A Conversation with Julian Metcalfe OBE, Founder of Pret a Manger & itsu

September 17th, 2025 · by Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL
In this interview I speak to the Founder of Pret a Manger and itsu, Julian Metcalfe OBE, one of the UK’s most successful hospitality entrepreneurs. We discuss the realities of what it takes to build a scaling business together with his learnings on building some of the UK’s most successful…
17-09-2025 19:37:34
Thought Economics

 

A Conversation with Ron Shaich – Founder of Panera Bread & Au Bon Pain & CEO of ACT III Holdings

September 17th, 2025 · by Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL
In this interview, I speak to Ron Shaich, the extraordinary entrepreneur who founded Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain. We discuss the realities of life as an entrepreneur and what it takes to build a $multi-billion business, with over 100,000 employees. He is also the author of the best-selling book…
17-09-2025 19:53:41
Thought Economics

 

October 19th, 2023 · by Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL
To learn about the role of food in our lives, I spoke to six of the world’s most successful Chefs and culinary minds; Vikas Khanna, Alain Ducasse, Heston Blumenthal, Dominique Crenn, Michel Roux Jr. and Ruth Reichl. We discuss everything from the social and cultural nature of food, the role…
19-10-2023 12:15:59
Thought Economics

 

October 19th, 2023 · by Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL
In this exclusive series of interviews, we speak to Ertharin Cousin (Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme), Prof. Jeffrey Sachs (Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University) and Carlos Pérez del Castillo (Chair of the Board of the CGIAR Consortium). We look at the true scale…
19-10-2023 12:17:10
Thought Economics