Start-ups that grow to a $1 billion valuation are rare indeed, but the UK is home to a handful of ‘unicorns’. The founders of three such firms share their strategies

The co-founder and CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies on turning innovation into profit

The digital bank co-founder talks credible mentors and decisive deals

The co-founder and chairman of TransferWise on going global and being careful with job titles

The founder of Laughton & Co has walked to the South Pole and crossed the Sahara in a flying car

The team principal of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing talks leading under pressure, managing tempestuous drivers and fighting for talent

Ada Zhao asks an experienced panel of IoD members for advice

The chairwoman of MediaCom UK and country manager for WPP discusses the bottom line benefits of inclusivity

Founder, filmmaker and IoD 99 member Sheridan De Myers consults a panel of experts

Why the entrepreneur favours car journeys, carpentry and country walks

Hayaatun Sillem says all employers can learn from her organisation’s study of corporate culture in the engineering industry

Graeme Malcolm, the firm’s CEO and co-founder, on innovation and his laser focus on the future

Caroline Pay and Vicki Maguire on their strategy for nurturing talent

Dan Lewis, the IoD’s senior adviser on infrastructure policy, gives his view on the future of the UK’s fastest growing industry

Chief exec Graham Turnock talks bold ambition, Brexit and burgeoning opportunity for SMEs

The IoD member, also a trustee of a local charity, talks motivation and turning 40 fitter than ever

The founders explain their innovative new business model and approach to client satisfaction and staff development