Professor Laura Empson and Tony Hall, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, explore the crucial leadership questions currently facing professional organisations and their leaders. They uncover the complicated, messy and surprisingly emotional challenges of leading professionals. Laura and Tony interview senior leaders from some of the most successful global professional organisations, including EY, Slaughter & May, MI6, Spencer Stuart and the BBC.  And they build on their own insights from their lifetimes of researching, leading, and advising professional organisations. Each episode reveals the complex realities that lie beneath the ‘professional’ veneer that these highly successful organisations, and their leaders, present to the outside world. This podcast is for any professional who has, or aspires to have, a leadership role – who wants to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and develop solutions. Find out more at https://www.lauraempson.comLaura Empson is Professor in the Management of Professional Service Firms at Bayes Business School, University of London, and holds Research Fellowships at Harvard Law School and Cambridge University. She has been conducting academic research into professional organisations for 30 years and acts as an advisor to the leaders of many of the world’s leading professional organisations. Her most recent book is: Leading Professionals: Power, Politics, and Prima Donnas. https://www.lauraempson.comTony Hall, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, is a cross-bench member of the House Of Lords. He was Director General of the BBC, President of the European Broadcasting Union, Chairman of the National Gallery, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, Deputy Chair of Channel 4 and Chair of the Cultural Olympics for London 2012. He now chairs Frontline, a charity that trains social workers, is Deputy Chair of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and a trustee of the National Trust and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.