The Social Impact Journal
The Social Impact Journal is a podcast talking to changemakers who are driving social impact across the world. In the journal, we aim to share stories, lessons and experiences from our guests to inspire our listeners to begin or continue working towards social impact.
#56 - How Can Your Organisation Become Fundable and Findable with Kevin L. Brown, MIGHTY ALLY
In this conversation, Jack met with Kevin L. Brown, Founding Partner and CEO of Mighty Ally.
Kevin is a writer, a speaker, and CEO of the nonprofit hybrid Mighty Ally. He initially spent 15 years building private sector brands - from Apple to adidas, Formula One to fintech startups. And in his first four corporate gigs, Kevin helped each company scale towards acquisition, including one he co-founded. Then, a passion for the orphan crisis (his why) led to living in Uganda, followed by South Africa, Mauritius, and Malaysia. In 2017, he co-founded Mighty Ally — Uganda’s second-ever B Corp.
...
#55 - Building Leaders to Transform the Economy with Tom Rippin, Founder and CEO at OnPurpose
In this conversation, Tom Rippin shares his journey into social entrepreneurship, detailing his transition from academia to the commercial sector and ultimately to founding On Purpose, a program designed to train individuals for purpose-driven careers. He discusses the challenges and successes of launching the program, the growth it has experienced, and the evolving training needs of its associates. Rippin emphasizes the importance of integrating social and commercial skills to create impactful change.
In this conversation, Tom Rippin discusses the structure and evolution of the On Purpose program, focusing on how it prepares individuals for transformational change in t...
#54 - Coffee, Cocoa and Colombia: The Reality for Smallholder Farmers
In Bogota, Jack meets Juan Carlos Castrillón Ferro, a Consultant, Entrepreneur, Researcher and Agrifood Expert based in Colombia.
In the episode, we cover:
- The challenges that smallholder farmers face in Colombia
- New innovations in the coffee and cocoa sector
- The impact of new regulations including the incoming European Union Deforestation Regulations (#EUDR)
Connect with Juan Carlos on Linkedin here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juankastrillon/
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#53 - Changing The Way the World Sees Water with Georgie Murray, Belu
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Released in World Water Week 2024, Jack meets Georgie Murray, Brand and Impact Partnerships Lead at Belu to discuss how the social enterprise has given over £5,800,000 of net profits to Water Aid and to other nature-based projects in the UK.
Belu is a U.K social enterprise, drinks and water filtration company. The company, which is based in London, supplies mineral water, tonic water, a...
#52 - Why It's Important To Fail Forward in International Development with Emily Janoch, CARE
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Jack meets with Emily Janoch, Associate Vice President of Thought Leadership and Design at CARE to discuss the importance of failing forward.
Emily started the CARE Failing Forward Podcast to create a space for staff and external stakeholders around the world to talk about the experiences they learn from failure, and how they use that to get better at our work.
...
#51 - What Young People Need To Be Taught At Work with Carla Hoppe, Founder of Wealthbrite
Date: Monday 12th August 2024
Jack meets with Carla Hoppe, Founder of Wealthbrite to discuss what young people need to be taught at work.
Carla is the founder of Wealthbrite, whose mission is to help businesses cultivate financially and commercially savvy talent. Wealthbrite was born out of Carla's understanding of the critical need to bridge the financial skills gap, especially among early-career professionals. This gap is striking; while those at the top are fluent in the language of money, new starters lack the confidence and knowledge they need. The result? Poor financial literacy is costing the e...
#50 - Building Purpose Aligned Businesses at LSE Generate with Dr Paroma Bhattacharya
Date: Monday 5th August 2024
To celebrate the 50th episode of The Social Impact Journal, we welcome Episode 1 guest Dr Paroma Bhattacharya back to the show to catch up about how her team at LSE Generate are helping to build purpose aligned businesses.
Paroma is the Head of Social Innovation at LSE Generate. She leads Research and Programme Delivery in the domain of Social Innovation for LSE Generate, the Entrepreneurship Hub at the The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), which supports current students, alumni and staff of LSE on their entrepreneurial journey.
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#49 - Inside the Mind of a Donor with Andy King, Director of Fireside Fundraising
Date - Monday 29th July 2024
Andy King joins Jack Farren on The Social Impact Journal to share expertise as a fundraiser and discuss how a donor thinks.
Andy King is an award-winning storyteller. In July 2022, Fundraising Magazine named him ‘the most influential fundraiser in the UK’. Andy’s passion is helping charities tell their most important stories to those with the power to change the ending. This has led him to kickstart corporate partnerships programmes from a standing start to a value of £450,000 per year in 18 months.
In the episode, Andy and Jack discuss...
#48 - How Inclusive Economics can help us ALL thrive with Arunjay Katakam
Date - Monday 22nd July 2024
Arunjay Katakam joins Jack Farren on The Social Impact Journal to discuss his new book 'Generation Hope: How Inclusive Economics can help us all Thrive.'
Over the last two decades, Arunjay has had a front row seat in development and finance, both on the rich and poor side of the coin. He believes that our current economic system is broken and growth at all costs is unsustainable.
Arunjay shares why he left investment banking for international development, why he decided to write the book and why he...
#47 - The Next Generation of Leaders with Professor Christian Harrison
Date - Monday 15th July 2024
The Social Impact Journal welcomes back Professor Christian Harrison to discuss the future of leadership.
Christian Harrison is a Professor of Leadership and Enterprise in the University of Bolton. Prior, to joining University of Bolton, he was a Reader in Leadership and the Chair of the Staff Forum for Research of the University of the West of Scotland. He graduated with a First-class degree in Pharmacy and practised as a pharmacist, assuming managerial positions before moving into the field of Management. Prof Christian Harrison has an MBA and was the...
#46 - Outcomes based approaches to funding with Director of Social Finance, Louise Savell
Date - Monday 8th July 2024
Jack meets with Louise Savell, Co-Founder and Director of Social Finance in London. Social Finance is a not for profit consultancy organisation that partners with governments, service providers, the voluntary sector and the financial community to find better ways of tackling social problems in the UK and globally.
Louise advises governments, philanthropies and service providers on the design and delivery of social development programmes.
In the episode, we cover:
- An Introduction to Outcome Based Approaches
- Examples of when an Outcome Based Approach can...
#45 - Fighting Slavery by Selling Coffee with Bryn Frere-Smith, Founder of Blue Bear Coffee
Date - Monday 1st July 2024
Bryn Frere-Smith had a background in law enforcement as a police officer in the UK, and worked in covert policing in the Met. After leaving the force, he took a position to work for an anti-trafficking organization called International Justice Mission headquartered in Washington DC, which is the largest anti-slavery organization in the world. He was deployed to support an investigation team in the Dominican Republic and add capacity to local law enforcement, including skills and being deployed to tourist areas and geographies that law enforcement would usually struggle to access.
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#44 - Employing young ex-offenders into environmental projects with David Parks, Managing Director of The Skill Mill
Date - Monday 3rd June 2024
Episode 44 - Employing young ex-offenders into environmental projects - David Parks, MD of The Skill Mill
Recorded live at the Workplace Event in the Social Enterprise Village, powered by Waste to Wonder Worldwide and Social Enterprise UK, Jack meets with David Parks, Managing Director of The Skill Mill.
Davie has worked in Juvenile Justice and Young People’s Services in several UK regions including Newcastle upon Tyne where he was Team Manager at the Youth Offending Team for 12 years. Davie is the founder and Managing Director of The Sk...
#43 - Bootstrapping a Social Enterprise with Camilla Marcus-Dew, Co-Founder of Amplify Goods
Date - Monday 27th May 2024
Episode 43– Bootstrapping a Social Enterprise with Camilla Marcus-Dew, Co-Founder of Amplify Goods
Recorded live at the Workplace Event in the Social Enterprise Village, powered by Waste to Wonder Worldwide and Social Enterprise UK, Jack meets with Camila Marcus-Dew, the Co-Founder of Amplify Goods.
Camilla splits their time across a number of purpose-led ventures – connecting the dots between humans who are acting for positive change.
Camilla, a recovering management consultant, is proudly an OnPurpose fellow and IEMA Sustainability practitioner. Having worked in the sector since joining Clarity in 2015, Cami...
#42 - The Haller Journey with Chloe Ford-Welman, Foundation Director of the Haller Foundation
Date - Monday 20th May 2024
Episode 42– The Haller Journey with Chloe Ford-Welman
Recorded in London, Jack meets Chloe, the Foundation Director of UK registered charity 'The Haller Foundation.'
Chloe joined the Haller UK team in 2018, having worked on several creative initiatives designed to highlight global environmental and social challenges, and to ignite positive change. Since then, Chloe has played a key role in managing the re-development of our Haller Farmers app, which launched in June 2020. Moving forward, she continues to promote awareness of Haller Farmers while establishing partnerships and exploring strategic opportunities fo...
#41 - Completing a Triple Everest with Nick Glover
Date - Monday 13th May 2024
Episode 41– Completing a Triple Everest with Nick Glover
Recorded live at The Social Enterprise Village at the Workplace Event in Birmingham, Jack meets Nick Glover from Waste to Wonder Worldwide.
Nick Glover is an extraordinary figure whose resilience and determination redefine the boundaries of human endurance and professional dedication. As a Type 1 diabetic and cancer survivor, Nick has not only triumphed over immense personal health challenges but has also achieved groundbreaking feats in the world of endurance sports. He holds the remarkable distinction of being the first Type 1 di...
#40 - The First Social Enterprise Village with Will Fellows
Date - Monday 6th May 2024
Episode 39– The First Social Enterprise Village with Will Fellows, Commercial Manager at Nineteen Group
Recorded live at The Social Enterprise Village at the Workplace Event in Birmingham on 1st May 2024, Jack meets Will Fellow, the Commercial Manager of Nineteen Group.
The Nineteen Group organise the Workplace Event, which welcomes over 6,000 guests across three days. In 2024, the Social Enterprise Village was launched, powered in partnership with Social Enterprise UK and Waste to Wonder Worldwide. This is the first space dedicated to social enterprises at a national conference.
In...
#39 - £30 Million Of Furniture Donated to Schools - Michael Amos
Date - Monday 29th April 2024
Episode 39– £30 million of Furniture donated to schools with Michael Amos, Managing Director of Waste to Wonder Worldwide.
Guest – Michael Amos
Managing Director, Waste to Wonder Worldwide
Jack meets with Michael Amos of Waste to Wonder Worldwide. As Managing Director, he provides a class leading ethical redistribution solution for companies who have redundant IT and Office Furniture. To date they have worked with over 200 blue chip companies, for whom they manage multi site clearances, move management projects and risk managed IT/WEEE disposals. The organisation has diver...
#38 - Agritech landscape in Latin America in 2024 with Mark Jarman, Founder of AgriTierra
Date - Monday 22nd April 2024
Episode 38 – Agritech landscape in Latin America in 2024 with Mark Jarman, Founder of AgriTierra
Guest – Mark Jarman
Founder, AgriTierra
Jack meets with Mark Jarman to discuss the Agritech landscape in Latin America. Mark is a Brit living in Colombia and through his consultancy AgriTierra, he leads a team of UK and Latin American specialists in business, finance, agri-food systems, and technology. They have developed and delivered activities in over 8 countries in the region building partnerships, designing solutions, and delivering projects in support of the needs of farme...
#37 - Tips for partnering with USAID with Mike Shanley
Date - Monday 8th April 2024
Episode 37 – Tips to partnering with USAID with Mike Shanley
Guest – Mike Shanley
Founder and CEO, AidKonekt
Founder and CEO, Konektid International
Host, Aid Market Podcast
In this episode, Mike shares insights on how the US Agency for International Development (USAID) works, and best practices for partnering with the agency. Also, we cover:
- How contracting works with USAID?
- USAID localization approach
- The impact of the 2024 United States Presidential Election on the future of USAID
If you wo...
#36 - How to build a successful social business with Mathilda Strom
Date - Monday 25th March 2024
Episode 36 – How to build a successful social business with Mathilda Strom
Guest – Mathilda Strom - Social Entrepreneur
Deputy CEO and Co-Founder, Milvik (Bima) - 2011-2023
Chief Commercial Officer and Founding team member, Carbon Pool - 2023 - Present
Mathilda is a social entrepreneur that brings people and technology together to solve problems across the world, mostly in insurance and healthcare. In 2011, Mathilda co-founded Bima, an insurtech that providing health insurance to millions of people through their mobile.
Mathilda is now part of the founding team at Carbon Poo...
#35 - Inspiring Changemakers at the Royal Academy of Engineering with Alice Marks
Date - Monday 18th March 2024
Episode 35 – Inspiring changemakers at the Royal Academy of Engineering with Alice Marks
Guest – Alice Marks – Senior Manager, Frontiers Programme at Royal Academy of Engineering
Jack meets with Alice Marks to learn about the Frontiers Programme, an initiative that aims to build a pipeline of researchers, practitioners and innovators who are working to tackle global development challenges.
The key strands of the programme include Frontiers interdisciplinary symposia, seed funding awarded to collaborations from symposia, Follow on funding to scale up seed funding projects and the opportunity to become a...
#34 - The Rural Inclusion Journey with Joseph Lukwago
Date - Monday 11th March 2024
Episode 34 – The Rural Inclusion Journey with Joseph Lukwago
Guest – Joseph Lukwago – Co-Founder and CTO, Rural Inclusion
In this special episode, Jack Farren and Joseph Lukwago, Co-Founders of Rural Inclusion, sit down to discuss the journey of the technology non-profit since its inception in 2021. They cover the successes and learnings of working with local organisations and communities in seven countries, and the future plans for the project.
If you would like to connect with Joseph, head here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-lukwago-8275094a/
To...
#33 - Tips for potential PhD students with Young Kafwembe
Date - Monday 26th February 2024
Episode 33 – Tips for potential PhD students with Dr Young Kafwembe
Guest – Young Kafwembe – PhD, International and Rural Development, University of Reading
In November 2023, Dr Young Kafwembe was awarded a PhD in International and Rural Development in University of Reading. Dr Kafwembe shares his experience of moving from Zambia to the UK for his studies, personal challenges in applications for PhD scholarships, adapting to life in the UK and tips for potential students.
If you would like to connect with Young, head here:
https://www.linked...
#32 - The Rise of Mobile Money with Rishi Raithatha
Episode 32 – The Rise of Mobile Money with Rishi Raithatha
Guest – Rishi Raithatha – Director, Data and Insights - Mobile Money, GSMA
Rishi Raithatha is a financial sector specialist, focusing on mobile money, microinsurance and disaster risk financing in low- and middle-income countries.
His recent experience spans senior roles at the GSMA, the mobile industry’s trade association, and Pula Advisors, an insurtech that provides insurance to smallholder farmers. He has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank. Rishi's previous experience includes roles at McKinsey, Willis Towers Watson and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Developme...
#31 - The Feed The Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk & Resilience (MRR) with Sophie Javers
Date: Monday 12th February 2024
Episode 31 – The Feed The Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk & Resilience (MRR) with Sophie Javers
Guest – Sophie Javers – Global Engagement Manager, Feed the Future MRR Innovation Lab
For nearly a decade, Sophie Javers has been spearheading strategic engagement and partnerships for the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience, a USAID-funded economic research consortium. She amplifies the Lab’s findings to improve policy and development programs by elevating evidence-based resilience discourse at the local, national, and international levels. She holds a BA in History from Princeton Universi...
#30 - How can technology help achieve a circular economy in lower and middle income countries with Michael Koech
Date: Monday 5th February 2024
Episode 30 – How can technology help achieve a circular economy in lower and middle income countries with Michael Koech
Guest – Michael Koech – Environment and Social Lead, Airtel Africa
Michael Koech is a self-driven and results oriented Safety, Health, Environment (EHS) and Sustainability practitioner based in Nairobi, Kenya, with extensive national and international experience in Safety and Environment policy and practice, climate change principles and world-class manufacturing, telecommunications, and agricultural industry.
He has over 20 years working experience including as EHS and Sustainability Manager at Unilever, Savannah Cement, Safaricom PLC, GSMA a...
#29 - Simplifying Climate Communications with Jenny Wilson
Date: Monday 29th January 2024
Episode 29 – Simplifying climate communications with Jenny Wilson
Guest – Jenny Wilson – Climate Change Communications Expert
The climate crisis is affecting all of us. But for many people, the topics surrounding climate change are often too complex and too large to possibly imagine. How can climate communications be simplified?
In Episode 29, Jack meets with Jenny Wilson, campaigner, strategic communicator and project manager with experience in the United Nations and INGOs in Nicaragua, Uganda, France, Italy and the UK. She is currently the Climate Change Communications and Advocacy Manager for the UN...
#28 - Restoring 1 million hectares of degraded land with Anete Garoza
Date: Monday 15th January 2024
Episode 28 - Restoring 1 Million hectares of degraded land with Anete Garoza
Guest - Anete Garoza – Co-Founder and Chief Climate Officer, 1MTN
Anete Garoza is a highly regarded international climate lawyer and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient. She co-founded and currently serves as the Chief Climate Officer of 1MTN, a startup on a mission to restore one million hectares of degraded land in Africa by 2030.
Anete's expertise in climate law is evident through her extensive involvement in the Voluntary Carbon Market, where she has advised on projects spanning afforestation, agriculture, an...
#27 - The role of financial inclusion and inclusive insurance in climate resilience
Date: Monday 8th January 2024
Episode 27 - The role of financial inclusion and inclusive insurance in climate resilience
Guest - Henri Dommel – Director, Inclusive Digital Economies, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
What role does inclusive financial services play in driving climate resilience and adaptation for populations in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)?
In the least developed countries, individuals often lack access to formal financial services such as suitable loans, insurance and investment products, and can be the worst hit by the impacts of climate ch...
#26 - Learning about Microinsurance with Cytandra Hoover
In Episode 26, Jack meets Cytandra Hoover to learn about the concept of microinsurance.
Cytandra is the CEO & Founder of B3C [Be the Change] Global, a boutique consulting company that combines the business principles of corporate with the humanistic focus of mission-driven organizations to create sustainable solutions at the intersection of impact, inclusion, and profit. Cytandra’s impressive professional journey as a leader in conflict negotiation, disaster response, business optimization, and strategic finance has equipped her with the skills to solve complex problems, bring stability to chaos, and drive positive change across a diverse range of sectors.
Happy Christmas from The Social Impact Journal
A 2023 Christmas message from our host Jack Farren
#25 - Behind The Lense with Nes George Stanley Nsamba
In Episode 25, Jack meets George Stanley Nsamba, an award winning filmmaker who founded The Ghetto Film Project in 2013 in the slums of Naguru. Through his initiative, he has used music, film, art and sports to rehabilitate, educate and empower women,youths and vulnerable kids in Naguru over the years.
As a filmmaker, he has broken barriers and created a signature storytelling style through his short films that have earned him recognition in film festivals and the media globally. He is a nomad for stories for social change helping Organization and companies communicate impact efficiently.
George is...
#24 - How can non-profits maximise their use of social media with David Girling
How can non-profit organisations increase their visibility and reach new audiences. In Episode 24, Jack talks to David Girling, an Associate Professor in the School of Global Development at the University of East Anglia, about the importance of social media for non-profits.
David is a Chartered Marketer with over 20 years marketing and communications experience in the public and non-profit sector. He has been actively involved on a number of committees and judging panels including The Chartered Institute of Marketing Higher Education Group, The Chartered Institute of Marketing Charity Group, HEIST Awards for Marketing Excellence and the Rusty/Golden...
#23 - The Stories of an Agritech Entrepreneur with Eric Nana Kwabena Agyei
In Episode 23, Jack meets with Eric Nana Kwabena Agyei in a studio in Kampala to discuss his entrepreneurial journey.
Eric was born in Ghana and now resides in Uganda. He is the Founder and Managing Director of MobiPay AgroSys Limited. MobiPay is a Certified (National Information Technology Authority Uganda NITA-U) Agri-Fintech company registered in Uganda, with a vision of offering High-tech solutions and innovations for agricultural value chain actors. The organisation currently works with smallholder farmers mainly from rural communities.
Eric has extensive experience and a proven track record working with start-ups and e...
#22 - Advancing Financial Inclusion at Swiss Capacity Building Facility with Sitara Merchant
In Episode 22, Jack discusses the importance of advancing financial inclusion with Sitara Merchant.
Sitara is the CEO at Swiss Capacity Building Facility, a public private platform that leverages public and private sector resources (funding and expertise) to enable inclusive finance to improve the quality of life of low-income populations in particular women and planet. SCBF achieves this by providing technical assistance funding and patient capital to mid-stage start-ups, with a tried and tested business models in the inclusive finance space, that are innovative and have the potential to achieve high levels of impact.
Sitara has m...
#21 - Shifting the Power to Local Communities with Ernest Wyson
Community-led development has become a buzzword in the international development sector. Are the discussions just noise or is concrete action taking place to increase the localisation of aid?
In Episode 21, Jack meets Ernest Wyson, the President and CEO of the CBOs Coalition for Human Rights and Govrernance in Malawi (CBOs-CHRGG).
He has over 25 years’ experience in working with small grassroots organisations in Malawi. Having held several key strategic positions in finance and program management with various INGOs, LNGOs and other development agencies including CBOs, he championed for the birth of this first of its kind na...
#20 - Empowering Women in Engineering with Dr Evi Viza
According to a Harvard Business Review, women in the US only make up 20% of engineering graduates, and it's been estimated that nearly 40% of women who earn engineering degrees either leave or never enter the profession. Also, in the UK, just over 16% of employees in the sector are women.
In Episode 20, Jack meets with Dr Evi Viza, a Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineer with specialisation on Quality Management and Continuous Improvement. She is a Chartered Quality Professional and a Black Belt Lean Six Sigma practitioner. She is member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and a Fellow o...
#19 - Responding to Cyclone Freddy with Chimwemwe Sakunda Ndhlovu
Cyclone Freddy was a deadly storm lasting for five weeks starting February 2023 and is both the longest-lasting and highest-ACE-producing tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide. The cyclone hit Malawi, along with Mozambique, Madagascar, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
In Malawi alone, at least 1,200 people were killed by the cyclone, with many others still meeting. It is estimated that 180,000 were displaced across the country.
In Episode 19, Jack is joined by Chimwemwe Sakunda Ndhlovu, the National Co-Ordinator for Caritas Malawi/CADECOM, one of the largest development organisations working in Malawi.
Chimwemwe shares how the organisation prepared for t...
#18 - Building the start-up ecosystem in Kathmandu with Sushmita Shreshta
In Episode 18, Jack is joined by Sushmita Shreshta from Utopia Kathmandu to discuss the start-up ecosystem in the emerging capital of Nepal, and how Utopia is helping shape the next generation of urban tech entrepreneurs.
Sushmita Shrestha is a design lead at Utopia Kathmandu with a background in social and sustainable architecture and philosophy. At Utopia, she supports the overall design of the cohort model venture building program and leads the synthesis of emerging design processes for the local context. She also facilitates design thinking learning sessions and sprints for early-stage entrepreneurs to help them build impactful...
