The Social Mobility Podcast
The Social Mobility Podcast is a series of conversations with individuals who advocate for, work within or represent social mobility from a range of sectors, including education, business, charity and the media. Together with host Tunde Banjoko OBE, guests discuss the importance of advancing diversity and equality, and explore what can be done to address socio-economic inequality.
Episodes
43 episodes
Kerry Dryburgh: “Building skills for today and tomorrow”
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 sixte...
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26:27
Peter Scott: "Quality is about having the best people - that's synonymous with having a diverse, talented pool"
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 L...
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36:52
Paul Lewis: “Social mobility is about enabling good people to see the range of opportunities and having a realistic chance of going after them.”
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 ...
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36:17
Matthew Crummack: “What you start with in life shouldn’t determine where you end up.”
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. Ma...
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35:13
Shirine Khoury-Haq: “In business, there is such value in having diversity around the table.”
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...
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32:44
Lee Elliot Major OBE: “Imagine if we tapped into the talent of all people in this country, all people in the world.”
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 Execut...
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50:17
Danuta Gray: “Where you come from should not limit where you end up”
Danuta Gray is the Chair of Direct Line Group and a Non-Executive Director of the fashion brand, Burberry. She started her career in the tech sector before holding a series of board roles. In this episode, Danuta explains how, despi...
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36:26
Jon Lewis: “Young people today want to work for an enterprise that is purposeful”
Jon Lewis is CEO at consulting, transformation and digital services business Capita. Previously he was the CEO of Amec Foster Wheeler, and before that he had a 20-year career at Halliburton where he held a number of senior roles.In this ...
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35:41
Brian Duffy: “Turn whatever you consider to be your disadvantage into an advantage.”
Brian Duffy is the CEO of Watches of Switzerland. Previously, he served on several boards across the fashion, retail and sports sectors including several subsidiaries of Ralph Lauren. Brian is an ICAS Chartered Accountant and holds an Honorary ...
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32:08
Dominic Carter: “Once you start, you’d be amazed at how many people want to bring about change.”
Dominic Carter is EVP, Publisher of The Sun, a role he’s only recently taken on, following his time as Chief Commercial Officer at parent company News UK. He’s also a Trustee of the charity NABS, the support organisation for the advertising and...
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34:58
Tracy Garrad: “Who you are and where you’ve come from shouldn’t be a barrier to achieving your full potential.”
Tracy Garrad is the CEO at AXA Health. Tracy joined AXA from HSBC where she held a range of senior management roles. Prior to that she was at Abbey National and Santander. Tracy grew up on a council estate in the North of Engl...
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35:19
John Boumphrey: “There are far too many people in the UK who are experiencing barriers because of their background. That isn’t right.”
John Boumphrey is the Country Manager for Amazon's business across the UK and Ireland. John has been at Amazon since 2011 and worked across several roles including three years in Seattle as Vice President for the company’s Consumables Programs....
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33:33
Ed Couchman: “Snapchat is used by 300 million people. We have to attract the widest base of talent to serve those people.”
Ed Couchman is Regional General Manager, DACH, Netherlands, Nordics and UK at social media company Snap Inc. Ed previously spent 6 years at Facebook and before that, he worked in senior tech roles, including at Channel 4. Ed tells us about his ...
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32:59
Nick Mackenzie: “It just makes business sense to bring diverse people in”
Nick Mackenzie is the CEO of the UK’s leading pub retailer and brewer Greene King. Prior to joining Greene King in 2019, Nick ran businesses across the world including spending 17 years with Merlin Entertainment. One of Nick’s top priorities wh...
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27:40
Steve Murrells: “Endeavouring for equal opportunities”
Steve Murrells is the CEO of the Co-op Group. He joined the organisation as the lead on food in 2012 and now heads every facet of the organisation’s business. Steve has a long history in retail, starting with an A Level Entry Scheme with Sainsb...
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38:19
Alderman Vincent Keaveny: “We have tremendous talent here, we need to make sure opportunity is given”
Alderman Vincent Keaveny is Senior Alderman of the City of London Corporation and a partner at the international law firm, DLA Piper. Vincent has held the office of Alderman for the Ward of Farringdon Within since October 2013 - then in 2018/19...
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32:57
Charlotte Duerden: “Diversity drives better business outcomes”
Charlotte Duerden is the UK Country Manager for American Express. Charlotte has worked for Amex since 1999, holding various roles in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. She has a keen interest in pushing equality within the workplace, with initi...
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34:55
Christine Hodgson CBE: “Creating an environment where everyone can thrive”
Christine Hodgson CBE is Chair of Severn Trent Plc, and before that spent more than 20 years as Chair of Capgemini UK. She has a portfolio of non-executive roles in the private, charity and education sectors. She’s a senior independent director...
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39:38
Nick Owen: “Equality of outcomes will require equality of opportunities”
Nick Owen is Chair of Deloitte UK, a trustee of Teach First and Macmillan, and a council member of Heart of the City. Nick’s interest in the importance and value of education began at school. He sees it as a massive contributor to social mobili...
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45:30
Chris Stylianou OBE: “I want to live in a world that is fairer”
Chris Stylianou is Chief Operating Officer, UK and Ireland, at Sky. He was awarded an OBE for services to diversity and the economy - though he’s keen to point out that it’s been teamwork, not the work of one individual, that has helped shape S...
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32:37
Clare Parsons: “Every step is a step worth taking”
Clare Parsons is Chair and co-founder of strategic reputation management consultancy Lansons. Clare is also a board member for PROI Worldwide, a trustee of arts charity High Tide, and serves on a wide range of industry and not-for-profit commit...
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43:49
Kevin Ellis: “Without a diverse workforce, you’re taking a risk on your business’s future”
Kevin Ellis is Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC UK, and a staunch proponent of social mobility in business. Inspired by his father’s journey to become a qualified professional, Kevin joined PwC for a qualification of his own, and has stayed f...
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29:16
Sandra Wallace: “Diverse teams make business better”
Sandra Wallace is an employment law specialist and partner at DLA Piper global law firm. Passionate about advancing equality, Sandra is also co-chair of the Social Mobility Commission. Born in Birmingham, Sandra spoke Patois at home, and had he...
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41:41
Tamara Box: “We have to break those assumptions and norms”
Tamara Box is managing partner of Europe and the Middle East at global law firm Reed Smith. She is also a founding member of the steering group for the 30% Club, which aims to improve diversity in UK boardrooms. Born and raised in Texas, Tamara...
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53:27
Jo Whitfield: “Talent doesn’t have a gender, race or sexuality”
Jo Whitfield is CEO of Co-op food, having previously worked for Matalan and George. Jo is the first female CEO of a major food retailer, an achievement she is both humbled and shocked by. Because of the lack of representation of female senior l...
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47:10