We’re bringing together members of our network to discuss the leaders who have inspired us, and those that have taught us valuable lessons. What moments of excellent leadership have stood out? How can we learn from leadership failures? And, can we be inspired by unusual leadership styles?
In this new ‘Leadership Insights’ podcast series, Aspen UK’s CEO Penny Richards discusses these questions and more with members of our diverse Aspen UK Leadership network.
Find out more about the Aspen UK community of leaders here.
Subscribe to the Aspen UK Podcast here.
Leadership Insights 1: Climate Challenges
How can leaders deal with failure? What can we learn from young people about leadership? And, with the growing impact of climate change being felt by communities globally, how are leaders paving the way for action?
Join Penny Richards as she delves into these questions with Aspen UK Rising Leader, Alexander Urwin and Beatrice Graupner, Aspen Young European Leader.
Alexander Urwin, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
Alex is currently Special Assistant to the CEO at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the largest philanthropic foundation in the world that is focused specifically on improving children’s lives. Prior to this, he was Senior Private Secretary and Speechwriter to the President of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), and a researcher in the Office of the UK Prime Minister.
Beatrice Graupner, Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC)
Beatrice works in European Interest Representation at ADAC, the biggest automotive club in Europe. Previously a public affairs consultant at Deutsche Bahn, Beatrice focused on topics that connect sustainability and public policy agenda setting.
Leadership Insights 2: Unexpected Leaders
From sports to STEM, where can we find unexpected leaders – and what impact do they have? What is servant leadership? And, what can we learn about leadership from our local community?
In this episode, Penny delves into these questions with two Aspen UK Rising Leaders: Scott Forsyth and Dr Alex Bulat.
Scott Forsyth, British Army
Scott is an officer in the British Armed Forces, currently serving as a Major in the Royal Engineers, but in the process of transitioning out of the Army into a role in infrastructure consultancy/major programme delivery. His career has taken Scott to five continents, delivering construction projects across the world, from building children’s play areas in Fiji, to runways in the UAE, and all things in between.
Alex Bulat, Migrant Democracy Project
Dr Alexandra (Alex) Bulat is a migration researcher and a campaigner for migrants’ rights and democratic reform. Alex was elected to represent Abbey as a Labour County Councillor in 2021, becoming one of the few County Councillors under 30 years old and the first Romanian-born County Councillor in the UK. Outside of politics, Alex is the co-CEO of Migrant Democracy Project, a not-for-profit organisation she co-founded a few months ago campaigning for first generation migrants’ democratic rights and participation.
Leadership Insights 3: AI & Accessibility
From making travel more accessible to investing in artificial intelligence, leaders are paving the way for a better future. But what should we expect from leaders this year? What do recent examples of opportunistic leadership teach us? And how can leaders lean on experts to improve their decision-making?
In our first episode of 2024, Penny Richards explores all this and more with two Aspen UK Rising Leaders: Camilo Pires and Sheherazad Kapadia.
Camilo Pires, Leader in the accessibility and inclusion space
Camilo most recently worked at Expedia Group as a Product Manager. He graduated from the University of the West of England in Bristol, with a Software Engineering degree in 2022. He’s a full-time wheelchair-user and disability, accessibility and inclusion is a non-negotiable aspect of everything he does, it is always at the forefront.
Sheherazad Kapadia, NHS Trust
Sheherazad is a Senior Occupational Therapist specialising in working with adults with learning disabilities. She has extensive experience in serving marginalised communities, including children with severe mental health conditions and refugees. Beyond her professional career, Sheherazad has dedicated herself to serving as the Co-Chair of the 8th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress, a five-day event that brought together over 500 young Zoroastrians from 15 different countries.
Leadership Insights 4: Team Triumphs
Teamwork is a key part of excellent leadership. Achieving success depends on the collective efforts of the entire team, whether you’re launching a comms campaign or performing in a ballet show.
But how should we be leading our teams? Why should we work towards a possibility mindset? And, how should we really define success?
Join Penny Richards as she discusses this topic with two Rising Leaders: Isabelle Brouwers and Stefan Rollnick.
Isabelle Brouwers, English National Ballet
As a ‘third culture kid’ born to expatriate parents, Isabelle was raised travelling the world experiencing a kaleidoscope of cultures. Dance remained her universal language connecting her to diverse communities throughout and in 2008 she left home to pursue her training professionally at the Royal Ballet School and the English National Ballet School. In 2014, she joined the English National Ballet and has since cherished countless inspiring opportunities, including being promoted to First Artist and performing across the globe.
Stefan Rollnick, Misinformation Strategist
Stefan is an award-winning misinformation and communication strategist specialising in politics, polarisation and social media. Building his expertise at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, he has offered critical advisory on mis- and disinformation response to esteemed organisations including the World Economic Forum, the World Health Organisation, national and local government, health agencies and more.
Leadership Insights 5 – Conflict & Crisis
Can leaders make the wrong decisions? How can we lead the way even in difficult situations? And, what can conflict teach us about strong leadership?
In this episode, Penny delves into these questions with two Aspen UK Rising Leaders: Maria Romanenko and Godefroy Harito.
Godefroy Harito, Treeapp
Godefroy is a French/Greek entrepreneur and the co-founder of Treeapp. He grew up in Athens and experienced first-hand the devastating effects of wildfires. Treeapp is a certified B-corp helping businesses and consumers offset their carbon footprint through tree planting and selling certified carbon credits.
Maria Romanenko,
Maria Romanenko is a journalist, writer, and award-winning activist from Kyiv, Ukraine, who now lives in Manchester. Since she fled the war in 2022, Maria has been helping Ukrainians settled as war refugees in the north of England. This is part of her work for the organisation – All for Ukraine.
Leadership Insights 6 : Collective Action
How can leaders foster a collective vision amongst their team members? How can we empower groups to stand up for what they believe in? And, what are the opportunities to drive collective action to tackle difficult problems?
Join Aspen UK as we dive into these questions with two Rising Leaders: Flynn Devine and Katie Hutchinson.
Flynn Devine, Researcher exploring governance in AI
Flynn is a researcher currently exploring models for collective governance of AI. His career has largely focused on transformative technologies and innovative approaches to governance, including work with The Collective Intelligence Project and the Alan Turing Institute, running the first-ever global citizen’s assembly, and receiving a competitive grant from OpenAI to explore public inputs to AI in collaboration with Chatham House.
Katie Hutchinson, University of Oxford
Katie is a third year DPhil Biology student, working within the Nature based Solutions Initiative (NbSI) at the University of Oxford. Her project focusses specifically on Climate Change Adaptation and the ways in which NbS can help those in the Tropical Andean region of South America adapt to the challenges that they are facing. Aside from research, Katie is passionate about outreach and advocates for equality in higher education, regardless of background.