In conversation with RENE CARAYOL MBE

He is not just one of the world’s leading executive coaches, working with some of Fortune 500’s top CEO’s and their executive teams, but he has also been Chairman, CEO and MD of blue chip businesses.

In 2004, he was awarded the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire or MBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, for outstanding service to the business community.

We speak of none other than Rene Carayol, who specialises in delivering unforgettable and unmissable leadership sessions that are considered powerful performances, showing precisely how contemporary inspired leadership can electrify an audience through a powerful and authentic emotional connection.

René draws much from his own unique experiences on the boards of some of the biggest international organisations; from Marks and Spencer and Pepsi, to IPC Media and the Inland Revenue.

Whilst he is a much-acclaimed Visiting Professor at the distinguished Cass Business School in London, and lecturing on their MSc in Management, René says he is no academic.

His book, SPIKE, is about what is called the ‘Strengths based Revolution’.

SPIKE is a journey of self-discovery. It will change your views of yourself and your teams. 

“My experience of working with some of the world’s best leaders of this generation; from Prime Minister David Cameron, Sir Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela, and many others, informs me that none of them are flawless or ‘all-rounders’.

But they all tend to know 2 out of 3 of their SPIKES, and have taken the time and focus to fine tune them to near Olympian standards”.

René shares with us today his views of the world’s leadership, and the magic and simplicity of the compelling SPIKE philosophy. In his world of SPIKE, there are no losers anymore – everyone has something they are great at.

The new world order is struggling to deal with constant uncertainty, René provides a compelling approach to the future that is built on ‘managing a little less and leading a little more’.

We have all been engaged in the BLM movement or Black Lives Matter narrative. Rene has taken BLM into corporates to incorporate action into words and effect change on the ground. In Allyship he introduces a new powerful concept for some businesses. After the tragic murder of George Floyd, many people have embraced allyship and this has helped create an irresistible force for change.

In order to stop appeasing those that discriminate against us, we need the strength, commitment and influence of our allies. In this same line of conversation, we explore the future of leadership where collaboration is the new normal and women making their mark in the leadership sphere.

Yavi Madurai refers to Rene Carayol as a LEADERSHIP GRAND MASTER, and counts herself as one of his biggest fans.

He is a son of Africa, and this conversation was about using our podcast platform to pass on some of Rene's greatest philosophies and lessons to leaders around the world who may not have had the pleasure of experiencing this Grand Master's leadership lessons and guidance.

We thank you Mr Carayol for taking the time to chat to us - we are deeply grateful and forever in your debt.

www.pabwa.africa

@renecarayol on all social media platforms

Nelisiwe Nxumalo is the anchor and co-host of the 2nd largest breatkfast TV show in the country, eTV's Morning Show which is based in South Africa, but has an African audience.

Neli, as her colleagues call her, is a young leader, an African mother, and a media activist who is passionate about the future of media in Africa, and how Africa is portrayed. Even more so, how African women and children are portrayed is very important to Neli.

Ms. Nxumalo tells you emphatically that as much as she has to pinch herself every morning now because she is in her dream job, the place that 'made her' was a 'grass roots' TV station called Soweto TV. Soweto is the largest township in the Southern Hemisphere and as such the audience is both large and varied. 

Her passion for community media and where this interlinks with main stream and commercial media is something this podcast explores.

"The media has a massive role to play in changing the perception of Africa, and Africa’s women and children. And, we can't expect international media to change if our own media does not. It starts with us." - Nelisiwe Nxumalo

Find the full episode here

https://anchor.fm/fromafricatotheworld/episodes/S2--Ep3-The-countdown-to-the-AfCFTA-has-commenced-with-H-E-Wamkele-Mene--SG-AfCFTA-eklqsj

About the AfCFTA

The Countdown has begun

S2 | Ep2 "How do create a feminist economy through activism, sisterhood, & collaboration" with Lucia O' Chan

Mrs Africa Globe 2019, CEO of Lucia O Holdings, Founder Lucia O Foundation, Brand SA Play Your Part Ambassador, Social Activist & philanthropist.

Lucia is a social media influencer through her philanthropic work, her Brand SA Ambassadorship and her social activism.

Yavi Madurai chats with her about all her different roles, her passions for women empowerment, upliftment of the 'rural women' in communities across the country and Africa.

They discussed the state of the informal sector, which women are the majority of this economic sector, winning Mrs Africa Globe 2019, and what she has seen through her philanthropic work. She lives in a 'small town' in South Africa, but has been able to touch the lives of women across the country and across the continent. 

Full episode on this site - see dashboard

On the 7th July 2020, the International Trade Centre, a division of the World Trade Organisation launched SheTrades Outlook, a digital tool that allows governments and others to track progress on gender equality in trade, and progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 to empower all women and girls.

In 2019, the World Bank Group released a report that stated that Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, with approximately 42 percent of the non-agricultural labour force classified as self-employed or employers.

Africa is also home to the world’s future. 19 of the top 20 youngest countries in the world are African. So, a focus on Africa’s women and girls are of paramount importance, not just for Africa, but to the world. Simply put, without Africa, the world has almost no future. 

UK Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, said at the launch of the UK funded tool “Africa has the highest concentration of female entrepreneurs in the world, but many have not yet realised their full potential.”

The project aims to increase the competitiveness of women-owned businesses in international trade, by improving the policy environment. According to the innovative digital tool, South Africa, Mauritius, Rwanda, and Samoa are among the countries that have designed leading policies that boost women's economic empowerment. In Africa, that is only 3 of 55 African states that assemble under the African Union. So, this is the first indication that we have much work to do on the continent as PABWA.

The SheTrades Outlook provides quantitative and qualitative data using 83 indicators across six policy areas. It contains more than 50 good-practice examples to spur policymakers worldwide to introduce and reform policies that support women in trade. These include Bangladesh's use of digital technologies to empower entrepreneurship for rural women, Canada's gender-based analysis of trade agreements, and Lesotho's grants to support women in the creative industries.

ITC's acting Executive Director, Ma’am Dorothy Tembo, said: 'With the SheTrades Outlook, ITC is contributing to making big data work for inclusive trade. The tool helps overcome a long-standing barrier to making trade policies work for women - the lack of quality data.'

SheTrades Outlook is based on women-in-trade data − 80% of which has never been collected before - from more than 500 government institutions and private sector organizations. The tool is set to be rolled out globally after launching with coverage of 25 countries. The first tool of its kind to make trade possible for women by promoting a more inclusive policy ecosystem. It provides comprehensive data and analysis on trade and women’s economic empowerment, and shares experiences from around the world. 

Today, my guest is no stranger to PABWA audiences. She is a disruptor and a game changer on any given day.  Founder of She Trades and Chief of Inclusive Value Chains at the ITC - the dynamic and astute Vanessa Erogbogbo.

From Africa to the World: with Vanessa Erogbogbo

Founder: she trades | Chief: Sustainable & Inclusive Value Chains

_________________________________

On the 7th July 2020, the International Trade Centre, a division of the World Trade Organisation launched SheTrades Outlook, a digital tool that allows governments and others to track progress on gender equality in trade, and progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 to empower all women and girls.

In 2019, the World Bank Group released a report that stated that Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, with approximately 42 percent of the non-agricultural labour force classified as self-employed or employers.

Africa is also home to the world’s future. 19 of the top 20 youngest countries in the world are African. So, a focus on Africa’s women and girls are of paramount importance, not just for Africa, but to the world. Simply put, without Africa, the world has almost no future. 

UK Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, said at the launch of the UK funded tool “Africa has the highest concentration of female entrepreneurs in the world, but many have not yet realised their full potential.”

The project aims to increase the competitiveness of women-owned businesses in international trade, by improving the policy environment. According to the innovative digital tool, South Africa, Mauritius, Rwanda, and Samoa are among the countries that have designed leading policies that boost women's economic empowerment. In Africa, that is only 3 of 55 African states that assemble under the African Union. So, this is the first indication that we have much work to do on the continent as PABWA.

The SheTrades Outlook provides quantitative and qualitative data using 83 indicators across six policy areas. It contains more than 50 good-practice examples to spur policymakers worldwide to introduce and reform policies that support women in trade. These include Bangladesh's use of digital technologies to empower entrepreneurship for rural women, Canada's gender-based analysis of trade agreements, and Lesotho's grants to support women in the creative industries.

ITC's acting Executive Director, Ma’am Dorothy Tembo, said: 'With the SheTrades Outlook, ITC is contributing to making big data work for inclusive trade. The tool helps overcome a long-standing barrier to making trade policies work for women - the lack of quality data.'

SheTrades Outlook is based on women-in-trade data − 80% of which has never been collected before - from more than 500 government institutions and private sector organizations. The tool is set to be rolled out globally after launching with coverage of 25 countries. The first tool of its kind to make trade possible for women by promoting a more inclusive policy ecosystem. It provides comprehensive data and analysis on trade and women’s economic empowerment, and shares experiences from around the world. 

Today, my guest is no stranger to PABWA audiences. She is a disruptor and a game changer on any given day.  Founder of She Trades and Chief of Inclusive Value Chains at the ITC - the dynamic and astute Vanessa Erogbogbo.

Angelle Kwemo

Ms. Kwemo is President & CEO of Astrategik Group, a firm that provides international trade advisory and strategic advice to multi-dimensional entities willing to engage with Africa and emerging markets. ASG is now present in Nigeria, Morocco and Cameroon. Ms. Kwemo was Managing Director for Africa for Washington Media Group, a full services media, strategies, communication and government relations firm with offices in Washington, DC, Silicon Valley, China, and Qatar. 

As a dedicated advocate and philanthropist, she Founded Believe In Africa, an organization aiming at promoting the role of the African private sector in Africa transformation and empowering Women and youth. She hosted the first Africa women in agriculture congress that led to the creation of African Women in Agriculture and Art that is now (AWAA) a plate-form to support African rural women graduate from subsistence to commercial farming and handicraft. She has since trained women in Central Africa Republic, Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Mali and registered nearly 600,000 women in rural areas across 22 African countries.

A native of Cameroon, she started her career in France at Bestaux Law firm. In Douala, Cameroon, she served as the Chief of the Maritime Claims and Disputes Department, and later as the General Counsel for Bollore Technology Group and Geodis Overseas.

She worked for seven years in the U.S. Congress as Legislative Counsel for two members of the House of Representatives, including Rep. Bobby L. Rush, Senior Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Ms. Kwemo was instrumental in the U.S. Congress and played a key role in policy formulation on issues affecting the global economy.  She worked tirelessly on the passage of legislations to increase U.S. – Africa trade relations that led to the first African Leaders Summit under President Barack Obama. Ms. Kwemo was President and Founder of the Congressional African Staff Association, which aimed to educate Members of Congress, Senators and their staff on the positive progress of Africa. She draft the African Diaspora and Investment Act (AIDA) and handled the African diaspora’s mobilization that led to the creation of the State Department’ International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IdEA) and to including African diaspora language into President Obama’s Africa policies priorities.

Ms. Kwemo has received a number of recognitions for her exemplary work, including the DC Government’s Public Service Award, a citation from Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley, the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business Leadership Award” by the Minority Business Magazine, and was named one of the “World’s Most Influential Africans in the Diaspora” by Paris based Africa 24 Magazine and 50 most Inspiring African by Inspire Africa Magazine. She is author of the book "Against All Odds: How to Stay On top Of the Game" and is regularly published and featured in international news, including Forbes Afrique, Africa Report, Le Point, Voice of America TV (VOA), BBC, TV 5 TV, France 24 TV, Africa 24 TV, Comcast TV, China Daily, Inspire Africa and Africa Report. She was recognized at the “African Change Maker of the Year” by African Achievers Awards. 

Ms. Kwemo was on the advisory board of the corporate Council on Africa Small Business Initiative, the Democratic Republic of Congo Investment Fund and on the Selection Committee of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program. She co-chaired Executive Women for Hillary for the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia during 2016 US presidential elections.

She holds a Bachelor’s and a LLM degree in Economic Activity Law from the University of Rouen in France and a LLM degree in International Business Transactions and Human Rights Law from Washington College of Law at American University in Washington D.C.

For the full episode - see our dashboard.

Tracy Garley is a Liberian born New York City based entrepreneur and tech start-up global founder and CEO.

She is a city girl with big dreams and a big appetite. Owner of West African Lifestyle Brand, Zarkpa’s, the founder of a West African Catering company  called 'Culture in a Bowl', founder and CEO of City Girl Big Dreams and most recently, she is coFounder and CEO of GoFundHer.com.

GoFundHER.com empowers girls and women to create a steady monthly income from online fundraising and repeat donations.Donors/Supporters can donate once-off or set up monthly repeat donations to you for as low as a $1. Businesses and non-profit organizations can also take advantage of repeat donations with a free GoFundHER.com account.

Giving access to women around the world - Tracy Garley is our African Leader that is leading with African Excellence, and African Inspiration.

From Africa to the World