British entrepreneur and TV star Stephen Bartlett has quietly stepped down from the company’s board behind the scenes of his popular podcast The Diary of a CEO.
Bartlett, known for his role on the BBC show Dragons’ Den and as the founder of social media marketing group Social Chain, co-founded Flight Story Group, a media business that produces the podcast The Diary of a CEO. The show features candid interviews with world leaders, celebrities and entrepreneurs and has grown to become one of the UK’s most listened to podcasts.
From young billionaire to media mogul
Born in Botswana and raised in Plymouth, Bartlett quickly rose to prominence in the business world. He co-founded Social Chain in 2014, becoming one of the youngest self-made millionaires in the UK, paving the way for a new generation of content creators and Gen Z entrepreneurs. His story also includes a public reflection on his struggles with mental health and the pressures of managing rapid success.
In 2017, Bartlett launched The Diary of a CEO, a series of interviews with celebrities about business and life, positioning himself not only as an entrepreneur but also as a cultural voice for a new generation of business leaders. The podcast, which reached 1 billion streams in 2024, has more than 9 million subscribers on YouTube and millions more on Spotify and Apple. We are currently the second largest podcast in the world and the largest in Europe. Bartlett describes the film as “an unfiltered journey into the surprising stories and untold sides of some of the world’s most influential people, experts and thinkers.”
Is it business as usual or a change of direction?
There is no indication that Mr Bartlett will stop hosting the podcast, despite filings with Companies House showing that he will step down as a director of Flight Story Group. The CEO Diary’s social media accounts continue to promote his latest episode without any mention of his resignation, suggesting that listeners can expect more content as usual.
So what does this move actually mean? Bartlett’s track record, from social chains to podcasting to media startups to influencer ventures, suggests he’s unlikely to slow down.
Flight Story has established itself as a leading podcast producer with shows like “Begin Again with Davina McCall” and “We Need to Talk with Paul Brunson,” so Bartlett may decide his time there is done, leave day-to-day podcast duties in capable hands, and step back to focus on new projects.
Regardless of what’s behind this decision, Bartlett’s influence on podcasting, media entrepreneurship, and a new generation of creators will continue.
