The Social Mobility Podcast

Marco Amitrano, PwC’s Senior Partner for the UK and Middle East, shares his journey from a modest background to leading a major firm, emphasising that social mobility is about expanding access to opportunity and unlocking talent for the benefit of both individuals and business. 

He highlights PwC’s own journey, noting that organisations must adapt systems to support diverse talent, while individuals must actively seize opportunities. 

Marco stresses the importance of education, workplace exposure, and access to AI skills, and calls for collaboration and investment in skills and infrastructure to drive social mobility and economic growth.”

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Rob Hornby is Co-CEO of financial advisory and global consulting firm, AlixPartners, and has held senior leadership positions in a number of top companies. 

In this episode, Rob reflects on the pivotal role his father’s belief in him and a grant-funded university place played in shaping his career. He discusses education as a powerful gateway to social mobility and explores the responsibility businesses have to create meaningful opportunities for those seeking to progress.

Rob also shares his perspective on how artificial intelligence could reshape the landscape of opportunity and what that might mean for the future of social mobility.

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Segun Osuntokun is the Global Senior Partner at international law firm, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP). He is also the head of the firm's civil fraud litigation practice.

In this episode, Segun takes us right back to his childhood growing up in the second biggest city in Nigeria, home to the country’s first university. And he explains what first gripped him about the idea of going into the legal profession.

Reflecting on what social mobility means to him, Segun explores the psychology of the human condition - why we continue to create structures that disadvantage certain people, and how to break them down. Segun also imagines an education system that brings out the best in people, rather than widening divides. And he discusses what BCLP is doing to disrupt the lack of social mobility in the legal sector. 

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Malcolm Gomersall is Chief Executive Officer at Grant Thornton UK, where he has held a number of senior leadership positions - including Head of London Audit and Tax, and Head of People and Client Experience. He became Chief Operating Officer in 2019 before being elected CEO by the firm’s partners in 2024.

In this episode, Malcolm reflects on how his own upbringing shaped his career, sharing candid stories - from changing his accent to being told to iron his shirts - and how these experiences fuelled his passion for social mobility.

We hear about the work he and his team are leading at Grant Thornton to build a more diverse and equitable workforce, and why he believes big companies must look beyond academic achievement when seeking talent. Malcolm explains why a degree is no longer a prerequisite for success, and how he sees early intervention as the key to tackling barriers to social mobility. 

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Kerry Dryburgh is bp’s EVP for People, Culture & Communications and the company’s chief human resources and communications officer. 

In this episode, Kerry shares her personal social mobility journey. From leaving school at sixteen, to becoming an architect of the employee experience at bp – influencing strategy, performance, culture, and transformation. 

Hear how her decision to take on an apprenticeship sparked a career that today influences people, programmes and policies in over 60 countries. And gain insights on how companies can help close the gap between potential and opportunity, while supporting the current and future workforce as they build skills for a lifetime. 

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Peter Scott is the Global Co-Managing Partner, and Managing Partner EMEA of law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. Peter joined the firm as a trainee solicitor in 1997, and became a partner 10 years later. 

He was a member of the City of London Socio-economic diversity taskforce, a group of 30 cross-sector leaders aiming to enhance socio-economic diversity at senior levels across the UK's financial and professional service sectors, and a judge of the Women and Diversity in Law Awards.

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Paul Lewis is the Firmwide Managing Partner of one of the biggest law firms in the UK, Linklaters. He’s been at the firm since he joined as a trainee solicitor in 1998 and was one of their youngest Partners ever. With his Oxford Law degree and his success at Linklaters, you’d be forgiven for thinking Paul grew up in that world, but how he actually comes from a small Welsh village and went to comprehensive school.

In this episode, Paul tells us how the leadership team at Linklaters all play a role in sponsoring diversity and inclusion, and how he’s introduced billable credits for those who do DEI on top of their day job. And why his first order of business if he was in charge of the country tomorrow would be to double teachers’ pay.

Find out more about Paul and his work here.

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Matthew Crummack is the current CEO of Domestic & General, a firm you might have never heard of before, but that is present in all our homes. D&G is the UK's leading specialist warranty provider for kitchen appliances, TVs, and more. Matthew has over 25 years of experience working at companies including GoCompare, lastminute.com, Expedia, and Nestlé.

In this episode, Matthew tells us how education changed his family’s trajectory. He talks about his focus on flexibility, diversity and inclusion as he took over D&G in 2021, and why creating an equitable environment is so good for business. And about some of the amazing initiatives he’s put in place over the years – from working with Code First Girls, to funding a scholarship for asylum seekers at Aston University. 

 Find out more about Matthew and his work here.

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Shirine Khoury-Haq is CEO of The Co-operative Group – the first woman to hold the position in the history of the business. Shirine is a powerhouse and has held significant leadership roles in both the US and the UK.  

In this episode, Shirine tells us about climbing up the corporate ladder as a woman and her choice to be outspoken about her perceived difference in a world full of men. How she and Co-op foster diversity and inclusion for a more robust business. And she reminds us that these policies aren’t just for the sake of a few, but for the collective - they ensure everyone can bring their whole self to work.

Find out more about Shirine and her work here.

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap. 

Lee Elliot Major OBE is the UK’s first Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter. He has spent a lifetime researching how to uplift who he calls children from under-resourced backgrounds. Lee previously served as the Chief Executive of the Sutton Trust and played a key role as a founding trustee of the Education Endowment Foundation. His most recent book, "Equity in Education", introduces a pioneering equity-centred approach tailored for schools.

In this episode, Lee tells us about his working-class background, being the first in his family to go to higher education, and what it was like climbing that social ladder. He explains how both education and business have a role to play in social mobility. And how social economic background should be a protected characteristic under the Equalities Act.

Find out more about Lee and his work here.

Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap.