Dragons鈥� Den star Steven Bartlett has appointed Niki Aryana as chairman of his agency FlightStory.
Aryana, who has over two decades of experience advising major global media brands and high-growth companies, joins as the company accelerates its plans for international expansion.聽
He will work alongside managing directors Georgie Holt and Christiana Brenton.
Bartlett said Aryana will play a key role in challenging the business, shaping global strategy and helping the team scale effectively.
鈥淢y remit to him was really clear,鈥� said the A Diary of a CEO host. 鈥淐hallenge us, question all of our ideas, push us to be better, call us out when we need it, help us understand the global landscape and work with us on our international expansion.鈥�
Aryana spent 25 years at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as its managing director and senior partner, advising some of the world鈥檚 largest media businesses across broadcasting, streaming, publishing, music and information services.
On the appointment, he said: 鈥沦辞 delighted to join Steven Bartlett, Georgie Holt, Christiana Brenton and the team to take FlightStory on its next chapter of growth.聽
鈥淚t will be amazing to work with such a talented team.鈥�
The announcement follows a 60-day internal experiment at FlightStory to explore the power of AI agents across departments. The initiative led to 拢860,000 in efficiency savings and freed up over 65,000 hours of employee time, according to Bartlett.
The entrepreneur and podcast host said the company will reinvest the savings into new projects, hiring and international growth.
Bartlett cited a personal anecdote from a conversation with Virgin founder Richard Branson when announcing Aryana鈥檚 appointment.聽
鈥淚 had a conversation with Richard Branson two years ago about business and he said something to me that rewired my brain: 鈥業 was 50 years old, running the largest group of private companies in Europe, and I was in a board meeting. One of my directors was presenting something, and I asked him, 鈥業s that good news or bad news?鈥� He looked at me and said, 鈥楻ichard, come outside for a moment.鈥櫬�
“鈥楽o I stepped outside with him, and he said: 鈥楻ichard, you don鈥檛 actually know the difference between gross profit and net profit, do you?鈥� 鈥業 replied: 鈥楴o, I don鈥檛.鈥�
鈥溾�楬e pulled out some colouring pens and a piece of paper. He drew the ocean, then a fishing net in the water, and then little fish inside the net.
鈥溾�楬e said: 鈥楾he fish inside the net – that鈥檚 your net profit鈥�. I said to him 鈥榞ot it鈥�. But those things don’t really matter… I’m good at surrounding myself with good people… I’m good at delegating.鈥�
鈥沦辞 Richard Branson was 50 years old…. he had built one of Europe’s top business groups in Virgin and he didn’t know the basics of business… but it did not matter… why?
鈥淏ecause he realised what he was bad at and become a master of surrounding himself with some of the world’s best people who he hired to tell him what to do!鈥�
The chairman鈥檚 appointment also follows the recent hiring of Harri Walsh as head of happiness and health – a role Bartlett described as one of the most important in the company鈥檚 history.
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