Mark Cuddigan, CEO of THIS

September 23, 2026

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In this conversation, Charlie Coode speaks with Mark Cuddigan, CEO of THIS and former CEO of Ella’s Kitchen, who candidly dissects his life experiences and discusses how they have impacted his leadership style and mindset during his previous roles.

Mark describes the cultural transformation he has led at THIS since joining as CEO, where he was brought in with a clear mandate from the founders: rebuild the culture, restore trust and bring the heart back into the business.

He reflects on his 12 years at Ella’s Kitchen, where he progressed from sales director to CEO, and talks about the moments that reshaped his understanding of what culture management actually requires.

Mark also shares his perspective on one of the most challenging aspects of organisational culture: how transparency and trust can erode faster than most leaders realise, and why the behaviours that matter most are the ones leaders model every day.

The conversation covers the fragility of workplace culture, the role of measurement in culture management and why organisations that treat trust as measurable, rather than assumed, are better positioned to sustain high performance.

Podcast Chapters

00:00:00 Welcome to the episode

00:00:50 From tennis coaching to food entrepreneurship

00:06:49 Joining Ella’s Kitchen

00:08:18 Scaling from £25m to almost £100m

00:09:21 Being given the chance to become CEO

00:12:50 When businesses outgrow their people

00:15:13 Managing people out of a business

00:17:35 Measuring culture, trust and transparency

00:22:12 What happens to culture after an acquisition

00:29:07 Why Mark joined THIS

00:32:03 Transforming the culture at THIS

00:34:05 Simplifying the business

00:37:15 Why people resist change

00:41:39 Profit, purpose and B Corp

00:47:44 Moving beyond profit at all costs

00:50:08 Creating change through consumer choice

00:55:38 Building a culture around autonomy

00:58:38 Why Mark calls the leadership team a “Pod”

01:00:18 Autonomy, empowerment and leadership

01:02:13 Strategy before autonomy

01:04:53 Giving people the power to make decisions

01:05:53 Trust, coaching and accountability

01:07:37 Autonomy is a shared responsibility

01:09:48 Creating a culture of accountability

01:11:06 Unlocking the potential of people

01:12:15 Searching for the next thing

01:14:22 Closing thoughts

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