How do you build a high-performing leadership team when 82% of UK managers have received no formal training?

In this episode of OxTalks, host Howard Bentham speaks with Claire Croft, founder of Claire Croft Associates and executive coach, about what defines effective leadership in today's workplace. They explore why transparency, clarity and a willingness to develop people's potential are essential management qualities, and why poor leadership continues to drive employees away from organisations.

Drawing on recent data showing that only 10% of UK employees feel engaged at work and that 41% of workers have left jobs due to poor management, Claire explains how organisations can move beyond command-and-control approaches to create cultures where people thrive. From her own career transition from advertising strategist to executive coach, she shares practical insights on how leaders can navigate constant change, foster autonomy without abandonment, and build resilience through thinking before acting. Whether you're a new manager or a seasoned executive, this conversation offers a clear-eyed look at what leadership really requires in 2026.

• (00:00) - Welcome to OxTalks
• (03:00) - Defining the Ideal Manager
• (05:42) - Traits of Effective Leadership
• (06:56) - Claire's Experience with Good and Poor Managers
• (07:49) - The Landscape of Accidental Managers in the UK
• (10:17) - Biggest Issues with UK Workplace Culture
• (11:32) - Claire's Journey into Leadership Coaching
• (14:13) - How the Corporate Landscape Has Changed Since 2015
• (20:17) - Starting Point for Coaching Leaders and Teams
• (27:33) - How to Foster Better Conversations in Teams
• (30:01) - The Role of Autonomy in Empowering Teams
• (33:48) - Are Leaders Born or Made?
• (36:56) - Essential Values and Attributes for Today's Leaders
• (40:28) - Creating and Changing Workplace Culture
• (43:13) - How AI Will Change Leadership

Claire Croft: Claire Croft is the founder of Claire Croft Associates, an executive coaching and leadership development practice based in Oxfordshire, and a director at Corporate Punk, a specialist change consultancy. A member of the International Coaching Federation, she works with senior leaders and leadership teams to overcome barriers to personal and commercial success, with clients including Unipart, Virgin and Invesco. Before transitioning to coaching in 2011, Claire spent over 15 years working as a strategist and talent director in leading London advertising agencies, including roles at board level with clients ranging from the BBC and BMW to O2 and Great Ormond Street Hospital. She established her own coaching practice in February 2016, marking nearly ten years of helping organisations unlock potential and create high-performing teams through improved communication, emotional intelligence and culture change.

Enterprise Oxfordshire (formerly OxLEP) is an Oxfordshire County Council-owned company. It is our role to champion Oxfordshire’s economic potential, acting as a catalyst and convener to drive a dynamic, sustainable and growing economy. Our vision is for Oxfordshire to be a vibrant and inclusive world-leading economy – driven by innovation, enterprise, collaboration and research excellence.

Our work has made a significant impact, helping to create favourable conditions for economic growth in Oxfordshire. We provide support for hundreds of businesses and communities in the county, supporting their desire to grow and attract the best talent locally, nationally and internationally.

Visit Our Website / Access the Business Support Tool

OxTalks is recorded at the Oxford Podcast Studio and produced by Story Ninety-Four.

Can a business grow and scale whilst genuinely putting purpose before profit?

In this episode of OxTalks, host Howard Bentham speaks with Bethan Thomas, co-founder and CEO of HotTea Mama, an award-winning women's wellness tea company that has grown from a kitchen-table start-up to a brand stocked in Holland & Barrett, Selfridges and Planet Organic. Bethan shares her remarkable journey from studying tea science in China to creating a business that supports women through periods, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause.

With the UK losing 150 million working days each year due to poor women's health and purpose-led UK businesses achieving 20% turnover growth compared to just 3% for all SMEs, Bethan's story demonstrates how values-driven entrepreneurship can deliver both commercial success and meaningful social impact.

This conversation explores the practical realities of building a mission-led brand, from navigating supply chains and retail partnerships to maintaining authenticity in an age of greenwashing, all whilst managing the demands of motherhood and running a growing business.

• (00:00) - Welcome to OxTalks
• (03:33) - Why Tea? A Fascination Born in China
• (05:06) - From Oxford to Tea Science
• (07:55) - The Birth of HotTea Mama
• (11:49) - The Early Days
• (15:11) - Business Support and the Power of Networking
• (17:36) - Partnering with Charities and Purpose-Driven Work
• (20:13) - Environmental and Social Commitments
• (22:28) - Virtue Signalling or Authentic Purpose?
• (25:54) - Is Purpose-Driven Business Harder Work?
• (28:53) - The Power of Social Media and TikTok
• (32:50) - Future Plans: Scaling to Boots and Waitrose
• (36:44) - Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Programme
• (39:32) - The Five-Year Plan and Product Diversification
• (42:44) - Advice for Purpose-Driven Businesses

Bethan Thomas: Bethan Thomas is the co-founder and CEO of HotTea Mama, an award-winning women's wellness tea and hot beverage company creating functional blends to support women through periods, fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause. A graduate of Oxford University with a master's in Modern Chinese, Bethan is the first non-Chinese person to earn a degree in Tea Science from Fujian Agricultural University in China, where she specialised in understanding how botanicals and herbs can support health and wellbeing. After more than a decade working as a professional tea buyer and taster for major British tea companies, she co-founded HotTea Mama in 2017 with her friend Kate Achilles, inspired by their own experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood. Under Bethan's leadership, HotTea Mama has grown to a £1.2 million turnover business, winning multiple awards including recognition from the Nourish Awards and UK Baby Awards, and is now stocked in over 750 Holland & Barrett stores nationwide, as well as Selfridges and Planet Organic. Bethan is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme and a strong advocate for women-led, purpose-driven business.

Enterprise Oxfordshire (formerly OxLEP) is an Oxfordshire County Council-owned company. It is our role to champion Oxfordshire’s economic potential, acting as a catalyst and convener to drive a dynamic, sustainable and growing economy. Our vision is for Oxfordshire to be a vibrant and inclusive world-leading economy – driven by innovation, enterprise, collaboration and research excellence.

Our work has made a significant impact, helping to create favourable conditions for economic growth in Oxfordshire. We provide support for hundreds of businesses and communities in the county, supporting their desire to grow and attract the best talent locally, nationally and internationally.

Visit Our Website / Access the Business Support Tool

OxTalks is recorded at the Oxford Podcast Studio and produced by Story Ninety-Four.

We hope you're enjoying Series Four of OxTalks so far. We are going to be taking a short break over the festive period. But we'll be back in the New Year with more amazing guests and inspiring business stories. From the whole OxTalks team, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we'll see you in 2026.

Enterprise Oxfordshire (formerly OxLEP) is an Oxfordshire County Council-owned company. It is our role to champion Oxfordshire’s economic potential, acting as a catalyst and convener to drive a dynamic, sustainable and growing economy. Our vision is for Oxfordshire to be a vibrant and inclusive world-leading economy – driven by innovation, enterprise, collaboration and research excellence.

Our work has made a significant impact, helping to create favourable conditions for economic growth in Oxfordshire. We provide support for hundreds of businesses and communities in the county, supporting their desire to grow and attract the best talent locally, nationally and internationally.

Visit Our Website / Access the Business Support Tool

OxTalks is recorded at the Oxford Podcast Studio and produced by Story Ninety-Four.