Each month, our AGP Relationship Managers—seasoned experts working with high-growth businesses across Wales—share their top recommendations. These resources are carefully selected to help you lead with confidence, grow with purpose, and seize new opportunities while navigating the challenges unique to your business.
This month, Geraint Hughes, AGP Relationship Manager covering North West Wales, shares his top picks. With a strong focus on emotional intelligence, cultural insight, and local economic understanding, his recommendations offer practical tools for building stronger teams and more resilient businesses in Wales.
1. Podcast: Penny For Your Thoughts - Bangor Business School Podcast
Why it’s a favourite
Bridging the gap between academic insight and business reality, Penny for Your Thoughts brings fresh thinking to the big questions leaders of growing businesses face. This podcast, hosted by Darren Morley (whose multi-sector experience keeps conversations grounded), blends expert research with real-world relevance.
What you’ll learn
- How leadership, digital marketing, and decision-making are evolving
- Strategies for employee engagement, organisational development, and customer behaviour
- Candid stories from professionals making an impact in HR, communications, and beyond
Episodes to check out
- Siobhan Johnson (HR consultant): On leadership, culture change, and growing businesses with people-first strategies
- Claire Quinton Tulloch (First Bus): On brand storytelling, exceeding client expectations, and navigating national-scale communications
- Plus expert insights from Bangor academics like Dr Clair Doloriert on leadership practice, Dr Steffan Thomas on SME digital marketing, and Dr Georgina Smith on behavioural decision-making
Why it matters for business leaders
This podcast tackles the questions you might not ask in a boardroom, but should. With hosts who know the theory and guests who live the practice, it’s essential listening for leaders ready to think deeper and act smarter.
2. Podcast: C’mon Cymraeg – ARFOR
Why it’s a favourite
Produced by ARFOR—a joint initiative by Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Gwynedd and Anglesey councils—C’mon Cymraeg explores how economic development and entrepreneurship can support the heartlands of the Welsh language. This Welsh-language podcast dives deep into how language, place, and business intersect.
What you’ll learn
- How language can strengthen brand identity and customer loyalty
- The challenges of rural development and youth retention
- Creative solutions from real Welsh entrepreneurs
Why it matters for business leaders
It challenges conventional thinking about language as a barrier and shows how it can be a growth lever. This is an inspiring reminder for businesses rooted in Wales that culture and commerce can go hand in hand.
3. Book: Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Why it’s a favourite
Growing a business is about more than strategy, it’s about people. Goleman’s bestselling book unpacks the science of emotions and how they shape our decisions, behaviours, and performance.
What you’ll learn
- The role of brain architecture in emotional and rational thinking
- How you can develop emotional intelligence (EQ) over time
- Practical ways to build stronger, purpose-driven teams
Why it matters for business leaders
Talent and passion matter but they need to be nurtured. This book reveals why EQ is just as vital as IQ in today’s business world, especially when scaling a high-performing team.
Accelerate your leadership with AGP support
Ready to put these insights into action? Our AGP team is here to help you develop the strategies and mindset needed to scale your business. Contact your Relationship Manager today to take the next step toward success.