This special takeover episode of the Will to Change features a conversation with Nadia Nagamootoo, Dr. Pippa Grange, and Errol Amerasekera. We speak about the idea of winning shallow vs. winning deep and why checking the box when it comes to DEI doesn't lead to transformational change.

In Episode 30, I am joined by Bonnie St. John, CEO of Blue Circle Leadership Institute, to discuss the specific barriers and challenges that multicultural women face in climbing up the corporate ladder, building trust across multicultural differences, and engaging leaders to support them.

In Episode 29, I am joined by Paolo Gaudiano, Co-Founder and President at Aleria Research Corporation, and Chief Scientist at Aleria, to debunk the myths commonly associated with DEI. Paolo shares insights on the sophisticated simulation he has designed to capture the complex scenarios of organisational life and how bias leads to some inevitable outcomes.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

In Episode 24 I am joined by Geoffrey Williams, Vice President / Global Head Diversity Equity & Inclusion at Burberry, to discuss empowering the next generation of workers, the toxic cycle of “paying your dues”, and the cultural nuances in global DEI strategy.

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.

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.

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.

In this very special bonus episode of the ‘Why Care?’ podcast, I am joined by Elvin Nagamootoo, Head of Product at Shell Energy, and my cousin! Elvin discusses his spectacular career journey, success outside of academia, and how being labelled as a ‘problem child’ during education affected his life.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this episode, I get lucky with 2-for-1 with guests Charlotte Cox, President EMEA Pentland Brands and their D&I Manager, Caroline Nankinga. We discuss a range of topics surrounding the internal D&I of a global company, and the external D&I of designing products and marketing campaigns for a diverse and global audience.

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.