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The Worlds Toughest Interviewer - Mike Soutar - The Apprentice

Author
We Have A Meeting
Published
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Episode Link
https://episode.flightcast.com/01K10S8S574KFW7578QQD9JP9T.mp3

What does it take to scale a business, earn trust at board level, and become the most feared interviewer on British television?

In this episode of We Have A Meeting, we sit down with Mike Soutar — co-founder of Shortlist Media, board director at Scottish Rugby and the V&A Dundee, and the man behind 13 seasons of The Apprentice’s most intense interviews.

You’ll learn:

• How Mike scaled Shortlist into one of the UK’s most successful freemium media businesses
• What really happens behind the scenes on The Apprentice UK — and how candidates crack under pressure
• Why founders need fast feedback, not fake validation
• How AI is reshaping the kind of people we hire — and the rise of the “super generalist”
• What every pitch deck gets wrong
• And how Mike’s daily mentoring gives him a frontline view into the mindset of the best emerging leaders

This is a sharp, honest, and story-driven conversation about what actually works when it comes to building businesses, making good decisions, and earning trust.

Watch now, only on We Have A Meeting.

Listen & follow the podcast:
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🔎 Search: “We Have A Meeting” wherever you get your podcasts
📲 Follow Mike Soutar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesoutar/

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