Richard Walker, Executive Chairman at Iceland Foods: Why Peas, Property and Purpose Matter More Than Profit

Episode Guest:

Richard Walker is the Executive Chairman of Iceland Foods and a passionate advocate for responsible business. He also founded the sustainable property firm Bywater, blending purpose, grit and leadership to champion people and planet.

Episode Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

0:48 Why business is a force for good

1:34 Richard’s first job and early lessons in customer service

3:44 What makes a great communicator?

4:53 Battling assumptions and proving himself

6:14 A year on the shop floor: lessons in humility and leadership

8:15 The power of team culture in retail

9:42 Leadership vs management

10:46 Facing hard days in a tough industry

11:58 The palm oil campaign — and media backlash

13:39 Social impact: microloans, food banks and responsibility

15:00 Why politics wasn’t the answer

16:57 Learning resilience through failure and Everest

19:06 Just keep going: Richard’s Everest analogy

20:28 Biggest money regret

21:09 Richard’s money tip to his younger self

21:56 The Poland chapter: starting from scratch

24:51 Returning to the UK and building a bold property vision

28:03 Pushing through the no’s

29:41 Rethinking what a ‘network’ really means

30:59 Is social media helping or harming ambition?

32:13 Staying authentic in the influencer age

33:50 The four Ps: Passion, Purpose, Profit & Peace

36:43 The influence of Richard’s father and family legacy

38:58 Why Richard joined Iceland despite doubts

40:24 The invisible driver behind Richard’s success

41:52 Richard’s duvet flip moment

Episode Partners:

📊 Compare the Market

Discover how you can make a difference at Compare the Market, the company behind one of the UK’s most popular comparison sites. From tech and data to marketing and operations, they’re on a mission to simplify decisions for millions.

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