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Ideas to live by: we’re more than a pandemic – Will Butler Adams OBE, CEO, Brompton Bikes

About This Episode

Michael Hayman is joined by CEO of cycling sensation Brompton, Will Butler-Adams for the latest episode of Change Makers. In a candid conversation, Will talks about how he has kept the business on the road, what COVID-19 is telling us about the state of our cities, why calculated risks will become a part of our everyday lives post-lockdown, and the responsibility of leaders in the ‘new normal’. It’s an interview packed with insights and inspiration, so tune in!

Will Butler Adams

Will Butler-Adams is the CEO of the folding two-wheeled wonder Brompton Bicycle. Since jumping into the saddle as the company’s managing director in 2008, Will has flown the flag for British ingenuity and turned ‘Brompton’ into a byword for creativity and innovation – taking the company from bicycle business to cycling sensation with over £25 million in turnover and more than 200 staff.

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Lockdown List

What is a book that has changed your life?

Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee.

What are you watching in lockdown?

The Repair Shop.

Name your top five ‘lockdown tracks’

La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf

I Dreamed a Dream by Ann Hatherway

Girl from Ipanema by Astrid Gilberto

Mamma Mia by ABBA

We’ll Meet Again by Vera Lynn.

In one sentence, describe your new normal.

Impatient to bring something positive out of the tragedy of Covid by making towns and cities better places to live.

Who is your biggest inspiration and why?

David Attenborough – he has a passion to protect our planet, a hunger for learning, takes risks, has achieved more than most and above all is incredibly modest.

What is your best tip for life ?

Life is short, if you ever find yourself doing something you don’t enjoy….get the hell out!

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