Why Care? Podcast

Join Nadia and a stellar line up of guests talking all things Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

About the show

Why Care? is now in its fifth year and has grown in both popularity and prestige in that time.  Nadia believes that we can only create the change we want to see if we have the inspiration and belief that it’s possible.  Why Care? is her way of bringing critical DEI discussions and thought leadership to the masses. 

To date, Why Care? has featured globally recognised DEI professionals such as Jennifer Brown, Amber Cabral, Shree Atcheson and Amri Johnson, as well as celebrities sharing their personal lived experiences, such as Dr Ranj and Dame Kelly Holmes

Episodes

Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care?#28: Claire Brody - DEI and the Art of Localisation

In Episode 28, I am joined by Claire Brody, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Warner Bros. Discovery, to discuss the art of localisation. Claire shares valuable learning and insight on how to develop a DEI strategy that can be adapted at a local level, addressing proximity bias and the importance of perspective-taking.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care?#27: Rose Cartolari- The Inner Work of Inclusive Leadership

In Episode 27, I am joined by Rose Cartolari, Founder and Director of RC Consulting, which specialises in Leadership Advisory and Executive Coaching, to discuss the inner work of inclusive leadership, primarily focusing on the importance of self-reflection and flexibility as a leader, and the dissonance between being a successful leader and an inclusive leader.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care?#26: Sámi Ben-Ali - Silencing the Echo Chambers

In Episode 26 I am joined by Sámi Ben-Ali, Vice President of Inclusion & Diversity at Wood, to discuss the importance of silencing the echo chambers, recognising that lived experience fuels individual perspectives, and how times of global crisis often put the focus on individual survival over the needs of the group.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #25: Devi Virdi - The Power of Truth

In Episode 25 I am joined by Devi Virdi, Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Centrica, to discuss how cultural intelligence is key to inclusive leadership, the importance of collecting employee data, and ‘the power of truth’.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #23: Kristen Anderson - Meritocracy or Mirrortocracy?

In Episode 23 I am joined by Kristen Anderson, Vice Chair of European Women on Boards, to discuss the myth of meritocracy, how organisations can start their DEI journey, and how to gather buy-in from employees who may not immediately understand the need for DEI.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #22: Nina Goswami - Count, Share, Change

In the episode I am joined by Nina Goswami, Creative Diversity Lead for the BBC, to talk about the importance of inclusive storytelling, representation in the media, and the BBC's impactful 50:50 Equality Project striving for platforming diverse voices using a data-led approach.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #21: Pat Phelan - Self-Reflection as a Superpower

In the first episode of Season 3, I am joined by Pat Phelan, Chief Customer Officer at GoCardless. As well as being our Season 3 premiere, this episode is a special one as unlike the majority of my guests, Pat isn’t a DEI professional, but rather a business leader who ‘gets it’ and truly role models inclusive leadership. During the episode Pat talks about the stages of self-awareness and reflection he went through to acknowledge his privileges. It’s a journey from self-admitted ignorance to inclusion, and why he thinks there is no single definition of a good leader.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #20: Shawna Ferguson - Shifting Mindsets

In Episode 20 and the Season 2 finale of ‘Why Care?’, I am joined by a phenomenal leader, Shawna Ferguson, Senior Managing Director & Director of Global DEI at Wellington Management. Shawna joins me to talk about how to respond to backlash to inclusion programmes, DEI education programmes, talent retention, and why her word of 2022 is “courage”.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #19: Pauline Miller - DEI From The Inside

In Episode 19 of the ‘Why Care?’ podcast, I am joined by Pauline Miller, Chief Equity Officer, EMEA for dentsu, where Pauline is responsible for shaping and leading its DEI strategy and execution.

We discuss the challenges of being an internal DEI practitioner, how to engage the C-suite and board of organisations, and the importance of celebrating the short-term wins.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #18: Emma Codd - Everyday Experiences

In Episode 18 of the ‘Why Care?’ podcast, I am joined by Emma Codd, Global Inclusion Leader at Deloitte, to discuss organisational culture change policies, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on women in the workplace, the stigma around mental health at work, and the importance of inclusive leadership.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #17: Rukasana Bhaijee - Reclaiming Identity

In Episode 17 of the ‘Why Care?’ podcast, I am joined by Rukasana Bhaijee, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead, EMEA Technology at Google, to discuss her extraordinary career journey and being a Muslim Woman in various industries, her identity as a British Muslim and as a hijab-wearer, and her views on the unique DEI challenges of the tech industry.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #16: Marc McKenna-Coles - Active Allyship

Episode 16 sees me joined by Marc McKenna-Coles, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) Strategy Lead at Spotify to discuss the importance and intricacies of employee networks, the importance of visibility, and the concept of 'Active Allyship', among other topics.

Marc speaks with a future-facing perspective and highlights the importance of organisations not just trying to keep up with society, but to excel and be at the forefront of society in pushing for inclusion.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #15: Sheri Crosby Wheeler - The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Stereotyping

In Episode 15 I am joined by Sheri Crosby Wheeler, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for Fossil Group. We discuss how stereotypes and expectations based on diversity characteristics can filter into young people's minds and be internalised to create & fuel self-fulfilling prophecies.

With a background in both employment law and sociology, Sheri provides a unique and expansive perspective into D&I strategies and integration in corporate settings, and we discuss the specific challenges of said strategies in the retail industry.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #13: Marta Pajón-Fustes - Living A People Culture

In this episode, I am joined by Marta Pajón-Fustes, the Head of Technical and Inclusion & Diversity at innocent drinks, to discuss how innocent drinks has developed a clear and measurable Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy that has only grown alongside the company's own growth. We also discuss job-sharing, how to challenge culture fit mentalities, and inclusive recruitment best practice.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #12: Christian Hug - Making Global DEI Locally Relevant

In this episode I talk with Christian Hug, the Vice President of LifeWorks & Inclusion at Discovery, the company behind the popular television channels: Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and TLC. Christian discussed the unique challenges of managing a global DEI strategy for a multi-national company and how to engage at a local level to ensure relevance.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #11: Bendita Cynthia Malakia - LGBTQ+ Liberation Reimagined

In this episode I talk with Bendita Cynthia Malakia, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Hogan Lovells, an international law firm, as she reflects on her accomplished career as a female, black lawyer who identifies as queer. Bendita and I have an in-depth discussion on the LGBTQ+ acronym and how it has evolved so quickly in the last decade.

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Falah Ahmad Falah Ahmad

Why Care? #10: Andrew Fairbairn - Creating Equity

In this episode I talk to Andrew Fairbairn, Chief Executive at SEO London - a charity set up to support people from ethnic minorities and low socio-economic backgrounds to achieve career success. Andrew discusses the critical work that SEO London does to help create equity, bridging the gap between young people and large corporations and we discuss why it is that young people from underrepresented groups need this support.

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