BMG UK’s executive vice president Alexi Cory-Smith is a woman in a hurry who never seems rushed. In conversation and in business, she knows where she’s going and how to get there – and she doesn’t see the need to meander when the fast lane’s free.

But there’s never a sense of speeding or recklessness or searching for shortcuts, just progress.

Cory-Smith reflects the ambition and determination of the Bertelsmann-owned company she helms in Britain, but she also stresses the ...