Leading with James Ashton

S2 Episode 4 - The Crown Estate and Amanda Wakeley

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Episode notes

Dame Alison Nimmo and Amanda Wakeley join James Ashton to discuss juggling responsibilities, the power of coaching, trusting your team and putting your name over the door.


Dame Alison Nimmo is chief executive the Crown Estate, a diverse £14bn property portfolio that plays landlord to high-end retailers along London’s Regent Street as well as offshore wind farms along the coastline. The estate is owned by the Queen but independently managed and a portion of its profits fund the Royal Family.


Dame Alison’s career is rooted in regeneration, leading the team that rebuilt Manchester city centre after the 1996 bombing. As design director for the Olympic Delivery Authority, she was responsible for radical structures such as the aquatics centre and the velodrome that played host to the 2012 London Olympics.


Amanda Wakeley is the founder and creative director of the luxury clothing brand Amanda Wakeley which embraces ready-to-wear, handbags and accessories and a renowned wedding dress collection. Founded in 1990, the brand attracted early fans in the late Princess of Wales and Queen Rania of Jordan. Run from a flagship boutique in Mayfair, today its designs are worn by Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Michelle Obama. Wakeley is a spokesperson on fashion and wellbeing matters, as well as a breast cancer fundraiser.

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