WUKA founder and CEO Ruby Raut, 2025 Novi Businesswoman of the Year, joins us for a candid conversation on leadership shaped by lived experience.

Trained as an environmental scientist and navigating life as a young immigrant in the UK, Ruby never planned to start a femtech company. What changed everything was confronting the stigma, waste, and silence surrounding periods and deciding not to accept them as normal.

In this episode, Ruby reflects on building WUKA from the ground up, why access matters as much as innovation, and what it means to lead with responsibility in spaces that have historically been overlooked.

A conversation about curiosity, courage, and redefining success on your own terms.

Follow Ruby Raut on LinkedIn:   / ruby-raut-49987b58  🌐WUKA Wear: https://wuka.co.uk/📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for insights: https://www.thenoviawards.com/newsletterNovi Awards: Inspired by Elizabeth’s story? Apply or nominate for the 2025 Novi Awards: https://entry.thenoviawards.com/ Learn more about the awards: https://www.thenoviawards.com/Pivot with Griselda: Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4EQNICv...Stay Connected: Follow We Are Novi on LinkedIn: / Follow Griselda Togobo: / griseldatogobo

Griselda Togobo speaks with Elizabeth Vega OBE, founder and Group CEO of Informed Solutions. From leaving corporate life to building a global consultancy, selling her home to keep her business alive, and practising stoicism to stay grounded, Elizabeth shares powerful lessons on resilience, leadership, and creating inclusive workplaces.

👉 Listen now and subscribe to Pivot with Griselda.
👉 Inspired by Elizabeth’s story? Apply or nominate for the 2025 Novi Awards: www.thenoviawards.com
👉 Share this episode and help us spotlight more women shaping business and society.

"Don't be afraid to embrace your full potential, find mentors who guide you, and always have the courage to find your voice, regardless of the setting. This is the essence of female leadership, and it's within each of us." - Dr. Margaret Korosec, Head of Online and Digital Education Department, University of Leeds.

Our CEO, Griselda Togobo, recently had a fantastic conversation with Dr. Margaret Korosec, the lead at the University of Leeds' Online and Digital Education Department, who shared pearls of wisdom and her candid experiences, highlighting the importance of pursuing one's passions and the significance of not letting setbacks define one's path. This conversation was recorded in Helix at the University of Leeds; https://digitaleducation.leeds.ac.uk/helix/

The big question is, why are the challenges of female leadership so significant? Well, these challenges are often deeply rooted in societal norms and expectations. Margaret's journey is one of remarkable resilience and personal growth amidst it all. For Margaret, it's not just about reaching the top but doing so with inner strength and the knowledge that she's staying true to herself and her values.

Margaret Korosec is the Dean of Online and Digital Education at the University of Leeds, leading on establishing a design ecosystem to support and scale online education and a digitally enabled student experience. She has recently led the development of Helix, a creative space to encourage experimentation and enable radical internal and external collaboration.

"Be brave and take risks. Don't be afraid to speak up and challenge the status quo. The world needs more women leaders who are willing to make a difference." - Sheridan Ash

A story of triumph in the face of adversity.

From modest beginnings, Sheridan's journey is unusual and inspiring. Dyslexic, she left school at sixteen without formal qualifications. She became a single mother while pursuing a career in fashion modelling. Her fashion career abruptly ended on her impending motherhood, driving her to find a new way to provide for herself and her son. 

Enjoy this conversation on a journey of motherhood, education and a career in technology. Sheridan Ash is the Founder and Co-CEO of Tech She Can.

“Never turn down an opportunity. A door opens for a reason. Open it, go through it, and don’t have regrets because it will take you somewhere else.”

- Julianne Antrobus.

How do you go from feeling the fear to embracing the fear?

Meet Julianne Antrobus, a Leading Woman in Nuclear Energy and a Forward Ladies Awards Alumni.

From a young age, Julianne had a real curiosity about the world around her. This thirst for knowledge, and a passion for environmental science and technology, would eventually lead her to a career in nuclear energy.

In this episode, Griselda sits down with the inspirational Julianne Antrobus to discuss her career, highs and lows and secrets to embracing fears.

About Julianne Antrobus

- Leanne Caret

How do you go from not being considered "management material" to running a $34 billion business? What does it take to succeed in the male-dominated world of aerospace and defence?

Meet Leanne Caret, a major force in global business. 

Leanne didn't dream of taking to the skies in a spaceship as a child, but it's undeniable that aerospace is in her blood. Three decades ago, her parents worked on the Apollo mission; today, Leanne worked on Artemis, the sister rocket to Apollo, which will place the first woman on the moon in a new era of human space exploration.

Having spent her whole career at Boeing, the company has shaped Leanne's philosophy around leadership. She has since developed her unique framework for success founded on four guiding principles - Grit, Gumption, Gratitude & Grace.

In this episode, Griselda sits down with the inspirational Leanne Caret to discuss her career, highs and lows and success framework.

About Leanne Caret

"I have realised that it's a very short time we have on this earth. We have to live it well. I do good because it makes me feel good. When people around me are comfortable, I can be comfortable. I'm not interested in people-pleasing. I want to do good. When I do good, it's for me. When I challenge a situation, it's because I really believe it needs to be challenged. I don't play to the gallery."

Mamokgethi Phakeng is a Professor of Mathematics Education and Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town. She holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has published over 80 reviewed articles and five edited volumes. She is a B1 NRF-rated scientist, which indicates she has considerable international recognition. She has been invited as a speaker and visiting professor at international conferences and universities worldwide.

She has won several awards for her research and community work, including the Order of Baobab (Silver) bestowed upon her by the President of South Africa in April 2016 and the CEO magazine's most influential woman in academia in Africa in 2015. Mamokgethi has served and continues to serve on several notable boards in South Africa and Africa.

In our first podcast for 2023, Griselda sat down with the inspirational vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Prof. Mamokgethi Phakeng, on her Success, Survival, and Sacrifices to becoming the First Black Female Vice-Chancellor.

Cassandra Illidge is a woman on a mission. She has grown the Getty  Images content partnership business to add authentic, diverse, and  inclusive content so that all communities and voices are accurately  represented in the visual content at Getty Images.com.When Getty Images grappled with how to address systemic racism in support of the black community, Cassandra stepped up and worked tirelessly, taking on a  leadership role to support employees. She even received the Getty Images  Leadership Principle Award in recognition of this contribution. October  is National Black History Month, and in this episode of the leadership  podcast, Griselda engages with Cassandra Illidge. Vice President of  Getty Images on championing diversity and inclusion through visual  content representation at Getty Images #gettyimages #racismingarenafreefire  #diversity  #inclusion #blackhistorymonth  #blacklivesmatter

"Failure allowed me the opportunity to go on, experience other things and opened doors for me in different ways."

— Sophie Adelman

Sophie Adelman is the Cofounder & CEO of The Garden, a seed stage venture-backed startup building a Community for the Curious.  The Garden brings together people who love to learn for the joy of learning with passionate experts and with each other for Garden Talks & Conversation Circles. Garden Talks, covering topics that crosscut science, the arts and society.

She previously cofounded and led Multiverse (formerly known as WhiteHat), a UK & US scale up business, that is building an outstanding alternative to university through apprenticeships.  After stepping back from Multiverse in 2020, she spent time at Index Ventures as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence where she worked with existing portfolio companies, supported on new investments, and incubated The Garden.  Sophie is an active angel investor, mentor and champion of the UK Tech Community.

In this episode of the leadership podcast, Griselda engages Sophie Adelman on how shaking off societal expectations unlocked her full potential👏👏👏

Key topics discussed in this inspirational interview were:

· The journey to starting Multiverse

· How to handle the pressure of drifting and dabbling in low-paid jobs

· How to build back your confidence after a dip

"I was the only person in the room who was not taking no for an answer. I  said to myself, ‘He absolutely will get better' and he did.”— Dr  Ekaterina Malievskaia Dr Ekaterina Malievskaia leads innovation at COMPASS. 

Ekaterina received her medical degree from St Petersburg Medical Academy  in St Petersburg, Russia, and then moved to the US where she completed  her Internal Medicine residency training.  She worked in private practice, academic medicine and public health for  more than 15 years in the greater New York area. She was a Clinical  Instructor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, as well as a  Research Professor at City University of New York. 

After moving to London in 2011, Ekaterina worked in global health and  medical philanthropy, focusing on improving outcomes in maternal and  child health.  She founded COMPASS Pathways with her husband George Goldsmith in 2016,  having experienced at first hand the challenges in accessing  evidence-based and effective mental health care for a family member. In this episode of the leadership podcast, Griselda engaged Ekatarina  Malievskaia, Co-Founder of Compass Pathways, on starting a mental health  care company that is taking the world of mental health care by storm. 

Key topics discussed in this inspirational interview were:  

- The journey to starting a mental health care company·   

- Finding solutions to help tackle mental health·  

 - Securing funding to support compass pathways  

 Connect with Griselda Togobo on Linkedin via https://www.linkedin.com/in/griseldatogobo/  

Follow Forwardladies.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/forward-ladies/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ForwardLadies 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/forwardladies/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ForwardLadies 

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/ForwardLadies  

Access your Forwardladies.com 14day free trial - https://www.forwardladies.com/join-us/