Kerem, a London-born conductor with Cypriot roots, has gained international acclaim from his early win at the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival’s Young Conductors Award in 2017 to serving as Chief Conductor of the Tiroler Symphony Orchestra in Austria and performing globally, Kerem shares invaluable insights into his craft. He emphasises the importance of collaboration, active listening and adaptation to orchestras different styles, as he embarks on an incredible feat this year, in directing sixteen different orchestras, across sixteen of the world’s big cities, in just six months.

Kerem describes orchestras as high-performing teams and discusses how he guides them with authenticity, perceptiveness, and a strong sense of self, citing deep intuition and sensitivity as key to unlocking the potential of an ensemble. Kerem highlights the need to embrace mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve through intense practice, constantly refining his approach.

He introduces the concept and importance of multiple layers of awareness in leadership and underscores the evolving role of conductors in making classical music accessible, fostering community connections, and harnessing the universal power of the arts to bridge cultural divides.

Podcast Chapters

00:00:00-Welcome Kerem to Culture de-cooded

00:02:47-The Role of the Conductor

00:09:11-Adaptation to orchestras across the globe

00:13:13-Importance of continuous improvement & collaboration

00:18:47-Relationship between orchestra and conductor

00:22:03-Authentic leadership

00:29:15-Ability to read the room

00:31:16-Education in Glasgow & Zurich

00:36:09-Importance of Sleep

00:38:20-Looking ahead...

00:43:09-Idealism & the power of music

00:44:53-Kerem's Inspirations

00:48:27-Kerem's leadership philosophy in a song

In this episode Paul shares his experiences of the AI and tech industry and discusses the trials and tribulations of building culture and founding a business.

Before founding Thought Machine, Paul successfully launched two companies, the second of which was acquired by Google in 2010. At Google, he led the text-to-speech team, which developed the cutting-edge technology that is now found in all of Google's navigation and voice search products. Paul holds a PhD in AI and has held teaching positions at Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities.

Paul highlights how explicit and intentional the team at Thought Machine are when it comes to culture, and as such they have a set of core principles which guide it, inspired by Google.

He touches on the importance of work ethic, and the encouragement of certain behaviours in building a productive and inspiring culture, as Thought Machine encourage all employees to facilitate debates and be “do-ers”.

This episode is packed with insight, anecdotes and advice for all listeners looking to learn more about culture, AI and business.

Chapters

00:00:00-Introduction to Paul Taylor

00:01:45-About Thought Machine

00:03:31-Modernising banking infrastructure

00:07:47-Thought Machine bridging the gap between challenger and legacy banks

00:10:58-Shaping culture at Thought Machine

00:17:03-"The problem with company values"

00:19:18-Maintaining culture in a growing organisation

00:20:39-"Good cultures get owned by people, who replicate it and buy into it"

00:25:28-Lessons from Google and other ventures

00:36:16-Deep dive into AI

00:42:11: "You can do simple things very well, and build a great buisness"

00:43:11-Reflections on leadership & Entrepreneurship

00:49:30-Closing questions

00:52:03-Pauls career journey as a song

Lieutenant General Sir Nick Borton KCB DSO MBE is a former Senior British Army Officer who commanded NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps from 2021 to 2024.

Commissioned into the Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1991, he served in multiple global locations and held key instructional and leadership roles. He commanded 16 Air Assault Brigade from 2013 to 2015 and the 3rd (UK) Division from 2016 to 2018. Promoted to Lieutenant General, he became Chief of Staff Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters before leading the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. In 2023, he was appointed Knight Commander of The Order of the Bath.

The episode not only delves into global politics and military strategy but also highlights the transferable leadership skills that apply across all sectors. Sir Nick reflects on individuality, responsibility, and the importance of understanding the people you lead, this episode offers powerful lessons for listeners from all walks of life.

Chapters

00:00:00-Introduction to Sir Nicks Career

00:03:26-NATO and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

00:08:33-Putin & global power dynamics

00:17:52-A “pre-war” phase

00:20:39-Culture in the British Army

00:29:39-Diversity of thought in the Army

00:33:18-3 things make soldiers fight

00:41:49-Military Leadership

00:51:04-Challenging the hierarchy

00:53:49-The Military as an animal

00:55:53-Sir Nick’s journey as a song