Good Will Hunters

Welcome to Episode 36 of Good Will Hunters!

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE INTREPID GROUP, THE TOUR COMPANY PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE, EXPERIENCE RICH TRAVEL.

This week I chat to Shane Nichols, CEO of Good Return. Good Return is an outstanding organisation supporting microfinance institutions throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Shane and I first met in late 2018 in Jakarta, where we discussed the challenges faced by small business owners in the region in accessing investment finance, particularly women.

Microfinance is a concept that drew me to the development sector many years ago. Organisations like the Grameen Bank that provided micro-loans to rural, and usually very impoverished business owners, so they could purchase assets for the business or pay off their debts incrementally, fascinated me. It still does - and after this episode my enthusiasm for microfinance has been reinvigorated.

Enjoy,

Rachel and the GWH Team

[Royalty free music by Ben Sound]

Welcome to Episode 35 of Good Will Hunters! This week I chat to Luke Branagan, Director of Philanthropic Services at JBWere.

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE INTREPID GROUP, THE LEADERS IN SUSTAINABLE SMALL GROUP TRAVEL.

Prior to joining JBWere, Luke was the Executive Manager of the MLC Community Foundation, where he led the evolution of the strategic direction of the Foundation to focus on mental health outcomes. During Luke’s tenure, the Foundation was recognised as a philanthropic leader in measuring social outcomes, driven by innovative approaches to measurement and impact investment. Luke was also a member of NAB’s Corporate Responsibility Leadership team. Prior to this role Luke led the community program at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Luke and I often see each other at events, and he always has fascinating insights to share about the sector, so I'm thrilled to finally have him on the show! In this episode we discuss how charities can attract investment aligned with their brand, the work of family foundations, the nature of endowment funds, and a lot more. This episode is a fantastic insight into financial literacy, and a must-listen for charities wanting to understand their financial options better.

Enjoy,

Rachel

[Royalty free music by Ben Sound]

Welcome to Episode 34 of Good Will Hunters!

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE INTREPID GROUP, THE TOUR COMPANY PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE, EXPERIENCE RICH TRAVEL.

You may recall about a month ago I had Rosemary Addis on the show. Rosemary is the Founder and Chair of Impact Investing Australia, and the Australian representative on the Social Impact Investment Taskforce, among dozens of other accolades. In short, Rosemary is one of the most widely respected experts on impact investment in Australia.

The episode we aired a month ago was so well received, that Rosemary and I decided to do a 'Quarterly Impact Investment Masterclass'. Working in the development sector, the number one question I've been asked over the last 12 months is 'What is impact investment and how can I get involved?'. These episodes will aim to answer that question.

Each quarter, Rosemary and I will discuss recent trends, share examples of where impact investment is transforming organisations and causes, discuss what you can to get involved, and provide a market wrap-up of the most important things for YOU to know from the last three months.

In this episode, we’re talking about what can make it easier to participate in impact investment, we're putting a spotlight on the role for banks given the recent Royal Commission and we're talking about solutions for people with disabilities, plus a whole lot more.

Here are some of the resources we refer to in the show:

Impact Investing Australia Scaling Impact Blueprint: https://impactinvestingaustralia.com/wp-content/uploads/20181120_Scaling-Impact.pdf

GIIN Sizing the Market Report: https://thegiin.org/assets/Sizing%20the%20Impact%20Investing%20Market_webfile.pdf

HireUp: https://hireup.com.au

NZ Wellbeing Budget: https://treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2019-05/b19-wellbeing-budget.pdf

UK Impact Investment Institute: https://www.investmentweek.co.uk/investment-week/news/3076640/uk-sets-up-impact-investing-institute

Enjoy,

Rachel

[Royalty free music by Bensound]

Welcome to Episode 33 of Good Will Hunters, with Paul Ronalds, CEO of Save the Children. As I say at the outset of this episode, Paul is by far our most requested guest. As a highly respected CEO and thought-leader, Paul has led Save the Children Australia into one of its most innovative and successful periods yet.

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE INTREPID GROUP, THE TOUR COMPANY PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE, EXPERIENCE RICH TRAVEL.

In this episode we discuss why the not for profit sector is not sustainable, whether we have a generosity-shortage in Australia, the need for charities to innovative both financially and strategically, how Save the Children is doing something no other Australian charity has done before, maintaining our integrity in the Pacific, and why we need to stop the war on children. This is a powerful and honest conversation with a man who has been, and continues to be, a major catalyst for change in the sector.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on iTunes, Soundcloud or Facebook!

Enjoy,

Rachel

[Royalty free music by Ben Sound]

Welcome to Episode 32 of Good Will Hunters with Ricky Kej, Grammy Award winner, environmentalist and humanitarian.

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE INTREPID GROUP, THE TOUR COMPANY PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE, EXPERIENCE RICH TRAVEL.

Ricky and I first met back in February of this year, when we were both participating in the Australia India Youth Dialogue. Our first 1:1 conversation took place in the lobby of the Sofitel Melbourne, when I asked Ricky how he had slept the night before. Ricky told me that he hadn't slept at all, because he was preparing a musical score for David Attenborough.... immediately I knew this was someone I wanted to get to know better! Ricky and I have since become fantastic friends and allies, and I'm grateful that I can share his wisdom, insights and humour with all of you.

In this episode we discuss why Ricky studied dentistry even though he knew he would be a musician, the life-changing decision he made after winning a Grammy, why he believes music can help solve many of the environmental issues we face today, the important of tighter environmental regulation on corporations, Ricky's take on Australian politics, and the next big project Ricky and I are going to embark on, plus heaps more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, and leave us a review on any of our podcast platforms. Are you a purpose-drive company looking for a great new brand partner? Get in touch!

Enjoy,

Rachel

[Royalty free music by Ben Sound]

Welcome to Episode 31 of Good Will Hunters, with Darcy Small and Bri Kerr from Kua. Kua is a closed-loop coffee supplier, importing coffee from Uganda to sell to offices in Australia.

After signing up for an overseas field school whilst studying renewable energy engineering, Darcy found himself in Uganda with his best mate, wondering how they could give back to the community they were visiting. Later, the boys found themselves smuggling a few bags of coffee back in their luggage, and meeting with a team at the University of New South Wales to discuss how they could market the coffee to the corporate sector, and in doing so, support the livelihoods of villagers in a region of Uganda.

Now days, the coffee business is growing every day, and Kua partners with Love Mercy to help fund the Cents for Seeds Program, providing local women in Uganda with seed loans. In this episode, we discuss the impact Kua has had in Uganda, why climate change is one of the greatest threats to coffee crops and therefore livelihoods, why Darcy would love to see a marriage of solar energy and coffee, and how 'Corporate Australia' is the driving force behind many of the social movements we see today.

Darcy and Bri are inspiring, full of energy, intelligent and along with their team, are equipped to continue to make an impact in Uganda and possibly beyond, once they navigate the age old dilemma of depth versus scale.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and like or subscribe to our social media.

Thanks,

Rachel

[Royalty Free Music by Ben Sound]

Welcome to EPISODE 30 of Good Will Hunters! This week I chat to the wonderful Kat Roma Greer, Founder of Micro Galleries.

I first read about Kat in SAM Magazine (The Sydney Uni Alumni Magazine)and was intrigued by her work creating inclusive art installations in cities around around the world. The link between art and community development is not always an obvious one, but I guarantee that after this episode, you'll get it! Kat and I discussed the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong, the rise of create expression in the midst of a political crisis, transforming laneways in Jakarta and Kathmandu, making art inclusive, and empowering women through paint, plus lots more!

Some links you may want to check out after this episode:

The Guardian’s take on the Umbrella Revolution - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/30/-sp-hong-kong-umbrella-revolution-pro-democracy-protests

TedX Talk with Bess Hepworth on Radical Resilience - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MaZ1R-NpdE

And of course the Micro Galleries website - http://microgalleries.org

Enjoy! If you loved this episode, please leave us a review on iTunes or Facebook! Your support helps us share the wisdom of our guests far and wide!

[Royalty Free Music by Ben Sound]

Welcome to Episode 29 of Good Will Hunters, with Rosemary Addis.

Rosemary is the Founder and Chair of Impact Investing Australia, the Australian representative on the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established under the UK Presidency of the G8, the Founder and Chair of the Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investment, a Member of the NSW Government Social Investment Expert Advisory Group, and a Strategist for the Global Learning Exchange. Rosemary was also the first Social Innovation Strategist in Federal Government.

We chat about the latest trends in impact investment, including what NFPs, corporates and government can do to scale their impact investment efforts. Rosemary is a standout leader in the sector, and it was an honour to chat with her on this episode.

Enjoy,

Rachel and the GWH Team

[Royalty free music by Bensound]

Welcome to Episode 28 of Good Will Hunters! This week I chat to Leigh Barnes, the Chief Purpose Officer at Intrepid. We chat ethical travel, personal development, supporting economic growth, and what it means to run a company that is truly "good for the world".

Enjoy!

Rachel and the GWH Team.

Welcome to Episode 27 of Good Will Hunters, with Amit Singh.

Amit is the head of Global Policy at Uber, responsible for economic policy, future of work and digital marketplaces. He previously served as the Senior Economic Adviser to Australian Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard and Deputy Chief of Staff and Head of Policy to the Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten. Earlier in his career, he worked as a capital markets lawyer and a corporate M&A adviser, as well as co-founder of a consumer startup that has grown to over 315,000 members and co-founder of Tuxedo Tuesday with Fitted for Work, an initiative to promote the economic participation of women. He is also director of the Chifley Research Centre and a member of the OECD’s Future of Work Engagement Group.

Amit and I met a few weeks back at the Australia India Youth Dialogue, the leading Track Two Dialogue between Australia and India. Our first conversation took place at a crowded tram stop on Exhibition Street, in Melbourne CBD, and within about 4 minutes of meeting Amit, I asked him to be on the podcast. In this episode, we tackle some of the most exciting, and most pressing, issues of this day and age - the future of our global workforce, the meaning of ethics, building safety nets for the most vulnerable people in our communities, fostering cross-cultural dialogue, and also why Uber Pool is responsible for many things, including a few marriages!

If you loved this episode, please leave us a review on Facebook or iTunes. And if you're keen to know more about the topics we discussed, get in touch via any of our social media pages and we'll send some more resources your way! As a start, check out this blog post about Uber in Nairobi: https://www.uber.com/en-KE/blog/introducing-uberboda-a-new-way-to-navigate-nairobi-faster/

Enjoy,

Rachel and the GWH Team