Frank Aswani, CEO of AVPA: ‘Africa is the perfect sandbox for us to really get innovative’

Good Leaders Podcast: The CEO of the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) Frank Aswani speaks to Tim West about solving your own problems, how Africans turn “embarrassing” issues into entrepreneurial opportunities and why it took him to leave the continent to realise his love and pride for Africa.On the podcast, Aswani talks about:His vision for impact investing in Africa and the continent’s value as an innovation lab for the global impact movementHow he is inspired by young social innovation leaders across the continentHow sports, music and family help him balance the demands of being an impact CEO and more...AVPA is a network of impact investors committed to increasing capital flows towards social investment in Africa. It is holding its annual conference on 3-5 November 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, expecting 400 delegates from more than 30 countries. More information and tickets can be found here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regeneration and gentrification are often two sides of the same coin. With £1.3bn being pumped into one of Scotland's poorest areas, social enterprise The Granton Project is ensuring that local communities truly benefit.This episode was supported by a partnership with Good Finance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most respected social enterprise leaders in the UK, June O’Sullivan has led LEYF for the past two decades, overcoming the hardest challenges with her characteristic combination of determination and stubbornness. Speaking to host Tim West on the Good Leaders podcast, the winner of the WISE100 Social Business Woman of the Year gives us a lesson in social enterprise, impact and leadership.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Pioneers Post reporter David Lyons in Liverpool, England, where social enterprise Blackburne House is providing educational courses for underserved women in the local community while innovating its business model to expand its positive impact.This episode was supported by a partnership with Good Finance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to keep sane as the CEO of a mission-driven mental health platform, when spiralling demand puts pressure on your mission? Matty McEvoy, CEO of Together All, talks to hosts Tim West and Liam Black about enshrining purpose in a growing company, being an “accidental CEO” and why he makes time to coach ice hockey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world of business for good is complex and fast moving, and it can be challenging to keep up with the new ideas, technologies and innovations driving positive change. So at Pioneers Post, we’ve decided to call in the experts to help us – and you – to make sense of it all: welcome to the Good Experts Podcast.In the first episode, Pioneers Post’s Anna Patton and co-host Matt Haworth, CEO of Impact Reporting, quiz their guests on one of the hottest – yet most controversial – topics of recent months: artificial intelligence.If you’re running an ethical or purpose driven-business, AI can become a tool for doing more good, but this is often untested ground, so it’s not without risks – notably due to its detrimental effects on people and planet. So, as Anna puts it, “how should we do AI the social enterprise way?”This episode was produced in partnership with Impact Reporting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does an Oscar-winning visual effects artist become an impactful social entrepreneur? From working with high-profile movie-makers to launching a healthcare app that changes millions of women’s lives, Chen Mao Davies shares the very personal journey that drove her towards mission-driven entrepreneurship in the latest episode of the Good Leaders Clinic, hosted by Tim West and Liam Black. Listen to the Good Leaders Clinic podcast, where Tim West and Liam Black invite purposeful business leaders to open up about their real-life issues in candid conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cambridge Social Innovation Prizewinner Daryl Chambers, founder of InPower Academy, believes the philosophical and spiritual side of martial arts means it can be a more effective vehicle for supporting young people than other sports. This episode is part of a series featuring the extraordinary winners of the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize 2024, presented by the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation and Trinity Hall Cambridge. The 2024 winners were interviewed for the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation's Social Ideas podcast, which Pioneers Post is reproducing here as part of its media partnership to support the 2025 edition of the prize. Find out more, or apply for the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize 2025, here (deadline 17 April): https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/centres/social-innovation/cambridge-social-innovation-prize/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Youth centre closures have left too many of London’s young people without crucial networks of support. Through Sirlute, which offers creative arts programmes, JR Josephs aims to give those young people transferable skills they need to achieve their goals. This episode is part of a series featuring the extraordinary winners of the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize 2024, presented by the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation and Trinity Hall Cambridge. The 2024 winners were interviewed for the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation's Social Ideas podcast, which Pioneers Post is reproducing here as part of its media partnership to support the 2025 edition of the prize. Find out more, or apply for the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize 2025, here (deadline 17 April): https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/centres/social-innovation/cambridge-social-innovation-prize/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She hates small talk and has a taste for bold decisions: Ashoka’s Europe leader Marie Ringler talks to Tim West about her journey from politician to social innovator, what it takes to achieve systems change and why people’s feeling of powerlessness is the biggest poison in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.