood to rowing for Great Britain — and a very public defeat in the Cambridge Boat Race — he reflects on the moments that shaped how he builds teams and leads under pressure. They also go deep on what really drove Google’s success: hiring at scale, building diverse teams, setting ruthless clarity of priorities, and the simple principle - put the best people on the most important problems, then get out of the way. Plus: navigating public scrutiny on tax, YouTube extremism, and what leadership looks like when you have to say “we got this wrong” — and fix it. This is a conversation about leadership after the job title — and why the most important lessons often come from what we don’t know. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:33 What We Don’t Know 02:14 Meet Matt Today 02:40 Midlife Gap Year 04:52 Family Time and AI 07:29 What He Misses 09:02 Pottery and Reset 10:28 Growing Up Britain 12:05 Bored at School 13:22 Rowing Changes Everything 15:13 Teamwork Lessons 19:02 Failure and Turnaround 23:52 From Sport to Business 27:32 Why Google Won 28:57 Day One at Google 30:38 Scaling and Hiring 33:21 Culture of Help 33:59 Hiring for Scale 35:07 Fixing Hiring Bias 37:04 Becoming Public Spokesperson 39:44 Stories Backed by Data 41:17 Crisis Comms on YouTube 45:14 Select Committees Pressure 46:54 Leadership Lessons Learned 48:37 Big Tech Backlash 51:06 Next Chapter Purpose 52:39 Resilience and Energy 55:09 Why This Podcast 01:01:57 Making Podcasts Work 01:06:55 Rapid Fire Wrap 01:11:32 Closing and Thanks Follow Matt and Hayaatun below 👇 https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayaatun/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-brittin-cbe-5aa6391/ Credits: Producer: Sunny Winter Producer: Thuy Dong Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Post Producer: Ben Alexander Kippen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a world that feels increasingly chaotic and uncertain, what does leadership really look like - and what do even the most experienced leaders still not know? Hosted by Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE and Matt Brittin, What We Don’t Know explores the realities of leadership today. Having both recently stepped down from major roles, they reflect on their own experiences while speaking with extraordinary guests from business, politics, technology and beyond. Together, they unpack the moments that shape leaders: crises, difficult decisions, unexpected lessons, and the questions that don’t always have easy answers. From negotiating with world leaders to navigating corporate chaos (and even finding lessons in nature), this podcast explores the human side of leadership - what works, what doesn’t, and what we’re all still figuring out. Follow the show and join the conversation as we explore the biggest question of all: what don’t we know about leadership yet? Credits Production Company: Boxlight Creative Studio Hosts: Matt Brittin CBE and Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE Executive Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE Lead Producer: Sunny Winter Junior Producer: Thuy Dong Editor: Ben Alexander Kippen Guest Booker & Operations: Vicki Gostling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices