The Purposeful Strategist, a podcast from Menkus & Associates in partnership with Norman Broadbent, shares conversations with CEOs on how they translate organisational purpose into bold strategy, real impact, and lasting results.
How do you lead an organisation responsible for the measurements that underpin modern life? In this episode, Dr. Peter Thompson, Chief Executive of the National Physical Laboratory, explores the vital but often unseen role measurement plays in driving innovation, supporting industry, and enabling economic growth.
As the UK’s national metrology institute, NPL sits at the intersection of science, government, and business. Peter reflects on the challenge of leading a government-owned organisation that must balance scientific excellence with commercial discipline - winning work on merit, demonstrating value from public investment, and maintaining the long-term capabilities that underpin its national role. He shares how NPL has evolved to become more outward-looking, focusing not only on advancing scientific knowledge but also on delivering tangible benefits for society, industry, and government.
The conversation examines NPL’s unique position as a bridge between scientific discovery and real-world application, helping organisations innovate with confidence by providing the certainty and standards on which progress depends. Peter also reflects on leadership in a rapidly changing world, discussing why organisations must continually adapt, challenge assumptions, and prepare for a future that will demand different skills, perspectives, and approaches than those that brought success in the past.