TELLY SALES

Idel World chief executive Mike Hancox issued a profits warning on his second day on the job. Now his company's booming

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

Saatchi & Saatchi's Kevin Roberts talks about creativity, inspirational leadership and Generation Y

WILLIAM COTTON

Implementing big changes at CyDen and "professionalising" the business

DRIVING RUGBY FORWARD

Premiership Rugby's Mark McCafferty on making rugby union commercial, Stateside lessons and how to deal with a crisis

LYNNE FRANKS

The legendary PR talks about her Fleet Street days, breaking the rules and learning to love technology

LORD MACLAURIN

The former chairman of Tesco spent nearly four decades at the company during which time it became Britain's leading retailer

CAROLINE SHAW

The chief executive of The Christie, Europe's largest cancer centre, on nuturing the organisation back to financial health

CLIVE RICH

Would the UK economy be in better shape if we learnt to negotiate? Yes, says leading negotiator Clive Rich

Director of the Year Awards 2011

On a mild and sunny September day in London the great and the good from organisations across the UK gathered to celebrate this year's IoD Director of the Year Awards UK Final

Heady brew

Brewer Adnams has been making beer for 139 years but this is no old-fashioned company – it's a pioneer of investment in new technology and energy efficiency. No wonder readers of The Good Pub Guide voted it brewery of the year in 2011

Simon Walker

The new IoD Director General talks to Director about policy, people and plans for Britain's economic recovery

Employee ownership … is it the future?

Led by John Lewis, co-owned businesses are on the rise – they tend to be not only successful but good for workers too

My business life: Rebecca George

The Deloitte partner, responsible for relationship management and business development in public sector corporate finance, tells Director the lessons she's learnt

Life is sweet

The remarkable story of Divine Chocolate, the small confectionary company that changed the UK's perception of Fairtrade business

Neighbourhood watch

Meet the businesses that are regenerating communities and boosting their balance sheets

My business life: Miles Templeman

The outgoing IoD director general on the lessons he's learnt

Dee forbes

The Discovery boss on why understanding the British male is key to her network's success

Dame Fiona Reynolds

The head of the National Trust talks about modernising one of the UK's oldest institutions

Lotus company profile

Sports car maker Lotus is heading upmarket. Its ambition to rival luxury brands Porsche and Ferrari will see the launch of five new models in under four years. We met the man behind the plan

Fit for work

Staying healthy is a must for directors but how do you spare time for fitness training when there's a business to run?

Natural disasters: risk or opportunity?

The recent natural disasters have affected supply chains across the globe. Director brought together a group of executives from a variety of sectors to discuss their impact on business in the UK. This was their response

Choosing the right strategy

Strategy is easy to define, so why do so many companies get it wrong?

candour culture

As social media grows apace, directors are being urged to share more information about their business with consumers. But how do you embrace openness and transparency without hurting your brand?

How to create an entrepreneurial culture

Creative self-starters who are given free rein to experiment can offer big rewards for innovative companies. But do the benefits of entrepreneurial cultures outweigh the hazards of a potential talent exodus?

Directors' roundtable

From financing growth to managing reputation, a group of business leaders tell Director what it's like at the coalface

Two's company

Running a business with a spouse offers flexibility and financial rewards. But what happens when barriers between work and home life blur? Three successful couples give their verdict

Tales from the talent war

How do companies hang on to high performers? If the competition really wants to poach your brightest people, throwing money at the problem will only go so far

The way we do things around here

How do you build a winning corporate culture? Do workplace perks and better engagement help create dynamic companies or does success ultimately depend on leadership style?

Survive and thrive

How do businesses make money and create jobs in troubled sectors? Here four companies flourishing against the grain reveal secrets of their success

Sir Terry Leahy

As Sir Terry Leahy prepares to leave Tesco, he reflects on a career that turned an unfashionable home-grown supermarket chain into a global retail juggernaut and made him Britain's most celebrated business leader

Marching into the boardroom

As defence cuts loom, more and more military personnel are eyeing corporate careers. How easy is it for ex-soldiers to make the switch?

Rolling the dice

Risk tolerance is often the difference between success and failure in business. But just how well do directors cope with jeopardy? We invite a group of leaders to undergo a psychological test

Leader of the pack

Ken Way, a sports psychologist and business coach, offers 10 tips for winning leadership

ask Sahar

I run a medium-sized engineering firm that needs to change to cope with new competitors. But change is being resisted. How can I get my employees to display the same bravery and persistence that entrepreneurs do, as they don't seem to get it?

The art of persuasion

Behavioural psychology is seen as a way of helping leaders to increase their influence. Does it work, and how can directors convince others to follow them?

Director of the Year 2010: the winners

Graham Honeyman won the top prize, but what the IoD's inaugural Director of the Year Final showed most of all was a sense of purpose and spirit through adversity

speak easy

Presentation coach Maggie Eyre offers tips for smoother public speaking

Kim Winser

Kim Winser is the fashion boss who took Pringle of Scotland onto the catwalk and transformed the image of Aquascutum. Now her mission is to give sassy lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur global prestige without losing its heart and soul

The domination game

The London School of Economics says dominance in business can alienate followers and weaken decision-making. But others defend the "tiger" in the boardroom. Who's right?

Working on tomorrow's world

Engineering firm Arup pays people to see and shape the future. In a global workforce of 10,000 how does it make sure their voices are heard?

10 tips for understanding staff and customers better

Neuro-linguistic programming or NLP, a field of practical psychology developed in the US in the early 1970s, is now widely used in business and personal coaching. What can it tell us about successful team-building?

Lessons from the Touchline

Sporting referees make rapid decisions under pressure, regardless of popularity. What can business leaders learn from them?

The view from here

Lord Blair, former Metropolitan Police commissioner

Bring on the hot potato

In 2009 David Cameron showed the potential to be a good leader. How is he faring now that he's in office?

Brendan Barber

He wins plaudits for the calm, conciliatory way he champions trade union rights. But although the TUC boss wants to protect employees from coalition cuts, he's also keen to work with employers to promote economic growth

The view from here

Tim Ward, chief executive of the Quoted Companies Alliance

Lord Sebastian Coe

From Olympic arenas to Westminster politics and sports leadership, Lord Coe has always set a brisk pace. Now, as chair of the London 2012 organising committee, he's in the biggest race of his life. And legacy is his watchword

Breaking into the boardroom

Only one in eight directors of top British firms are women. Can we learn from Norway where companies must give females 40 per cent of board positions, or risk being shut down? Or should merit triumph over gender quotas?

debate

Do TV entrepreneurs reflect reality?

A question of trust

Only 20 per cent of the public think bosses tell the truth about their business. The recession is blamed for rising suspicion, but as economic conditions improve how can leaders rebuild trust and engage employees?

What do entrepreneurs want from Number 10?

With an election looming, Director asks leading wealth creators what they want from an Enterprise Manifesto

Roundtable discussion

Director gathered a group of business leaders to discuss their hopes for UK enterprise

The view from here

Roger Bone of Boeing UK on diplomacy in business

selling off britain

Kraft's £12bn capture of Cadbury has reignited the debate on overseas ownership of UK businesses. But in a global economy does it really matter that treasured national assets end up in expert foreign hands?

the view from here: John Sachs

John Sachs, founder, Talking Heads and Talking Heads Production, on media challenges and why we're all programme controllers

Regime change >

Steering a smooth succession is a vital role of chief executives. But as high-profile debacles show, a botched job can spell trouble for the business

Betting on the future

At the start of a new decade, we examine some of the predictions that might impact your business

Slow burner

The UK Slow Food movement is building support, bit by bit

Blood in the boardroom

Handled with care, conflict at the top of a company brings rewards. But powerful leaders who sweep away challenge can cause division and damage performance

Gold standard

Paul Deighton walked away from Goldman Sachs with a reported £110m. Now his task is delivering a flawless London Olympics

Born supremacy

For years, employers have been told to build organisations that meet the demands of generation Y. Has the rise in youth unemployment shifted the balance of power?

Under the influence

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, the founders of Google... their creative ideas hold such sway that they shape the world around us. But how do these visionaries cast a spell and what can aspiring business leaders learn from them?

The mentors taking on poverty

Founders of the Mowgli Foundation, Simon Edwards and Tony Bury, are changing lives with mentoring

Enterprise should be at the heart of society

In the long-term the economy needs more than people motivated "primarily" by money, argues Julia Middleton

"If I wasn't doing this I would feel very depressed"

Environmentalist turned strategist Adam Werbach on his central role in the fight against climate change

"It's like giving heroin to an addict"

Jon Moulton warns the government to reduce public debt before it's too late

"Now's the time to be brave">

Two former M&C Saatchi ad men say their new agency breaks new ground. Just in time, too

More carrot, less stick

CEOs call for inspirational, positive leadership

views from the top

Last December, we asked whether non-executive directors were too slow to act when crisis loomed in the banking sector. Here four experienced NEDs outline how their role should work and comment on the robustness of UK corporate governance

Tales from the front line

As companies tackle the rigours of global recession, veterans of previous slumps reveal vital lessons they learned and ask whether their survival strategies would work as well today

The real deal

Forget those image consultants, authentic leaders are brave enough to show passion and capable of saying sorry

generation next

Leading Generation Y through a downturn calls for new organisational techniques. Start by dumping micro-management for autonomy

All in the same boat

Rebel shareholders are able to ambush even the largest companies. But working hard to keep investors onside in good times and bad can pay big rewards

Survival of the fittest

When Gordon Brown first became prime minister, Director assessed how he would measure up as chief executive of Great Britain PLC. The omens weren't good. So how has he fared and what about his rivals for the top job?

roundtable

Entrepreneurs are well known for their positive outlook, but how have recent economic events affected them? At the second meeting of its Entrepreneurs' Confidence Panel, Director found out

Strategy—what does it really mean?

Director asked five experts from different backgrounds to explain their approach

Dual control

How to share the top job without causing chaos

Track record

Michelin has had a plant in Britain since 1927. And the tyre maker says it intends to stay here—whatever the state of the market

Lessons learned

Business school deans are well placed to comment on leadership. We ask three of them what they expect from a CEO in a downturn and what they'll be teaching the next crop of students

All change

However well we plan, life has a habit of throwing us off course every once in a while. But when things go wrong in our personal lives, we can use the lessons to improve our businesses

Playing their cards right

The England side may be out of next month's UEFA tournament, but it'll be business as usual for Betfair, the online betting exchange that is tackling the challenges of a fast-growth business in one of the UK's most highly regulated industries

Unlocking potential

With a different approach to employment, the government could give former prisoners a better chance of succeeding in the outside world—and save millions at the same time, says Jo Owen

Facial discrimination

Plastic surgeons and doctors offering anti-ageing and aesthetic treatments count increasing numbers of business people among their clients. What's behind the trend? And what does it say about corporate Britain?

Facing up to reality

Julia Middleton, founder and CEO of Common Purpose, says that leaders need to keep it real

Terminal 5 comes alive

Sharon Doherty, who worked for BAA during the Heathrow project, reveals the secrets that led to successful completion

Company profile: Macdonald Hotels

After a costly management buy-out, planning delays and allegations of political sleaze, Macdonald Hotels is focusing on what it set out to do: treat staff well and create a centre of excellence for the Scottish hotel and catering industry

Culture club

As business becomes truly global, directors could find themselves working in unfamiliar cultures—so it's time to bone up on foreign customs

Learning from failure

Many of the world's best known and respected business leaders failed their way to success

Lighting the way to the future

Some smarter businesses are turning sustainability into an opportunity

Winning arts and minds

A new scheme nurtures much needed leadership skills in the arts sector

Traits of the top CEOs revealed

Research reveals insight into the characteristics of our top directors

10 surefire ways to keep your company innovative

by Paul Sloane, author of The Innovative Leader

Weatherbys

Diversification and innovation are key to the longevity and success of family firm Weatherbys, says director Nick Craven

Jim Collinson leadership

Jim Collins talks to Joanna Higgins about what makes a great business leader

Rules are made to be broken

Anja Foerster and Peter Kreuz propose a "who dares wins" approach to open up new business opportunities

When might is right

Far from staying out of politics, business directors are increasingly expected to walk their talk, leading and influencing policy beyond their own organisations

• Gordon Brown as PM

Management guru Jo Owen assesses the new prime minister's leadership strengths and weaknesses

• Brown biographer Nick Kochan

Can the former Chancellor shed his insular image and make the hard decisions?

• How New Labour won, then lost business

With his party heavily in debt, Gordon Brown needs the support of business. But the City no longer trusts him, says Paul Eastham

How to survive a scandal

What do Martha Stewart, Winston Churchill and Bill Clinton have in common? They have all endured public scandal and disgrace, bounced back, and gone on to achieve further success

Please mind the gap

Taking a well-timed career break can help re-energise you and your company

Why women leave

Only a handful of UK women are reaching senior roles, and many are leaving business. Should companies fight harder to keep them?

Arrested development

In an industry without regulation, anyone can call themselves an executive coach. So how do you choose the right one?

Tackling toxic leaders

Bad leaders can create mayhem in an organisation. The answer is effective training and development delivered in advance of a new post, says Ros Taylor

Ego-driven execs

They can be tough to put up with and may jeopardise the bottom line, but they're often bold and creative too

Self-taught leaders rule

Research shows that 80 per cent of what people think of as their "really significant learning" comes from tackling life's challenging situations, or experiential learning

Better out than in?

Dr Cuross Bakhtiar, founder and chief executive of Harley Street Cosmetic has succeeded through leadership with a difference

A company of rogues

In this extract from his latest book, Liar's Paradise, Graham Edmonds identifies some of the heroes, villains and fraudsters who might make up the board and aspiring middle management of a company of rogues-Cruel and Unusual Ltd

Finding the upside to a downturn

Surviving a business downturn offers a great opportunity to display decisive, insightful leadership

The gloves are off

Office politics isn't the sole preserve of middle-ranking executives-it can extend all the way up to the top, and get nasty

From battlefield to boardroom

After retiring from the army in January 2004, Gulf War hero Colonel Tim Collins is now parlaying his distinguished 22-year military career into one as a business speaker