The Bristol Bears are one of the more compelling business stories in English professional rugby right now, and not only because of what happens on match day.
In the latest episode of Inside the Workroom, as part of Employment Hero’s recently announced partnership with the club, UK Managing Director, Kevin Fitzgerald, sits down with Bristol Bears CEO Tom Tainton to explore what it really takes to lead a high-performance business when results are public, scrutiny never eases, and emotion is baked into every decision.
The conversation comes alongside the emergence of new Employment Hero research, which has found that two in three business leaders across the UK would recommend their city or region as the best place to start a business.
In the South West, that’s particularly true: 61% back their region as the best environment for founding an enterprise, 68% say they can meet their hiring needs locally, and 84% of South West businesses chose a local supplier over a cheaper alternative, making it the leading region in the UK for backing local.
Bristol Bears, as Tom tells it, is part of that fabric. A one-city institution, the club’s value’s are inseparable from Bristol’s identity: tech-savvy, young, diverse, and community-first.
Watch the full conversation below. (Prefer audio? Listen to the episode via the player below too)
Keep an eye out for upcoming episodes in the Inside the Workroom series, where we’ll be speaking with business leaders who pull back the curtain on what it really takes to run a successful workforce. Watch the series so far below:
Inside the Workroom Episode 2: How 2026 Apprenticeship Funding Reforms Solve UK SME Skills Gaps
Inside the Workroom Episode 1: How Small Businesses Can Strengthen Workplace Culture Without Big Budgets
