Mike’s passion is supporting the next generation of founders and CEOs to grow into inspiring and effective leaders.
He has appeared as one of Lord Sugar’s trusted advisors on BBC’s The Apprentice for 13 Seasons.
During his executive career he led some of the UK’s biggest media brands and revolutionised UK magazine publishing when he founded Shortlist Media. Prior to that he worked for the maverick publisher, Felix Dennis and spent a number of years in the US as Executive Editor of Maxim for Dennis.
Mike is a Non-Executive Director of Scottish Rugby, a Trustee of V&A Dundee and a Board advisor to fast-growth businesses spanning fintech, data, contemporary art and social media.
In 2025, he joined the UK Government’s Board Of Trade to help champion the best of British business to the rest of the world.
His passion is supporting the next generation of founders and CEOs to grow into inspiring and effective leaders. Mike knows that the next generation of successful executives won’t just act differently, they’ll think differently.
His new book Next Gen CEO is the perfect tool to help them achieve their goals.
Next Gen CEO is not a dry, academic book about management theory. It is about the raw and very human mechanics of leadership - the principles that remain when the noise of the modern world is stripped away. In 60 sharp, micro-learning chapters, Mike distils decades of experience as a founder, CEO, and the formidable interviewer from BBC’s The Apprentice. It’s a book full of useful advice, practical new frameworks and stories of success and failure from a very colourful career.
Speaking Topics:
- Lessons in Leadership from Mike Soutar
- Grow an Innovative Workforce
- Building your Professional Brand
- Why Everything You Know About Leadership Is About To Expire
- Transform Your Fears Into Career-Defining Wins