In the second podcast from issue 17 of Thinking Business, Senior Partner Sara Bailey is joined by Sahar Hashemi OBE, Founder of Buy Women Built and Co-Founder of Coffee Republic, to discuss how effective leadership can drive and sustain transformative change.

Sahar reflects on her journey from launching Coffee Republic to founding Buy Women Built, and shares her perspective on authentic, empathetic leadership. The discussion examines why understanding what clients and customers truly want is central to effective leadership, how leaders can learn from mistakes, and how to balance commercial growth with staying true to your values. Sahar also highlights the work of Buy Women Built in championing female entrepreneurs and addressing the funding and visibility gap faced by women founders.