BEINGHUMAN ®

When the young Jude Kelly CBE started to dream of being a theatre director, she had few female role models. Even when she went to university, male drama lecturers labelled her ‘a little firecracker’ and ‘a pocket rocket’. Tired of being objectified, she set out on her own. And she quickly realised she was better off starting new projects than trying to fit her ideas into the constraints of existing structures.After founding the Solent People’s Theatre and the Battersea Arts Centre, and directing well over 100 productions on international stages, she became artistic director of the Southbank Centre in 2006. Four years later, she launched the Women of the World (WOW) Festival, which turned into an annual – and global – celebration of women and girls in arts and science. The WOW Foundation continues to fight gender injustice around the world. Gaynor O’Flynn, founder of Beinghuman, sat down with Jude for a coffee and a chat at the National Theatre to talk humble beginnings, knock-backs, women’s rights and telling the stories of all humanity.

Nicole Yershon is the original super-connector. She's a consultant, speaker and mentor, whose ethos is driven by "connecting the dots" - whether that's connecting people, tech or companies.Always willing to disrupt the status quo, she's a businessperson who's not afraid to innovate. For her, making change is about getting things done - not just talking about it. She brings organisations "kicking and screaming" into the 21st Century.The Drum named her one of the 25 Women Who Shaped The Digital Industry. And she's one of Wired magazine's top 100 - in its first annual survey of Britain’s digital power brokers.Nicole founded Ogilvy Labs and the NY Collective. And she's the author of Rough Diamond: Turning Disruption Into Advantage in Business and Life. Her clients have included Havas, Amex, IBM, Ravensbourne University, BP, London Business School, Accenture…