The Charity CEO Podcast

“Education systems are failing (to prepare) children to face a world of unknown unknowns.” 53% of children coming out of world education systems are ‘learning poor’.STiR Education is striving to create a world where every child develops a love for life-long learning, through reigniting intrinsic motivation in teachers and building supportive education eco-systems. It’s goal is to reach 60 million children in public education systems worldwide by 2025.STiR Education (Schools and Teachers Innovating for Results) was started in 2012, and in just 8 years has reached an incredible 6 million children and 200k teachers across India and Uganda.In this episode I speak with Girish Menon, the CEO of STiR Education, about STiR’s programmes, aiming to create more effective public education systems where teachers love teaching and children love learning. We explore the colossal impact the pandemic has had on children’s education and stalled progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal for Education - “to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all”. Over a billion children and young people worldwide have had their education disrupted this past year, over 500 million of whom have no effective access to remote learning. With over 24 million children at serious risk of not going back to school, it is vital that governments of the world prioritise investment in education and education systems.  Girish also shares his leadership wisdom gained over 30 years working in the international development sector. Recorded February 2021.Guest Biography Girish joined STiR in January 2021 after five years as Chief Executive at ActionAid UK. He has more than 30 years’ experience as a leader in the international development sector, having previously held roles as International Programmes Director and Deputy CEO at Water Aid UK, where he was responsible for programmes in 22 countries across Africa and South Asia.Girish was born and brought up in India and started his career with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. He has also worked in India with ActionAid, Plan International and DFID. Since moving to London in 2005, he has also served on the boards of various non-profit organisations. He is currently on the Board of Hope and Homes for Children.Linkshttps://stireducation.org/ 

“Our vision is a world without barriers for every deaf child... Our job as an organisation is to challenge the culture of low expectations (for deaf children)”There are over 50,000 deaf children in the UK and more than 34 million deaf children worldwide. It is important to encourage them – and their families – to dream big. Susan Daniels is the CEO of the National Deaf Children’s Society, the UK’s largest charity for deaf children. The organisation raises awareness and provides expert support to families on childhood deafness, and campaigns for deaf children’s rights, so they have the same opportunities as everyone else.As someone who sees herself as a leader, who just happens to be deaf, Susan is steadfast in her belief that a deaf child can do and achieve anything that a child with hearing can. What holds deaf and disabled children back are the inherent structures and expectations in society and education systems. Getting rid of such social, educational and cultural barriers is the first step towards meaningful equality. We explore the ACEVO report, “Hidden Leaders: Disability Leadership in Civil Society”; and Susan shares her views on what leaders and organisations in civil society and beyond, need to consider in order to be truly disability-inclusive. Susan also reflects on her own leadership journey. Over 28 years, Susan has overseen the National Deaf Children’s Society's grow from £1m to £24m annual income, influencing policy-makers and delivering real change for deaf children. Her advice to leaders is to always focus on the Big Picture, choose your battles and when in doubt or stuck, ask others for help. Recorded February 2021.Guest Biography Susan Daniels has been the Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children's Society since 1992. Prior to that, Susan served in a number of leadership positions at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (now Action on Hearing Loss).Susan was a Commissioner of the Disability Rights Commission from 2003 until its merger with the Commission for Equality and Human Rights in 2007. Susan has also served as Chair of the UK Council on Deafness, the umbrella body for all organisations working in the field of deafness.Susan is currently Chair of the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme Quality Assurance Advisory Group. She is Chair of Groundbreakers, an informal networking group for female CEOs in the voluntary sector; and is also a member of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee.In 2006, Susan was awarded an OBE for services to deaf children and their families.Linkshttps://www.ndcs.org.uk/https://www.acevo.org.uk/reports/hidden-leaders/ 

“You learn to be courageous by stepping out of your comfort zone; being absolutely terrified and doing it anyway… courage is about being beaten back but then taking a step forward.”Debra Allcock Tyler is the CEO of the Directory of Social Change, an organisation that provides resources, training and support to enable all charities to be successful. In this episode we discuss the key opportunities and risks ahead for the charity sector in 2021. Debra provides some practical advice for leaders to thrive through the ongoing crisis; as well as lessons learned from the pandemic that we should carry forward.Debra reflects on her own career journey and shares the fundamental skills that she thinks are vital to being a good leader: courage, resilience and vision. A passionate advocate for the voluntary sector, Debra affirms that if you are connected to the Vision and Mission of an organisation, then anything is possible. Recorded January 2021.Guest Biography Debra Allcock Tyler has been the Chief Executive of the Directory of Social Change (DSC) since 2001. She is a renowned authority in the field of leadership and governance in civil society, an internationally published author of several books, and writes ‘The Last Word’ column for Third Sector magazine.Debra is a Trustee of In Kind Direct, the Berkshire Community Foundation, Vice-President of the Soldiering On Awards, and an Ambassador for women and girls at risk of or affected by female genital mutilation and other harmful practices for the Africa Advocacy Foundation (AAF). She was the founder Chair of the Small Charities Coalition and served as a member of the Charity Commission’s SORP Committee.After a brief stint in the private sector, Debra has spent most of her career in the charity sector. Following a short period as a management consultant in her 20s, she moved into leadership roles covering a range of functions including campaigning, policy development, sales, product development, media relations and training.Debra has a degree in psychology, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Royal Institution. She admits to being a slave to a basset hound called Arthur.Linkshttps://www.dsc.org.uk

“Less about egos and logos and let’s think more about mission and (those) whose lives we are trying to help and change... People first, Mission always.”With 12 babies every week born with Congenital Heart Defects in New Zealand and just one specialist hospital in the entire country that can provide treatment, Heart Kids New Zealand provides a lifeline of vital care and support for children, young people and families affected by these incurable conditions. Mark Longbottom is CEO of Heart Kids New Zealand by day and podcast host of the Purposely Podcast by night. Mark lived in the UK and worked in the UK voluntary sector for nearly 20 years before moving back to his home country of New Zealand in 2019. In this episode we talk about the differences between the charity sectors in New Zealand and the UK, the work of Heart Kids, and of course Jacinda Arden!We share our experiences podcasting and why we think its a good idea for charities to consider launching their own podcasts.Recorded December 2020.Guest Biography Mark has 25 years of nonprofit experience both in the UK and New Zealand, leading fundraising, events, service delivery, community engagement, and commercial functions in well-known charities such as The Prince's Trust, MS Society, Terrence Higgins Trust, Auckland City Mission, New Zealand Aids Foundation and Auckland Foundation. Mark is currently Chief Executive of Heart Kids New Zealand, a charity providing lifelong care and support to children, young people and families impacted by childhood heart defects or CHDs. Previous to that he was Head of the St. James's Place Charitable Foundation for over a decade. The Foundation is the seventh largest corporate foundation in the UK and it is the charitable arm of St. James’s Place Wealth Management.Mark is also the Founder of the Purposely Podcast, interviewing inspirational people. Purposely was set up to amplify the stories of founders and leaders of nonprofits, charities, for-purpose businesses, as well as social entrepreneurs. Mark’s hope is that Purposely will inspire other people to make a positive and lasting difference to the lives of people living in our communities and those who need the help the most.Linkshttps://heartkids.org.nz/ https://www.purposelypodcast.com/

“You don't need to have all the answers, you don't need to have solutions... you just need to be able to listen.”Julie Bentley is CEO of Samaritans, the suicide prevention charity.In this episode Julie shares life and leadership lessons, from being a post-lady early in her career, to how she grappled with the gremlins of Imposter Syndrome. She highlights key qualities of leadership: emotional intelligence, authenticity, resilience, humility, kindness, vulnerability and humour! - all of which she believes have been important through her own leadership journey.We talk about the work of Samaritans: providing a place where someone is always available to listen, without judgement. The Samaritans’ service delivery model is unique, as it is entirely volunteer run. With a vision of ensuring that fewer people die by suicide, Samaritans has over 17,000 trained ‘listening volunteers’ who respond to calls for help. Currently 1 in 5 callers to Samaritans are voicing concerns about the impact of COVID-19, indicating a significant risk to mental health from the pandemic. We discuss Brew Monday, turning the third Monday in January (traditionally known as Blue Monday) into a campaign aimed at encouraging people to stay connected with a virtual cup of tea; particularly important as the UK is now in its 3rd full lockdown nationwide. #BrewMondayJulie also opens her heart about her brother Roy’s, death and talks about co-curating the book ‘Sisters and Brothers’, breaking taboos around talking about death, dying and bereavement.This is a poignant, moving and inspirational start to our second Season. Recorded December 2020.Guest Biography Julie Bentley has been a charity CEO for over 18 years and has led some of the UK’s most well-known charities including Action for Children, Girlguiding, Family Planning Association and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. Julie joined Samaritans as CEO in November 2020. She is currently also Vice Chair of NCVO (National Council of Voluntary Organisations).Julie is a passionate advocate for the voices of those with lived experience being at the heart of a charity. She has a reputation for driving change and for the authenticity she brings to her leadership.In 2014, she was named as Third Sector’s ‘Most Admired Charity CEO’ and appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. In 2019, she received The Charity Times Award for ‘Outstanding Individual Achievement’ and was voted one of the sector’s ‘Most Influential Leaders’.Linkswww.samaritans.orgwww.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/brew-monday www.cruse.org.uk   Buy ‘Sisters and Brothers: Stories about the death of a sibling’ book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3obuEGw 

“Our core purpose as charities isn’t to manage risk assessment and excel sheets ... our core purpose is to change the world, is to make change happen. That’s what we’re here for.”Paul Evans is CEO of Leadership Through Sport & Business, a social mobility charity that prepares and supports bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into roles with major firms. In this episode Paul delves into the situation for young people in Britain today and their ‘stolen future’, arising from the current crisis in youth unemployment. He highlights how the pandemic has laid bare social inequalities and how his organisation is creating meaningful opportunities for disadvantaged young people - ensuring that those at risk of under-employment find careers equal to their ambition and ability.We talk about the habits of discipline as key to a successful and happy life. We also discuss attitudes to risk in the charity sector; and Paul reflects on how in an increasingly risky world, charities need to remain true to their core purpose: which isn’t just to manage risk, but to change the world.Recorded October 2020, via Skype. Guest Biography Paul Evans joined Leadership Through Sport & Business in April 2020. Previously he was Managing Director at the award winning Street League and CEO of the national education charity, UFA (University of the First Age). Paul has a strong background in education, youth services, homelessness and mental health. He is passionate about social mobility, inclusion and creating real and lasting change in society. Paul is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and full member of the Chartered Management Institute. He is also a Trustee at learning disability charity, REACH.Linkswww.leadershipthroughsport.org  

“Your job as a Trustee is to be a custodian of the higher purpose of the mission and vision of the organisation.”‘Sexy’ is not normally a word one associates with charity governance. This conversation is about how the function of governance can be truly inspirational and what organisations can do to attract more diverse talent to their Trustee Boards. My guest Sophie Livingstone has extensive experience on both sides of the charity boardroom table. Over the past 20 years she has served on Boards of numerous organisations and was the founding CEO of City Year UK. Sophie was recently recognised with an MBE for ‘services to charity’ in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours. In this episode we highlight the importance of representation and role models in leadership. Sophie talks about the development of an ‘Inspire List’; a list curated to celebrate and showcase Trustees of diverse backgrounds and from different walks of life. We also discuss the dynamics of power in Boardrooms and different structures for effective governance. Recorded October 2020, via Zoom.Guest Biography Sophie is currently Managing Director of Trustees Unlimited. Over 20 years she has served in a number of governance positions: as Chair of Little Village, Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Generation Change, Trustee of the Royal Voluntary Service, Trustee of Street Kids International UK, Trustee of Rural India School Enterprise (RISE) and Chair of Governors of John Milton Primary School. She is the founding CEO of City Year UK, a charity enabling young people to tackle inequality through doing a year of voluntary service in schools. Sophie sees herself as a social entrepreneur, passionate about collaborating with others to address social injustice. She was awarded an MBE for ‘services to charity’ in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours.Linkswww.trustees-unlimited.co.uk  www.trustees-unlimited.co.uk/the-inspire-list www.girldreamer.co.uk 

“We are all born geniuses and the purpose of human life is to find an interface for that genius... and food can truly be the catalyst for that interface.”3.5 BILLION meals and counting...Bhawani Singh Shekhawat is the Chief Executive of The Akshaya Patra Foundation UK. The Foundation started 20 years ago in India, to tackle the dual issues of classroom hunger and access to education for disadvantaged children.The Foundation’s guiding vision is that no child should be deprived of an education because of hunger. This is the remarkable story of how The Akshaya Patra Foundation grew from serving meals to 1,500 students, to serving over 3.5 billion meals to date, through the creation of an internationally award-winning Food for Education Programme.The Akshaya Patra Foundation is, today, highly acclaimed as the world’s largest non-profit run Mid-day Meal Programme, serving about 2 million meals daily. Its work has been recognised by the World Economic Forum, it has been formulated as a Case Study at Harvard Business School and  in 2019 the Foundation received the BBC Global Food Champion Award.The Akshaya Patra Foundation is now expanding its work in the UK, serving free, nutritious food to the homeless and to children vulnerable to food poverty, during school holidays.In this episode Bhawani talks about the importance of food and how it plays a key role in creating a better society. He demonstrates how through the power of great questions, organisations and individuals can access more of their genius. And he highlights powerful lessons in leadership along the way.This episode was recorded in October 2020, via Skype. Guest Biography Bhawani Singh Shekhawat has led The Akshaya Patra Foundation UK since 2016. Prior to that he had an extensive career in the corporate world leading large multi-national teams in organisations including Nielsen, Reckitt Benckiser and Coca-Cola, across multiple geographies. He is the Co-Founder of the Adhyayan Foundation and serves as a Non-Executive Director on a number of Boards, including The Vedica Scholars Programme and Women’s Alliance and HaikuJAM. Bhawani is a listed member of the London Bureau of Speakers on Customer Centricity, Insight, Innovation and Leadership.Linkshttps://www.tapf.org.ukhttps://www.akshayapatra.org

“The Chief Execs who I really admire are those who wear their heart on their sleeve and are open and honest and themselves.... they are their authentic selves... no matter where you see them and no matter who they are talking to, they are themselves.”In this episode, Part 2, of my conversation with Charlotte Hill, we talk about the joys and the challenges of having babies whilst being busy Chief Executives. We discuss issues surrounding Maternity Leave, Shared Parental Leave and around women transitioning back in to the workplace; and explore perceived barriers to leadership for women. We reflect on how lockdown has shown everyone in a much more human light, having to juggle work, children, self-care and in Charlotte’s case, even breast-feeding!Charlotte reveals her personal struggle with fertility and how being vulnerable can actually make us stronger and more respected as leaders.This episode was recorded in September 2020, via Skype.Guest BiographyCharlotte Hill became Chief Executive of Step Up To Serve in 2014 at the start of the #iwill Campaign. Prior to that she had been CEO of UK Youth. She is currently on secondment to BBC Children In Need, but will return to Step Up To Serve for the final months before the time-limited organisation closes its doors at the end of 2020.Charlotte started her career working in Parliament for the Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP. She then moved to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) as their Parliamentary Advisor. Charlotte has also worked with children’s charities in Australia and Cambodia.Charlotte was awarded an OBE for services to young people in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List. Linkshttps://www.iwill.org.uk/ 

“If we can get young people becoming Trustees and volunteers as young people, that’s when they form habits, and so they will then be volunteers and fundraisers and Trustees ... for the rest of their lives ... So it’s a great investment in our society more broadly and in civil society if we can get them engaged at a young age.”My guest this episode is Charlotte Hill, the founding CEO of Step Up To Serve. In Part 1 of our conversation, Charlotte and I talk about her current role, on secondment, as Executive Director for Children and Young People with the BBC’s Children in Need. There she is co-ordinating the COVID-19 funding response and developing a longer term strategy for collaboration, in the children and young people funding space. Charlotte reflects on her journey with Step Up To Serve, its achievements and the intricacies of running a time-limited collective impact project. We discuss the particular challenges for young people in the current crisis, and how we must engage young people, in helping to think through what the ‘new normal’ should be, in order to build back a stronger civil society. This episode was recorded in September 2020, via Skype. Guest Biography Charlotte Hill became Chief Executive of Step Up To Serve in 2014 at the start of the #iwill Campaign. Prior to that she had been CEO of UK Youth. She is currently on secondment to BBC Children In Need, but will return to Step Up To Serve for the final months before the time-limited organisation closes its doors at the end of 2020.Charlotte started her career working in Parliament for the Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP. She then moved to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) as their Parliamentary Advisor. Charlotte has also worked with children’s charities in Australia and Cambodia.Charlotte was awarded an OBE for services to young people in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List.Linkshttps://www.iwill.org.uk/