A new season of Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future has launched with special guest Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Hosted by Jimmy McLouglin OBE, former Special Adviser to the UK Prime Minister, the podcast explores the future of the economy through the prism of jobs.
In this special launch episode, Rishi speaks candidly about the moments in life that have been transformational to his mindset and work ethic, including receiving a Fulbright Scholarship at age 24, and studying for an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business, he says: “The experience was completely transformational for me, moving to California, studying, and then working in Silicon Valley. The culture totally infuses you, it’s everywhere you go, it’s a mindset. Everyone is working really hard, dreaming big things, and wanting to change the world one way or another.”
Rishi was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer last year. Sharing insight into what the role entails, he says: “There are two formal parts to the job, a fiscal and an economic side. I’m ultimately responsible for the levels of taxation, spending and, therefore, borrowing in the economy.
“A big part of the job is getting the balance right between all of those things, that’s what budgets and spending reviews are largely about. I’m required to think about the economy in general. How do we drive economic growth? How do we drive up living standards? Ultimately thinking about the UK’s macroeconomy.”
Drawing from his time at Stanford, particularly the encouraged culture of failure, Rishi shares the importance of applying this mindset in the treasury. He says that he talks about wanting to have a startup treasury mindset, but what does that mean? “It means moving faster than people are probably used to in government, which is something we’ve brought to the table,” he explains.
“Thinking creatively, out of the box, and working with people from the industry. Being consumer centric, and having the customer, or person in mind that we’re trying to target as part of the process of policy design. It means a willingness to iterate, and that’s where failure comes. That’s tough in politics, because if you never fail, then you’re probably not taking enough risk, that’s just a simple fact.”
With a focus on New Year resolutions, Jimmy and Rishi talk about the importance of keeping mental health in check, especially in a high demand career. “I want to try and get more sleep, and spend quality time with my wife and kids,” Rishi reveals, “In my mind, that’s the best way to keep oneself sane.
“We also now have a new addition to the family, a 6 month old Labrador retriever, Nova. I’ve found that she’s been a wonderful distraction, because she doesn’t care about my day, and is largely just happy to be played with, and share affection. I was very against having a dog, but I must say it’s been very positive for my mental health, and my sleep,” he adds.
Future guests lined up include Former Technology Journalist and now VP of Strategy at Zapp Steve O’Hear, Co-founder of Amazing If, author, and co-host of the Squiggly Careers Podcast Sarah Ellis, Co-founder of Propercorn Cassandra Stavrou and Chief Executive Officer at Octopus Investments Ruth Handcock.
Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future is available on Apple, Spotify, Soundcloud, and all major podcast platforms.
