Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Big companies are built to deliver, but in a world where technology shifts daily and customer needs change overnight, delivery alone isn’t enough. Business building has to become part of the culture.
In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Tanuja Randery, Managing Director of Amazon Web Services in EMEA, to explore how AWS scales without becoming a bureaucracy. From codifying leadership principles to democratizing challenges, Tanuja shares how AWS sustains speed and empowers a rare but vital community she calls “scalers” - the people who turn bold ideas into repeatable models.
We’re also joined by Erika Sorow, Bain Partner and former President of Sweaty Betty, who reveals how improv comedy became a crash course in collaboration, creativity, and scaling ideas.
Together, these stories show why business building isn’t a distraction from delivery, it’s the growth engine. And why the real art of scaling comes from creating cultures where curiosity, experimentation, and even mistakes fuel speed and innovation.
Join the Conversation:
To learn more check out the Founders Mentality website or our CEO Insights hub: bain.com/founders-mentality
bain.com/insights/topics/ceo-agenda
Learn More:
Four Ways CEOs Can Spur Innovation amid Turbulence - Blog (bain.com/insights/four-ways-ceos-can-spur-innovation-amid-turbulence/)
How to Identify Great Scalers - Blog (bain.com/insights/how-to-identify-great-scalers-fm-blog/)
Scaling Businesses as a Team - Blog (bain.com/insights/scaling-businesses-as-a-team-fm-blog/)
The Best Practices of Great Scalers - Blog (bain.com/insights/the-best-practices-of-great-scalers-fm-blog/)
Ruth Handcock - How to Preserve the Essence of Founder-Driven Companies - Video (bain.com/insights/how-to-preserve-the-essence-of-founder-driven-companies-video/)
Bain & Company LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/bain-and-company/)
Bain & Company X (https://x.com/BainandCompany)
Jimmy Allen LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/james-allen-3442b/)
Tanuja Randery LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/tanuja-randery)
Erika Serow Profile (bain.com/our-team/erika-serow/)
About Founders Mentality
Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions is a leadership podcast hosted by executive advisor and bestselling author Jimmy Allen.
Each episode features candid conversations with top CEOs, from Audible to Walmart to AWS, as well as artists, comedians, and other unconventional thinkers. Together, they share the lessons that shaped their growth, the “aha” moments that redefined their work, and the surprising ways reinvention happens at every level.
Whether you’re a CEO, an aspiring leader, or simply curious about leadership, influence, and business at scale, this podcast will challenge and inspire you, one story at a time.
About the Host:
Jimmy Allen is an Advisory Partner at Bain & Company with over 35 years’ experience advising leading organizations. He’s the author of multiple best-selling books on growth and leadership and the host and founder of Bain’s Global CEO Community Forum. Jimmy is a regular speaker at global business events, including the World Economic Forum, and serves on the Botswana Economic Advisory Council. Outside of consulting, Jimmy started his own record label (Abubilla Music) in 2008 and supports Singing Wells, a project dedicated to preserving Kenyan village music.
Bain & Company:
Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions is brought to you by Bain & Company, a global consultancy trusted by the world’s most influential business leaders. With decades of experience guiding organizations through growth, transformation, and leadership development, Bain’s executive insights offer what it takes to lead at scale.
Big companies are built to deliver, but in a world where technology shifts daily and customer needs change overnight, delivery alone isn’t enough. Business building has to become part of the culture.
In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Tanuja Randery, Managing Director of Amazon Web Services in EMEA, to explore how AWS scales without becoming a bureaucracy. From codifying leadership principles to democratizing challenges, Tanuja shares how AWS sustains speed and empowers a rare but vital community she calls “scalers” - the people who turn bold ideas into repeatable models.
We’re also joined by Erika Sorow, Bain Partner and former President of Sweaty Betty, who reveals how improv comedy became a crash course in collaboration, creativity, and scaling ideas.
Together, these stories show why business building isn’t a distraction from delivery, it’s the growth engine. And why the real art of scaling comes from creating cultures where curiosity, experimentation, and even mistakes fuel speed and innovation.
Join the Conversation:
To learn more check out the Founders Mentality website or our CEO Insights hub: bain.com/founders-mentality
bain.com/insights/topics/ceo-agenda
Learn More:
Four Ways CEOs Can Spur Innovation amid Turbulence - Blog (bain.com/insights/four-ways-ceos-can-spur-innovation-amid-turbulence/)
How to Identify Great Scalers - Blog (bain.com/insights/how-to-identify-great-scalers-fm-blog/)
Scaling Businesses as a Team - Blog (bain.com/insights/scaling-businesses-as-a-team-fm-blog/)
The Best Practices of Great Scalers - Blog (bain.com/insights/the-best-practices-of-great-scalers-fm-blog/)
Ruth Handcock - How to Preserve the Essence of Founder-Driven Companies - Video (bain.com/insights/how-to-preserve-the-essence-of-founder-driven-companies-video/)
Bain & Company LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/bain-and-company/)
Bain & Company X (https://x.com/BainandCompany)
Jimmy Allen LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/james-allen-3442b/)
Tanuja Randery LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/tanuja-randery)
Erika Serow Profile (bain.com/our-team/erika-serow/)
About Founders Mentality
Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions is a leadership podcast hosted by executive advisor and bestselling author Jimmy Allen.
Each episode features candid conversations with top CEOs, from Audible to Walmart to AWS, as well as artists, comedians, and other unconventional thinkers. Together, they share the lessons that shaped their growth, the “aha” moments that redefined their work, and the surprising ways reinvention happens at every level.
Whether you’re a CEO, an aspiring leader, or simply curious about leadership, influence, and business at scale, this podcast will challenge and inspire you, one story at a time.
About the Host:
Jimmy Allen is an Advisory Partner at Bain & Company with over 35 years’ experience advising leading organizations. He’s the author of multiple best-selling books on growth and leadership and the host and founder of Bain’s Global CEO Community Forum. Jimmy is a regular speaker at global business events, including the World Economic Forum, and serves on the Botswana Economic Advisory Council. Outside of consulting, Jimmy started his own record label (Abubilla Music) in 2008 and supports Singing Wells, a project dedicated to preserving Kenyan village music.
Bain & Company:
Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions is brought to you by Bain & Company, a global consultancy trusted by the world’s most influential business leaders. With decades of experience guiding organizations through growth, transformation, and leadership development, Bain’s executive insights offer what it takes to lead at scale.
