Gilad Tiefenbrun, CEO of Linn Products, joins Sir Andrew Strauss and Dr Pete Lindsay to share the turning points that shaped his leadership - from Symbian and the smartphone shift to rebuilding culture and product at Linn.
Welcome to The Mindflick Podcast - where we explore the psychology of high performance and the turning points that shape how people think, lead, and grow.
Our guest is Gilad Tiefenbrun - CEO of Linn Products, the Scottish audio company founded in 1973 by Ivor Tiefenbrun, creators of the iconic Sondek LP12 turntable and industry-leading network music streamers.
Although Andrew and Pete have known the brand for years, this conversation goes deeper - unpacking culture, process, and the choices that kept Linn focused on craft and customers.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
· Why “integration early and often” beats siloed delivery - and how Gilad applied lessons from Symbian to cross-functional hardware, electronics, and software teams.
· How to steady a team in crisis - moving from blame to ownership, and rebuilding trust through clear roles and cadenced integration.
· Culture you can feel - why process must live within teams (not a separate “quality” function), and how “playing captains” out-perform top-down managers.
· Long-term thinking, customer-first - from the LP12’s modular, upgradable design to software-updatable streamers launched in 2007.
· On market leadership and humility - how Nokia’s slow embrace of full-touch smartphones became a cautionary tale about complacency at the top.
About Linn Products Founded in 1973, Linn is known for engineering that lasts - most famously the Sondek LP12, which can be upgraded from any era to current specification. Today Linn builds reference-level audio systems and network music players trusted by enthusiasts worldwide.
About the guest. Gilad Tiefenbrun is CEO of Linn Products. He spent his early career in UK tech at Symbian before joining Linn in 2003, where he has led the evolution from legendary turntables to software-driven, upgradeable streaming systems — while rebuilding culture around ownership, process, and long-term craft.
About Mindflick At Mindflick, we help leaders, teams, and athletes unlock performance through mindset. Our performance psychometric and platform have supported Olympic champions, world-class teams, and Fortune 500 companies to think differently, adapt faster, and perform when it matters most.
Learn more: www.mindflick.co.uk Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mindflick3
Hosts: Sir Andrew Strauss & Dr Pete Lindsay Guest: Gilad Tiefenbrun, CEO, Linn Products Producer: Mindflick Ltd. All enquiries: Dr Sam Porter - sam@mindflick.co.uk
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