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 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.
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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.
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For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Jul 22, 2022
Friday Jul 22, 2022
Caroline Williams is Director of Open Executive Education at Saïd Business School, part of the University of Oxford. She is responsible for the vision and success of their Open Executive Education (OEE) portfolio.
Under Caroline’s leadership, OEE is ranked second in the world for quality of executive education by the Financial Times, earning first place in the UK for six consecutive years.
Caroline’s career has taken her from developing and managing large scale media campaigns to running the research team for a major Think Tank.
Committed to supporting Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, Caroline is part of a global network of thought leaders creating opportunities for women from all sectors to experience high quality executive education.
Saïd Business School is the proud sponsor of the Women of the Future Programme.
Please note that this podcast was recorded in March 2022.
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For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Jul 01, 2022
Friday Jul 01, 2022
Toni Thorne lives by the motto: ‘Be true to yourself’, and as an entrepreneur who started her first business aged 7, it’s certainly a notion that is working incredibly well for her.
The epitome of the ‘multi-hyphen’ career, Toni has been a consultant to both public and private sector entities in her native Barbados, and at 18 was the first Black or Caribbean person to sit on the Global Youth Leader’s European Summit, going on to be named as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and Deputy Curator of its Bridgetown Hub.
Alongside presenting ‘The Toni Thorne Show’, her regionally broadcast television show, working as a clothing and shoe designer, devising a charity programme for HIV-infected orphans in Jamaica, and much, much more; Toni is also a former Huffington Post blogger and columnist to two of Barbados’ leading publications.
The list of her accolades and achievements is quite remarkable and extremely varied, with her recent accomplishment of receiving an MBA with Cambridge Judge Business School, seeing Toni named on the prestigious Poets and Quants ‘Brightest and Best’ list.
Toni is now happily working at J.P. Morgan Asset Management and is keen to work on projects which encourage and inspire women and girls, especially to pursue financial literacy and careers in finance.
Toni was the joint winner of the Women of the Future MBA Star Award in 2021 - please note that we recorded this podcast whilst she was sitting by the ocean in Barbados, so do enjoy the sound of the lapping waves behind her… if you can!
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For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Jun 17, 2022
Friday Jun 17, 2022
Anna Sheppard is an inspirational keynote speaker and the founder and CEO of Bambuddha Group, a social enterprise and community for dedicated learners who want to make an exceptional impact through leadership in business.
From humble beginnings, Anna spent most of her childhood fighting prejudice, and entered the care system for a short time before braving the world alone at the young age of 16.
Her early life experiences helped her develop a strong passion for equality and a vision for change. Anna worked optimistically and focused on putting herself through college, university and a master’s degree.
After working on various community development projects in Europe, Africa and Asia, Anna had an idea to set up a company with a clear vision for social and environmental change. And so Bambuddha Group was born, an organisation that believes in a future where every leader and business is committed to creating a sustainable world of equality and opportunity for everyone.
Anna was listed on the Kindness and Leadership 50 Leading Lights List, part of the Women of the Future Programme, for Asia Pacific in 2021.
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For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday May 27, 2022
Friday May 27, 2022
Born and bred in Birmingham, Kalbir Bains is the author of ‘NOT our daughter! The true story of a daughter-in-law.’
A narrative of marriage within a South Asian community, it tells the story of ‘Harleen’ who is trying to settle into her marriage and the challenges faced in doing so.
Reflective of Kalbir’s own personal journey, her story is made all the more remarkable as a dyslexia diagnosis meant that at the age of 22 Kalbir was told she had the reading ability of a 7-year-old.
Embarking on a journey to be able to express her thoughts through writing, poetry, art, and design, Kalbir now works as an ambassador, talking openly to organisations, societies and charities about her experiences of domestic violence and abuse, gender inequality, abortion, and many more ‘real issues’ that often go on behind closed doors.
On a mission to transform, empower and inspire others, Kalbir was the recipient of the Social and Humanitarian Award at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, part of the Women of the Future Programme, in 2018.
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For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday May 06, 2022
Friday May 06, 2022
This week we’re bringing you a very special episode of the ‘Women of the Future’ podcast, highlighting the Programme’s ‘Women in ESG: 50 Stars Changing the World’ campaign.
Seeking to acknowledge and celebrate talented female trailblazers and role models, aged 35 and under, who are at the forefront of Environmental, Social and Governance from around the world; each year, the campaign will showcase 50 rising stars across different aspects of ESG who have made a lasting and positive impact on their organisations, environment and wider society.
If you, or someone you know, is looking to celebrate a new generation of women who are a force for good, or if you want to help to create a global ESG leaders’ community and conversation, as well as support and strengthen the female talent pipeline in the Environmental, Social and Governance sector – then nominations for the 2022 list are open until Monday 10th May.
More details can be found in the podcast show notes, or by visiting: https://esg.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Now, today’s podcast guest is certainly both a trailblazer and role model in the ESG space -
Kresse Wesling CBE is a Canadian-born British entrepreneurand co-founder of the luxury recycled accessories company Elvis and Kresse.
Having moved to Hong Kong to study in the 90s, Kresse went on to found an environmental packaging company in the country in 2002, which she then brought to the UK a couple of years later as she continued her sustainable and entrepreneurial journey.
At a chance meeting with members of the London Fire Brigade, Kresse learnt that their discarded fire hoses were going to landfill. This led her and her partner Elvis to investigate possible uses for the material, and ultimately set up their company ‘Elvis and Kresse’ which creates handbags and other beautiful accessories.
For over a decade now, and continuing under their ‘three pillars’ of ‘rescue, transform, donate’ - none of London’s fire-hoses now go to landfill, and over 300 tonnes of material has been reclaimed, with Elvis and Kresse donating 50% of their profits to charity.
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For more information on the Women of the Future: 50 Rising Stars in ESG campaign, please click here
For more information on Elvis & Kresse, please click here
For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Apr 29, 2022
Friday Apr 29, 2022
Currently Head of Products for Visa across Continental Europe, Patricia Brolly has over 20 years’ experience in delivering large scale programmes as well as revenue, across multiple geographies and business functions.
With immensely strong sales, product, customer service, operations, marketing, business transformation and P&L experience, Patricia has a passion for building high performing teams, nurturing talent and leading teams through change.
A marathon runner and Everest Base Camp trekker, Patricia has a beautiful and altruistic love for the elderly; alongside this she has raised much needed funds for the Ron Johnson Ward at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and is now a Trustee of The Richard Dimbleby Cancer Fund.
Patricia was listed on the 2018 Kindness and Leadership 50 Leading Lights List, part of the Women of the Future Programme, and is a judge for the annual Women of the Future Awards.
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For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk
Friday Apr 15, 2022
Friday Apr 15, 2022
Sophie Alexander is an award-winning producer, and occasional powerlifter, currently working in International Affairs for Sky News.
In her previous role at ITV News, Sophie was a part of the only broadcast crew in the world to follow rioters into the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. on January 6th 2021 – for which she and the team, including US correspondent Robert Moore and camera operator Mark Davey, have been recognised globally with multiple accolades for their coverage.
Sophie was the recipient of the Women of the Future Award in the Media category in 2021.
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For more information on the Women of the Future Programme, Awards and initiatives, please visit: www.womenofthefuture.co.uk