Swim Against The Tide

In this week’s episode of Swim Against the Tide with Steve Henry, Will Lankston—Managing Director of Timpson Direct—shares his remarkable journey from working school holiday shifts in Timpson shops to leading one of the company’s fastest-growing divisions.

Will reveals the people-first philosophy behind Timpson’s success, including its unconventional hiring approach that prioritises personality over experience and its famous “upside down management” culture.

He explains why employee happiness directly fuels business growth, how mistakes are embraced as learning opportunities, and what social responsibility looks like in practice through Timpson’s longstanding commitment to employing ex-offenders.

Will also explores the future of Timpson Direct, the importance of personal development, and his advice for young professionals eager to build meaningful careers.

The SATT Team :) 

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What is Swim Against The Tide?

The idea behind Swim Against The Tide podcast is to meet founders and leaders of businesses who have launched and operate in competitive markets, taking the bigger, more established players head on. It is about exploring what drove them, how their brand stood out, what they had to do to win and what lessons they have learned that they can share with the listeners to hopefully inspire them to take their own journey.

The show is presented by Steve Henry, Co-Founder of the specialist marketing group Audience Collective. Steve has enjoyed a 30-year career in advertising helping 100s of brands win and grow. He is passionate about telling these stories and sharing their journeys, both good and bad, to help the next generation learn and encourage them to one day start their own challenger brand.

If you would like to be a guest on the podcast, please email satt@thisisaudience.com and we will be in touch.