Welcome to Season 4 of our NextGen Talks podcast series!

In Episode 2, we are thrilled to welcome one of the world's leading big wave surfer, Freddy Olander. In our conversation, Freddy shares his incredible journey from a career in business administration to conquering some of the planet's most challenging waves. We delve into the pivotal moments that inspired his dramatic career shift and what it truly means to surf professionally.

We also discuss the role of resilience in overcoming challenges, the significance of having a reliable and supportive team during competitions and how Freddy makes calculated, risk-based decisions when selecting the perfect wave.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation that highlights the dedication, strategy, and passion required to excel in the world of big wave surfing.

Welcome to Season 4 of our NextGen Talks podcast series!

In Episode 1, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mark Foster, one of the UK’s most successful swimmers across the Olympics, World and European competitions. Mark recently shared his career journey and insights at a NextGen London event and we wanted to delve deeper into the discussion ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Our conversation with Mark explored the cultivation of a success-oriented mindset and strategies for achieving peak performance.

This episode is packed with thought-provoking discussions on effective mentorship, the importance of goal setting, mental health and maintaining positivity in the face with challenges. We hope you find this episode as inspiring and informative as we did. Enjoy listening!

In the third episode of Season 3 of our NextGen Talks podcast series, we were delighted to speak to Carla Simas, Legal Director for Latin America of Haleon – a world-leading consumer health company headquartered in the UK. In this episode, we cover the challenges posed by gender inequality and how we can address them to create a better environment for our next generation of leaders.

Women are still in a significantly weaker labour market position than men across all OECD countries, despite considerable improvements over the last few decades.  This not only goes against basic notions of fairness, but incurs significant economic costs by not fully utilising women’s human capital. 

This podcast covers Carla’s lived experience in Brazil and the UK, and touches on the wider implications across the world.  

In the second episode of Season 3 of our NextGen Talks podcast series, we are delighted to bring you our first transatlantic collaboration. Our guest is Ian Brownlee, the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Ian’s career in the US State Department spanned a remarkable 30 year period, and on this podcast he talks about:

• his experiences in the US State Department, including some career highlights and anecdotes;
• the ‘arc of leadership’, and how he moved from being a doer, to a manager, to a leader as his career developed;
• the importance of relationships (both professional and personal) and how getting those relationships right is integral to a successful career.

In the first episode of Season 3 of our NextGen Talks podcast series, we were delighted to speak to Seng Choon Koh, founder of Dignity Kitchen, a social enterprise that aims to restore dignity to the differently-abled and disadvantaged through culinary training and vocation with passion. Dignity Kitchen currently operates in Hong Kong and Singapore. In this podcast, Seng Choon:

• describes the inspirational mission of Dignity Kitchen;
• explains how his diverse background led him to start a social enterprise;
• reflects on how to overcome challenges both in our professional and non-professional lives;
• offers thoughts as to how the NextGen community can give back through volunteering; and
• talks about his exciting future plans for Dignity Kitchen.

About Seng Choon Koh

Before starting Dignity Kitchen in 2010, Seng Choon worked in engineering and consultancy roles, spending many years abroad in the UK, India and China. Seng Choon was most recently awarded a Champion of Change Award as part of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 programme.  

About NextGen Talks

Mayer Brown's NextGen Talks podcast explores key themes and issues, such as the future of work, next generation leadership, sustainability, well-being and more, with special guests from various industries and sectors.

Podcast speakers

Seng Choon Koh, Founder of Dignity Kitchen

Wei Na Sim, Counsel, Mayer Brown

James Ford, Senior Associate, Mayer Brown

Jason Leung, Senior Associate, Mayer Brown

In this fourth and final episode of Season 2, we were delighted to speak to Greg Bateman, a professional rugby player with the Welsh club Dragons and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the craft brewing company with a difference, People’s Captain. In this podcast, Greg discusses his rugby career to date, and the mental health journey that he went on that led to him founding the People’s Captain. Greg and Chris then explore the concept of mental fitness, and the importance of having open conversations about mental wellbeing.

About Greg Bateman
Greg Bateman is a professional rugby player who currently plays for Dragons. Greg started his career at London Welsh, followed by spells at Exeter Chiefs and Leicester Tigers. Alongside rugby, Greg founded the People’s Captain in 2018, and the company and its sister foundation – The People’s Captain Foundation, combine Greg’s love of craft beer with a passion for mental health advocacy.

We were delighted to speak to Jon Van Gorp, Chair of Mayer Brown. In this podcast, Jon discusses his own career path from before the law to becoming chair of an international law firm and provides insights into the role of a senior leader at an international organisation. Jon also shares his thoughts on effective leadership, the future of work and the power of networks like NextGen, and offers some fantastic tips on how we – the Next Generation – can already serve as effective leaders in our current roles.

About Jon Van Gorp
Jon Van Gorp is the chair of Mayer Brown. Jon has served on the firm’s Management Committee since 2017 and previously served as a co-leader of the Banking & Finance, Capital Markets and Structured Finance practices. He has practiced continuously for more than 20 years at Mayer Brown. Jon is a passionate advocate for the NextGen initiative.  

We were delighted to speak to Paul Edwards, Head of Legal and Chair of the Pride Alliance network at FTSE 100 company British Land. In this podcast, Paul discusses his career to date, and how being an out gay man and first in his family to go to university has helped to shape his career. We also discuss the importance of meaningful diversity and inclusion initiatives within the workplace and what we, as future leaders, can do to support positive change.

About Paul Edwards
Paul Edwards is the Head of Legal at FTSE 100 company British Land. Previously a private practice lawyer with Hogan Lovells, Paul joined British Land in 2018, as a senior Legal Counsel before being becoming the Head of Legal in 2019. Paul is the Chair of British Land’s Pride Alliance and, as well as being an experienced lawyer, is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion within the workplace.