Conversations with FTSE CEOs & CSuites about the current topics of the day in their area of expertise

Hi, I'm Elaine Pringle Schwitter & I'm the Host of Heads Talk. A dual citizen of UK & Switzerland, I have over 20 years in management consultancy industries; working at senior management & board level in the City of London. Worked for 2 of the Big 4 Account Firms. Later moved to Switzerland and explored my creative/artistic side. Became a commercial & editorial photographer & have now mixed my media skills with business.

Heads Talk is a management, finance & business Podcast that exclusively talks with CSuites, Leaders of Institutions & Executive Heads of Multinationals about the current topics of the day, in their area of expertise. The slogan is 'A Fly On The Boardroom Wall'. That pretty much sums it up. It's all about enabling my listeners to feel like a fly on a wall to the conversations CSuites have in the boardroom. It's a 30 minutes or so conversation with the Executive guest where my listeners get to hear what's on their mind, what are the current issues they are facing, where do they think the business is heading & a scrutiny on their leadership. They also talk about boardroom conversations with fellow CSuites, the synergies between them, the potential & sometimes controversial crossover in roles. Really fascinating insights, especially looking at the Lot of a Multinational conglomerate CEO.

Executive CSuites, Business Professionals, Industry Experts and Management Academics.
 

It started as a result of the pandemic - March 2020. I wasn't able to continue as per normal with my commercial photography work or my corporate event shoots - aka Lockdown. And I wasn't able to do advertising shoots and interviews for blogs and articles etc. So, I started interviewing the corporate leaders that I would normally shoot for headshots etc. That turned into a podcast (at the time it was just too cumbersome to write and edit text continuously). Then listeners really enjoyed the conversations and wanted more. So after talking with 3 Executive Group Level CSuite Leaders from FTSE corporation, it became the theme and has continued as such. You must listen to my conversation with the fmr Group CIO Shell Downstream. Such an animated conversation about the relationships in the boardroom and how the digital era is shifting things and powers etc. Fascinating, fascinating. It's episode: 017 - Craig Walker: It's the Data, Stupid!
Everything happened by accident and wasn't really planned. The first few episodes were released soon after an interview in April 2020 and people wanted more and asked me to continue. It really was a temporary thing that soon enough became the main thing and I absolutely enjoy talking with my guests and just learning, exploring, laughing, obtaining an exclusive etc etc. Well, take a look at the calibre of guests on the show and some have even generously reviewed the podcast.
I do listen to news podcasts or comedy for light relief.
 

Covid allowed the time and now that we are returning to a 'new normal', I'll have to find the time and multitask because I enjoy this way too much to stop now.

I release episodes weekly. Probably 2 to 3 days of research, question development and post production etc.

I'm self employed and self managed! :-)

It's mostly a time expenditure thing. As a creative and self employed, I enjoy the post production and not notice the time as it mixes in with my post production shoot works etc.
 

I gain the old art and pleasure of a conversation and in parallel valuable insights for myself and my listeners.

I receive some sponsorship from organisations/corporations that want to be associated with a particular guest/corporation/topic. It's not the conventional downloads per months. Done on an ad-hoc basis.
 

Tools/services: MacBook, Zoom, Photoshop Element.

Finding guests to interview: network and recommendations from colleagues/ex colleagues.

Prepare for each episode: develop questions about the current topics in business.

Interview guests via Zoom.
 

Word of mouth. Business community. Connections etc I'm on all the major podcast platforms. 59% iTunes. 17% Apple Podcast 5% Buzzspout embedded, the rest variations 3 to 1%.

Marketing in LinkedIn.
 

Things you've learned on your journey that weren't obvious beforehand. It can be addictive and do will enjoy yourself if you pick a subject you really enjoy rather than something you believe is vogue and popular. Try not to look at numbers and just concentrate on quality content.

Helpful podcasting resources? e.g. blogs, books, videos, podcasts... Listen Notes and Buzzsprout videos are good. Buzzsprout has a good online community.
 

Website: https://www.elainepringle.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainepringle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pringle_stuff/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elainepringleschwittermedia
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EJPringS