Leading with James Ashton

S2 Episode 5 - Leon and the Royal Albert Hall

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Episode notes

John Vincent and Craig Hassall join James Ashton to discuss putting on a show, screwing up, finding the right mentor and how to tackle US expansion.


John Vincent is co-founder and chief executive of Leon, the healthy fast food chain whose hot chicken boxes and plant-based burgers have reinvented lunchtime for city workers since it opened its doors 15 years ago. Leon has more than 50 outlets in the UK and employs 1600 staff. With annual sales of close to £100m, now Vincent is eyeing expansion in the United States.


His first taste of entrepreneurship was running an entertainment production company at university, before working at groceries giant Procter & Gamble and spending seven years as a consultant at Bain.


Craig Hassall is chief executive of the Royal Albert Hall, one of London’s iconic venues that is nearing its 150th birthday in 2021. Every year it hosts 400 performances in its main auditorium including the Proms season, Cirque du Soleil and the Teenage Cancer Trust’s concert week. The hall turned over £32m last year and welcomed 1.7m visitors.


Hassall ran the English National Ballet from 2005 and after that, Opera Australia. He was in charge of special events and festivals for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.

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