Beatrice Lafon is a top retail troubleshooter, having been CEO of Claire’s Accessories, NED of SuperDry, a board member of Pizza Express and many more powerful retail brands. She is here to tell you about the life and sacrifices of a successful CEO and how to become one.

Whether you’re a seasoned CEO or even an aspiring one, and are interested in gaining insights into the world of retail, the hard choices you make as a CEO and how to live with them, or just want to reflect on your own leadership journey, then this episode is a must-watch.

Timestamps:00:00 - Trailer02:52 - Joining Marks & Spencers08:51 - Deciding to Go Down the Business Route15:56 - Moving From a Big Business to a Small One18:54 - The Hardest Thing About Working With Private Equity22:14 - What Beatrice Was Most Proud of in Her Role at Claire’s25:00 - The Retail Business Then vs. Now29:54 - What the Younger and Older Generation Take for Granted33:57 - What is Required Now to be a CEO?37:06 - Why the Ability to Listen is the Best Quality a Leader Can Have44:07 - Why Beatrice Stepped Down as Claire’s CEO 49:12 - Have You Sacrificed Your Personal Life as a CEO?51:16 - Advice For Your Younger Self53:43 - Making Mistakes55:41 - Planning for the Unexpected: Death and Divorce01:02:31 - Defining Success and Failure01:06:45 - Sports and Leadership01:12:04 - Why Life Doesn’t Have to be Hard01:18:04 - The Best Piece of Business Advice You’ve Been Given

With 40 years of experience in retail, spanning from executive roles in blue chip companies like M&S and J Sainsbury's to leading turnaround efforts for PE-backed businesses such as Claire’s and Kondor, Beatrice is a seasoned expert in financial restructuring and operational leadership. She’s currently serving on multiple boards and driving restructuring efforts for companies like Pizza Express Group PLC.

Beatrice Lafon:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doctorbeatricelafon/

Maria Hvorostovsky:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycareerwithmaria/?img_index=1TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maria_hvoX: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovskyHVO Search: https://www.hvosearch.com

Podcast filmed, edited and produced by:https://www.londonbeautyphotographer.com

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