Nick Peel - Human-First Leadership

What if your greatest legacy isn’t what you build, but who you build with along the way? In this episode of Legendary Leaders, your host, Cathleen O’Sullivan, invites you into a candid conversation with Nick Peel, a leader whose career spans some of the world’s most ambitious projects, from Arsenal Football Club to the cutting-edge NEOM "Line" project in Saudi Arabia. You’ll hear how Nick’s human-first approach to leadership has empowered teams to thrive under pressure, transcending titles and status in favour of authenticity, humility, and genuine impact. Together, they explore why self-awareness, openness to failure, and the courage to lead with empathy are at the heart of truly legendary leadership. Tune in to discover how embracing your humanity and building others up may just be the most powerful legacy you leave behind.

 

Episode Timeline: 

00:00 Introduction

11:51 Embracing innovation and tackling ambitious projects

15:48 The importance of authenticity and being human in leadership

20:16 Learning from failure and the power of reflection

32:06 Building a strong, supportive family while leading global projects 

38:09 Leading high-performing teams through empowerment and simplicity

44:22 The origins of NEOM’s The Line: bold ideas and collaboration

52:03 Leading diverse teams and unlocking innovation through trust

57:31 Supporting women’s leadership for future generations

 

Key Takeaways: 

• Nick shares stories of nurturing talent and pride in seeing former colleagues grow, highlighting the importance of building others up on your leadership journey.

• Nick discusses the value of showing up authentically, empowering diverse teams, and leading with humility, whether in the high-pressure corporate world or ambitious projects like NEOM’s "The Line". 

• Nick’s career, shaped more by "default than design," showcases how adaptability, curiosity, and learning steer personal and professional growth. He talks of the importance of reflection, being open to new ideas and leveraging lessons from both success and failure.

 

ABOUT Nick Peel

Nick has over 30 years of senior commercial and operational leadership expertise under his belt with esteemed organisations like Arsenal FC, LandSec,  Battersea Power Station, McArthur Glen Designer Outlets, and Morrison Supermarkets. He has also held Non-Exec roles with a number of entities, including UCI World Cycling Championships, Streetwork charity, and Icons.com. His career spans retail, hospitality, property / real estate and sports, which he confesses is more by default than by design. 

 

Nick is currently Director of Operational Readiness for THE LINE, the futuristic city under development at NEOM in Saudi Arabia. He specializes in building high performance teams, creating go to market strategies, building the new, and fixing the broken. He prides himself on a ‘ human first ‘ leadership style, and is motivated by change, learning, travel, and in particular his family and children.

 

Connect with Nicholas:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-peel-a5943a9?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app 

 

Connect: 
 

Find | Cathleen O’Sullivan 

Business: cathleenmerkel.com  

Email: [e-mail] 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

 

 

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