Featuring alumni from the Women of the Future Programme and Awards, which recognises distinctive, innovative individuals in their fields. Previous winner Kim Rowell speaks to guests about their careers, big breaks, successes, failures and inspirations.
Episodes
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Dr. Swati Piramal has used her background in medicine, public health and business to change the trajectory of healthcare, education, and public policy in India. She is one of India’s leading scientists and industrialists and is involved in public health and innovation.
Dr. Piramal is also a Director of Piramal Enterprises, one of the leading Indian multinational companies in Healthcare, Financial Services and Information Management. With the intention of providing affordable medicines to reduce the burden of disease globally, Piramal Enterprises supplies medicines to over 100 countries and has a portfolio of over 200 patents.
Dr. Piramal also helps promote health in rural India with mobile health services, women’s empowerment projects and supporting community education that creates young leaders, as a Director of the Piramal Foundation. As the first woman president of India’s Apex Chamber of Commerce in 90 years, she helped influence important public policies and governance, also serving as an adviser to the Indian Prime Minister in science, technology, and economic policy.
Dr. Piramal is a leader who certainly makes a positive difference to the community and the world. Her contributions in innovations, new medicines, and public health services have touched thousands of lives.
-------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Nov 10, 2023
Friday Nov 10, 2023
In 2008 Polly Harrar identified a gap in service provision for women who have been, or are at risk of being disowned, and who require long term support towards leading a successful independent life without fear, as a result she set up The Sharan Project: a specialist charity that supports South Asian women affected by abuse or persecution.
Amongst her many accolades, Polly is an Associate at the London Policing College, specialising in Domestic Abuse and Harmful Practice interventions and also holds a Master’s Degree in Policing, with a focus on Investigating Serious Crime.
On the 10th December 2020, Polly developed and launched the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant (EDAC) which is the third cross-Government supported UK Covenant, and the FIRST EVER Covenant that addresses Domestic Abuse.
SUKKI is a writer, director and humanitarian, best known for the Netflix Original docuseries ‘Singapore Social’.
She is also known for campaigning for freedom of expression within the performing arts in Singapore, and for the award-nominated short film, ‘I SEE HER’, which has been Officially Selected for festivals including the BAFTA and BIFA qualifying British Urban Film Festival.
The film seeks to sensitively educate the public on taking action when they see signs of abuse in women and girls; it has been made in close collaboration with The Sharan Project.
Sukki and Polly have both been recognised as a part of the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, part of the Women of the Future Awards, with Polly receiving a high commendation in 2013.
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Zainab Alema, aka Zee, aka The Bulldozer, is a neonatal nurse by profession and a rugby player by passion.
Zainab has been playing rugby for over a decade and as a black, Muslim, mother-of-three, is passionate about getting more people from diverse backgrounds into rugby.
Her determination, commitment and love for the sport, has also led Zainab to start ‘Studs in the Mud’, her project supporting grassroots rugby in Ghana.
She is also an ambassador for the Mintridge Foundation charity, which provides sporting role models for young people in academic settings, as well as volunteering with the Project Rugby Programme under both the Harlequins and Saracens Foundation.
Zainab endeavours to be a positive voice for the sport and has hopes to inspire and empower the younger generation.
She was awarded the Sunday Times Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year Award in 2020 and was the recipient of the Sport Award at the Women of the Future Awards in 2022.
-------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Oct 13, 2023
Friday Oct 13, 2023
Harleen Deol is a consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon for the East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust.
She has worked in the NHS for 26 years, as a breast reconstruction surgeon; a supervisor for trainee surgeons; and an advisor, chair and member of numerous committees.
Harleen has dedicated her time to championing technological innovations that prioritise patient benefits as well as save costs.
Also a tutor at the University of Cambridge, as well as having presented and taught live operating at conferences across the globe, additionally Harleen serves as a charity trustee.
The recipient of the HUGELY prestigious Chairman’s Award at the 2023 Asian Women of Achievement Awards, Harleen certainly is a force to be reckoned with.
-------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Sep 29, 2023
Friday Sep 29, 2023
Anila Dhami is an award-winning presenter and journalist who has worked for some of the UK’s biggest media companies for nearly a decade.
Currently, she freelances as a presenter and reporter for ITV News, C5 News, and LBC.
Unabashedly confident, calm and certainly compelling, Anila has adeptly utilised her professional approach to host live debates on hard-hitting topical issues, interview a diverse range of people from all sectors of society – from MPs and experts to A-list celebrities - but most importantly, is gifted with the unique ability to provide a space for people to share their stories and experiences, on TV, radio and online.
Anila won the Media Award at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards in 2023.
-------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Sep 15, 2023
Friday Sep 15, 2023
Josephine Lee is the Corporate Real Estate Lead across Asia Pacific for Cummins, a company which prides itself as a ‘global power technology leader’.
Previously as Regional Business Development Director for Asia-Pacific at Knight Frank in Singapore, Josephine managed corporate clients across multiple geographies.
With vast experience in the real estate sector, Josephine has won market-defining mandates.
Having spent three years in China, Josephine was responsible for over a million square feet of transactions, and has managed the real estate portfolios for brands such as Amazon and Nokia.
Recognised for her approach to kindness and collaboration within the industry, Josephine was the winner of the Property, Infrastructure and Construction category at the Women of the Future Southeast Asia Awards in 2019.
-------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
Carlotta Zorzi has an enormous amount of strings to her bow.
An award-winning, bilingual English and Italian Non-Executive Director and consultant, she has vast experience working with tech start-ups and large blue chip companies.
With over a decade of experience within the media, advertising and tech space, Carlotta is a huge advocate for building connections and paying it forwards. A tech career coach, leadership thought-leader and storyteller, she’s made it her mission to build relationships that can stand the test of time.
Combining her international background and global connections with her experience in B2B, B2C and D2C media and technology, Carlotta helps individuals and high-growth businesses develop in the tech industry through expansion strategy consultations, 1:1 professional coaching sessions and inspiring speaking engagements.
Winner of the ‘Mentor of the Year’ category at the Women of the Future Awards in 2022, she really is a force of nature.
-------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
For more information on Carlotta and her work click here.
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
We have a very special #WorldKindnessDay collaboration for you for this weeks’ Women of the Future podcast.
We’ve joined up with the wonderful people @teamkind2 (Twitter) and @teamkinduk (Instagram) for KindFest 2022 - the global virtual kindness festival featuring politicians, performers, broadcasters, authors, entrepreneurs and policy makers, now in its third year and advocating for radical #kindness.
Joining Kim Rowell on this podcast episode, is the remarkable Waad Al-Kateab, a Syrian journalist, filmmaker and activist.
Her documentary, For Sama (2019), was nominated for 4 BAFTAs at the 73rd British Academy Awards, winning Best Documentary; it was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards, with Waad going on to receive the 2021 Academy Gold Fellowship for Women.
Waad’s coverage of the Battle for Aleppo won an International Emmy Award for Current Affairs & News for Channel 4 News, and amongst numerous other accolades, including the Chairman’s Award at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards (part of the Women of the Future Programme) this year, Waad has also been included as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.
For more information about the Women of the Future Programme and initiatives, click here.
For more information on the Action For Sama campaign click here.
For more information on KindFest 2022 click here.
Friday Aug 26, 2022
Friday Aug 26, 2022
A Turkish citizen, born in Vienna, Burcin Ressamoglu is an experienced Executive Leader with a passion for gender equality and advocating women's leadership in organisations.
Burcin started her career in marketing with STFA Ogden Services, moving to Siemens, and then joining Philips Electronics for 14 years where she undertook several senior management positions across various European countries as well as in China .
In 2012, Burcin took the CEO role in Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Turkey and in 2018 moved into the CEO role of Sodexo Benefits and Rewards UK. In both roles, Burcin has fostered and led highly engaged teams to deliver new operating models, new product portfolios and digital transformation.
An ambitious leader with strong values Burcin has been a part of the Sodexo Women Advisory Board Sotogether since 2017. Burcin sponsors inclusion and gender balance initiatives in the company while partnering with local NGO’s to progress women’s representation. She also continues to mentor many young professional women across the world.
Burcin was shortlisted for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards in 2022 in the Business category.
-------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Aug 05, 2022
Friday Aug 05, 2022
Activist, writer and speaker, Sangeeta Pillai, is the founder of the South Asian feminist network, Soul Sutras, which is all about tackling taboos within the culture.
She’s the creator of the Spotify award-winning ‘Masala Podcast’; the show for South Asian women deals with sex, sexuality, shame, periods and much, much more.
Sangeeta is also the creator of the Masala Monologues series of writing workshops and theatre shows in the UK and the US. She has been featured in the Evening Standard, Eastern Eye, Huffington Post, on BBC Asian Radio, in Brown Girl Magazine and has been a writer for over 20 years.
Sangeeta was Highly Commended in the Arts and Culture category at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, part of the Women of the Future Programme, in 2021.
Please note that this podcast was recorded in February 2022.
-------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk