Management Meets PODCAST

In this episode of Management Meets, host Katie Calvert-Jones welcomes Co-Founders E-J Roodt and Maks Rahman to share the inspiring origin story behind Epowar, an app that uses wearable tech to automatically detect physical attacks and capture police-approved evidence.. Their friendship began at an optional German class at university and evolved into a powerful partnership.

E-J and Maks take us behind the scenes of their entrepreneurial journey, sharing stories of early product testing and looking at how the business has evolved. 

Key topics:

• How leveraging their final-year university projects provided the foundation to launch a police-accredited app
• How unexpected university connections can turn an idea into a patented tech platform
• Startup drive, refusing to settle for the status quo, and pushing through "no's"
• Scaling an impact-driven app while keeping essential safety features free

In this episode of Management Meets, Katie speaks with Faye Jawad, University of Bath School of Management alumna and founder of KRNL. Having officially launched her savoury popcorn brand in July 2026, Faye went from popping kernels in her kitchen to selling out soon after launching the brand and capturing the attention food retailers and thousands online.

Faye discusses the reality of wearing every operational hat as a solo founder, from hand-packing boxes to graphic design. She highlights the power of mentorship, drawing on insights from fellow School alumnus and former podcast guest, Harry Symes-Thompson.

Key topics:

• Moving from personal recipe creation social media to commercial food production
• The role of peer mentorship and alumni networks in validating early-stage entrepreneurial concepts
• Bootstrapping vs. venture capital: strategies for stretching initial exit capital before seeking outside investment
• Overcoming imposter syndrome and the pressure of brand prestige when making early career choices
• Reimagining the healthy food marketing by pairing nutrients with aesthetic design

In this episode of Management Meets, Katie sits down with Carolina Catalani to discuss second-generation entrepreneurship, corporate-to-startup transitions, and brand building. Drawing from her background at Procter & Gamble and her current leadership role at Finmark, Carolina shares how she helped scale her parents' business before co-founding AVAU, a high-end fragrance house created with her siblings, which recently debuted its flagship home in Milan.

The discussion highlights the practical realities of managing rapid growth within a family-owned business. Carolina discusses transitioning mindsets, pivoting from skill-based to value-based hiring, and setting strict personal boundaries to maintain productivity within a family-run business. 

To kick off Season five of Management Meets, host Katie Calvert-Jones is reunited with Jai Shah, a Class of 2020 graduate and co-founder of Orangutan, an eSports organisation based in Mumbai. First appearing as a hungry young startup in the podcast's very first episode, Jai returns to share how his organisation has transformed into a dominant market force.

From navigating industry bans to building a physical community through their eSports arena. Today, Orangutan are officially the number one ranked team in India, preparing to step onto the global stage in Paris for the eSports World Cup.

Jai reflects on the human elements behind sustainable leadership and his personal commitment to family, mental health, and his work co-creating the University of Bath’s active alumni chapter in India.

Listen and explore:

• The importance behind strict operational consistency and mental resilience
• How pivots create profit
• Lessons from building a physical space in a digital world
• The role of calculated risk and focus on scaling towards a household name

Management Meets is back for Season 5.

This season, we're exploring The Entrepreneurial Mindset—the ambition, curiosity, resilience and determination that drive people to turn ideas into reality.

Drawing on the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs from the University of Bath School of Management community, we'll look beyond the businesses they've built to uncover the motivations, challenges and defining moments that shaped their journeys. 

From bold ideas and unexpected pivots to setbacks, successes and lessons learned, this series celebrates the people behind the ventures.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, already building something of your own, or simply fascinated by the mindset behind innovation, this season offers practical insights and inspiring conversations you won't want to miss.

Episode 1 launches on Wednesday, 29 July 2026.

Subscribe to Management Meets so you never miss an episode.

What does it take to navigate a global career in 2026? In this Season 4 review, Host Katie Calvert Jones and Producer Becky Toogood recap the most powerful messages from founders, brand leaders and social entrepreneurs who started their journeys at the University of Bath School of Management.

This episode tackles the realities of entrepreneurship, international relocation, sustainable ambition. and everything in between. Discover why global creatives are trading profit for peace and how emerging technology is reshaping conservation and commerce alike.

In the Season 4 finale of Management Meets, Professor Steve Brammer and Katie Calvert Jones are joined by MBA alumnus Martin Callow, Global Strategy Lead for The Nature Conservancy’s Nature Bonds Program. 

Listen and discover:

• The moment Martin witnessed environmental change firsthand, and how it shaped his career
• Why understanding finance has become essential for conservation leaders
• The power of networks, partnerships, and the impact of saying “yes” to opportunity

In this episode of Management Meets, hosts Katie Calvert-Jones and Professor Steve Brammer are joined by alumnus Nishchay Gogia, founder of 1947 Productions.

Nishchay reflects on his journey from Mumbai to Bath, and how his time at the School of Management shaped both his personal and professional outlook. Arriving in 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis, he shares how uncertainty, resilience, and adaptability became defining themes in his early career.

From washing dishes as a student to working on some of India’s biggest television formats, including India’s Got Talent and Indian Idol, Nishchay charts his path into the creative industries, and the bold decision to launch his own production company after 17 years in the field.

The conversation explores:

• Navigating uncertainty during global economic disruption
• The value of international education and cultural immersion
• Transitioning from corporate roles into creative industries
• The realities of entrepreneurship in media production
• Why quitting can sometimes be the right decision
• Balancing ambition with wellbeing

Nishchay also shares insights into the future of content creation, from branded storytelling to micro-dramas, and reflects on how creativity can be nurtured within business education.

A thoughtful and inspiring episode about risk, reinvention, and building a career on your own terms.

In this episode of Management Meets, Katie Calvert-Jones speaks with Kelvin Hughes - BSc Business 2010 alumnus and founder of Picanto Partners, a consultancy helping social enterprises and mission-driven organisations scale their impact. Kelvin shares his career journey from the corporate world at Morgan Stanley, Nestlé and Unilever to leading a sanitation social enterprise in Ghana and launching his own consultancy focused on social impact.

The conversation explores the challenges of measuring social value, the realities of implementing strategy in mission-driven organisations, and Kelvin’s ambitious vision to introduce mergers and acquisitions thinking to the charity and social enterprise sector.

Along the way, Kelvin reflects on lessons learned from working internationally, the importance of asking questions and taking initiative, and why ambition sometimes means pursuing ideas that feel a little terrifying.

In this episode of Management Meets, Katie speaks with international management alumna Maya Khurana, founder of STÆRKE, a Scandinavian-inspired gym accessories brand designed for women who lift.

Maya shares her path after the School of Management, making the pivot from a career in tech in London to life as an entrepreneur living in Copenhagen, with a strong focus on marketing and design.

Listen for an open conversation on the reality of entrepreneurism, ambition, battling burnout and more.