Women Who Work

For our final episode of Season 2, Joy Davey and Alexandra Buchan-Heelas are joined by the outstanding engineering entrepreneur, Shirin Dehghan. Shirin moved to the UK from Iran when she was 14, did an engineering degree, developed software during her second maternity leave that led to her leaving her job at Vodafone and founding and running a company as CEO - which she ultimately sold for £85m! Since selling her company, she has extensive experience in raising venture capital and since 2016 she has been a Chairwoman and investor of leading start-ups, medium sized and blue-chip companies. She has been an active angel investor and senior partner of a leading venture capital fund in London. Shirin’s latest venture is a fintech called Oxford Algorithms where she is full time CEO and co-founder. Shirin is incredibly inspiring and has consistently taken brave steps in pursuit of her career whilst juggling motherhood to 2 children. Shirin is also a huge supporter of women and girls doing STEM subjects and is a trustee of a charity, Smallpiece, that aims to do just this. Shirin is a winner of multiple awards including Blackberry Woman in Technology, Best Woman in Mobile, Business Woman of the year 2013, and European Entrepreneur of the year 2013.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have Maxine Nwaneri on our podcast this month which is a great honour. Maxine grew up in Nigeria and has an incredible story from being homeless and helpless to a #1 Amazon Bestselling Author and an Award-winning international speaker and leadership advisor. Maxine’s story is an inspiration and her experiences, including a near death experience after having her second child, have been the catalyst for her success.Her new book is right up our street- The Future is Greater: A Working Mother’s Guide to Finding Balance- so do give it a read: https://bit.ly/Order_The_Future_is_Greater_Book Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Alsi and Joy are joined by Sarah Oluwole, Chief Operating Officer at Lumin Wealth. Sarah was previously the youngest qualified accountant in the UK and since starting her career at Deloitte, has now been at Lumin Wealth for over a decade where she has helped to grow the firm to £1 billion AUM. Sarah has also had two children in that time with her husband who has now runs his own fitness business.This is our most emotional podcast yet and Alsi and Joy both end up in tears listening to Sarah's emotional story about giving birth to her daughter. It is an incredibly moving episode for so many reasons, and the bravery and hope that Sarah and her husband displayed is truly inspirational. Thank you to Sarah for her openness and honesty. We hope you enjoy this as much as we do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we are delighted to have Amy Todd on our podcast. Amy trained as an accountant and is now a Partner at KPMG. Amy also co-founded Ox Box in 2018 which provides boxes of educational fun for children inspired by growing up in South Korea until the age of 13. Amy also has two sons who are 14 and 11.We loved hearing from Amy on her experience of growing up in South Korea and the academic pressure that brings, as well as her move (alone!) to the UK at age 13. We also hear about Amy’s interesting career path that has had its fair share of challenges along the way. Amy talks openly about her experience of burn out and how a coach helped support her through that difficult period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we speak to Jo Farmer who is Joint Managing Partner at law firm Lewis Silkin. Jo has had a phenomenal career as a lawyer and has moved up the ranks to take on the role of Joint Managing Partner 8 months ago following over 15 years as a Partner there. Jo also has twin boys who are now 15 and was promoted to Partnership whilst on maternity leave. Jo had very humble beginnings and we loved talking to Jo about social mobility, what it is like having twins and her thoughts on working 4 days a week. This podcast is filled with practical tips for working parents, including the help she found from a business coach, walking out the front door at pick up time and understanding that careers are not a linear path. Importantly, Jo has demonstrated visible change as a leader and is a huge inspiration to us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we have Her Honour Judge Alison Raeside on our podcast. Alison is a Circuit Judge and was the first sitting Judge in the UK to take maternity leave so has pathed the way for us all. Alison has had four children, with her final son being born when she was 47 (when her eldest was 16). It is such an honour to hear from Alison and her experiences, including how to get on in a male dominated environment with limited support (including no maternity leave policy or pay, and no female loos!). Alison was often the only woman in the room and, as she says, there was more chance of being in the Supreme Court if you were called “David” than if you were a woman. Do listen to hear all of Alison’s practical tips, including her discovery that commuting is a “complete waste of time” and that you should be a “submarine parent”! Alison is passionate about allowing flexibility and working from home, including for court hearings. Alison also touches on how important it is that there are more women Judges to ensure that our law-makers and enforcers reflect society. Alison is hugely inspiring in terms of how she has navigated a successful career alongside parenthood and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are delighted to have Natasa Williams on our podcast. Natasa co-founded the investment management firm, Cadro, and has had a varied career that includes accountancy, investment banking and wealth management. Natasa also has a daughter and juggled parenthood around an incredibly demanding job in investment banking that involved travelling around the world with her daughter. Natasa moved into wealth management as a direct result of becoming a parent to pursue a career without the international travel requirements, although the wealth management industry presented new challenges, particularly from a gender perspective. Natasa helpfully gives her view on which industry she thinks is most supportive for having a family so this is a must listen for anyone who is considering their future career choices. This is a fascinating podcast that we hope you enjoy as much as we did! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is wonderful to hear from another dad, Max Hobbs, on our podcast. Max is a senior associate at Macfarlanes LLP and discusses the cultural challenges of parenthood, his experience of taking paternity leave, his future shared parental leave and his thoughts on the impact on his career. Max feels passionately about the taking of paternity leave and is keen to shout about it to all those future dads who may be considering it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joy and Alsi are delighted to return for Season 2. In the first episode of Season 2, Joy and Alsi explore in candid detail their returns to work following their second maternity leaves. Since the last Season, Joy is also now a Partner in a new firm so tune in to hear all about making that step, interviewing with a 7 week old baby and how it has been going so far. We are excited to share our journeys and the (many!) challenges along the way. We have some amazing guests lined up for this Season so watch out for our monthly episodes and please do like, comment and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month Joy Davey and Alexandra Buchan-Heelas are joined by Christina Blacklaws. Christina is the former President of the Law Society of England and Wales and now runs her own consultancy business, Blacklaws Consulting. Christina is also a NED for 3 large law firms and holds a range of public appointments. Christina has juggled her phenomenal career alongside having twins and two step-children.On this podcast, we learn about Christina's path to parenthood whilst being an Equity Partner at her law firm (under the age of 30!) and her thoughts on parental leave and women's progression in the workplace. There are also some important tips for law firms - it is not helpful to try and go back to pre-pandemic ways of working! Christina's knowledge and experience are grounded in her incredible research on women in law that she spear-headed in her role as President.This episode is a must for those looking for tips on a successful career alongside having children. Christina's view is that the more intentional you can be as a mother, the more you will set yourself up for success - we couldn't agree more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.