1. PodiumX, Founder and CEO Rich Thompson: "Be Relentless!" (16 min) Birgit Kamps 16:17

Discover how Rich Thompson (Founder and CEO of multiple companies) transitioned from being a kicker for the Green Bay Packers to the global head of talent for a Global Fortune 500 company, what made him realize how lonely being a leader can be, and why being relentless has been the foundation of his many successes (16 minute episode).

CEO BLINDSPOTS® PODCAST GUEST: Rich Thompson. He is the Founder and CEO of PodiumX, XPG Recruit (a “2022 Best Places to Work” company), and Xtra Point Group.

Rich started his career on the football field, as part of the revolutionary turnaround of the Wisconsin Badger football program under legendary Hall of Fame coach Barry Alvarez where Rich was 1st Team All Big Ten, Honorable Mention All-American and a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza award, given to the nation’s best placekicker. He was also a Free Agent with the Green Bay Packers for 2 years. More than 30 years later, Rich remains Wisconsin’s current record holder for the most field goals in a single season. He also is the past Chairman of the 75th Gator Bowl.

Rich transitioned into the corporate world as a recruiter and quickly expanded into managing branches and then regions of a large staffing company. He was quickly promoted into a national training role and then grew into a role in Zurich, Switzerland as the global head of talent for Global Fortune 500 company. In that role, he was responsible for the people strategy across more than 60 countries, building programs organically and in partnership with some of the world’s top business schools. He then moved back to the US as the CHRO of a $10 billion region for the largest staffing company in the world, prior to founding his current three companies.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Management from North Park University in Chicago. Rich is also a graduate of the Leadership Development Program at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Senior Leadership Program at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France and Leading in Innovation, at Hyper Island, in Stockholm, Sweden.

Rich just published a leadership book titled “Relentless: Leading through Performance, Relationships, and the Lessons of Sports”.

For more information about Rich Thompson, his companies, and his book;

PodiumX; https://www.podiumx.com/

Xtra Point Group; https://www.xtrapointgroup.com/about/

XPG Recruit; https://www.xpgrecruit.com/

Relentless (book): https://a.co/d/ecYUu5w

CEO Blindspots® Podcast Host: ⁠Birgit Kamps⁠.

Birgit was speaking five languages by the age of 10, and lived in five countries with her Dutch parents prior to becoming an American citizen. Birgit’s professional experience includes starting and selling an “Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Company” and a “Best Company to Work for in Texas”, and serving as a Board Member with various companies. In addition, Birgit is the President of Hire Universe LLC, and the host of the CEO Blindspots® Podcast which was recognized by Spotify for having the “biggest listener growth” in the USA by 733%; ⁠https://www.ceoblindspots.com/⁠

To ask questions about this or one of the 200+ other CEO Blindspots® Podcast episodes, send an email to⁠⁠ birgit@ceoblindspots.com⁠

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Birgit Kamps CEO Blindspots Podcast

Birgit was speaking five languages by the age of 10, and lived in five countries with her Dutch parents prior to becoming an American citizen. Birgit’s professional experience includes starting and selling an “Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Company” and a “Best Company to Work for in Texas”, and serving as a Board Member with various companies. In addition, Birgit is the President of Hire Universe LLC, and the host of the CEO Blindspots® Podcast which was recognized by Spotify for having the “biggest listener growth” in the USA by 733%; https://www.ceoblindspots.com/