Enterprising Mindsets: Recent Episodes
Young Enterprise
The ‘Enterprising Mindsets’ podcast with Sharon Davies, CEO of Young Enterprise, explores the role mindset has in building financial capability and entrepreneurial skills. In conversation with business leaders, educators and young people, Sharon finds out how their early attitudes and behaviours were formed, how these shaped their journey so far, and what we can be doing to support young people to develop an enterprising mindset.
Join Sharon as she chats with Julia Hoggett, CEO, London Stock Exchange Group, about her personal passion for increasing consistency of access to support and opportunity and the work the London Stock Exchange Group is driving to ensure the next generation is prepared for the future.
Rhian Kelly, Chief Sustainability Officer, National Grid, whilst discussing opportunities and support with Sharon, highlights an important third element: having the courage to notice and grasp these opportunities and support.
Sharon and Alan Marquard, Executive Vice President, Transfer Solutions, Mastercard, debate imposter syndrome and how our work lives and our home lives intersect.
Sharon chats with Rosanna Collis, YE Alumna and Founder of Tiaki, about how, at aged just 21, she has launched a product to protect women in sport.
Rob Marcus, Senior Marketing Director Northern Europe, Colgate-Palmolive, reminds us that complementing support and opportunity with effort can accelerate pathways to success.
A powerful personal story which Dr Patrick Roach, now General Secretary of the NASUWT, describes as a story of second chances. Through further education, Patrick benefited from meeting people who told him: Patrick you can be and do anything you want to.
During this podcast, Ian Howells, Executive Vice President of Honda Motor Europe, outlines to Sharon his own experience of building transferable skills and how leaders can support new generations to enter the workforce with confidence.
Sharon discussed with David how setbacks only made him more determined to succeed.
David Boadu, not just a previous participant in Young Enterprise but also the founder of Vistella Cycling, talks candidly about his background and the opportunities he's been afforded. David is a budding young entrepreneur from South West London, who first acted on his entrepreneurial aspirations back in 2011 exporting electronic goods from the UK to Ghana. Vistella is a company specialised in the design and production of high visibility and reflective cycling gear.
Rachel outlines to Sharon the importance of getting stuff done and for her, how it often means 'running towards the fire'.
We’re excited to welcome Rachel Hopcroft CBE, Head of Corporate Affairs at KPMG UK, as our first guest. Rachel speaks candidly about her personal career journey, times when she had to prove herself, and the skills she credits for her own success: building her resilience, stepping out of her comfort zone, and problem-solving. She explains how stepping into the fire and learning the importance of getting stuff done early in her career continues to guide her today, and reflects on what more we can do to help Gen Z build resilience for the future.
This episode’s guest is the Rt Hon. Justine Greening, former Secretary of State for Education and founder of the Social Mobility Pledge and Purpose Goals (Levelling Up Goals).
Sharon speaks to Justine to learn more about her early life growing up in Rotherham, South Yorkshire and finds out what influenced her mindset around money and finances. Justine also explains why she founded the Social Mobility Pledge with UK entrepreneur David Harrison which aims to encourage organisations to become a force for good by putting social mobility at the heart of their purpose.
During their conversation, they also discuss the impact that financial education can have on wellbeing by reducing anxiety and worry; why it’s essential that the curriculum is relatable and based in a real-world context to help engage young people with their learning; and Justine shares her thoughts on how financially capability opens up opportunities and can contribute to improved social mobility.
Alistair McQueen is Head of Savings and Retirement at Aviva plc. In their conversation, he speaks to Sharon about Aviva’s research that found financial issues are a massive contributor to personal levels of stress and anxiety, explaining why people must be provided with a financial foundation to help them manage the stresses and strains of life in the 21st century.
He also outlines the importance of providing young people with the skills and knowledge to understand their options and make better-informed financial decisions. And why, in a world where people are living longer, there is a greater individual responsibility for financial long term wellbeing.
Alistair also shares why he avoids emotional temptations when making purchases and the benefits of having a financial spring clean.
In this episode, Sharon meets three young people from Wigan Youth Zone – one of Europe's largest youth clubs based in North West England.
Sharon hears from Dylan, Saife and Natasha as they speak candidly about what inspired their money-related mindsets as they were growing up. They also share their thoughts on why it’s important to teach children about money at an early age and how building a wider influencing network is crucial to help provide different perspectives on money management.
A recurring theme throughout their conversation explores how money can be an opportunity maker as they explain why they believe that by helping young people become financially capable, we can help enable them to set long-term goals and make plans for the future.
Paul Feeney is Chief Executive Officer at Quilter plc, a leading provider of advice, investments and wealth management in the UK and Chair of The Quilter Foundation, a charity that empowers young people to fulfil their potential, thrive and prosper. During their conversation, Paul describes to Sharon how growing up with his mother and grandmother gave him an understanding of the value of money; they discuss how being financially capable has the potential to positively impact a person’s life chances; and Sharon discovers why Quilter launched its Thrive wellbeing initiative, which is designed to support employee mental health, a topic Paul speaks passionately on. Paul also shares his top tips for saving money and explains why he believes having a positive attitude to risk-taking and making mistakes is a mindset that we should encourage in young people.
This episode’s guest is Vicky Wales, Chief Customer Officer at Principality Building Society.
During their conversation, Vicky explains to Sharon how her early experiences with money helped her recognise the independence and opportunities it can bring. They discuss the impact of a childhood move to Hong Kong on her mindset with money, and why being financially confident isn’t just about being able to do maths, it’s also about developing the core skills that will stay with a person for life.
Sharon also discovers that Vicky took part in a Young Enterprise programme while at school, finds out why she believes collaboration can help give every young person the opportunity to learn, and why Principality are so passionate about supporting children to build financial capability from an early age.
In this episode, Sharon speaks with Faye Gibney, Deputy Head at Shawley Community Primary School and Zoe Redmill, Financial Champion at The Romsey School in Hampshire. In their conversation, they discuss how, as Financial Champions in their schools (Faye was previously Vice Principal at Cheam Park Farm Primary School), they support young people’s financial capability, while also achieving accreditation for their respective schools as a Centre of Excellence for financial education.
Sharon finds out their early influences around money and how these attitudes continue to inspire their financial mindsets and behaviours. She also hears first-hand how children as young as three are encouraged to build a positive relationship with money, and why young people in secondary schools increasingly become interested in how much they can earn, developing an awareness of the implications this will have on their spending and saving habits.
Faye and Zoe are passionate advocates of the benefits of financial education and they discuss why it’s crucial that financial education becomes embedded in the curriculum, the influence parents and carers can have on young people’s relationships with money, and how access to high-quality resources can equip teachers with the knowledge to feel confident delivering financial education lessons.
Kimberley C. Lamb, Head of Bedfordshire’s Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU), explains to Sharon how her grandparents influenced her relationship with money during her formative years, encouraging her to respect and understand the value of money, an attitude she has passed on to her children.
During the episode, Kimberley and Sharon discuss the importance of making financial education relevant to young people and why it’s essential to recognise that their wants and needs will be different. Kimberley also shares how growing up in a strong community inspired her work supporting young people and their families who may be at risk of involvement with, or being victims of, criminal activity.
They also consider ways to help young people develop their financial capability outside of formal education settings, and Kimberley outlines why she believes being financially capable can positively impact social mobility.
In this episode, Sharon speaks to Emmy Dent, a TikTok influencer and founder of mortgage broker Arise Financial.
Sharon finds out what influenced Emmy’s relationship with money, discovers how she has built a following of over 140,000 people who are keen to benefit from her no-nonsense advice, and hears how TikTok has become an unexpectedly successful tool for generating new business.
During their conversation, Emmy also explains to Sharon why she believes that young people should be taught how to manage their money from an earlier age, and describes how her partnership with Citizens Advice and TikTok has supported people to make better-informed financial decisions.
Aimée Allam is Executive Director of the Financial Times' new charity, Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign, FT FLIC.
In this episode, Aimée shares the reasons behind the charity’s launch. She also describes why FT FLIC has chosen to target young people, women and marginalised communities to empower them in making positive decisions about their financial lives and improve their financial wellbeing.
They discuss why research is necessary that explores the link between financial capability and social mobility. They also consider how being financially capable can enable opportunities, help achieve ambitions, and positively impact mental wellbeing.
During their conversation, Sharon also finds out the inspiration behind Aimée’s lifelong love of bulk buying and discovers her top tips for saving.
This episode’s guest is Polly Mackenzie, Chief Executive of Demos, a leading cross-party think tank that specialises in public policymaking encompassing a range of research areas.
In the episode, Sharon and Polly discuss the recent Demos report Bouncing Back: Boosting young people’s financial wellbeing after the pandemic written in partnership with Yorkshire Building Society which explores the impact on young people post-pandemic and calls for government to identify what’s required to secure the financial wellbeing of future generations.
Together they consider how financial success can be an enabler, the link between debt, financial capability and mental health issues, and how low social capital directly impacts network poverty.
Polly also explains why inherent homophily (the tendency to associate and bond with like-minded people) means that relatable role models are necessary for developing young people’s financial literacy, and describes how the money-related attitudes she formed at a young age continue to influence her spending behaviours.
Michaela Wright, Head of Corporate Sustainability at HSBC UK, explains to Sharon how her mother positively influenced her early relationship with money by managing the household budget and being creative with meals to reduce their food waste. She also describes how she witnessed the consequences of not managing money, the consequences this led to, and its lasting impact.
During their conversation, Michaela and Sharon discuss why buying sustainably doesn’t necessarily mean spending more, they consider the decisions young people are making around more sustainable choices that are influencing older generations, and illustrate how bringing learning to life by creating teachable moments helps parents teach children financial independence during their formative early years.
Sharon speaks with Saeed Atcha MBE and DL, former Social Mobility Commissioner, and CEO of Youth Leads UK, a charity that supports young people by running skills development programmes, publishing Xplode Magazine and challenging decisionmakers.
In their conversation, Saeed explains why he considers it crucial that young people growing up in care receive financial education to better prepare them for independent living. They also discuss the positive impact of relatable role models when he launched Youth Leads as a teenager, and why he believes they are important in developing financial capability in young people.
He also recounts why he had to work for six months to be able to afford a new suit and confides in Sharon what his one (if he was only allowed one) wish would be to help increase social mobility for young people in the UK.
In this episode, Sharon speaks to Steve Hare, CEO of Sage, a FTSE 100 market-leading company offering cloud business management solutions. During their conversation, Sharon discovers the early influences that shaped his attitudes around money, and hears how he believes that providing financial education to young people removes barriers and creates opportunities, turning something that can be feared into an enabler.
Steve also explains why he feels that taking risks and having a willingness to fail are important characteristics to encourage in young people, and Sharon learns why he considers that money is not something that should define you, but should help and enable you to do things. They also discuss Sage’s ‘Knocking Down Barriers’ sustainability and society strategy for levelling up, designed to create opportunities and help give people the confidence to try and go after that opportunity.
Sharon speaks to TV presenter and business journalist Steph McGovern to discover how she developed her habits and behaviours around money and how this shaped her career direction.
Steph describes how her entrepreneurial spirit was evident from an early age, selling amongst other things Take That stickers! She explains how her innate interest in how the world of money works led to her becoming Robert Peston’s producer, and how she helped families reprioritise their spending habits in her TV show, Shop Well for Less?.
She also talks about why she considers it essential that financial education is taught to primary-age children and how, as ‘Spreadsheet Steph’, she is encouraging her friends and family to build a money mindset.
Alison began her career at NatWest Group PLC as a graduate 27 years ago and is now the banking group’s Chief Executive. She also sits on the board of directors for the Institute of International Finance, and is a member of the International Business Council for the World Economic Forum.
Alison led the Rose Review report in 2019, which identified several key barriers to female entrepreneurship and showed that boosting female entrepreneurship could add up to £250 billion to the UK economy.
Alison talks about her incredible career journey so far, the people who have influenced and mentored her, and how an enterprising mindset means can help women succeed in business.
Together with a friend from university, Helen Wooldridge founded award-winning baby and child brand Cuddledry in 2006. Helen also runs her own marketing consultancy and for her, being an entrepreneur has meant working flexibly yet effectively while also being a mum to her three children.
Helen describes an enterprising mindset as turning ideas into reality to make things better. When you need to make changes you should look sideways, be innovative and find new ways to do things.
Young Enterprise alumna Lucy Cranwell-Ward is CEO and Co-founder of careers platform Upskill Me, a Tech for Good company which helps young people showcase their talents and gain the skills, connections and knowledge they need to thrive in their career.
With no money or experience in tech but plenty of drive and passion, Lucy set out to realise her idea to help young people build a digital portfolio and improve their employability. She reveals how she was inspired by other female founders, and shares her experience of how being disruptive and determined helped her launch her start-up business.
Make sure you win in business. Our guest Lucy Cohen is Co-founder of Mazuma, the UK’s first subscription-based accountancy service. Lucy is widely recognised as an industry expert and has contributed to trade publications and industry discussions.
In this episode we talk to Lucy about how she has built a successful career out of manufacturing business and personal wins.
S2 EP6 Tenacity and Knowing When to Let Go with Lou Cordwell
Lou Cordwell is the Founder and CEO of magneticNorth, a digital design studio based in Manchester. Founded in 2000, the company quickly established an international reputation with an award-winning client portfolio. Alongside the day job, she's the Co-Chair of Greater Manchester's Local Enterprise Partnership and Chair of Design Manchester. She’s also a passionate campaigner for gender equality in business and the tech industry and in 2018 was awarded an OBE for services to the creative and digital economy.
In this episode, we speak to Lou about tenacity, knowing when to let go, seeking outside perspectives and listening to your gut feelings.
S2 EP5 Mentors with Charly Young
Charly Young is CEO & Co-founder of The Girls’ Network, a charity that provides 14-19 year old girls from the least-advantaged communities across England with a female mentor and a network of professional female role models. As a secondary school teacher, she saw first-hand how girls and young women were limited by their gender and background, and knew she had to do something!
She left teaching and has since grown the charity from supporting just 30 girls in 2013, to over 1,200 in 2020. In this interview we are talking about the benefits of mentoring, in tackling fear of failure, taking risks, changing young women's perception of what's possible and the role reverse mentoring has in providing young women with a platform to influence workplace culture.
S2 EP4 Self Belief with Alicia Navarro
Alicia is a serial tech entrepreneur, with a passion for product, brand, design and culture. In 2007, Alicia founded Skimlinks, an innovative platform helping publishers such as Buzzfee & Aol monetize their content. Alicia started the company in her living room in Sydney, Australia, and over 11 years as CEO of the business she grew it to a $50m/year business. In 2018 she stepped down as CEO to focus on building her next venture. She is now the founder and CEO of a new startup, Flown, creating ‘deep work’ spaces for knowledge workers. She’s won the EveryWoman in Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, and the WCIT’s Female Entrepreneur of the Year. In this interview we talk about overcoming barriers to building self belief and starting a business during a pandemic!
S2 EP3 Support & Networks with Izzy Obeng
Izzy Obeng is an entrepreneur and professional speaker leading Foundervine – a non-profit training consultancy connecting purpose-driven companies to impactful start-ups. Since 2018, Over 2,000 young people have been skilled by Foundervine programmes, over 300 startups launched with 62% female participation. Izzy has been featured in the BBC, The Telegraph, The Times, Forbes and in 2019 was named by Tech Nation as one of the 50 most influential black voices in UK tech. In this interview we talk about tackling unconscious bias, creating more inclusive spaces, networks and investments for entrepreneurs from marginalised communities to develop capacity.
S2 EP2 Relatable Role Models with Tayla Evans & Alison Muir
Tayla Evans is a Young Enterprise Alumna who led her Young Enterprise team, EnviroTent to success as the Managing Director. Named Young Enterprise Company of the Year 2020, the team went on to represent the UK at the European Finals.
Alison Muir was the volunteer mentor for Tayla and the rest of the EnviroTent team and has been a volunteer of YE for 6 years. Alison is Head of Procurement at Dunelm. In this interview we talk about the importance of relatable role models, nurturing self belief, and exploring the contribution that young people can make to developing a strong learning culture in the workplace.
S2 EP1 Taking Risks with Roberta Lucca
Roberta, aka Beta Lucca, is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and keynote speaker on the future of games, entrepreneurship and leadership. She is the co-founder of the BAFTA-winning Bossa Studios, a VC-backed multimillion-dollar video games developer and publisher based in London. Beta is listed in Forbes as Top 50 Women in Tech. In this interview we talked about taking risks, trusting yourself, catching your inner thoughts and being brave to try something new.
S2 Trailer
Our second series of Enterprising Mindsets shines a spotlight on female founders. We’ll hear first-hand from brilliant female founders and mentors on overcoming barriers to Female Entrepreneurship highlighted in the Alison Rose Review, as well as hearing from Alison Rose herself.
We’ll chat about experiences of tackling barriers such as limited access to mentors, networks and funding as well as exploring their take on other barriers to female entrepreneurship, such as self-belief and fear of going it alone. Our aim being to identify more ways in which collectively we can inspire more young women to consider and pursue entrepreneurship.
S1 EP12 Entrepreneurship with Theo Paphitis
Theo Paphitis has been a leading force in retail for the last 40 years and is known for turning around businesses such as La Senza, Robert Dyas and Ryman. He also supports over 3,000 small businesses through his SBS, Small Business Sunday initiative helping small businesses to thrive in the UK. Theo talks to us about his journey and shares his thoughts on why he believes the current climate will breed more entrepreneurs than ever before. This is Entrepreneurship with Theo Paphitis
S1 EP11 Faith with Sam White
Sam White is the multi award winning Chief Executive of Freedom Services. A vocal supporter of equal rights in the workplace, 67% of Sam's Directors are women motivated by a desire to change the insurance industry for the better and level the playing field. In this episode we explore not accepting the status quo and why employers need to adapt their environments. This is Faith with Sam White.
S1 EP10 Adapt with Stephen Welton
Stephen Welton is executive chairman of BGF. Prior to this he was the founder and CEO of BGF between 2011 and 2020. Under Stephen's leadership, BGF has grown from 1 to 16 offices across the UK and Ireland with more than 2.2 billion invested. Stephen believes opening your mind to possibilities is the key to an enterprising mindset and talks about the importance of future industries for growth and employment opportunities in a post COVID world. This is Adapt with Stephen Welton
S1 EP9 Authenticity with Kate Owen
Kate Owen is the Director of Industry and Key Account Marketing at Capita, leading the team responsible for supporting strategic sales bids and bringing industry-level insight aligned to customer’s needs, challenges and opportunities. Kate identifies her working class background as one of the key drivers in her life and talks us through the importance of having a strong sense of purpose. This is Authenticity with Kate Owen.
S1 EP8 Resilience with Claire Valoti
Claire Valoti is the Vice President of Snap Inc. Claire leads on growth across four continents including key markets such as the UK, France, Germany, Canada and Australia. Claire shares with us some of her early influences, talks about why she feels optimistic for young people in a post COVID world, and explores the role of technology as an enabler for enterprising mindsets. This is Resilience with Claire Valoti.
S1 EP7 Kindness with Pinky Lilani
Pinky Lilani, CBE DL is an author, motivational speaker, food expert and women’s advocate. She is an inspiration and has given women the confidence to have a voice. Food, respect and kindness lies at the heart of everything she does and i’ve loved talking to Pinky. This is Kindness with Pinky Lilani.
S1 EP6 Strive with Robert Elliot
Robert Elliot is the co-founder and CEO of Zinc Network. He started the company with the aim of creating positive impact through compelling content and has worked with clients such as the United Nations and Microsoft. Robert and I talk about his journey in the media industry, the importance of being fearless and learning how to pitch yourself. This is Strive with Robert Elliot.
S1 EP5 Humility with Nahyan Islam
Nahyan Islam is Head of Citizen Department at a North Enfield state secondary school and YE alumni and won the National Journey award. Nayhan speaks passionately about how Young Enterprise helped him devel confidence and communication and the importance of providing a safe environment to learn. This is Humility with Nahyan Islam.
S1 EP4 Connections with Lorraine Chimbga
Lorraine Chimbga graduated from UCL Faculty of Laws in 2016 and helps aspiring lawyers with her blog 'Life of a London Law Student'. Born in Zimbabwe and then moving to Manchester when she was 10, she was the first generation in her famiy to go through the UK education system. Lorraine speaks about the changes that companies are making to be more inclusive to minorities and highlights the importance of connecting with people. This is Connections with Lorraine Chimbga.
S1 EP3 Belief with Mouhssin Ismail
Mouhssin Ismail is the founding Principal of Newham Collegiate Sixth Form. I spoke with Mouhssin a few weeks ago as the Colleges were starting to go back and he talks about the importance of resilience in our young people, keeping a growth mindset and a strong belief in unlocking their opportunities. This is Belief with Mouhssin Ismail.
S1 EP2 Opportunity with Tom Ravenscroft
Tom Ravenscroft is the founder and CEO of Skills Builder Partnerships, Tom founded Skills Builder Partnerships whilst a Secondary School teacher in Hackney in 2009. Tom's honest and fresh approach to taking control of opportunities, his commitment to teaching and learning new skills and how vitally important that is. This is Opportunity with Tom Ravenscroft.
S1 EP1 Drive with Jessica Carsen
Jessica Carsen is Senior Vice President at Sony Music UK & Ireland and YE alumni, Jessica leads on key issues around reputation, communications and social impact. Jessica Carsen and I talked about where her ‘Drive’ comes from and how this has guided her throughout her personal and professional life. Her story is inspiring and shows what a true enterprising mindset can achieve. This is Drive with Jessica Carsen.
Season 1 Trailer
I'm Sharon Davies, CEO of Young Enterprise, join me every week where I will be exploring different people's perspective on what an enterprising mindset is. It's contribution to their journey and their view on its role in building our futures.