Change Makers: Leadership, Good Business, Ideas and Innovation

Michael is joined by George Clarke, the architect, TV presenter, lecturer and writer, best known for his work with Channel 4, including The Restoration Man and George Clarke's Amazing Spaces.
 
Growing up on a Sunderland council estate, George was inspired to become an architect, spending summers on building sites with his grandfather.
 
While studying at Newcastle University School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, and London’s Bartlett School of Architecture, George supported himself by renovating people’s homes in his spare time, before turning his attention to TV and programmes that demonstrate the opportunity of space and the vital importance of the home.

We are excited to bring you the second episode of Journeys of Discovery – Change Makers’ collaborative series with the Royal Philharmonic Orchesta. Over the course of these interviews, Michael explores fundamental questions about what it means to be human that accompany nine incredible concerts.

This week, the themes are Freedom and Redemption, and our guest Katy Emck OBE, knows a thing or two about both of those.

As Founding Director of Fine Cell Work, Katy speaks to Michael about how she is helping to transform the lives of prisoners and ex-prisoners through needlework. Prisons can be “places of soul, spirit and connection”, says Katy. Rather than carrying out their sentences “full of rage and self hate”, prisoners should be permitted to embark on a journey of “self understanding and self acceptance”.

Craftwork in prisons is common, but Katy feels there is something about the intense focus of needlework that provides a much needed “release from the here and now”. Whilst momentarily being transported out of their cell’s confinement, prisoners are also developing a skill, creating something they can be proud of, and generating income. This positions them with the self belief to rebuild meaningful, independent, crime free lives once they have finished their sentences.

There is no better depiction of Katy’s belief in the power of freedom and redemption than her favourite song by Nina Simone, ‘I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free’, which she describes as the ultimate song about freedom, release and the longing we all have to break free of inhibition and to be connected.

Through needlework, Fine Cell Work is opening one of the few doors of opportunity available to prisoners – allowing them both a glimpse of freedom, and a chance for redemption.

For our guest this week, there are 10,000 stories behind her message but perhaps above all, one reason to listen. For a message that is determined, optimistic and empowering, that is: “this next decade will be the best of my life yet”. 

Charlotte Keenan is the Managing Director of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women initiatives – providing women entrepreneurs around the world with business and management education, mentoring and networking, and access to capital. 

Alongside its sister programme 10,000 Small Businesses, which is committed to stimulating small business growth, it gives her a ringside seat into the importance of entrepreneurs to the economy and insights into how gloomy times for growth might glow again with the feel good factor of progress and potential realised. 

Cécile Reinaud is the founder of Seraphine, the international maternity label worn by the stars. From Kate Winslet to Kate Hudson to  Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. 

Launched as a single store in 2003, over the next 15 years Cécile scaled the company and grew turnover to £18 million by 2018. Exporting to more than 30 countries around the world and winning two Queens Awards for Enterprise along the way. 

After exiting the business last year, Cécile has taken on roles as European Co-Chair of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women with a mission to empower women to start, grow, and sustain successful businesses.

Michael and Cécile are also joined later in the episode by Xavier Mufraggi, CEO of YPO. 

YPO is a global leadership community of more than 30,000 CEOs in 142 countries. Its members are those who have achieved significant leadership success at a young age. 

Combined, their businesses contribute to over $9 trillion in annual global revenue. YPO supports them by fostering peer learning and inspiration as a community driven by values of open sharing and trust. 

Andy Haldane is the Chief Executive of the RSA: the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce, and the former Chief Economist of the Bank of England. 

From 'Chicken Licken' warnings about inflation rates, to predictions of V-shaped recoveries, he's had little trouble in capturing the imagination with economic outlook - having been described by the Spectator as a "brilliant real world observer."

Andy joined the RSA in 2021, which he describes as an "enlightenment institution" that has provided him with new tools to tackle cross-sector issues, in order to affect long lasting change. 

Sian Sutherland is the co-founder of A Plastic Planet, the campaign group supporting one single goal: to ignite and inspire the world to turn off the plastic tap. It's a straight talking message that looks to reject the information and greenwashing around plastic, increasing the use of materials that nature can handle, and eliminating those it cant. 

Through a three-pronged framework to 'reduce, refill and replace', A Plastic Planet is a call to action to business, media and policy makers to pull the plug on production in an industry which, if it were a country, would be the world's fifth largest polluter. 

It's a story of a campaigner for whom the words 'why not' are not in her vocabulary and whose tip for life is: 'We have a duty to be joyful. We are the lucky ones.'

Brett Wigdortz is the founder and CEO of Tiney, the startup offering what it calls an ‘Amazon-type solution for childcare’, which he founded after seeing how difficult it was to find reliable childminding options as a father of three.

Before turning his attention to early years education, Brett founded and spent 15 years as the CEO of Teach First, a world renowned charity focused on incentivising new graduates to get into teaching, which he led to become the largest recruiter of graduates in the UK.

If there’s a theme here, it’s about backing the next generation, children, citizenship, society and beyond.

Michael Hayman's guest today is Rebecca Ryan, the futurist and founder of Next Generation Consulting, with a mission to help individuals and organisations develop foresight, to create brighter futures.

Described as a "human spark plug", Rebecca looks at the signals to establish the future trends of our economies, supporting people to prepare rather than predict. It's about using strategic foresight to prepare for the unknown. 

Listen now to hear their discussion about the road ahead, and Rebecca's advice on how to think like a futurist.