Transforming Futures

S03E03 Enterprising Mindsets: Saeed Atcha

Sharon speaks with Saeed Atcha MBE and DL, former Social Mobility Commissioner, and CEO of Youth Leads UK, a charity that supports young people by running skills development programmes, publishing Xplode Magazine and challenging decisionmakers.

 

In their conversation, Saeed explains why he considers it crucial that young people growing up in care receive financial education to better prepare them for independent living. They also discuss the positive impact of relatable role models when he launched Youth Leads as a teenager, and why he believes they are important in developing financial capability in young people.

 

He also recounts why he had to work for six months to be able to afford a new suit and confides in Sharon what his one (if he was only allowed one) wish would be to help increase social mobility for young people in the UK.

S03E02 Enterprising Mindsets: Steve Hare

In this episode, Sharon speaks to Steve Hare, CEO of Sage, a FTSE 100 market-leading company offering cloud business management solutions. During their conversation, Sharon discovers the early influences that shaped his attitudes around money, and hears how he believes that providing financial education to young people removes barriers and creates opportunities, turning something that can be feared into an enabler.

 

Steve also explains why he feels that taking risks and having a willingness to fail are important characteristics to encourage in young people, and Sharon learns why he considers that money is not something that should define you, but should help and enable you to do things. They also discuss Sage’s ‘Knocking Down Barriers’ sustainability and society strategy for levelling up, designed to create opportunities and help give people the confidence to try and go after that opportunity.

S03E01 Enterprising Mindsets: Steph McGovern

Sharon speaks to TV presenter and business journalist Steph McGovern to discover how she developed her habits and behaviours around money and how this shaped her career direction.

 

Steph describes how her entrepreneurial spirit was evident from an early age, selling amongst other things Take That stickers! She explains how her innate interest in how the world of money works led to her becoming Robert Peston’s producer, and how she helped families reprioritise their spending habits in her TV show, Shop Well for Less?.

 

She also talks about why she considers it essential that financial education is taught to primary-age children and how, as ‘Spreadsheet Steph’, she is encouraging her friends and family to build a money mindset.

S2 EP10 Embracing Challenge and Change with Alison Rose

Alison began her career at NatWest Group PLC as a graduate 27 years ago and is now the banking group’s Chief Executive. She also sits on the board of directors for the Institute of International Finance, and is a member of the International Business Council for the World Economic Forum.

Alison led the Rose Review report in 2019, which identified several key barriers to female entrepreneurship and showed that boosting female entrepreneurship could add up to £250 billion to the UK economy.

Alison talks about her incredible career journey so far, the people who have influenced and mentored her, and how an enterprising mindset means can help women succeed in business.

S2 Ep9 Look Sideways with Helen Wooldridge

Together with a friend from university, Helen Wooldridge founded award-winning baby and child brand Cuddledry in 2006. Helen also runs her own marketing consultancy and for her, being an entrepreneur has meant working flexibly yet effectively while also being a mum to her three children.

Helen describes an enterprising mindset as turning ideas into reality to make things better. When you need to make changes you should look sideways, be innovative and find new ways to do things.

S2 EP8 Disruption with Lucy Cranwell-Ward

Young Enterprise alumna Lucy Cranwell-Ward is CEO and Co-founder of careers platform Upskill Me, a Tech for Good company which helps young people showcase their talents and gain the skills, connections and knowledge they need to thrive in their career.

With no money or experience in tech but plenty of drive and passion, Lucy set out to realise her idea to help young people build a digital portfolio and improve their employability. She reveals how she was inspired by other female founders, and shares her experience of how being disruptive and determined helped her launch her start-up business.

S2 EP7 Manufacturing Wins with Lucy Cohen

Make sure you win in business. Our guest Lucy Cohen is Co-founder of Mazuma, the UK’s first subscription-based accountancy service. Lucy is widely recognised as an industry expert and has contributed to trade publications and industry discussions.

In this episode we talk to Lucy about how she has built a successful career out of manufacturing business and personal wins.

S2 EP6 Tenacity and Knowing When to Let Go with Lou Cordwell

S2 EP6 Tenacity and Knowing When to Let Go with Lou Cordwell

Lou Cordwell is the Founder and CEO of magneticNorth, a digital design studio based in Manchester. Founded in 2000, the company quickly established an international reputation with an award-winning client portfolio. Alongside the day job, she's the Co-Chair of Greater Manchester's Local Enterprise Partnership and Chair of Design Manchester. She’s also a passionate campaigner for gender equality in business and the tech industry and in 2018 was awarded an OBE for services to the creative and digital economy. 

In this episode, we speak to Lou about tenacity, knowing when to let go, seeking outside perspectives and listening to your gut feelings. 

S2 EP5 Mentors with Charly Young

S2 EP5 Mentors with Charly Young 

 

Charly Young is CEO & Co-founder of The Girls’ Network, a charity that provides 14-19 year old girls from the least-advantaged communities across England with a female mentor and a network of professional female role models. As a secondary school teacher, she saw first-hand how girls and young women were limited by their gender and background, and knew she had to do something!

She left teaching and has since grown the charity from supporting just 30 girls in 2013, to over 1,200 in 2020. In this interview we are talking about the benefits of mentoring, in tackling fear of failure, taking risks, changing young women's perception of what's possible and the role reverse mentoring has in providing young women with a platform to influence workplace culture. 

S2 EP4 Self Belief with Alicia Navarro

S2 EP4 Self Belief with Alicia Navarro 

Alicia is a serial tech entrepreneur, with a passion for product, brand, design and culture. In 2007, Alicia founded Skimlinks, an innovative platform helping publishers such as Buzzfee & Aol monetize their content. Alicia started the company in her living room in Sydney, Australia, and over 11 years as CEO of the business she grew it to a $50m/year business. In 2018 she stepped down as CEO to focus on building her next venture. She is now the founder and CEO of a new startup, Flown, creating ‘deep work’ spaces for knowledge workers. She’s won the EveryWoman in Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, and the WCIT’s Female Entrepreneur of the Year. In this interview we talk about overcoming barriers to building self belief and starting a business during a pandemic!