The Fold London Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Fold London
The Fold is an award-winning British womenswear brand with an eye for style and a head for business. Created to meet the demand for work-appropriate clothing with a sense of fashion and a feel of luxury, the clothes offer women empowerment and indulgence in equal measure.
Ali Hanan has worked in advertising for more than two decades, creating ads for some of the world’s biggest brands including, IKEA and McDonald’s. Charlotte Hugh is co-founder of Badass.gal and a senior creative at Dark Horses. They discuss how to get yourself noticed at work and where the best ideas come from.
Top 3 Takeaways: 1. Develop the “f***k-it factor”: Have the courage to put your out-there ideas on the table. 2. Women tend to sit in bad jobs for too long. 3. Don’t repeat the same year twice.
Elaine Bedell CEO of Southbank Centre and Joanna Payne founder of networking club Marguerite discuss ways to recharge, killer interview questions, and how to avoid pointless meetings and groaning inboxes.
Top 3 Takeaways: If you’re in a high-powered position, go away – if only for a long weekend – every six weeks. When you’re working flat out, you need time to reset.Don’t be afraid of hiring people who are better than you.First interviews should last no longer than 20 minutes. When you’re hiring, all you really need to ask is, “What are you going to bring to the role?”
Former fashion director at British Vogue, Lucinda Chambers and Cecily Motley co-founder of jewellery brand Motley, discuss their views on what style really means – and why you should never apologise for working hard.
Top 3 Takeaways: 1. Comfort is underrated. Nobody can be stylish if they’re not comfortable. 2. There’s a special place in hell for people that crush other people’s confidence. 3. Be more American and ask “How can I help?”
Renée Elliott (founder of Planet Organic) and Olivia Wollenberg (founder of Livia’s Kitchen) discuss embracing change, carving out “me time”, and why you need to trust your gut and tell the truth quickly.
Top 3 Takeaways: 1. The only thing holding you back is your own thoughts. 2. Forget glossy Instagram photos. Be honest about your highs and lows. People will respect you more if you’re authentic. 3. Stop focusing on the destination and enjoy the journey.
Lawyers, Emma Woollcott and Shabina Begum discuss diversity, getting perspective in emotionally challenging roles, and the tension of wanting a family just as your career is taking off.
Top 3 Takeaways: Put “TFM” (Time For Me) in your diary in between meetings, giving yourself 15 minutes of headspace before you move onto something new. You’re more powerful and more productive when you slow down.Everyone suffers from imposter syndrome. Including your boss.Women tend to think of everyone else before themselves. Remember to put your own oxygen mask on first.
Former fashion director at British Vogue, Lucinda Chambers and Cecily Motley co-founder of jewellery brand Motley, discuss their views on what style really means – and why you should never apologise for working hard.
Top 3 Takeaways: 1. Comfort is underrated. Nobody can be stylish if they’re not comfortable. 2. There’s a special place in hell for people that crush other people’s confidence. 3. Be more American and ask “How can I help?”
In this episode…
Susie Rodgers MBE was born without a fully formed arm or leg on the left side of her body. She turned her disability into a superpower, winning six Paralympic medals during her career as a professional swimmer. She retired from competitive sport in 2017 but says transitioning into the corporate world was tough: “You don’t get much support once you’re out the system. It’s pretty cutthroat.”
In 2018, Nikki Henderson became the youngest skipper in history to finish the gruelling round-the-world Clipper Race. She was just 25. Having sailed Greta Thunberg across the Atlantic to the UN climate summit in Madrid at the end of last year, Nikki is at a “pivotal” moment in her career: “I’ve hit a natural break and I’m trying to figure out what to do next.”
Susie and Nikki share their triumphs and “soul-destroying moments”, their constant battle for perfection, and their tips on resilience.
Top three takeaways:
Everything in life is either a victory or a lesson. There’s no such thing as failure. If you’re a leader, you’re a performer. You have to get used to putting on a mask. Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.
In this episode…
Jacqueline de Rojas CBE spent her childhood trying to be invisible. Now, as president of techUK, she's one of the most powerful women in tech. She tells us how she went from survivor to thriver – and why she still sets her standards impossibly high: “Even if I got to a good place in everyone else’s eyes, it wouldn’t be enough for me,” she admits.
Crystal Eisinger has just turned 30 and already heads up marketing strategy and operations at Google. Feeling the weight of a huge workload, she’s trying to set some boundaries and is learning to ask for help: “I wake up every day and throw myself against a brick wall, expecting that brick wall to move,” she says. “Surprise, surprise, it doesn’t budge. I just bruise myself.”
They discuss the downfalls of being “hyper-vigilant”, how to have honest conversations with your boss, and why the term “mentor” needs a rebrand.
Top three takeaways:
• People don’t always need answers – sometimes they just need space to be heard.
• If you’re struggling in the ocean, find a swim lane. Work out what “good enough” looks like.
• Dress for the mood you want to be in (not the mood you’re already in).
In this episode…
Shona Baijal lost her father when she was in her teens. “My mother was a qualified accountant but she gave up her career to raise a family,” she says. “When she was suddenly widowed at the age of 43, she was completely lost and bewildered.” Determined to be financially independent – and help other women with long-term wealth planning – Shona joined UBS Wealth Management straight out of uni and was promoted to managing director in 2013. Now in her 40s, she doesn’t want to slow down – so what’s next?
French entrepreneur Juliette Souliman also has a big role at a young age. She founded two start-ups before joining Octopus as its youngest ever investment professional and now runs her own fintech fund, CRED. And she’s still just 25. “My family all work in fashion; I’m the black sheep that went into finance,” she says. “I adore what I do but am I prioritising the right things and will I have regrets further down the line?”
Our finance duo discuss how to make sure you’re taken seriously as a young woman in a room full of men, how to stay sane(ish) and how to keep evolving and developing, even when you’re at the top of your game.
Top three takeaways: • Don’t apologise for who you are. Acknowledge your own strengths and play to them.
• Seek discomfort: if you want “abnormal” returns, you need to make abnormal decisions.
• Find the right combination of people for your “personal boardroom” – and make sure your inner circle includes men.
In this episode…
Trish Halpin’s career high was in 2009, when she became editor-in-chief of Marie Claire. “I used to read Marie Claire when I was a student,” she says. “If you’d have told my younger self that I’d be editing the magazine one day, I’d have fallen on the floor in shock. Back then, I didn’t have the confidence to think I could do a job like that.” After a decade at the helm of Marie Claire, Trish, 52, is now reinventing herself as an editorial consultant and podcast host – and it’s “nerve-wracking”.
Meanwhile, BITE managing editor Nicky Kemp has just turned 40, her youngest kid has started school and she’s “really ready to be ambitious”. She wants to continue working a four-day week and be a power part-timer.
Our publishing pair share tips on how to pitch flexible working to your boss, how to use social media without letting it take over your life, and why women need to give themselves permission not to be perfect.
Top three takeaways:
• Real leadership happens when no-one is looking.
• Flexibility and ambition shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.
• Listening to someone is one of the most powerful things you can do for them. The enemy of love in modern life isn’t hate, it’s hurry.
Work/life lessons from remarkable women in business - inspiring, insightful and humourous conversation from Sarah Curran MBE and Whitney Bromberg Hawkings, shot at The Fold London's Chelsea store.
Presenter Gaby Roslin chairs a frank and insightful conversation - covering everything from facing up to nagging doubt to nurturing the next gen of female founders (and nailing the perfect 'I mean business' look). Listen now.
In this session you’ll hear how Jo Bertram, the Regional General Manager of Uber Technology Northern Europe, took a company ‘no-one had heard of’ global. The highs and lows of being the public ‘face of Uber’ and growing up in London Zoo.
“Leadership needs to reflect the society that we live in today”
Three takeaways: 1. Disruptors: Lead don’t follow - make sure you are always one step ahead of the competition. Look to how you can innovate and evolve. 2. ALT: Ambitious Ladies in Tech is a great forum for women in tech, whether its providing solutions for start-ups or just an opportunity to share experiences. 3. Be prepared: Being in the public domain attracts attention – positive and negative, I don’t listen to the trolls but do take on board valid feedback.
Jo Bertram led Uber’s operations across Northern Europe. She joined over three years ago, making the jump to the then little known car app after almost a decade of management consultancy. As one of the most senior women in the company, leading strategy across some of Uber’s biggest cities in the UK, Nordics and Benelux regions, Jo is deemed No. 1 Woman in Tech by many. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge. An avid traveller, she has lived in South Africa and Australia where she became a qualified private pilot.
About The Fold Sessions: You're listening to The Fold Sessions - a podcast devoted to the inspirational stories of female leaders from within The Fold community. Join us as we sit down for a one-to-one chat with a diverse cross section of women in business.
In this session you’ll learn how through a series of career zig zags and pivots Lizzie went around the world - from the 2012 Olympics to a career in the City.
“You career is a marathon not a sprint”
Three takeaways: 1. Advice on career planning: For an interesting read I highly recommend The 100 Year Life by Gratton and Scott.
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Embrace Opportunity: Planning can be at the cost of recognising and grasping opportunity.
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Your career doesn’t have to be linear: There can be ups, downs and sideway moves – and that’s perfectly acceptable.
With a career that’s been far from linear; from Team GB, to five years in a magic circle law firm, Lizzie Goodburn used an MBA to transition into new career territory; supporting the CEO of the London 2012 Olympics and as Chief of Staff at the Guardian Media Group. Now, Lizzie is Chief of Staff at AFME and continues to support the UK sports industry as an independent advisor to the Board of British Parasnowsport.
About The Fold Sessions: You're listening to The Fold Sessions - a podcast devoted to the inspirational stories of female leaders from within The Fold community. Join us as we sit down for a one-to-one chat with a diverse cross section of women in business.
In this session you’ll learn how June created 'Mums in Tech' on her maternity leave with an aim to ‘get more women into tech’. Starting with zero funds, June chats ‘side-hustle’ and securing her dream clients within her first year.
“I want to unleash an army of women fulfilling their potential”
Three takeaways: 1. Recommended resource: Talentedladiesclub a great website and forum for women passionate about their career or business.
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Don’t be afraid to ask for help: The help function on any website is a great place to start. I live on Google – a quick and easy answer to almost any query!
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Which podcast to listen to next: I’m addicted to Supersoulsunday, Tedtalks and ThetwentyminuteVC.
June Angelides is the Founder of Mums in Technology, the first child-friendly coding school in the UK. She recently made the leap from the corporate world as a Tech Banker at Silicon Valley Bank after her second maternity leave, and as a mother herself, is a strong advocate for the rights of working mothers. Often described as full of energy and ever the optimist, June is passionate about empowering people to become a part of a tech world they may have once felt excluded from.
About The Fold Sessions: You're listening to The Fold Sessions - a podcast devoted to the inspirational stories of female leaders from within The Fold community. Join us as we sit down for a one-to-one chat with a diverse cross section of women in business.
In this session you’ll learn more about Fiona’s career at Lloyds Banking Group; effecting change ‘from the inside’, a fresh approach to flexible working and getting more women on the board.
“Talent doesn’t exist in one half of the population”
Three takeaways: 1. Recommended resource: Timewise is a great resource for seeking jobs with an agile and flexible approach.
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Be more productive today: Use technology – Skype and Webex reduce the need for travelling to endless meetings.
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Make an impression: You have 30 seconds to make your mark, avoid wearing distracting jewellery/clothes but do standout for the right reason – make it part of your personal brand.
Fiona Cannon is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Lloyds Banking Group. For 25 years, Fiona has been a pioneer in promoting the diversity and inclusion agenda and was awarded an OBE in 2011 for her services to equality. Fiona has spent her entire career helping women achieve their full potential. Under Fiona’s leadership, Lloyds became the first company to set a public goal for women in senior management. Recently awarded the top Stonewall award for Lloyds, Fiona is also the author of The Agility Mindset.
About The Fold Sessions: You're listening to The Fold Sessions - a podcast devoted to the inspirational stories of female leaders from within The Fold community. Join us as we sit down for a one-to-one chat with a diverse cross section of women in business.