Diverse & Inclusive Leaders

Celeste WarrenLeila is joined by Celeste Warren - Vice President, Global Diversity & Inclusion Center of Excellence at Merck.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· The inspiration that Celeste’s father provided her in her childhood by leading the way as the first black principal in his region· The key aspects of Merck’s D&I strategy from a ‘top level’ perspective· The “employee awakening” that has occurred as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and resulted in a greater focus on inclusion and belonging· The trend for corporations to play a key role in social activism· The crucial role that those in Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer roles can play within the boardroom RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/celeste-warren-3728784/Twitter: @@CRWDiversityContinue the conversation on LinkedIn

Debra Ruh and LaMondre PoughLeila is joined by Debra Ruh and LaMondre Pough - CEO/Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer at Ruh Global IMPACT respectively.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  The culture shock that LaMondre experienced when he first became an adult and realised that the world did not view him the same way his mother did·  The work that they are doing at RUH Global to make the world more accessible for those with disabilities·  The need for discriminators/oppressors to take action to fix problems regarding inequality/accessibility instead of those who are being oppressed/discriminated against·  An exciting public announcement by Debra and LaMondre, which was made here first!RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/debraruh/https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamondre-pough-b178a09/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Simone Roche MBELeila is joined by Simone Roche MBE – CEO/Founder of Northern Power Women and Northern Power Futures.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  How Simone became an entrepreneur and found herself working in gender equality after starting her career in the Royal Navy· The power of “male advocates as agents of change” within the gender equality spaceRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-roche-mbe-49316416/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Julia ChampionLeila is joined by Julia Champion – Managing Director at Champion Talent.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  How Julia developed a career in talent management· The work she is doing to encourage greater diversity among media presenters· The improved representation of local/regional accents on British TVRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-champion-954a1513a/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Hannah AwonugaLeila is joined by Hannah Awonuga - Vice President - Global Diversity and Inclusion at Barclays.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· What led Hannah to start her lifelong career in banking at the age of 16 and her career journey to date· The need for psychological safety in order to facilitate employees’ ability to “choose to challenge” · The sustainable change for people of colour in future leadership generations that Hannah is looking to drive as a school governor after the George Floyd murder RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-awonuga/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Esther StanhopeLeila is joined by Esther Stanhope – Speaker, author and personal impact expert at the Impact Guru and former Senior Producer at the BBC.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  How Esther uses the superior communication skills from her media career to coach business leaders to speak well when needed· The two types of public speaker·  Esther’s personal battle with Glossophobia· How her work has often revolved around helping women with their self-confidence while speaking in particularRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/estherstanhope/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Mita MallickLeila is joined by Mita Mallick - Head of Inclusion, Equity and Impact at Carta.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  The bullying that Mita experienced as a child due to her Indian background· How Mita is challenging leaders to be more inclusive with their day to day practices/activities· Mita’s advice for future generation leaders and how she battles ‘impostor syndrome’· How to do good by supporting smaller business owners as well as larger organisationsRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mita-mallick-2b165822/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Susie PetruccelliLeila is joined by Susie Petruccelli – Digital Product Manager at Atlanta Media and Author/Publisher.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  The moments of gender exclusion that Susie has experienced throughout her life·  The lack of media coverage dedicated to women’s sport·  How we can level the playing field for women’s sport compared to men’s sportRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/susie-petruccelli-4777682/https://www.amazon.com/Raised-Warrior-Memoir-Leveling-Playing/dp/1948062828/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1610658120&sr=8-1Instagram @susiepetruccelliTwitter @sooozieContinue the conversation on LinkedIn

Bina MehtaLeila is joined by Bina Mehta – Partner, member of the board and Acting Chair at KPMG UK.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  Bina’s career journey to date, from moving abroad numerous times; from working in India as one of the original members of staff on the ground to joining a more established business in Canada and then coming back to the UK· Bina’s passion for “shifting the dial” by helping ethnic/female entrepreneurs find the business funding they need· How the Founders for School programme is helping inspire future generations with their own career choicesRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/binamehtauk/https://home.kpmg/uk/en/home/contacts/m/bina-mehta.htmlhttps://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/insight/events/enterprise-tuesday-2feb2021/https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Costa DelisLeila is joined by Costa Delis: Head of Commercial - Classic and Head of Sales & Network - SVO at Jaguar Land Rover.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Costa found himself working in the UK after being brought up by Greek potato farmers in the USA before spending several years working in China· The most important lessons that Costa has learned from his time living/working abroad·  The differences between Chinese culture and American/western culture· Costa’s perspective on the Chinese New Year celebrationsRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/costapeterdelis/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Rania MarandosLeila is joined by Rania Marandos - Chief Executive at Step Up To Serve.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Rania’s desire to work with/help people and drive sustainable change has influenced her career to date· The power of listening effectively and storytelling· Rania’s work in the charity sector at organisations such as Teach First and Step Up To Serve· How best to empower young people and the actions that organisations need to take· Ideas for involving young people in leadership and governance structures RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rania-marandos-b111b84/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Amazin LeThiPlease note that some racist language is used briefly during this podcast.Leila is joined by Amazin Lethi - Founder of the Amazin LeThi Foundation, Keynote speaker and LGBT advocate.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  How Amazin recovered from her experiences of bullying in team sports and rebuilt herself as an individual athlete·  The cultural challenges that the East Asian community· How Amazin’s international experience has helped shape her personality and knowledge· The portrayal of Asians in popular culture/media productions RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amazinlethi/Other social media: @amazinlethiwww.amazinlethi.comContinue the conversation on LinkedIn

Bami KuteyiLeila is joined by Bami Kuteyi – Founder of Bam Bam Boogie Dance Fitness.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  What led Bami to go from working for Google to founding her own start-up business·  The positive impact that twerking can have at work on mental health and fitness·  Some tips on improving your twerking!RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bamikuteyi/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Kwoklyn WanLeila is joined by Kwoklyn Wan – Media Chef and Author of the Chinese Takeaway Cookbook & the Veggie Chinese Takeaway Cookbook.Please note that some racist terminology is used briefly during this podcast.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  How a desire to bring people together inspired Kwoklyn to become a chef· How Kwoklyn creates “the perfect mouthful” through combining different flavours in Chinese cooking· Driving creativity and innovation through melding people’s different individual characteristics together· How it felt growing up in the North of England as a minority for Kwoklyn RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kwoklyn-wan-3630a859/https://www.kwoklynwan.com/about/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Heidi SpirgiLeila is joined by Heidi Spirgi - Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Cornerstone OnDemand.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· The close links between strategy and marketing functions within businesses· The opportunity/role that business has in creating positive change in the world· The importance of using a “human message” within marketing/communications to drive empathy as a key business priority· How it feels to be the only woman in leadership meetingsRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/heidispirgi/Twitter @hspirgiwww.cornerstoneondemand.comCornerstone Cares: Cares.CSOD.comContinue the conversation on LinkedIn

Dr Nneka Abulokwe OBELeila is joined by Dr Nneka Abulokwe OBE - Founder & CEO at MicroMax Consulting, International Public Speaker and Board & Non-Executive Director at various companies.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Nneka built a successful career for herself in the technology sector· How Nneka was given “permission to be different” by her parents during her childhood· Nneka’s aim to practice ‘servant leadership’ in the workplace· The unique position on corporate governance that Nneka developed during her Executive Doctorate· The importance of ‘human capital’RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nneka-abulokwe/https://www.micromaxconsulting.com/Outliers by Malcolm GladwellContinue the conversation on LinkedIn

Herman StewartLeila is joined by Herman Stewart - Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Every Child Needs a Mentor.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Herman went from playing football for Great Britain Schoolboys alongside famous players such as Paul Scholes and then later recording music to founding Every Child Needs a Mentor· How the birth of Herman’s first daughter changed both his life and his career·  The impact that mentoring can have on all companies when set as a strategic objective and applied as a leadership development tool rather than a CSR initiative·  The power of resilience and how it has allowed Herman to overcome the challenges in his life RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hermanstewart/https://www.everychildneedsamentor.com/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

David MacdonaldLeila is joined by David Macdonald - Director of Communications, Global Brands & Retail Pharmacy International at Walgreen Boots Alliance.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How the storytelling aspect of communications can help inspire change· How studying foreign languages helped David develop an appreciation for diversity and difference at a young age· The evolution of communications over the last 20 years· How HR and communications can interweave/overlap in order to achieve great things togetherRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/david-macdonald-135a2b/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Mark LomasLeila is joined by Mark Lomas - Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at High Speed Two (HS2).IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Mark’s personal career journey to date, from growing up in Bermuda to moving to the UK as a 19-year old aspiring musician and then taking a role in the voluntary sector, which led to him working in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)· The parallels between different sectors and the power of transferable knowledge when working in EDI· How they have used an inclusive procurement model at HS2 in order to encourage supplier diversity, with both commercial and community benefits· The power that internal surveys can have with regard to improving employee engagement RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/marklomas1/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Marc McKenna-ColesLeila is joined by Marc McKenna-Coles - Global Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Lloyd’s of London.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Marc went from earning a degree in theatre to working with Disney in retail/cruise lines before starting his D&I career journey in financial services· The attributes that Marc believes it takes to succeed in a D&I role· What makes D&I/culture strategic priorities· The layers of intersectionality, and what they mean when looked at both individually and from a more holistic perspectiveRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-mckenna-coles/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn