3Ps in a Pod

In this episode, Robbie Isenberg, Managing Director at Clairvest Group, traces his transformative journey from the political halls of Queen’s Park(Ontario's provincial legislature) to the high-stakes world of private equity. With a robust foundation in investment banking and a notable stint in politics, Robbie unravels how these experiences have honed his skills in navigating diverse investment landscapes. Listen as he delves into the challenges of spearheading investments in various industries, discusses the societal impacts of private equity, and explores how government policies intertwine with business strategies. Robbie’s narrative offers a unique glimpse into the strategic interplay between his rigorous academic background and his dynamic leadership in private equity, reflecting on how past experiences might shape his future roles in both business and potentially politics. Join us to uncover the blend of governance and growth through Robbie’s compelling story.

Robbie Isenberg is the Managing Director at Clairvest Group, a $4.3B AUM private equity fund in Toronto, leading investments in media, marketing services, food and beverage, and dental sectors. Previously, he worked at Monitor Group and Credit Suisse, and served as a Special Assistant to the Honourable Dalton McGuinty at Queen’s Park and the Honourable Elinor Caplan in Ottawa when she was Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Robbie holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, where he graduated top of his class, and an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business. He lives in Toronto with his wife and three children.

Join us on the latest episode of the "3Ps in a Pod" podcast as we welcome the remarkable Laura Liswood, a trailblazer in the realm of leadership and diversity. Co-founder of the Council of Women World Leaders alongside President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland, Laura has been at the forefront of advocating for women in leadership, serving as the Secretary General of this unique global organization comprising women presidents, prime ministers, and heads of government. It is the only organization of its kind globally.

Laura's journey includes an impressive tenure as the Managing Director, Global Leadership and Diversity at Goldman Sachs from 2001 to 2016, after which she became a senior advisor. Her insights on diversity, equity, and inclusion are sought after worldwide, reflecting her deep commitment to these crucial issues.

Educationally, Laura is a powerhouse with an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, a B.A. from California State University, San Diego, and a J.D. from the University of California, Davis, School of Law. Her dedication to public service is evident from her time as a reserve police officer in the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, where she retired as a sergeant.

An accomplished author, Laura has penned four insightful books: "The Loudest Duck: Moving Beyond Diversity," "The Elephant and the Mouse," "Women World Leaders," and "Serving Them Right." Her work continues to inspire and challenge our perspectives on leadership and inclusion.

Currently, Laura contributes her expertise as a commissioner and chair of the New Mexico State Personnel Review Board and as a board advisor for EDGE, a consultancy specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This special International Women's Day episode, celebrates not only the achievements of women around the world but also the birthday of Laura Liswood herself. Tune in to gain invaluable insights from Laura Liswood's inspiring journey and her profound impact on leadership and diversity across the globe. Happy Birthday, Laura, and thank you for your tireless efforts and invaluable contributions!

Join us in this episode as we embark on a journey through the transformative landscape of women's entrepreneurship in India. Historically confined to businesses stereotypically known as the '4Ps'—Pickles, Papads(Indian snacks), Petticoats, and Pads (sanitary products)—women entrepreneurs have broken free from these boundaries to become leaders in diverse sectors, managing multimillion-dollar enterprises that employ thousands.

Our special guest, Deepthi Ravula, the CEO of WE Hub, India’s pioneering state-led initiative for Women's Entrepreneurship, is driving this change. Under her visionary leadership, WE Hub has empowered over 10,000 women entrepreneurs, and incubated more than 2000 startups and SMEs, thereby focusing on economic empowerment.

As an Aspen Fellow and a Chevening Fellow at the University of Oxford, Deepthi leverages her global exposure to ensure her work remains innovative and excellent. Her journey, from Telangana in India to a successful career in California, USA, and back, is remarkable. Her extensive professional background includes roles as Joint Director for Electronics in the government of Telangana (India), as well as positions in global tech companies in the US like Nokia, Palm Inc., Atheros, Qualcomm, and Litepoint (Teradyne).

But she's not just about business; Deepthi is a passionate gamer and a tireless advocate for women in STEM, Women in Leadership, and Financial and digital inclusion.

Join us as we delve into her inspiring journey and insights.

What does Elon Musk's Twitter now look like? Is there a global perspective in media coverage on world news or is it still western? How does a policy professional from one part of the world impact policies in another? These are some of the many questions that we explored with our guest Theodora (Theo) Skeadas in this episode.

Theodora (Theo) Skeadas is the President of Harvard W3D. She also worked in Twitter's global public policy team, where she supported the team's research efforts, working groups, the Trust and Safety Council, and partnerships with nonprofits globally. Theo works as the Executive Director of Cambridge Local First, a Cambridge-based nonprofit network of 500 locally- and independently-owned businesses. As a Board member of the American Independent Business Alliance, Theo advocates for small businesses around the country. Theo graduated from Harvard Kennedy School with an MPP degree, and from Harvard College with a BA in Philosophy and Government.

How to find hope in the midst of conflict?! This is a theme that emerged from the discussion with Gadi Baltiansky who Director general of the Geneva Initiative in Israel, an NGO that promotes a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians through diplomatic, political, educational and public tools. As an expert on the Middle East conflict, Gadi served as a member of the official Israeli negotiation team with Syria and the Palestinians in 1999, and as a non-official advisor to the negotiating teams in 2007-08 and 2014-15. During his years in government, Gadi served as press secretary for the Israeli prime minister, advisor to the foreign minister, and press counselor at the embassy in Washington. Gadi holds a master's in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor's in international relations and political science from Hebrew University.

This is a peak into the life of the former Canadian politician and the first woman and first openly gay premier of the province of Ontario. She has been a force to reckon with and has shown remarkable courage and strength which helped her to be a true changemaker. Her humility, wisdom and insights into life is certainly a source of inspiration to all and especially the younger generation.

About Kathleen O'Day Wynne: She was Ontario’s 25th Premier. She was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 as the MPP for Don Valley West, and she became the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in January 2013.

Kathleen has dedicated her professional life to building a better province for the people of Ontario. She and her government were guided by the values and principles that knit this province together: fairness, diversity, collaboration and creativity.

Kathleen has served as Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Education and Minister of Agriculture and Food.

In her role as Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Kathleen worked in partnership with First Nations communities to address issues such as mining development, First Nations land claims, and improving quality of life for Indigenous people living off-reserve through affordable housing and recreation programs.

As Minister of Education, Kathleen led the government’s efforts to reduce class sizes, implement full-day kindergarten and provide more opportunities for high school students to reach their full potential.

Kathleen has served as a Public School Trustee in Toronto. She has led citizens’ groups in a number of grassroots community projects, and has played a major role as an organizer and facilitator. This experience has contributed to her results-based approach to life, government and community.

Kathleen has three adult children, and four grandchildren. Before moving to Alliston, Ontario, Kathleen and her partner Jane lived in North Toronto for more than 30 years.

Featuring Ms. Zaina Adamu, an award-winning global communications expert with over 10 years of experience working in media and international affairs, with an emphasis in human rights and foreign policy. In 2018, she founded Ghana Girl Rising, a social enterprise aimed at improving education access for Ghana’s marginalized young women. Before then, she was a journalist at CNN, covering both the 2012 and 2016 U.S. presidential elections.

During her six-year tenure at CNN, she won a Peabody award for her contribution to the network’s reporting of the Arab Spring and was selected as a Power 30 Under 30 honoree. As news editor for The Spokesman, she won an Excellence Award for her breaking news coverage of President Barack Obama’s historic 2008 win.

Zaina is the author of 20,000 Words: A Guide to Finding Calm in a Cluttered World. She currently serves on the Board of Harvard W3D: Women in Defense, Diplomacy, and Development, the Harvard Alumni for Global Development, and G-100, an influential group of 100 women leaders from across the world.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism from Morgan State University and a Master’s degree in International Education Policy from Harvard.

You can read more about Ghana Girl Rising at www.ghanagirlrising.com. It is a social enterprise connecting underprivileged young women with resources to access a formal education. Through scholarships, tuition assistance, leadership development and public service engagement, the organization aims to inform, educate and galvanize change among its participants.

Join us on this fascinating discussion with Justice Susan Lamb of the Supreme Court of Belize who is a globally recognized expert on international criminal law, criminal justice and the law of armed conflict. She is one of the foremost experts to have worked on hybrid tribunals and justice systems established to try perpetrators of genocide and war crimes in Rwanda, Yugoslavia and Khmer Rouge.

Justice Lamb was deployed as the Civilian Expert to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Stabilisation Unit to various fragile and conflict-affected states and United Nations consultant in Maldives, Mali, Kenya, Bangladesh and Uganda. She also served as the board member and Senior Legal Advisor at an NGO investigating atrocity crimes in Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones.

She was shortlisted (as the Western European and Other (WEOG) nominee) for the role of Ombudsperson by the United Nations Security Council ISIS/Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in late 2021.

Justice Lamb was educated at Otago, New Zealand and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.

Join us on a discussion with the dynamic Ms. Silvana Koch-Mehrin, President and Founder of Women Political Leaders (WPL), the worldwide network of women Politicians. WPL is an independent, non-partisan and not-for-profit foundation that aims to increase both the number and influence of women in political leadership. Silvana served as Vice-President of the European Parliament (2009-2011) and Member of the European Parliament (2004-2014).

Before her time in politics, she founded and ran a public affairs consultancy in Brussels, which later merged with a larger US firm. She also worked as Senior Special Advisor for EY and as Senior Policy Advisor for GPLUS Europe.

In addition to her work for WPL, Silvana serves on the board of the Council of Women World Leaders, the network of female Presidents and Prime Ministers. She is also a member of the European Leadership Network (ELN), a Board Director of the Social Progress Imperative and member of the Global Advisory Network of Apolitical Academy Global.

Since 2016, Silvana has been representing the European Union in the Executive Committee of W20, an official engagement group of the G20. In 2018 and 2019, she was ranked as one of the 100 most influential persons in gender equality by Apolitical. Silvana is a Young Global Leader Alumni of the World Economic Forum.

She lives in Brussels, Belgium with her three kids and their Irish father.

Celebrating women leaders across the world : here is a special episode on International Women's day with the dynamic Ambassador Dr. Namira Nabil Negm who is Legal Counsel and Director of Department of Legal Affairs of the African Union.

Prior to the assumption of this position, she served as Ambassador of Egypt to Rwanda (2014-2017). Amb. Negm is a seasoned diplomat that occupied several diplomatic positions during her career. She was the Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt ( 2013 - 2014 ), she was the Legal Advisor and Counter Terrorism Expert of the Egyptian Mission to the United Nations, New York (2006-2010). She has also served as the Legal and Political Officer in the Embassy of Egypt to the Netherlands (1999-2003).During her diplomatic career, she served in several positions in the Department of Legal Affairs and International Conventions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Amb. Negm is currently the lead of the AU team for establishing the Hybrid Court for South Sudan. She has previously occupied the Position of Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Vice-Chairperson of the Adhoc Committee on International Terrorism (Sixth Committee) and the Coordinator of the African Group in NY for legal matters.

Dr. Negm was the lead Counsel of the African Union Legal Team before the ICJ in the Chagos Advisory Opinion and before the ICC in the Jordan’s Appeal in the Bashir case. She had served as Egyptian Negotiator in the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabilities, Definition of the Crime of Aggression in the ICC Statute.