Stepping into a CEO role for the first, time can feel like entering uncharted territory. This session brings together two leaders whose CEO journeys are very different, yet whose experiences intersect around complexity, accountability and purpose.

Together, Helen and Ezechi span public services, central government, fintech disruption and policy-led innovation. Their combined perspectives offer a rare opportunity to explore what CEO leadership really looks like across very different systems, and newly appointed CEOs can learn from both.

This will be a candid, reflective conversation focused on lived experience rather than theory, with space for honest discussion and practical insight.

What Helen and Ezechi will cover

• Helen’s journey from central government and consultancy into high-stakes public-service CEO roles
• Navigating complex systems, including stakeholder expectations, political oversight and public accountability
• Ezechi’s reflections on moving from entrepreneurial fintech leadership into a policy and innovation CEO role
• Embedding values, purpose and inclusion into organisational culture and decision-making
• Leading teams through uncertainty and change, including when to innovate and when to stabilise
• Honest reflections on stepping into CEO life, including what they wish someone had told them earlier

What attendees will gain

• Real-world insight into leading within complex and often ambiguous systems
• Practical lessons and perspectives to support new or aspiring CEOs
• Inspiration and reassurance drawn from two very different but complementary CEO journeys
• The opportunity to ask candid questions that senior leaders rarely get the space to explore openly

Contributors

Ezechi Britton MBE – FinTech Leader and Diversity Advocate

Ezechi’s career spans software development, entrepreneurship, fintech innovation and national policy leadership. He is a co-founder of multiple fintech ventures and is the inaugural Chief Executive of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT), established to support the UK’s position as a global fintech leader.

Awarded an MBE for services to diversity and young people, Ezechi brings a perspective shaped by technical expertise, start-up experience and a strong commitment to values-led leadership. His journey offers a distinctive lens on what it means to step into CEO roles that sit at the intersection of innovation, policy and public interest.

Helen Bailey – Chief Executive, London Borough of Sutton

Helen is a highly experienced public-sector leader with a career spanning local government, central government and consultancy. She is currently Chief Executive of the London Borough of Sutton and has previously held Chief Executive roles at Islington and, on an interim basis, North Somerset.

Earlier in her career, Helen served as Director of Public Services at HM Treasury, overseeing major national portfolios including health, housing, education and local government reform. Her experience provides deep insight into leading complex organisations under political oversight, public scrutiny and competing stakeholder expectations.

In short, this session brings together two distinct CEO journeys to offer both inspiration and practical guidance for anyone preparing to lead, or already navigating the realities of CEO life.

Please note this session will not be recorded.