On this episode of the We Are PoWEr Podcast, Sarah Lewis and Emma Cooper bring insight, honesty, and encouragement to a conversation about finding your place in technology. As leaders within MagTech, the technology team at Manchester Airports Group, they show that building the world’s most intelligent airports takes more than code – it takes communication, curiosity, and courage.

You’ll hear:
 ➡️ How transferable skills—from law to public service—can open doors in tech
 ➡️ The critical role of “translation” in connecting technology with business outcomes
 ➡️ How airports operate like cities, offering opportunities for project managers, designers, and problem-solvers of every kind
 ➡️ How inclusion, mentoring, and curiosity drive innovation
 ➡️ Why stepping outside your comfort zone—whether skydiving or tackling a new career challenge—can spark growth

This conversation is both practical and inspiring, offering advice for anyone looking to upskill, switch careers, or gain confidence in a changing world of work. Sarah and Emma’s stories show that technology is for everyone—and that courage and curiosity are just as important as coding.

Listen/Watch the full We Are PoWEr x Manchester Airports Group series via the links below ⬇️

Listen on audio platforms: 

Representation Matters: Ethnic Diversity and Visibility at Work

LGBTQ+ at Work: What Inclusion Really Means

Tech Careers Aren’t Just for Tech People

Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action

 Watch on YouTube: 

Representation Matters: Ethnic Diversity and Visibility at Work

LGBTQ+ at Work: What Inclusion Really Means

Tech Careers Aren’t Just for Tech People 

Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

On this episode of the We Are PoWEr Podcast, Emma Preston and Maxwell Crowson bring honesty, courage, and compassion to a conversation about what it truly means to belong at work and beyond. From shaping culture at Manchester Airports Group to turning policy into practice through Fly with Pride, Emma and Max show how small, consistent actions create workplaces where everyone can be their authentic selves.

You’ll hear:
 ➡️ Emma’s journey from surviving trauma to living authentically
 ➡️ Max’s perspective as an adoptive dad and how confidence at work and home impacts identity
 ➡️ Why inclusion isn’t about grand gestures, but the small signals that make a real difference
 ➡️ How Fly with Pride translates policy into everyday practice
 ➡️ The role of leaders in listening, learning, and making space for others to thrive

This episode is deeply human and inspiring, offering insights for leaders, colleagues, and anyone who wants to help workplaces move from promises of belonging to lived experiences of respect, safety, and authenticity.

Listen/Watch the full We Are PoWEr x Manchester Airports Group series via the links below ⬇️

Listen on audio platforms: 

Representation Matters: Ethnic Diversity and Visibility at Work

LGBTQ+ at Work: What Inclusion Really Means

Tech Careers Aren’t Just for Tech People

Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action

 Watch on YouTube: 

Representation Matters: Ethnic Diversity and Visibility at Work

LGBTQ+ at Work: What Inclusion Really Means

Tech Careers Aren’t Just for Tech People 

Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

What does it mean to truly belong at work? For Victoria Tobin, Senior People Partner at Manchester Airports Group, the answer is shaped by nearly 20 years of HR leadership across the UK and internationally. 

From steering complex transformations to shaping cultures where people feel seen and valued, Victoria brings a wealth of insight into how representation and authenticity drive lasting change. Her journey offers a powerful perspective on building workplaces where every voice matters and talent can thrive.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:
➡️ The barriers that still hold back minority ethnic professionals
➡️ Why visible role models can inspire whole organisations
➡️ The different factors that shape people’s career experiences
➡️ Why “bringing your whole self” is more than a slogan
➡️ Why diversity isn’t a tick-box exercise, it’s daily action

This episode is both personal and practical. A must-listen for leaders and employees alike, offering inspiration and tools to help create workplaces where everyone can truly thrive.

Listen/Watch the full We Are PoWEr x Manchester Airports Group series via the links below ⬇️

Listen on audio platforms: 

Representation Matters: Ethnic Diversity and Visibility at Work

LGBTQ+ at Work: What Inclusion Really Means

Tech Careers Aren’t Just for Tech People

Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action

 Watch on YouTube: 

Representation Matters: Ethnic Diversity and Visibility at Work

LGBTQ+ at Work: What Inclusion Really Means

Tech Careers Aren’t Just for Tech People 

Leading for Everyone: Inclusion in Action

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Sophie Milliken MBE joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing a conversation about the power of visibility, storytelling, and taking bold action to create lasting impact.

As an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and founder of Mojo, Sophie helps leaders and professionals communicate their value and build authentic personal brands that drive opportunity. From running writing retreats in the Yorkshire Dales to chairing Smart Works Newcastle – a charity transforming unemployed women’s lives through interview clothing and coaching – Sophie’s journey proves that visibility isn’t about showing off, it’s about showing up.

She shares her insights on building a brand with purpose, why consistent communication can set you apart, and how life’s toughest decisions – including starting her first business and navigating divorce while raising her daughter – shaped her success. Sophie also reveals how she balances entrepreneurship, motherhood, and mentorship with intention and grace, always guided by her belief in taking action and connecting with purpose.

In this episode:

• Building confidence and visibility through storytelling
• Why personal branding is about communication, not ego
• How Smart Works Newcastle empowers women through confidence and coaching
• Making life-changing decisions with courage and intention
• The power of consistency – and why one LinkedIn post a week can change everything
• Balancing entrepreneurship, motherhood, and self-belief
• Superpower: connecting with purpose and authenticity

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Ngozi Weller and Wayne Bennett join the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing honesty, courage, and vision to a powerful conversation about racial equity, authentic leadership, and creating real change in Manchester and beyond.

Their partnership began on a train journey – a chance meeting that sparked a movement. Wayne, a visionary entrepreneur, and Ngozi, a fearless strategist and advocate, combined their complementary strengths to co-found The Racial Equity Group (REG) within Pro Manchester. What started as a shared conversation has evolved into RegConnect – a groundbreaking event that’s redefining how inclusion, business, and opportunity intersect.

Driven by the sobering reality that while Manchester’s ethnic minority population exceeds 18%, representation in leadership sits at just 5%, Ngozi and Wayne are confronting inequity head-on. Their work is about turning awareness into action – bringing corporate leaders and underrepresented professionals into the same room to connect, collaborate, and create lasting impact.

In this episode:

• How a train journey sparked a movement for racial equity in Manchester
• Building the Racial Equity Group and RegConnect: collaboration over confrontation
• The reality of representation: 18% of the population, 5% of leadership
• Why courage, not comfort, drives meaningful inclusion
• Turning diversity into business impact – and the data that proves it
• How authenticity builds movements that last
• The legacy Wayne and Ngozi are creating for the next generation

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Emma Green joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing creativity, courage, and a passion for storytelling that’s transforming communities across the North and beyond. As Communications Lead for Peel Waters, Emma combines her love of connection and communication to shape places where people truly belong.

From a film studies degree to leading communications for one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration projects, Emma’s story proves that career paths don’t have to be linear to be impactful. What started as a fascination with Media City evolved into working for the very organization that created it – a full-circle moment powered by curiosity, authenticity, and the willingness to raise her hand and challenge convention.

With genuine warmth and insight, Emma shares how she’s turned her superpower for connection into tangible impact – from linking local independents with major waterfront developments to turning complex planning projects into national stories. Her mantra, inspired by her late aunt – “There’s value in every experience” – shapes both her career and her approach to life, reminding us that every moment has purpose.

Emma also opens up about the importance of community, crediting the Northern PoWEr Women network for providing support and opportunity during challenging times like the pandemic. Her story is proof that powerful storytelling, when rooted in authenticity and connection, can reshape not just brands or places, but people’s lives.

In this episode:

• From film studies to regeneration: finding purpose through storytelling
• How curiosity and connection created a career she never planned
• Communicating complex projects in ways that engage and inspire
• The power of challenging authority and speaking truth to power
• Why there’s “value in every experience” – personally and professionally
• How authentic communication builds thriving communities

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Holly Ellis joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing honesty, resilience, and a fierce commitment to breaking barriers in science. Known to her growing online community as The Scouse Scientist, Holly is redefining what it means to belong in STEM while balancing the realities of motherhood, identity, and advocacy.

From Liverpool to Oxford University, Holly’s story is one of challenging perceptions and proving that background and accent should never be barriers to opportunity. She opens up about navigating motherhood after a traumatic birth, her experience with postnatal depression, and why caring for her daughter Ada tested her in ways academia never could.

With trademark candor, Holly tackles accent bias head-on, sharing how her Liverpool voice has become both her superpower and a source of prejudice. She reflects on once believing Oxford “wasn’t for people like me,” and how stepping into those spaces gave her the confidence to show others that they can belong too.

What began as a handful of social media videos has grown into a movement, as Holly uses her platforms to make science accessible and inclusive for everyone. Now signed with a talent agency, her ambition is to take STEM into mainstream media – showing the next generation that scientists can come from anywhere, sound like anyone, and look like everyone.

In this episode:

• From Liverpool to Oxford: proving she belonged in elite spaces
• Navigating motherhood and postnatal depression with honesty
• Breaking down accent bias and why it still matters
• Making STEM accessible through social media and beyond
• Turning trolls into proof of why her work matters
• The dream of hosting a science TV show that changes perceptions

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Saeeda Ahmed joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing faith, resilience, and a bold vision for building sustainable cities that put people first. As Founder and President of Sustainable Cities Global and a trailblazer named on the global stage, Saeeda is transforming how communities are designed, governed, and grown.

From the inner cities of Bradford to international contracts across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, Saeeda’s story is one of breaking barriers and rewriting the rules. She shares how missing parts of her early education didn’t stop her from thriving at Cambridge, why her father’s wisdom still guides her today, and how her innovative model rejects “copy-and-paste” development in favour of solutions rooted in healthcare, education, and enterprise.

With honesty and conviction, Saeeda opens up about facing condescension and ridicule in male-dominated spaces, how she reframes failure as the “nuances of life,” and why she believes every single person is a living miracle. Her work is not just about sustainability—it’s about dignity, inclusion, and creating pathways so others never have to face the same barriers she did.

In this episode:
From Bradford to Cambridge: defying expectations and embracing faith
Why no city should ever be “copy-and-paste”
Building tailored, sustainable communities across three continents
Facing ridicule and turning hardship into strength
Reframing failure as life’s nuances, not setbacks
Why “you are already a success today” is Saeeda’s message to the world

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Nazir Afzal OBE joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing honesty, courage, and a lifetime of fighting for justice and inclusion. Chancellor of the University of Manchester, Chair of the Lowry, and tireless advocate for equity, Nazir refuses to let diversity become a tick-box exercise – instead, he challenges leaders to make allyship active, authentic, and accountable.

From calling out institutional misogyny to championing gender equality, Nazir shares why the retreat from diversity initiatives is not only harmful but deeply damaging to employees who are told, in effect, "we don’t believe in you anymore." He reminds us that while men are often part of the problem, they are also essential to the solution – and must step up, not out, when the work feels difficult.

In a conversation rich with challenge and hope, Nazir and Simone explore what real leadership looks like when values are tested, why measuring social impact matters, and how storytelling and community are vital tools for lasting change. For Nazir, the bottom line is clear: courage in leadership isn’t about following trends, but about standing firm when it matters most.

00:00 Welcome to the We Are Power Podcast
00:46 Introduction to Nazir Afzal OBE
02:06 Achievements and Roles
05:01 Advocacy and Leadership
08:23 Challenges and Pushbacks
12:29 The Importance of Inclusion
16:21 Celebrating Achievements
18:23 The Role of Male Leaders in Gender Equality
18:53 The Power of Advocacy and Support
20:06 Challenges Faced by Women in Male-Dominated Fields
21:37 Institutional Misogyny and Safety Measures
24:12 The Importance of Genuine Leadership Engagement
27:44 Measuring Social Impact and Value
29:44 Encouraging Community and Storytelling
32:18 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫

The brilliant Catherine Millan joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast - bringing resilience, empathy, and a mission to change workplaces for the better. Founder of Be What You See Consultancy and winner of the 2025 Northern PoWEr Women Awards Person with Purpose Organisation Award, Catherine is dedicated to creating psychologically safe environments through innovative active bystander training.

From becoming a young carer at just 14 when her mum faced mental health struggles after cancer treatment, to finding structure and leadership in the Army Cadets, Catherine’s early life shaped her determination to become the role model she never had growing up. A late ADHD and dyslexia diagnosis during lockdown gave her new self-understanding, helping her sharpen her focus and grow her award-winning business.

Catherine shares how the Manchester Arena attack sparked her to develop training at a time when hate crimes had surged 500%, why compassionate leadership is her greatest strength, and how she’s turning corporate investment into free programs for schools. With a book in the works and her eyes set on scaling her impact, Catherine proves that lived experience, empathy, and courage can drive lasting change.

In this episode:
From young carer to entrepreneur with purpose
The Army Cadets and the leadership lessons that lasted a lifetime
How the Manchester Arena attack inspired active bystander training
ADHD, dyslexia, and the power of late diagnosis
Winning a Northern PoWEr Women Award and what it means to her
Why compassionate leadership is her superpower
Plans to scale her business and inspire future generations

Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫