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Starts at the Top is about how leaders from all sectors are using digital to navigate uncertainty and forge a path to the future. It’s hosted by Zoe Amar and Paul Thomas.
Episodes
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
Autumn books for leaders
We recommend our favourite books and chat with the author of Human Powered, Trenton Moss.
Grab a coffee and head for your sofa. It's time to ease ourselves gently into a new season of Starts at the Top with our recommended new reads for leaders.
We’ve rifled through our bedside tables to bring you a selection of the books we’ve loved reading over the summer, covering topics from a real-life Marvel superhero on the experience of being mixed race to how trauma can create the leaders of tomorrow, and why women are still taken less seriously than men. We also share a couple of our summer holiday reads.
We then chat with Trenton Moss, bestselling author of ‘Human Powered’ about how to grow emotional intelligence in the workplace, enhance team performance and improve everyone’s experience of remote working.
We’ll be back soon with more interviews with exciting guests as Season 6 gets going. Make sure you subscribe to wherever you get your podcasts so you don’t miss out.
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
How NatWest are tackling the digital skills pipeline crisis
We speak to Wincie Wong, Head of Services Workforce Technical Capability, NatWest
According to FutureDotNow almost 10 million UK workers are missing fundamental digital skills needed for today’s workplace. Large organisations can make a big difference here, simply by skilling up their workforce. So what can we learn from them?
We were thrilled to chat to Wincie Wong, Head of Services Workforce Technical Capability at Natwest about how she and her team are taking on the tech talent challenge at scale, retraining colleagues and thinking big about what the future of their organisation looks like. Wincie discusses why this work is only meaningful if it has inclusion at its heart, attracting more women and people from diverse backgrounds into careers in digital. She tells us how to support staff as they reskill, and shares what she has learned as co-founder of the NatWest Girls Can Code network and founding member of Tech She Can, a charity representing 230+ corporates working together to increase the number of women in technology roles in the UK through education.
After a turbulent week in politics, Zoe and Paul discuss what this means for leadership and whether this means we need to rethink what power looks like, who we hand it to and how we hold leaders accountable.
Notes and links -
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
How two digital leaders job share
We chat to Beth Parfitt, Head of Digital and Kit Powney, Head of Digital, Digital Maturity, at Tearfund
Competition to hire digital talent is fierce, and the great resignation is making this even harder. Could one of the answers to this problem be more digital leaders job sharing, offering them flexibility and peer support?
In this week’s episode we chat to two digital leaders making this work. Beth Parfitt, Head of Digital and Kit Powney, Head of Digital, Digital Maturity,at Tearfund tell us how they collaborate on a ‘job split,’ managing projects and responsibilities between them.
We hear how asynchronous communications, clear boundaries and above all trust between Beth and Kit and the charity they work for have helped them flourish in their roles together. We also discuss how Tearfund get the benefit of two brains and two perspectives.
Zoe and Paul also discuss tech news, including how Glastonbury became a hybrid festival and what the overturning of Roe vs Wade means for menstrual tracking apps.
Notes and links -
Tearfund - https://www.tearfund.org/
News stories:
Security and privacy advice post Roe vs Wade
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-61952794
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/security-and-privacy-tips-people-seeking-abortion
Online safety resources for children and parents
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource/parents-and-carers
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
The leaders’ guide to content
Content is a huge part of what every organisation, and every leader does. How else will your users hear about what you do or engage with your services? And yet content is still often seen as an operational function, not a critical element of every organisation’s proposition and strategy.
This week we speak to Eleanor Young, Head of Content at Shelter, who is on a mission to change this. She takes us through the new approach to content that she has pioneered at her charity, helping position Shelter as a leader in its field. She tells us how to educate leaders about content, how to take a product approach to it, and how tackling content in the right way can bring a host of other benefits including growing skills, creating new ways of working and culture change.
Zoe and Paul discuss the latest tech news, including the Blackbaud and Salesforce NRA controversy, and whether female music artists are under too much pressure to Tik Tok.
Notes and links -
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Shelter’s digital framework
https://design.shelter.org.uk/digital-framework/
News stories:
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Blackbaud, Salesforce and the NRA
https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/salesforce-nra-policy
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/charities-urged-to-probe-suppliers-partners-after-software-firm-links-to-us-gun-lobbyists-revealed.html
https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/06/09/blackbaud-faces-backlash-for-working-with-nra/
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Female artists and TikTok
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/30/tiktok-female-musicians-self-esteem-rebecca-taylor
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/tiktok-is-turning-music-marketing-into-a-labyrinthian-game/
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
The UK video games industry is worth £7.16 billion. So what does your organisation need to know about the opportunities and risks it offers?
This week we chat to George Osborn, Head of Campaigns and Communications for UKIE, the UK video games industry trade body, about inclusion in the gaming industry, how charities and fundraisers can tap into the potential of gaming, and what the state of gaming tells us about wider digital trends.
Zoe and Paul also talk about the Runnymede Trust’s report on women of colour in the workplace, and whether we’re too dependent on the algorithms of music streaming services.
Notes and links -
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About UKIE
News stories:
- Runnymede Trust’s report on women of colour in the workplace
https://www.runnymedetrust.org/publications/broken-ladders
- Pitchfork article on addiction to streaming
https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-woes-of-being-addicted-to-streaming-services/
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Friday May 20, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
How leaders can tackle misinformation - we chat to Laura Dewis, Chief Operating Officer at Full Fact
According to Ofcom’s latest research more than a third of internet users are unaware that online content might be false or biased. Creating and sharing content is such a huge part of what organisations and leaders do, so how can you make sure the information you’re sharing is accurate and truthful?
Guiding us through these tricky issues is Laura Dewis who is Chief Operating Officer at Full Fact, a charity of independent fact checkers and campaigners who find, expose and counter the harm caused by bad information shared by anyone in public debate. Laura takes us behind the scenes at Full Fact, explaining how they operate on the front line of misinformation and disinformation.
Laura’s career has included roles with the BBC and the Open University, and she shares with us what she’s learned about using digital to achieve impact at scale, and how tech can increase inclusion.
Zoe and Paul summarise the tech news stories that have caught their eye, including the social media storm surrounding the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp courtcase, and whether being cancelled has stopped Mumford and Sons’ former banjo player from picking up his phone (or banjo) again.
Notes and links -
Help Full Fact by getting involved here:
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Help us train our AI so we can tackle misinformation and disinformation at scale: https://fullfact.org/get-involved/stats-claim-challenge/
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Sign our petition (to address a broken Parliamentary system that doesn't enable all MPs to correct the record when they get something wrong): https://actions.fullfact.org/petitions/mps-owe-us-truth/
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Use or test our automated fact checking software: https://fullfact.org/about/automated/ (for journalists, fact-checkers, or start-ups)
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Our 10 point plan on what law and regulation should do to tackle online misinformation: https://fullfact.org/about/policy/reports/full-fact-report-2022/
Tech new stories:
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Heard/Depp social media
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/15/johnny-depp-amber-heard-defamation-trial-social-media
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Mumford and Sons ex-banjo player , Winston Marshall on being cancelled (paywall)
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Wednesday May 11, 2022
What do charity CEOs do next?
Matt Stevenson-Dodd spent 9 years as CEO of Street League, the UK’s leading sport for employment charity. During his time in post, Street League grew rapidly and he and his team launched an innovative online impact dashboard showing real time transparent impact data. Now Matt has channelled his passion for data and impact into founding Trust Impact, a data and impact consultancy that helps charities and social enterprises demonstrate their impact strategically. We caught up with Matt to find out what other leaders can learn from a career fuelled by passion and purpose.
We discussed what Matt’s path tells us about what career progression looks like for charity CEOs present and future, whether getting the CEO job title is even an aspiration for upcoming, grassroots leaders and if we should be doing more to make the path to top jobs more accessible. We also discuss how charities can learn more with their data and better demonstrate their impact. And stay tuned for bonus middle aged indie disco chat at the end of this episode!
Paul and Zoe discuss the latest tech news, including Zoe’s recent hard hitting blog about what it’s really like to be a woman of colour in tech and our take on what Twitter’s Elon Musk shaped future could look like.
Notes and links -
Matt Stevenson’s Dodd’s consultancy Trust Impact Ltd
Trust Impact Ltd’s Connect Mix Share product
Zoe Amar’s blog on Why Tech Needs To be More Inclusive
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Friday Apr 22, 2022
Friday Apr 22, 2022
How to tackle your tech carbon footprint - We speak to Avril Chester, Chief Technology Officer at RIBA
Logging onto Zoom calls and relaxing in front of Netflix is part of our everyday lives. So we were shocked to learn that almost 4 percent of all carbon emissions are from digital technologies, according to a 2019 study by the Paris-based think tank The Shift Project. A one-hour video call between two people in London generates the same carbon impact as travelling 10km by train. This #EarthDay we wanted to find out how leaders can use tech to fight climate change.
We chatted to Avril Chester, an award-winning technology entrepreneur, Chief Technology Officer at RIBA (and founder of Cancer Central.) Avril tells us about the work she is leading at RIBA to tackle the carbon impact of technology and their Tech Carbon Impact Wiki, as well as how other organisations can start this journey. She also discusssed her journey as a leader and how leaders can take on imposter syndrome. Avril also movingly shares the lessons she learned from chemotherapy that have shaped her as a leader.
Paul and Zoe round up the latest tech news, including Jacob Rees-Mogg summoning civil servants back to the office and Elon Musk’s designs on Twitter.
Notes and links -
RIBA’s Tech Carbon Impact Wiki
Cancer Central
Jacob Rees-Mogg sending the civil service back to the office (The Guardian)
ALex Thomas’ Twitter thread on civil servants working from home
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
How can you be an anti-racist leader?
We chat to Martha Awojobi, CEO of JMB Consulting and founder of #BAMEOnline
Three years on from #CharitySoWhite and two years since the murder of George Floyd inclusion is a matter on many leaders’ minds. So how can you lead this work in the right way, and create the change you want to see in your organisation?
Martha Awojobi, CEO of JMB Consulting and founder of #BameOnline ( the fundraising conference that aims for an end to racism in fundraising and philanthropy) has the answers to these questions. Martha has a ton of wisdom to share about how leaders can improve their racial literacy, set ambitions for change and keep going, when the going gets tough. All of this involves leaders asking big, existential questions about what the future holds for them and their organisations.
Zoe and Paul also discuss the latest tech news, including new research on working from home and productivity.
Notes and links -
JMB Consulting
Sign up for BAMEOnline
Nick Bloom’s thread on Stanford University’s research about working from home
Matt Smith of Think Consulting Solutions’ remote work Twitter thread
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
Wednesday Dec 22, 2021
It’s almost Christmas and we thought we’d spoil you with an amazing panel of experts well versed in two big issues that we’re hearing a lot about from leaders right now. One, how can leaders deal with the pitfalls that come with an increasingly tough climate on social media? Two, how can they do so whilst looking after themselves?
We were thrilled to speak to our four wonderful guests: two former winners of the Social CEOs awards, Dr Wanda Wyporska, CEO of the Society of Genealogists and Ruth Ibegbuna, Founder of RECLAIM, the Roots Programme and Rekindle, along with two Social CEOs stalwarts: our Chair of Judges Simon Blake, CEO of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England and co-founder Matt Collins, Managing Director of Platypus Digital. All of them have a wealth of experience and advice to share on how you can be bold and authentic online in the age of cancel culture, which leaders they rate at using social media for social change successfully and where leaders can go for support if they’re having a tough time.
We’ve gone out with a bang for our Season 4 Finale and we will be back in spring 2022. Thanks so much to all our listeners and see you then!
Notes and links -
Email us with your questions and ideas for future episodes startsatthetop@gmail.com
And please leave us a review if you enjoy what you hear!
Editing and production from Syren Studios and Paul Thomas
Music by Joseph McDade https://josephmcdade.com/music