René Carayol

Biography

René Carayol is a leading business expert and executive coach specialising in transformational change, culture and leadership. The author of numerous business books including Corporate Voodoo and Spike, he has also been a Visiting Professor at the Cass Business School, a broadcaster and a former non-Executive Director of The Inland Revenue, and has worked closely with many global CEOs.

Combining first-hand experience with the likes of Marks & Spencer and Pepsi with extensive research and coaching, René analyses how the best leaders inspire their people. As in his book Corporate Voodoo, he looks at the common rules and traits that leaders from Bill Clinton to Jack Welch to Richard Branson apply to be authentic, unique leaders. Whilst in Spike he extends these ideas by looking at the two or three leadership ‘spikes’ – the key, individual areas that great leaders really excel at – and how to identify them and hone them in to the hallmarks of a leader’s style.

Leaders face an ever-changing, complex set of demands and priorities, from ESG to corporate transformation, culture, diversity and social pressures from within and outside the organisation. René breaks down both the new and more established challenges leaders face and delivers practical help for them to successfully navigate the modern business world. He enables leaders to both motivate their people and communicate strategy, whilst also remaining authentic and changing and improving behaviours and cultures. With examples and first-hand accounts from all types of business and leader, from all over the world, René looks at how to adopt a more inclusive, collaborative form of leadership that is fit for the 21st century.

René has served as an advisor to the CBI, McKinsey and PA Consulting. He has worked with the World Bank, and with Barclays at board level and on the ground in Africa. He has chaired The Sunday Times Business Week and Leaders in London, was the presenter of BBC2’s Pay Off Your Mortgage and remains a regular commentator on business and finance on the BBC and Sky.