Ambition

In this episode of Leaders With Ambition, host Nicky Acuña Ocaña speaks with Seema Jones, COO & CFO at Town Legal LLP, about the pivotal moments that shaped her understanding of leadership and how it differs from management. Seema reflects on the leadership training she undertook early in her career, particularly a transformative course at Conoco that introduced her to the Covey model. That framework resonated deeply, helping her see how leadership principles intertwine across both personal and professional life. It was during this period that Seema realised leadership is fundamentally about influencing, inspiring, learning, and motivating bringing people along on a shared journey to achieve the right outcomes. Management, she notes, is more about getting the task done, whereas leadership is about shaping the path forward and empowering others along the way. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eTTuXXsy Read the show notes: https://lnkd.in/eqmCKyzS

🎙️ This week on the Leaders With Ambition podcast, host Nicky Acuña Ocaña sits down with Seema Jones, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer at Town Legal LLP, for an inspiring and deeply honest conversation about leadership, resilience, and owning your career journey. From her early life in Manchester and Bolton to holding dual executive roles at one of the UK’s leading planning law firms, Seema’s story is a testament to adaptability, continuous learning, and the power of strong networks. She shares candid insights on: ✅ Navigating a career across global corporates, SMEs, and the public sector ✅ The transition from management to true leadership—and why influence matters ✅ How mentoring (both giving and receiving) has shaped her journey ✅ Balancing senior roles with family life and coping with pressure ✅ The importance of culture in professional services and retaining great talent ✅ Embracing change, including the role of AI and shifting market dynamics This episode is packed with wisdom for ambitious professionals ready to lead with purpose and build meaningful, resilient careers. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/ebvvJuvK 📰 Read the show notes: https://lnkd.in/eqmCKyzS?

In this episode of Leaders With Ambition, host Nicky Acuña Ocaña speaks with Rhys Madoc, CEO of UHY International, about what leadership truly means and how it differs from management. For Rhys, leadership is about setting the vision: Where are we going? What are our goals? How do we get there? It’s less about operational detail and more about bringing together the right people to achieve those objectives. This shift freed him to think strategically to “dream a little” about the future and what the organisation could become. He also shares why delegation is essential for growth, even though it can be challenging at first. Empowering teams without stifling innovation is key to building a culture where ideas thrive. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eq5eksm2 Read the show notes: https://lnkd.in/eBumSwvZ?

The Ambition 2026 kick off – what a way to start the year. Last week, we brought the Ambition UK team together in the beautiful city of Bath, with an overnight stay at Francis Hotel Bath– the perfect way to begin 2026 as one team.   Across a day of team building, plenty of laughs, great conversations (with a few drinks 🍷), we had the chance to step back, reconnect, and strengthen the relationships that make Ambition what it is.   Dinner was a real highlight, with everyone dressed to impress as we celebrated a record-breaking year, alongside the successes, milestones, and well-deserved promotions across the business. A brilliant reminder of the talent, ambition, and commitment across our team. The energy in the room set the tone for the year ahead: ambition, honesty, accountability, and a real sense of shared ownership in what we’re building together.   We’re incredibly proud of this team and excited for what’s ahead. Bring on 2026!🚀

Future Leaders BD & Marketing Breakfast Club Charles Stephen Serna, Senior Consultant, is delighted to launch a new event series in 2026, for aspiring Future Leaders in BD & Marketing. We are thrilled to welcome two outstanding BD Manager speakers who will share their career journeys and advice: Lauren Richards-Holland (née Holland) is the Mining Sector BD Lead for the UK, EMEA and US at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer. Following a Master’s in Law from UCL, she has built an impressive legal services career spanning a start-up ALSP, a national firm, and roles at Linklaters and Clifford Chance, before joining HSF Kramer. Alongside her corporate career, Lauren has also served as a non-executive director for a national charity. Paps Andrews is a Marketing & Business Development Manager at Hogan Lovells, where she supports the Financial Institutions sector and leads the Digital Assets & Blockchain and FinTech practices. With experience across Asia and Europe, including time in Hong Kong, she most recently led the firm’s marketing initiatives in Dublin. She was recognised on the Innovate Finance Women in FinTech Powerlist 2022 for her contribution to the industry. Attendees will include a fantastic group of non-managerial legal BD and marketing professionals from US, Magic Circle, Silver Circle and other leading global law firms, making this an exceptional opportunity for learning, connection and career development. For those who would like to attend our future sessions, please get in touch with Charles Stephen Serna!

In this episode of Leaders With Ambition, host Nicky Acuña Ocaña speaks with Rhys Madoc, CEO of UHY International, about his early life and the curiosity that led him into business. Growing up in a family deeply rooted in theatre and the arts, Rhys spent his formative years immersed in that world. Until his late teens, the “real world” of business was unfamiliar territory. That sense of exploration, asking what’s out there and how to achieve it which drove him to pursue a business- oriented education and ultimately shaped his career path. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eq5eksm2 Read the show notes: https://lnkd.in/eBumSwvZ?

Back and feeling energised from our UK Annual Kick Off! There was lots to celebrate and plenty of exciting news to share (more posts to come), but I was especially proud to announce four promotions. Huge congratulations to Archie Humphreys, Tanzim Khan, Ummara Qureshi and Harriett Stevens for your well deserved promotions. You have all demonstrated exceptional skill in your roles, developed true partnerships, and shown passion and consistency in #buildingbetterfutures for your networks and colleagues at Ambition. Excited to see you achieve even greater success in 2026 and beyond!

In this episode of Leaders With Ambition, host Nicky Acuña Ocaña speaks with Rhys Madoc, CEO of UHY International, about his unconventional path into business leadership. Coming from a family of teachers and theatre professionals, Rhys admits that the concept of “business” was a mystery to him early on. Beyond knowing what a salesperson did, he had little understanding of how organisations operated. That curiosity led him to explore, learn, and ultimately pursue a business- oriented education, a decision that shaped his career trajectory. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eq5eksm2 Read the show notes: https://lnkd.in/eBumSwvZ?

More good news! I’m delighted to share that Nicky Acuña Ocaña has been promoted to President, Ambition Americas, UK and Europe. Nicky is such an inspiring and impactful leader who has spent 18+ years with Ambition building trusted client relationships, developing high performing and inclusive teams, strengthening our brand, and consistently delivering outstanding results. Alongside Ben Curle, she launched our US business, building it from scratch and driving the strong progress we are seeing today. Together with our UK and Europe Managing Director, Matthew Gardner, Nicky has also been instrumental in growing our UK and Europe business, which delivered excellent results in 2025. Nicky is a widely respected industry voice, featured on the SIA (Staffing Industry Analysts) Global Power 150 Women in Staffing list, and known as an expert in her field and trusted advisor. She is hugely passionate about causes she genuinely believes in, one example of this being launching and chairing our Allyship, Belonging and Inclusion Committee across Ambition, leading initiatives, policies, training and events that continue to shape a more inclusive culture across all our offices. She is also an inspiring role model for all parents out there, successfully balancing extensive leadership responsibilities, a crazy travel schedule and professional commitments with the demands of family life! On top of all this, Nicky is simply great fun to work with, highly engaging, and someone we feel incredibly lucky to have at Ambition. Congratulations to Nicky on this well deserved promotion. #buildingbetterfutures #leadership #promotion #ambitioncareers Nick Waterworth 🦘

In this episode of Leaders With Ambition, host Nicky Acuña Ocaña speaks with Rhys Madoc, CEO of UHY International about his journey from internal audit to driving global entrepreneurial growth. Rhys shares how starting in internal audit at a large paper manufacturing mill gave him deep insight into organisational operations. From there, he transitioned to managing donor-funded projects for agencies like the European Union and World Bank, focusing on developing incubators for micro-businesses in emerging markets. Working across South America and North Africa, Rhys helped local entrepreneurs build the skills and mindset needed to run successful businesses and foster an entrepreneurial spirit in their communities. Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eaVfVR53 Read the show notes: https://lnkd.in/eBumSwvZ