For episode 1 in our brand new 40 Minute Mentor season, we’re joined by Clare Jones, ex CCO of what3words and CEO of Polarsteps.

Clare has had an impressive career so far, including joining what3words in its very early days as a startup and helping them scale to post-Series C in 8 years.

Earlier in the summer, Clare joined Polarsteps, a rapidly growing team building the essential tool for modern day explorers - before, during and after their trips.

In today’s episode we discuss the leadership skills that helped her through her tenure as CCO and now CEO, what makes a successful CCO and what it’s been like to join as the first CEO hire, as a succession hire from the Founders.

Episode Chapters:

➡️ Her upbringing in an activist household [04:30]
➡️ Early NGO experiences & transferable skills [06:15]
➡️ Joining what3words as a scrappy startup [09:50]
➡️ Lessons from scaling the what3words team [13:45]
➡️ More about today’s sponsors [20:55]
➡️ Becoming comfortable with failure [22:00]
➡️ Deep dive into the CCO role [26:15]
➡️ Why the move to Polarsteps & the origin story [28:30]
➡️ When it’s time for Founders to step back [31:55]
➡️ Making Founder succession work [43:00]
➡️ Learning to be patient [47:25]