The Charity CEO Podcast

“We are all born geniuses and the purpose of human life is to find an interface for that genius... and food can truly be the catalyst for that interface.”3.5 BILLION meals and counting...Bhawani Singh Shekhawat is the Chief Executive of The Akshaya Patra Foundation UK. The Foundation started 20 years ago in India, to tackle the dual issues of classroom hunger and access to education for disadvantaged children.The Foundation’s guiding vision is that no child should be deprived of an education because of hunger. This is the remarkable story of how The Akshaya Patra Foundation grew from serving meals to 1,500 students, to serving over 3.5 billion meals to date, through the creation of an internationally award-winning Food for Education Programme.The Akshaya Patra Foundation is, today, highly acclaimed as the world’s largest non-profit run Mid-day Meal Programme, serving about 2 million meals daily. Its work has been recognised by the World Economic Forum, it has been formulated as a Case Study at Harvard Business School and  in 2019 the Foundation received the BBC Global Food Champion Award.The Akshaya Patra Foundation is now expanding its work in the UK, serving free, nutritious food to the homeless and to children vulnerable to food poverty, during school holidays.In this episode Bhawani talks about the importance of food and how it plays a key role in creating a better society. He demonstrates how through the power of great questions, organisations and individuals can access more of their genius. And he highlights powerful lessons in leadership along the way.This episode was recorded in October 2020, via Skype. Guest Biography Bhawani Singh Shekhawat has led The Akshaya Patra Foundation UK since 2016. Prior to that he had an extensive career in the corporate world leading large multi-national teams in organisations including Nielsen, Reckitt Benckiser and Coca-Cola, across multiple geographies. He is the Co-Founder of the Adhyayan Foundation and serves as a Non-Executive Director on a number of Boards, including The Vedica Scholars Programme and Women’s Alliance and HaikuJAM. Bhawani is a listed member of the London Bureau of Speakers on Customer Centricity, Insight, Innovation and Leadership.Linkshttps://www.tapf.org.ukhttps://www.akshayapatra.org

“The Chief Execs who I really admire are those who wear their heart on their sleeve and are open and honest and themselves.... they are their authentic selves... no matter where you see them and no matter who they are talking to, they are themselves.”In this episode, Part 2, of my conversation with Charlotte Hill, we talk about the joys and the challenges of having babies whilst being busy Chief Executives. We discuss issues surrounding Maternity Leave, Shared Parental Leave and around women transitioning back in to the workplace; and explore perceived barriers to leadership for women. We reflect on how lockdown has shown everyone in a much more human light, having to juggle work, children, self-care and in Charlotte’s case, even breast-feeding!Charlotte reveals her personal struggle with fertility and how being vulnerable can actually make us stronger and more respected as leaders.This episode was recorded in September 2020, via Skype.Guest BiographyCharlotte Hill became Chief Executive of Step Up To Serve in 2014 at the start of the #iwill Campaign. Prior to that she had been CEO of UK Youth. She is currently on secondment to BBC Children In Need, but will return to Step Up To Serve for the final months before the time-limited organisation closes its doors at the end of 2020.Charlotte started her career working in Parliament for the Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP. She then moved to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) as their Parliamentary Advisor. Charlotte has also worked with children’s charities in Australia and Cambodia.Charlotte was awarded an OBE for services to young people in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List. Linkshttps://www.iwill.org.uk/ 

“If we can get young people becoming Trustees and volunteers as young people, that’s when they form habits, and so they will then be volunteers and fundraisers and Trustees ... for the rest of their lives ... So it’s a great investment in our society more broadly and in civil society if we can get them engaged at a young age.”My guest this episode is Charlotte Hill, the founding CEO of Step Up To Serve. In Part 1 of our conversation, Charlotte and I talk about her current role, on secondment, as Executive Director for Children and Young People with the BBC’s Children in Need. There she is co-ordinating the COVID-19 funding response and developing a longer term strategy for collaboration, in the children and young people funding space. Charlotte reflects on her journey with Step Up To Serve, its achievements and the intricacies of running a time-limited collective impact project. We discuss the particular challenges for young people in the current crisis, and how we must engage young people, in helping to think through what the ‘new normal’ should be, in order to build back a stronger civil society. This episode was recorded in September 2020, via Skype. Guest Biography Charlotte Hill became Chief Executive of Step Up To Serve in 2014 at the start of the #iwill Campaign. Prior to that she had been CEO of UK Youth. She is currently on secondment to BBC Children In Need, but will return to Step Up To Serve for the final months before the time-limited organisation closes its doors at the end of 2020.Charlotte started her career working in Parliament for the Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP. She then moved to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) as their Parliamentary Advisor. Charlotte has also worked with children’s charities in Australia and Cambodia.Charlotte was awarded an OBE for services to young people in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List.Linkshttps://www.iwill.org.uk/

Sarah Mitchell, CEO of Heart of the City, discusses the evolving landscape of corporate partnerships, scenario planning in uncertain times, and leadership insights. She highlights the positive aspects of managing through the pandemic and emphasizes the importance of reflection and self-care for Chief Executives.

Gemma Peters, CEO of Blood Cancer UK, discusses the implications of Black Lives Matter on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the charity sector. She addresses the need for diverse representation in scientific research and leadership roles. Gemma shares specific initiatives taken by Blood Cancer UK to address racial inequalities and disestablish racist structures. The podcast highlights the inspiring impact of the organization on individuals affected by blood cancer, with patients expressing heartfelt gratitude to the staff.

Gemma Peters, CEO of Blood Cancer UK discusses leading through the pandemic, impact on cancer patients, tough decisions on redundancies, and the proposal for a Charity Mergers and Partnerships hub. She reflects on leadership during crisis, decision-making with imperfect data, and the importance of vulnerability in team building.