Observer business profile
Each week Observer writers take a closer look at one of the leading business figures in the news
‘Who buys a retail brand during Covid?’ The man who revived salad chain Tossed
The healthy eating chain almost collapsed during lockdown, but now has visions of putting down roots beyond its core London market
‘I totally understand why people are sceptical’: the co-founder of collapsed energy giant Bulb on his new venture
Amit Gudka is reinventing himself after the failure of his energy firm by plugging into the global battery boom
‘Songwriters deserve a bigger piece of the pie’: the music publishing boss on the threat of AI
Shani Gonzales of Warner Chappell says that although people are ‘having fun’ with creating AI songs, ‘what happens when someone tries to sell it?’
‘Encryption is deeply threatening to power’: Meredith Whittaker of messaging app Signal
The woman in charge of the secure communication channel remains implacably opposed to the ‘disease’ of surveillance – and concerned about the sharing of personal data
‘It should be a right to fix your phone’: the boss of booming secondhand tech firm Back Market
Thibaud Hug de Larauze says sales at his secondhand electronics retailer are soaring not just because people need to save money, but because they also care about waste
Fiftysomethings in pink bobble jumpers: how White Stuff’s boss plans to tap midlife trends
Jo Jenkins is making a play for the mature shoppers left bereft after the loss of so many of Britain’s department stores
Jeff Dodds: the Formula E boss planning a move into pole position
Petrolheads are quick to scorn the idea of electric car racing, but the series’ chief executive is sure that time, technology – and even geography – are on his side
‘It’s not vital to spend five days a week in the office’: the bank boss who works from home
While big beasts on Wall Street rail against WFH, Mike Regnier of Santander UK says he wouldn’t have taken the job if he had had to commute all week
‘It will take two decades to fix the housing crisis’: The developer reshaping south London
Rick de Blaby is at the forefront of the UK’s nascent build-to-rent sector. But can he calm nerves over the transformation of bustling Elephant & Castle?
‘Labour will surpass your expectations’: the leftwing thinktank boss standing on Starmer’s agenda
Miatta Fahnbulleh is running for parliament – and, as a black female economist, hopes to broaden parliament’s outlook on ‘the rules of the game’
‘It’s pretty gloomy out there’: new NFU chief Tom Bradshaw fights to give food producers a better deal
Rishi Sunak claimed to have farmers’ backs but their union’s president is far from convinced, as he spars with the government over floods, falling markets and fraught retailer relations
Running the cash-strapped Southbank Centre: ‘We feared Cate Blanchett would get stuck in a lift!’
The head of London’s busy, brutalist arts complex says she needs funding so urgently that she might even consider giving a sponsor the right to rename it
Viagogo boss Cris Miller: Carrying on ticketing, despite the controversy
The resale website boss is cagey about talk of it profiting from dodgy touts, but does seem rattled by Labour’s plan to cap resale prices
‘It’s their caution and my optimism’: Mamma Mia! producer Judy Craymer on working with Björn and Benny
The woman who talked Benny and Bjorn into putting Mamma Mia! on stage 25 years ago this weekend is still ‘having the time of her life’, with a third Abba film possibly in the works
‘When people want a treat they are looking for the Cadbury they know’: Mondelēz UK boss Louise Stigant on changing times
With cocoa and sugar prices at record highs and tougher regulation to fight rising obesity, the head of Cadbury’s has a lot on her plate over the peak chocolate season of Easter
‘I’m not profiting from misery. I’m averting more’ – Thales’s UK boss on making missiles for Ukraine
Whether manufacturing drones or printing British blue passports, the defence contractor is flying high in a geopolitically risky climate
‘The total toy platform’: boss of The Entertainer aims for infinity and beyond
Andrew Murphy is planning a long game with overseas deals. But, he says, the government needs to play ball too
‘It’s for the judge to decide’: Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s battle to defend his Easy brand
The tycoon behind the low-cost franchise is ever vigilant for companies he suspects of infringing his intellectual property
Ready meal king Charlie Bigham: ‘I haven’t seen a single benefit from Brexit yet’
The man who started making fish pies on his kitchen table served up healthy sales of £133m last year, despite staff and cost issues … and the problem of being outside the EU
‘It’s still disruptive’: why the Co-op’s first female boss has big plans for expansion
Shirine Khoury-Haq has faced hard times and family tragedy in a career that has taken her from working in Pizza Hut to the head of the boardroom
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