Boardroom Banter Podcast

10/12/2022

EP #46:What does building a life we can be proud of mean to you? 🤔

We sat down in the boardroom with Kabir Bavikatte, a leadership and organizational coach, to unpack how our concept of fulfilment in life and work has shifted in recent years. 🙌🏾

Kabir thoughtfully leads us through the tools young people and professionals all over the world have today to help us find deeper meaning in our work and be truly happy! 😎

In an age of remote work and increasing social pressure to be successful, we unpack whether the possibility of work-life balance is a myth and how we can build healthy expectations of ourselves and the world. 🌍

Join in through the link in bio for a reflective, eye opening conversation that is bound to leave you speechless! 😳🤩

Tune in: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

27/10/2022

EP #40: When we think of impacting change in a society, we often think of world-altering events like fights for independence or the invention of computers 🤯🌍

In today's episode, our guest Michael Radke brings social change down to eye level where we discuss how you and I can lead lives that catalyze development and impact for those around us 🤲

Michael is the Executive Director of The Ubuntu Lab - a global collective of educators, social scientists, designers, and technologists on a mission to help people understand people through dynamic experiences 🤩

In this episode, we unpack the lessons he has learned from his exposure to different people and places and discuss what it takes for us to become changemakers 🚀

Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/dFmZmgXF

Find out more about his work through his LinkedIn profile as well as by visiting www.theubuntulab.org

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Join us in creating social impact through a cup of tea by visiting www.nepalteacollective.com

Support our podcast further by subscribing to our Patreon Page here: https://lnkd.in/ggQN2pYE

19/10/2022

The role of social innovation in driving growth has never been more evident than in the African century that we are in today.🌍

In today’s episode, we have a chat with Egyptian-born entrepreneur and investor, Dina H. Sherif about the evolution of Africa as a growth market, the venture capital landscape on the continent and her experience building sustainable, inclusive, and diverse societies.🌐

Nearly a decade ago, she believed that the private sector had the potential to play a bigger role in leveraging sustainable business models to create an impact beyond the usual works of philanthropy. She co-founded a company known as Ahead of the Curve to help them do exactly that.🚀

She joins us today from Massachusetts, USA where she leads the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT as its Executive Director and has some wise words to share with the entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, regulators and other curious minds listening to this podcast.🧠✨

Click here to listen to the episode: https://lnkd.in/dFmZmgXF

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Join us in creating social impact through a cup of tea by visiting www.nepalteacollective.com

19/10/2022

Wise words shared in our recent Founders Friday episode 💎

Follow the link in description for the full scoop🔗

19/10/2022

The founders stepped into the boardroom this week and opened up about their experiences like never before 🤲❤️

They reflect on Steve Bartlett's latest episode on his podcast (The Diary Of A C.E.O) where he featured grammy-award-winning South African DJ, Black Coffee.

The founders unpack his successful journey and juxtapose his struggles with some of theirs- highlighting how uncomfortable it can be to be patient with oneself, extend grace and allow oneself to go through life's process of becoming who you are meant to be.

Listen to our full episode here: https://lnkd.in/dFmZmgXF

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Listen to Steve's podcast interview with Black Coffee here: https://lnkd.in/d_Qerxtk

Spotify Global Trends Report (Gen Z Creators Edition):https://lnkd.in/dTyiwWYc

14/10/2022

How do you define career growth?🪜🤔

This is the question we are reflecting on this week in the Boardroom as our recent guest volunteers a multidimensional framework for the evolving workplace we are in today✨

Subscribe to the link in our bio to listen to the full episode 🎙️🔗

https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

12/10/2022

EP #38: Workplace culture is changing more rapidly than ever before.👨‍💻🏢

In this episode, we invited Julie Winkle Giulioni, an expert on human capital development and workplace culture, to walk us through her toolkit on thriving in today's job market.🚀

As an accomplished author of two international bestselling titles; "Promotions Are SO Yesterday" and "Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go", Julie lends us her insights on how to create and select work environments that bring out the best in ourselves and others.🤩💫

We discuss key drivers of today's shifting workplace trends and the strategies we can employ to navigate them successfully.🎖️

Head over to the link in our bio to listen to another insightful conversation fresh out of the Boardroom!🎙️💯

To find out more about Julie and her incredible work, visit her website: https://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/

10/10/2022

As we celebrate World Mental Health Day, we’d like to encourage everyone to prioritize their mental health today 🧠✨

In the boardroom we use an amazing check-in tool in our meetings known as the ‘P.E.N Check’ to find out how each of us is doing and what support we may need from each other✍️❤️

Take a look (swipe➡️)

05/10/2022

EP #37: How similar is the product (music) that a musician creates to the product/ service that an entrepreneur sells? 🎶 x 👨🏾‍💻

We explore this question with the help of innovation coach, Tristan Kromer, and relate it to a larger theme of building successful business models. Tristan’s work involves transforming the way companies innovate and coaching startups and intrapreneurs on adopting startup principles into practice through his company, Kromatic.🚀

However, he didn’t begin his career in this industry. He spent 10 years in his early career life doing some fantastic work in the entertainment industry. In this episode- we explore the similar themes found in a musician’s and entrepreneur’s process of building a product, explore Tristan’s experiences building startup ecosystems around the world and take a look at how he was able to leverage transferable skills to accelerate his impact across different industries.🏭🏥🏦🏣

Visit the link in the bio to stream this episode 🔗❤️

29/09/2022

Accessibility is one of the greatest challenges facing the healthcare industry in Africa 🏩 whether in preventive care, curative care, or innovative medicines- but is also its greatest opportunity 💡

Over the past three years, Walter Mibei has been at the forefront of leading efforts in the COVID-19 and Ebola Virus pandemic response in sub-Saharan Africa.🧬

His career as a medical doctor spans over 20 years, working with companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Novo Nordisk. He is currently taking a mid-career break which he is spending as a Sloan Fellow at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In this episode, we look at his transitions over the course of his career and break down the opportunities available for actionable solutions in accessible healthcare to better prepare Africa for any other pandemics👊💥

Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/dFmZmgXF

Support our podcast further by subscribing to our Patreon Page: https://lnkd.in/ggQN2pYE

21/09/2022

EP #35: Education and teaching as a practice has seen tremendous change in the past few years. Students and teachers all over the world adapted differently to the shifts, with numerous solutions designed and launched to address the challenges of acquiring and imparting knowledge.

In today’s episode, we sit down for a chat with two professors from the Stanford University School of Engineering. Chris Piech was born in Nairobi, Kenya and grew up in Malaysia before studying at Stanford where he now teaches and runs a research lab in Artificial Intelligence. Chris Gregg spent 20 years working in the U.S Navy as a cryptographer and commanding officer. He now lectures on Computer Science at Stanford University.

These two gentlemen take us through the beautiful work they do as teachers, the changes they have observed in education with the growing influence of technology in the space and the blueprint they are establishing in how teaching should be approached through their work in Stanford’s CS Department. They emphasize the value of service in one’s work, the importance of embodying humanity, empathy and a spirit of continuous learning in one's career.

Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/dFmZmgXF

13/09/2022

EP #34: Today’s guest is all too familiar with the struggle of trying to fit in and learning how to embrace one’s identity.👤

Sharon G*i was born in China but moved to Vancouver, Canada at a young age where she did not speak the local language. 🇨🇳🛬 🇨🇦

The bilingual and bicultural aspects of her identity largely contributed to her successful career in the e-commerce industry across both western and eastern markets. In this episode, she opens up about her struggles with her Chinese background at a young age, her transition into the vast world of e-commerce and her role as a bridge between two worlds clouded by an invisible wall- helping Western companies discover China and in the same breath, bringing Chinese brands to the rest of the world.🌏

09/09/2022

09/09/2022

EP #33: Leading yourself and others can be tricky to say the least, even more so in a world that this week's guest describes aptly as being “VUCA”: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.😬🙈

Dr. Vimal Shah, a manufacturing mogul in Kenya and the continent as a whole, shares with us his ultimate business and life playbook that he has adopted over the years to lead his company Bidco Africa Ltd. into the upper echelon of commercial success.🚀

From a guided view into framing our goals and purpose, building effective teams and solving global challenges for the consumer- this episode dives into the mind and life of arguably one of Kenya’s most successful entrepreneurs as he teaches us how to stay M.A.D (Making A Difference)

Book Recommendation: The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman

Episode Link: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

26/07/2022

Tendayi’s work revolves around helping large companies innovate for the future.🚀

In his most recent book, he writes on the numerous mistakes he has seen companies make in approaching innovation and the value of cultivating work environments that support uptake and implementation of innovative ideas 💡

Listen to our most recent podcast episode with Tendayi for the full story🎙

Episode Link: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

26/07/2022

EP #32: About a year ago, our guest moved back to Harare, Zimbabwe after a noteworthy 20+ years of work as an educator, innovator and consultant for various global organizations such as The World Bank, Unilever, Pearson Vue and General Electric.🏬🌍

Tendayi Viki began his journey as a high achiever in school and stepped into his early work-life as a reputable educator in the United Kingdom. As his interests shifted towards helping large companies innovate for the future, Tendayi confronted the shift in career trajectory with a firm awareness of his key values and a deep passion for changing the narrative around innovation within the evolving workspace.🌐

Through his most recent book 'Pirates In The Navy', Tendayi highlights the value of creating spaces that support intrapreneurship, the urgent need for a progressive take on innovation and how essential it is to remain authentic in your work.🤲

Tune in to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

Find Tendayi's Book on his website: https://tendayiviki.com/

26/07/2022

Are there popular frameworks to use when approaching business consulting (called to solve real company problems)? 📊

Listen to how Sergey unpacked this question✅✨

Catch the full podcast episode through the link in bio🎧

26/07/2022

EP #31: Today’s guest is an executive-level leader with 18+ years experience in operations, consulting, supply chain and business development. 🏢💯

Russian-born Sergey Voropaev’s long and interesting multicultural and multilingual career has spanned North America, Europe, the Middle East as well as Central Asia.🛫🌏

From as early as University, Sergey had a really good idea of the type of company he wanted to work for and what standards were important for them to meet. He walks us through his experience working with and consulting for diverse companies all around the world- and how companies can navigate the ever-growing cultural divide in the workspace through understanding people, their culture and their data.📊

Tune in to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

26/07/2022

At the age of 12, Matija Goljar attempted to break a world-record and in the process discovered his unique ability to take risks and come out of the other side unscathed.🚶🏾‍♂️🕳🏃🏾‍♂️

After running an illegal underground gambling tournament and destroying the servers of the biggest Slovenian newspaper company with another one of his ventures- Matija quickly learnt how to fail fast and forward. He went on to build the largest entrepreneurship support network for young founders in Slovenia known as 'Ustvarjalnik' and has trained over 10,000 entrepreneurs from all over the world.🌍

Today, as he travels across Europe in his caravan scouting for new companies worth investing in, he takes us through his early life as an entrepreneur in a struggling Slovenian ecosystem, the challenges of working through the criticism he faced for being an entrepreneur and some hard lessons he had to learn in the process of becoming the unapologetic and unconventional leader that he is now.🚀

Listen to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

Find out more about Ustvarjalnik here: https://ustvarjalnik.org/en/

25/07/2022

How do you find your brand and identify what makes you unique?👤✨

Listen to a snippet on how Kace tapped into the core of who he is through the name ‘African Mzungu’💯

S/o 🇰🇪 🇳🇱

21/07/2022

Today's guest was born and raised in Kenya to Dutch parents and has spent the past decade entertaining audiences worldwide through his music.🌍🎶

DJ Kace, also known as The African Mzungu, has carved a niche for himself in the Kenyan entertainment industry and is famous for his urban music flow that has captured the hearts of Kenya's event and club-goers.🥳🇰🇪

In this episode, we explore Kace's early days in the Kenyan entertainment scene, the hurdles of securing and performing at gigs, working with promoters and his experience opening shows for Kenya's finest music artists back in 2010.🎞

DJ Kace is passionate about local music and fashion brands in the country. With his experience designing and running fusion events- he explains the strategies he utilized to create value for entertainers and guests at his events and emphasizes just how important word-of-mouth is when building a loyal fanbase around one's work.🗣✨

Find DJ Kace's music here: https://www.mixcloud.com/deejaykace/

Support us further by subscribing to our Patreon Page here: https://www.patreon.com/boardroombanter?fan_landing=true

20/07/2022

Scaling late isn’t a bad thing, scaling too early is probably riskier even if in theory you could potentially capture larger market share.💰

Facebook wasn't the first social media platform, Apple did not invent the smartphone and Uber wasn't the first ride-hailing company.📲🚘

So what is the benefit of being first (or second) from a founder and Venture Capital point of view? 🔍

Listen to what Justin had to say about this.🎙

Catch the full episode on all popular listening platforms: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

13/07/2022

From his early days in investment banking, Justin realized that speculation in capital markets does not create much value for the real economy.📊

He left the space to set up a tech startup, back when Venture Capital and Angel Investment were not a widespread concept on the African continent and worked his way through to leading strategic partnerships at one of the world's most valuable companies.🚘💎

With over a decade's experience working in the African market, Justin joins us in the Boardroom to reflect on the value of building a network early and being a 'connector' and problem solver in our spheres of influence. A wealth of pent-up talent on the continent has managed to overcome the barriers of entry to learning tech skills, making the continent an excellent launchpad for entrepreneurship, innovation, and beyond.🚀

Justin shares his insights on the potential of Africa as one of the last remaining macro growth markets, the importance of governments in tailoring policies that maximize this potential and emphasizes just how important it is to work for a company whose values match yours.🤝

Justin's Movie Recommendation:
Wall Street (1987)🎥




Tune in to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

13/07/2022

Working for startups has its challenges as well as its own learning curve. Obadeyi has a wealth of experience in that regard, but also shares the value he has gained from working with legacy organizations.🏢

Here’s some of the insights he shared with us on this💎

Tune in to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

17/06/2022

The race to win the African finance technology (Fintech) race is a fierce one, and today's guest Obadeyi is at the forefront.👨🏾‍💻📊

As the current Group Fintech Manager at Equity Bank, and having previously worked at Glovo and Cellulant, Obadeyi Oluseye sheds light on how he went from a fresh univeristy graduate to a high-level professional, strategist and thought-leader within the industry in a few short years. We talk about his relocation to Kenya from Nigeria, the realities of the battle between crypto vs traditional banking, designing Fintech solutions that scale and the regulatory minefield that is our continent as a whole.🌍

Take a deep dive with us as we pick Obadeyi’s brain and learn from him in this insightful conversation filled with many a plot twist😅‼️

Tune in to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

Please support us further by donating to our Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/boardroombanter

17/06/2022

In the 21st century, data is the most valuable commodity and our attention as consumers is just as important in content-driven industries 💎✨

Listen to some interesting facts from Mimi Kalinda about this💯

Tune in to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

Please support us further by donating to our Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/boardroombanter

14/06/2022

In her early life as a professional, Mimi became increasingly aware of the power that the media had to shape people's lives and narratives. 👥

She has spent her years building a career around her unique perspective on how the power of storytelling can be harnessed to share impactful messages. After realizing there was a blanket approach being taken to communicating in Africa, Mimi launched ACG to provide companies and governments with the tools to tell better stories for better outcomes. 📊

She reflects on the tough but worthwhile decisions she had to make in order to align her passion and her work- and challenges us on our held belief of the true meaning of being authentic.✨👌

Mimi's Recommended TED Talk:
The Importance Of Being Inauthentic: Mark Bowden at TEDxToronto

Tune in to the Full Episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

Please support us further by donating to our Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/boardroombanter

09/06/2022

While at the helm of some of Africa's most recognizable companies, Nthabiseng Matshekga has turned her edge for marketing into a tool for change.🤲

In this episode, we explore the career and life of Nedbank’s head of group marketing, Nthabi, who walks us through her philosophy around storytelling and its power to connect people to the brands they love. From a deep dive into navigating diversity and inclusion inside large organizations, to understanding how the same dynamics apply to consumers- Nthabi takes us through a marketing masterclass like no other. 📊

If you’re looking to build a personal or commercial brand that will scale, gain visibility and connect deeply with a global audience, look no further than our conversation with Nthabi in the boardroom!👥

Tune in to the Full Episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

Please support us further by donating to our Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/boardroombanter

08/06/2022

For many young professionals, either stepping into the career space fresh out of college or deciding whether to leave that entry-level job they've been in for two years, life sometimes appears to hand you grapes expecting you to make lemonade.🍋🥤

Without any leverage as a young upstart in the job market, it can seem like the entire world is looking to you to figure everything out without lending a helping hand🤲

In this episode, Lara walks us through how she has explored her interests over the years and pivoted careers whenever she's felt drawn to add value to young people. Having also worked as the Chief Financial and Operating Officer at the African Leadership Academy, she looks back at the global network she has amassed over the years and credits her career progression and impact to open-mindedness and the ability to double down on her strengths while surrounding herself with intelligent team members.

Listen to how she moves from making good choices to better, and better ones to the best.

Tune in to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

Please support us further by donating to our Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/boardroombanter

08/06/2022

Leveling the technological playing field is a task that Nelly Cheboi has successfully dedicated herself and her entrepreneurship journey towards. While we often fantasize about the growth of tech in rural Africa, Nelly brings perspective and experience to the work that we need to do to make this a reality practically. From policy reform to education, Nelly sheds light on how we can design a future where everyone on the continent has access to information, skills and employment through tech and internet access. Join us in the boardroom to learn about Nelly’s life, work and impact!

Tune in to the full episode: https://linktr.ee/boardroombanter

Please support us further by donating to our Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/boardroombanter