Johnston Carmichael charts a new course with leadership podcast: Who’s Steering This Thing?

New series explores leadership in action, offering candid conversations with a host of industry leaders 

July 2025 – Leading UK accountancy and business advisory firm Johnston Carmichael is launching a new podcast series that puts leadership in the spotlight, offering honest, thoughtful conversations with a variety of leaders. 

Titled ‘Who’s Steering This Thing?’, the series is hosted by Martin Osler, Partner and Chief People Officer, and Jude Lean, Senior Manager, Talent & Learning. Each month, the pair will be joined by a different guest to discuss their personal leadership journeys, the setbacks they’ve faced, the lessons they’ve learned, and the mindsets and habits that have helped them succeed. The podcast aims to break down traditional views of leadership and make space for new voices, showing that leadership is not about job titles but about approach and impact. 

Martin Osler, Partner and Chief People Officer at Johnston Carmichael, said: “Our ambition with this podcast is to create an open and reflective space where people can share what leadership really looks like in their world. Everyone, regardless of role or sector, will find something they can relate to. It’s about the decisions, doubts and defining moments that shape how we lead others and ourselves.” 

With a host of different leaders lined up, Johnston Carmichael’s CEO, Lynne Walker leads the line of guests, taking part in the very first episode. Johnston Carmichael will also welcome Anurag Rai, best-selling author and founder of Superhuman In You and AMHWAL Academy, and Mary Galbraith, Programme Director at the University of Strathclyde Business School and inaugural Chair of the new Scottish Women’s Premier League, in upcoming episodes. 

In the first episode, Lynne offers a candid take on the realities of leadership, reflecting on the pressures that come with senior roles and the importance of staying grounded. She shares her approach to empowering others, highlighting how trusting her team and having the right people around her allows her to focus on generating ideas and setting direction. Her insights underline the value of coaching, collaboration, and playing to individual strengths. 

Speaking on the podcast, she says: “Leadership is a funny thing, it’s something many people aspire to, but it often comes with the assumption that you always know what you’re doing. The reality is you’re expected to be decisive and resilient, to guide and reassure others, even when things feel uncertain.  

“Often, you’re spinning plates and smiling through it, while carrying a level of anxiety beneath the surface. It’s not always easy, and at times it can be really tough. That’s the honest truth about leadership, and it’s conversations like these that help remind us we’re not alone in that.” 

Reflecting Johnston Carmichael’s deep commitment to developing leadership at every level, the firm has created a bespoke, Masters-level leadership development programme in partnership with the University of Strathclyde Business School. Designed to equip future leaders with the tools, insights and confidence to thrive, the programme began as an internal initiative and has since grown to support leadership development across the wider Moore UK network and for clients. 

Who’s Steering This Thing? is available now as a video on Johnston Carmichael’s YouTube channel and in audio format on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and other major platforms.