Boardroom Banter

When we think of impacting change in a society, we often think of world-altering events like fights for independence or the invention of computers.

In today's episode, our guest Michael Radke brings social change down to eye level where we discuss how you and I can lead lives that catalyze development and impact for those around us. Michael is the Executive Director of The Ubuntu Lab- a collective a global collective of educators, social scientists, designers, and technologists on a mission to help people understand people through dynamic experiences.

In this episode, we unpack his global exposure to the people and places at the center of building a brave new world and the lessons he has learned about what it takes for us to be changemakers.

Find out more about his work through his LinkedIn profile here as well as by visiting www.theubuntulab.org

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The role of social innovation in driving growth has never been more evident than in the African century that we are in today.

In today’s episode, we have a chat with Egyptian-born entrepreneur and investor, Dina Sherif about the evolution of Africa as a growth market, the venture capital landscape on the continent and her experience building sustainable, inclusive, and diverse societies.

Nearly a decade ago, she believed that the private sector had the potential to play a bigger role in leveraging sustainable business models to create an impact beyond the usual works of philanthropy. She co-founded a company known as Ahead Of The Curve to help them do exactly that.

She joins us today from Massachusetts, USA where she leads MIT’s Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship as its Executive Director and has some wise words to share with the entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, regulators and other curious minds listening to this podcast.

Join us in creating social impact through a cup of tea by visiting www.nepalteacollective.com

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The founders stepped into the boardroom this week and opened up about their experiences like never before. They reflect on Steve Bartlett's latest episode on his podcast (The Diary Of A C.E.O) where he featured grammy-award-winning South African DJ, Black Coffee. The founders unpack his successful journey and juxtapose his struggles with some of theirs- highlighting how uncomfortable it can be to be patient with oneself, extend grace and allow oneself to go through life's process of becoming who you are meant to be.

Spotify Global Trends Report (Gen Z Creator Edition): Link Here

Workplace culture is changing more rapidly than ever before. In this episode, we invited Julie Winkle Giulioni, an expert on human capital development and workplace culture, to walk us through her toolkit on thriving in today's job market. 

As an accomplished author of two international bestselling titles; "Promotions Are SO Yesterday" and "Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go", Julie lends us her insights on how to create and select work environments that bring out the best in ourselves and others. We discuss key drivers of today's shifting workplace trends and the strategies we can employ to navigate them successfully. 

Hop in and listen to another insightful conversation fresh out of the Boardroom!

To find out more about Julie and her incredible work, visit her website here: https://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/

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With the rate of inflation increasing globally and an uncertain economic climate for both large & small companies, we look at how this affects our day-to-day lives as college students and how it affected soldiers in ancient Rome. The founders also share their thoughts on recreational activities such as shooting ranges, break down the fall of some of Kenya's fast-growing startups such as Kune Food and what founders should get right before taking on large sums of investment for their startups.

Join us in the boardroom as we catch up on this week's topics.

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How similar is the product (music) that a musician creates to the product/ service that an entrepreneur sells? We explore this question with the help of innovation coach, Tristan Kromer, and relate it to a larger theme of building successful business models. Tristan’s work involves transforming the way companies innovate and coaching startups and intrapreneurs on adopting startup principles into practice through his company, Kromatic.

However, he didn’t begin his career in this industry. He spent 10 years in his early career life doing some fantastic work in the entertainment industry. In this episode- we explore the similar themes found in a musician’s and entrepreneur’s process of building a product, explore Tristan’s experiences building startup ecosystems around the world and take a look at how we was able to leverage transferable skills to accelerate his impact across different industries.

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Join us in creating social impact through a cup of tea by visiting www.nepalteacollective.com

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Accessibility is one of the greatest challenges facing the healthcare industry in Africa, whether in preventive care, curative care or innovative medicines- but is also its greatest opportunity.

Over the past three years, Walter Mibei has been at the forefront of leading efforts in the COVID-19 and Ebola Virus pandemic response in sub-Saharan Africa. He has 12 years of experience since qualifying as a doctor, working with companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Novo Nordisk. He is currently taking a mid-career break which he is spending as a Sloan Fellow at The Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In this episode, we look at his transitions over the course of his career and break down the opportunities available for actionable solutions in accessible healthcare to better prepare Africa for the next pandemic.

Find out more about Walter through his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-mibei/

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Education and teaching as a practice have seen tremendous change in the past few years. Students and teachers all over the world adapted differently to the shifts, with numerous solutions designed and launched to address the challenges of acquiring and imparting knowledge.

In today’s episode, we sit down for a chat with two professors from the Stanford Univeristy School of Engineering. Chris Piech was born in Nairobi, Kenya and grew up in Malaysia before studying at Stanford where he now teaches and runs a research lab in Artificial Intelligence. Chris Gregg spent 20 years working in the U.S Navy as a cryptographer and commanding officer. He now lectures on Computer Science at Stanford University.

These two gentlemen take us through the beautiful work they do as teachers, the changes they have observed in education with the growing influence of technology in the space and the blueprint they are establishing in how teaching should be approached through their work in Stanford’s CS Department. They emphasize the value of service in one’s work, the importance of embodying humanity, empathy and a spirit of continuous learning in one's career.

Find out more about the work that they do through the links below:

Chris Gregg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-gregg-a8b27816/

Chriss Piech: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-piech-44b726a/

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Today’s guest is all too familiar with the struggle of trying to fit in and learning how to embrace one’s identity. Sharon Gai was born in China but moved to Vancouver, Canada at a young age where she did not speak the local language.

The bilingual and bicultural aspects of her identity largely contributed to her successful career in the e-commerce industry across both western and eastern markets. She opens up about her struggles with her Chinese background at a young age, her transition into the vast world of e-commerce and her role as a bridge between two worlds clouded by an invisible wall- helping Western companies discover China and in the same breath, bringing Chinese brands to the rest of the world.

Feel free to connect with Sharon through her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaisharon/

Check out her book, ‘Ecommerce Reimagined: Retail and Ecommerce in China’ here: https://www.amazon.com/Ecommerce-Reimagined-Retail-China/dp/9811900027

To learn more about Pattern and the amazing work that they do, find more information here: https://pattern.com/

Support our podcast further by subscribing to our Patreon Page here: https://www.patreon.com/boardroombanter?fan_landing=true