In today’s episode, Guy Gillon – our Co-Founder at Tenzing – is joined by a remarkable leader who’s spent decades operating at the very highest levels of performance and decision-making. David Hopley sits down with Guy for a conversation about what it truly means to lead, inspire, and deliver under pressure.
With a distinguished 30-year career in the Royal Marine Commandos and UK Special Forces – including his tenure as Commanding Officer of the Special Boat Service and Deputy Commander of UK Special Forces – David brings unparalleled insights into leadership in the most demanding environments. He is one of the rare individuals to have been awarded both the King’s Badge and the Sword of Honour, two of the military’s most prestigious recognitions of excellence in training and leadership.
In this episode, we dive into David’s philosophy of leadership: how he learnt to lead, the power of trust and team cohesion, navigating high-pressure situations, and why he believes true leadership is about driving meaningful step changes – in business, sport, and life.
Karen Falcon:
Hello, and welcome to The Ascent. I’m Karen Falcon, Performance and Development Lead at Tenzing. We’re a private equity firm passionate about the human stories behind high-growth businesses and teams. Guy, our co-founder, and I talk to driven, insightful founders, CEOs, and high performers. We’ve covered tech — now we’re looking beyond. We explore highs, lows, and everything in between: what fuels people, how they build standout teams, and how they keep pushing boundaries. No topic is off limits, and each conversation is packed with lessons you can apply to your own journey.
In today’s episode, Guy Gillon is joined by David Hopley, who’s operated at the very highest levels of leadership. David’s 30-year military career spans the Royal Marine Commandos and UK Special Forces, including Commanding Officer of the Special Boat Service (SBS) and Deputy Commander of UKSF. He’s one of the rare individuals awarded both the King’s Badge and the Sword of Honour, recognising excellence in training and leadership.
We explore David’s approach to leadership — how he learned to lead, building teams you implicitly trust, leading under pressure, leadership vs management, and why his guiding principle is all about creating meaningful step-changes in business, sport, and life.
Guy Gillon (Tenzing):
David, great to see you again. We first met when you came in to talk negotiations. Before we dive in, two things about me you wouldn’t know: I had three challenging years of mental health early on (it wasn’t a straight line to CEO), and my headmaster’s final report read: “Guy has only himself to blame for his A-level results.” Twists and turns!
Please introduce yourself — and how you got here.
David Hopley:
Great to be back, Guy. I’m retired military: ~20 years in Special Forces, 30 years in the Royal Marines overall. Since 2005 I’ve worked in leadership and consulting.
My backstory has four parts:
- Africa upbringing. My father moved there in ’53; I followed as a baby and stayed until 17½. I was small, overweight, later discovered dyslexia, and at 12 a headmaster told me I was the “stupidest child” he’d met and should be sent to England for a menial job. That inner child has driven me ever since.
- Returning to England. Cultural shock. I worked an apprenticeship in a Derby factory, felt lonely, saw communities starting over from nothing, and decided not to return to Africa. The factory’s lack of ambition (“get on the council list; work to 65”) made me determined to break out.
- Choosing the Marines. After a REME recruiting pitch (good money but same work in uniform), I walked into the Navy office. A huge Royal Marine looked me up and down and said, “You’re not cut out to be a Royal Marine.” Ten weeks later I came back: “Sign me up.”
Training was brutal — I wasn’t the fittest — but failure wasn’t an option. I passed, earned the King’s Badge (best recruit) and PT ‘most improved’. Later, as an officer cadet, I earned the Sword of Honour. I’m one of only three to do the double (King’s Badge + Sword of Honour).
I served with 40/45 Commando, then pushed — against the system’s wishes — for SBS selection (1980). The SF world expanded (Falklands, investment, visibility), and I rode that bow wave: ultimately commanded the SBS, later Deputy Commander UKSF, took 2,500 to war in the Gulf and brought everyone back. By retirement, I’d done every job I wanted. - After service. I thought “what am I good at in civvy street?” — turns out leadership and coaching. A chance lunch became an interview at Goldman Sachs. I joined leadership development (Pine Street/GS University interface). Early on I lost my moral compass chasing money; my wife’s candid feedback — plus re-reading the values speech I gave taking SBS command — recalibrated me. I embraced the role, became EMEA co-head for leadership, then redundancy hit. The market was shifting toward outsourcing interventions, so I set up a consultancy, which is what I do today.
Guy:
Were there early signs?
David:
In recruit training, after ~3 months they tap section leaders — you have no rank, but you’re expected to support others. Later you can be picked as a “diamond” (potential King’s Badge). That’s when I realised I could lead — always by example, never by shouting.
I’d learned that style from Tom Smith, my foreman in Derby: on the shop floor helping, and in the office making hard calls — respected by everyone. Officer training reinforced it: repeated leadership tasks and debriefs showed me I could do this without a degree — it’s common sense, clarity, consistency, and example.
Guy:
At the top, it’s not “follow me over the hill.” How did it evolve?
David:
Team first. Have the right people around you — people you implicitly trust — and ensure they have the right teams too. As you get more senior and farther from the frontline, this is everything.
It’s not “do X.” It’s “the impact we need is Y — how do we get there?” Create alignment, win ownership, then trust them to execute.
Guy:
What struck you moving into business?
David:
In hindsight: everything’s great while we’re making money; if not, everything changes.
I was managed by three people (NY + London) across Pine Street (senior leadership) and GS University (analyst-VP). Pine Street loved “sit with the business, listen, work with them.” GS University struggled with me — I wasn’t the classic HR profile. They literally asked, “Would you stay late to photocopy?” They assumed I needed an office and three assistants. I told them about making tea for everyone at HQ — brigadier to secretary — to make the point.
Crucially, I showed that military leadership isn’t ‘do this or else’. In SF, the operators plan the operations. It’s autonomy with alignment and high standards. Also: trust, loyalty, honesty translate differently in business — that took time to learn.
Guy:
What makes courageous leadership when you’re scared of the consequences?
David:
I’ve never made a courageous call without fear. I lean on: Is this aligned to my values? Is it the right thing? That gives me conviction. Sometimes outcomes aren’t what we wanted; consequences can be severe — but if it was right, I can live with it.
Guy:
Do you show that fear to your team?
David:
Not during execution. Don’t pass them your burden; give them clarity. In the debrief, I’ll share I struggled and why, and reinforce my confidence in them.
Guy:
What does good challenge look like when you strongly disagree?
David:
Ask respectful, purpose-driven questions. Seek to understand why we’re doing this. If I understand the purpose, I can get comfortable even if I disagree. A few times I executed something I believed wrong; I still had to own it in front of my people to keep them safe. Challenge should feel like a dialogue, not a threat.
David:
My internal checklist:
- Do I believe in what we’re doing?
- Do I have the team to do it? If not, what must I change? (Includes a risk assessment, esp. likely downsides and contingencies.)
- Values check. Is it aligned to my moral compass? If not, that’s a red line; you must be willing to say no.
Guy:
How do you distinguish them?
David:
Leadership isn’t a title — it’s earned and given by those you lead. It starts with leading yourself: discipline, self-awareness, standards. Lead yourself well; you’ll influence others.
Management is the toolkit — one-to-ones, reviews, P&L, processes. Leadership is vision, direction, behaviour — the only “tools” are you and your values.
Guy:
How do you build trust with your team — and your bosses?
David:
Covey said it: no trust, no leadership. When I took command, I’d extend trust downwards from day one — they shouldn’t have to “earn” it first. I had to earn their trust every day: be, act, and do what you say.
Upwards, with senior generals, I built trust by translating intent into action — listening, taking what needed doing without being told, and delivering. The best bosses made our work a learning relationship.
What people look for? If they ask, it gets done. Simplicity.
David:
A tragic diving accident on a Friday training dive (officers accruing minutes): one officer — my new boss, senior to me — died due to factors beyond our control. As the diving supervisor, I was held accountable (courts martial followed).
My lessons:
- There are no shortcuts. Military diving is regulated; I should have insisted on the full protocol despite rank dynamics: “You might be my boss, but I’m the supervisor — we do it by the book.”
- Liked vs respected. My need to be liked (rooted in childhood bullying) blurred lines. In leadership roles you must prioritise respect. When you get that right, being liked stops mattering — and often follows anyway.
Guy:
How do you recover your leadership after big emotional hits — like loss?
David:
When my first wife, Linda, suffered a sudden brain haemorrhage on shift (she was a midwife), she was on life support within 30 seconds. It was the first time I was on the other side — not the one taking action and supporting others. I had three children; I briefly lost sight of what they needed.
The outpouring of support was astonishing — generals, former teammates, the SBS lined the streets to the crematorium.
My takeaways:
- You’re never alone.
- Be open and transparent about where you’re at.
- Accept help. Don’t pretend you’re OK if you’re not.
Back at the Defence College, I addressed students directly: “Don’t tiptoe around me — hold me accountable for what I’m here to do.” That clarity helped everyone.
Guy:
David, thank you — an amazing life story and so many cul-de-sacs we could explore for hours.
David:
A pleasure, Guy. Thank you.
Karen Falcon (Host):
What an incredible chat with David — full of wisdom and real-world experience, and a powerful reminder that leadership is a privilege. Should leadership be a title, or something granted by those around you? Do we need to learn to lead ourselves before we can lead others? And what place does trust play in leadership and teamship? Plenty to reflect on.
If you enjoyed this conversation and want more, search “Tenzing” wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love you to rate and review this episode — and don’t forget to subscribe. You can find out more about us at Tenzing.pe, on LinkedIn, or on Instagram.
Bye for now.
