Vicky Pryce is Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research and Visiting Professor at King's College London.

She was previously Director General for Economics at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and Joint head of the UK Government Economic Service. Vicky has held senior roles across the private sector, including senior managing director at FTI consulting, Partner and Chief Economist at KPMG, and Partner at London Economics, following earlier positions in banking and the energy sector.

She's also co-founder of Good Cooperation, a frequent media commentator, and the author of many books, including Women versus Capitalism. Her latest book, Mismanaged Decline, co-authored with Andy Ross, will be published by Biteback in November of 2025.

We cover the following:

01:16 Discussing 'Mismanaged Decline'

02:51 The UK's economic challenges

04:41 Policy missteps and industrial decline

07:09 Service sector and underinvestment

11:15 Industrial strategy and government role

16:26 Impact of Brexit and COVID

25:04 Honesty in economic policy

32:25 Regulatory developments in the UK and Europe

33:58 The role of UK leadership in crypto adoption

34:45 Concerns about crypto and global positioning

37:09 The politics of economic growth

39:20 Challenges in economic policy communication

50:11 The importance of gender inclusion in economic strategy

56:57 The need for long-term industrial strategy

01:00:12 Final thoughts on building a resilient economy

***

 Trish Costello is the Founder and CEO of Portfolia, a micro venture capital firm and investing community built to activate women's capital. Portfolia launches thematic funds designed by and for women from women's health to FinTech and sustainability, engaging accredited investors who seek both strong returns and meaningful impact.

Trish previously co-founded the Kauffman Fellows Program in 1994 where she created the first training programme for venture capital partners. And helps launch a new generation of investors.

We cover the following:

00:11 Meet Trish Costello: Founder of Portfolia

00:53 The birth of Portfolia: a new venture model

06:11 Portfolia's growth and achievements

07:22 Pioneering women's health investments

10:15 The impact and future of women's health innovation

14:07 The role of research and AI in women's health

22:41 Gameto: revolutionising fertility and longevity

28:48 Empowering women investors

29:22 Investment accessibility and inclusivity

30:18 Understanding venture capital returns

31:24 Innovative approach to venture funds

32:16 Engaging with Portfolio companies

35:37 Sourcing and evaluating deals

38:25 Collaborating with other funds

44:26 Scaling women's participation in VC

51:33 Future vision for Portfolia.

****

 Vicky Pryce is Chief Economic Advisor at the Centre for Economics and Business Research and Visiting Professor at King's College London.

She was previously Director General for Economics at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and Joint head of the UK Government Economic Service. Vicky has held senior roles across the private sector, including senior managing director at FTI consulting, Partner and Chief Economist at KPMG, and Partner at London Economics, following earlier positions in banking and the energy sector.

She's also co-founder of Good Cooperation, a frequent media commentator, and the author of many books, including Women versus Capitalism. Her latest book, Mismanaged Decline, co-authored with Andy Ross, will be published by Biteback in November of 2025.

We cover the following:

01:15 Current state of the UK economy

02:28 Business confidence and investment

06:17 Employment trends and challenges

13:29 Impact of AI on productivity

19:57 Inflation and monetary policy

22:41 Domestic price issues in the UK

23:06 Energy costs and market structure

25:42 Trade, global headwinds, and tariffs

30:06 Pensions for growth

32:42 Autumn budget concerns

39:42 Risks and hopes for the UK economy.

***

Derek Shaw is Director of Entrepreneurship and Investment, where he leads the teams supporting Scotland's spinouts, startups, and scaling companies with wrap-around support and commercial investment. Under his leadership, Scottish Enterprise co-invests more than £50 million annually, making it Scotland’s most active early-stage investor, and the UK’s fourth largest by volume.

The portfolio includes around 330 high growth companies, valued at approximately half a billion pounds.

Alison Loveday is part of the extended management team and leads the National High Growth Entrepreneurship team. She focuses on ecosystem development, partnerships, and leadership programs for founders — including Pathways to Scale, a flagship initiative inspired by the 2023 Pathways Report, which supports female founders by upskilling leadership and investment readiness.

Together, they're helping to shape Scotland's innovation economy.

We cover the following:

00:11  Meet Derek Shaw and Alison Loveday

02:16  Overview of Scottish Enterprise

03:08 Scottish Enterprise's strategic missions

07:03 Supporting ambitious Scottish businesses

12:06  Collaborations and female founders

14:28  Challenges for deep tech companies

20:31  Case Study: ZOEX and Ash Penley

26:04 Working with universities and research centres

28:21  Metrics and measuring success

30:12  Supporting female founders

35:17  Lessons from recent successes

43:27 The future of Scotland's innovation economy.

****

 Lorine Pendleton is a seasoned venture capital investor and former media and entertainment lawyer with deep expertise across sports, media, entertainment, and technology.

In 2024, she launched 125 Ventures, a New York based VC fund, investing in women's sports, media and tech at the intersection of AI, data and the creator economy. Previously, a partner at Portfolia, she co-launched the Rising America Funds, top performing VC funds with net IRRs in the top 5% of their vintage, and has invested in more than 35 innovative companies as both an angel and VC.

We cover the following:

00:10 Meet Lorine Pendleton

02:17 Lessons from Prince: The power of ownership

04:59 Launching 125 Ventures

10:30 The solo GP Experience

15:01 Barriers in venture capital

24:20 Female founders and investment strategies

24:41 Unique perspectives of female investors

25:16 Learned experiences

27:27 Due diligence in investment

29:11 The rise of women's sports

30:40 Media rights and market growth

31:25 Challenges and opportunities in women's sports

33:31 The future of women's sports investment

37:48 Engaging with LPs and shifting capital

40:25 Encouraging women to invest

44:05 Final thoughts

***

 Ashley Penley is the founder and CEO of ZOEX, the UK's only female founded wave energy company. She transitioned from 15 years in offshore oil and gas complex installation projects to marine renewables, where she developed a modular wave energy converter that tackles the sector's biggest challenge, high cost.

She's also a mother of two, Zoe and Alex, and became a British national after moving to Scotland 25 years ago for her original oil and gas career.

We cover the following in our conversation:

00:11 Meet Ashley Penley

01:45 The challenges of wave energy

03:30 The 'Aha moment': Realising the gap in wave energy

05:29 Innovative solutions for wave energy

07:55 The business model and market potential

12:32 Designing ZOEX for real-world conditions

19:49 Partnerships and raising capital

23:02 Trials and commercial rollout in Turkey

25:22 Project setback and recovery

27:17 Validation and success

27:35 Global attention and future plans

28:30 Challenges and personal sacrifices

30:08 Company vision and funding

31:56 Navigating a male-dominated industry

33:29 Balancing family and career

37:12 Advice for entrepreneurs

***

Tiffany Irving joined Mesirow Wealth Management in 2021 and has 25 years of financial experience. She is a Senior Vice President, Wealth Adviser and a member of the Mesirow Inclusion Council. She provides comprehensive wealth management planning and advice to high-net-worth individuals, families and non-profit organisations.

Tiffany is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, and Legacy Partners, an association of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation. She is a Board Member for the Caring Place and the Women’s Impact Fund for the Porter County Community Foundation. She is a frequent speaker on the WGN radio show “Your Money Matters.”

Tiffany earned her degree in Finance from DePaul University and her MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) and holds FINRA licenses.

We cover the following:

• 02:09 Tiffany's early money experience
• 03:28 Generational differences in financial perspectives
• 09:28 Financial literacy and confidence among women
• 11:39 Common misconceptions about women and money
• 17:01 Challenges in the financial services industry
• 23:01 The Great Wealth Transfer: are we ready?
• 25:13 The importance of high EQ in financial advisory
• 25:20 Building trust with female clients
• 26:18 Legacy planning and generational wealth
• 29:33 Values-based and impact investing
• 35:42 Female investment in female founders
• 43:05 Closing the gender wealth gap
• 47:15 Final thoughts

Heather Ettinger is the Founder and CEO of Luma Thrive, a boutique coaching and consulting firm dedicated to empowering women of wealth and purpose—and the advisers and institutions that serve them.

With over 35 years as a trailblazing adviser and former CEO in wealth management, Heather created Luma Thrive to redefine how women engage with their wealth through life visioning, values alignment, and legacy planning.

She is the author of the best-selling book Lumination: Shining a Light on a Woman’s Journey to Financial Wellness and a nationally recognised speaker and thought leader featured in The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and Bloomberg.

Her trademarked Lumination Process™ underpins transformative coaching, keynote speaking, and consulting programs that guide women in aligning resources with purpose, while helping institutions build stronger, more meaningful relationships with female clients.

A recipient of the “Women to Watch,” “Icons and Innovators,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Savvy Ladies Changemaker awards, Heather has also co-authored pioneering research on women of wealth.

She lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, with her husband and is most proud of raising three community-minded children.

We cover the following:

01:53 Welcoming Heather Ettinger

03:34 Shifts in women's approach to investing

08:45 Challenges in the financial industry

17:35 Demographic and cultural trends

24:44 Women in business and career challenges

30:50 The impact of diversity in leadership

32:35 Financial planning for women: a holistic approach

37:11 Rethinking financial adviser incentives

41:12 The role of fintech in closing the gender investing gap

45:33 Women using capital for social impact

50:18 The influence of US administration on women's financial power

53:04 Final message to women.

***

Julie Perkins is an accomplished entrepreneur, business owner, purpose-led coach, and growth advocate. She founded Wyseminds after spending 20 years growing Specsavers Opticians in the Netherlands.

Through her experiences, both good and bad, she discovered the transformative power of a purpose-driven approach to business growth.

This insight inspired her to establish Wyseminds, a platform dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs, helping them achieve growth with greater joy and freedom.

We cover the following:

• 00:00 Introduction

• 01:53 Julie’s career journey: From Specsavers to Wyseminds, cancer diagnosis, and finding purpose
• 04:15 Emotional journey: Loneliness, transition from corporate to founder, and the importance of mentorship
• 06:49 Passion to purpose: How founders can reconnect with their vision and values
• 11:12 Value-based recruitment: Building the right team and letting go of misaligned people
• 13:31 Lessons from Specsavers: Purpose-led growth, partnership, and culture
• 16:18 Funding and credibility: When to raise money, bootstrapping, and financial confidence
• 19:22 Stakeholder mapping: Communicating with family, friends, and supporters
• 22:24 Strategy vs. purpose: Diagnosing founder frustration and the importance of realignment
• 24:93 Letting go: The founder’s journey, growth, and the power of release
• 27:33 Mindset shifts: Freedom, release, and realigning with purpose
• 29:53 Personal energy & recovery: Routines, rest, and sustaining long-term entrepreneurship
• 43:33 Final advice: Vision, growth, guardrails, and support for female founders.

***

 Sam Smith is a trailblazing entrepreneur, board advisor, and is a passionate advocate for inclusive, purposeful business. Best known as the founding CEO of FinCap, the first female led stockbroking firm in the city, she led the business from a startup within JMFinn to a £50 million investment bank, supporting hundreds of growth companies along their scale and exit journeys.

Over 24 years, Sam built what became Cavendish Financial on principles she still champions today: empathetic leadership, inclusive culture, and high impact governance.

Her bestselling book, the Secret Source, captures the mindset behind super scaling, empowering talent while staying true to purpose. It's no surprise that one of her favourite reads is Grit by Angela Duckworth, a philosophy she's lived by through every deal, boardroom and pivot points.

She now holds multiple NED roles across a range of sectors. In 2023, she co-founded The SuperScalers alongside Rosaleen Blair, CBE, and Ollie Barrett, MBE, a global community on a mission to help underrepresented founders grow from £1 million to £50 million+ in revenue. By connecting high potential entrepreneurs with those who've already scaled, The SuperScalers is shifting the narrative of who gets to build big.

Sam is also a committed voice for equity in entrepreneurship. She's advised the UK Government's Taskforce for women-led high growth businesses, contributes to the Scale Up Institute's work on female-led scale-ups, sits on the Everywoman advisory board and is a patron of the Entrepreneurs Network.

She's currently campaigning to integrate entrepreneurship into the school curriculum, giving every young person, regardless of background, the tools to shape their own future.

This podcast interview was recorded on 18 June, 2025.

We cover the following:

• 00:11  Meet Sam Smith

• 02:33 The UK scale-up story for women
• 03:18  Challenges and opportunities for female founders
• 04:44 The importance of community and the ecosystem
• 04:57 Leadership styles and cultural shifts
• 05:51  Blind spots
• 08:31  Funding and capital issues
• 11:02  The role of government
• 17:09  Inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem
• 26:33 The power of community
• 29:38 Building an inclusive innovation ecosystem
• 29:55 Challenges faced by female founders
• 30:29 A new financial system for women
• 31:12  The importance of inclusion in entrepreneurship

• 34:27 The potential of the UK in the global market
• 38:03 The need for a coordinated entrepreneurial ecosystem
• 40:41  Future vision for the UK scale-up ecosystem
• 42:49 The importance of education in entrepreneurship
• 51:44  Action plan for supporting female founders
• 56:06 Final thoughts.

***