How Might We

Dr. Nina Van Volkinburg is an academic researcher and educator focused on digital disruption and sustainable business practices within the global fashion industry. She is passionate about supporting emerging fashion talent and is the Course Leader of the MA Strategic Fashion Marketing program at London College of Fashion, part of University of the Arts London. Previously she founded fashion upcycl...

Originally from a small town in East Lancashire, Jeanette Barnes studied a Fine Art degree at Liverpool Polytechnic were she fell in love with the energy of the city, the people, noise and architecture and decided to make the urban environment her subject matter. She went to London and  studied Post graduates at the Royal Academy School and Royal College of Art. Drawing and printmaking  are the ma...

My guest this week is Nana Badu , Founder and CEO of BADU . BADU is a multi dimensional community development organisation. BADU is a non-profit dedicated to providing holistic and unconditional support to underserved communities. BADU engages with young people and their families through its key pillars: Sports, Mentoring and Education. Nana worked as a PE teacher and coach at numerous schools acr...

Stacia Bedford, is an accomplished, dynamic and disruptive repeat entrepreneur, who pioneered the bridal tech space with the innovative e-commerce platform she co-founded, Prim & Clover — a first-of-its-kind online wedding dress builder and marketplace. Stacia specialises in coaching founders through the launch and scale of their start-ups and MMEs in fashion, tech and the creative industries...

Cri (pronounced "Cree") deconstructs and reshapes as part of her creative process, seeking to arrive at synthesis while making (and embracing) a lot of mess. Messwork facilitates a multidisciplinary yet holistic approach to trauma recovery and abundant living. With her Bachelor of Psychology and Business from Northeastern University, a Master of Fine Arts in Communications Design from Pr...

Ellen O'Hara is a business coach, consultant, facilitator and researcher with proven ability to enable enterprise, innovation and leadership capabilities. Over the past 20 years, she has worked with hundreds of creatives, social entrepreneurs, cultural leaders and researchers to design and grow sustainable businesses that make an impact - creatively, socially and commercially.  Ellen has desig...

Alpesh Patel began working in retail at the age of 16 and ended his corporate career as the COO of a business with over 1000 employees. Through lockdown Alpesh founded two companies with some associates which both continue to evolve and thrive. Through the Refill Therapy business, Alpesh has improved his knowledge of the climate crisis and has developed a passion to help people shop in a more sust...

Edward Brial is the CEO and Co-Founder of Materra and oversees strategy and business development. Proudly supported by H&M, Kering, Bestseller and PVH amongst others and based between London and India, Materra’s mission is to transform natural fibres into a force for environmental and social prosperity, starting with cotton. Ranging from experimental hydroponics to mass-market regenerative pra...

Johnny Drain, since receiving a Ph. D. in materials science from Oxford University, has helped create delicious things for the world's very best restaurants, bars, and brands. He has a particular focus on using fermentation to unlock deliciousness, circularity and nutrition. As co-founder and CTO of WNWN Food Labs he is harnessing the power of fermentation to create sustainable, ethical altern...

Kamila is an Interior Architecture graduate, and shortly after graduating worked within External Facade and Cladding sector post-Grenfell tragedy, closely working with the Executives as a Senior Associate for several years. Born in Uzbekistan and raised in London; Kamila has been passionately promoting her culture and roots through her art work, her own personal brand ‘Arty Numpty’ and communities...

Mona Bani is the founder and MD at Revoke⁠ , a non-profit advocating for the rights and welfare of young displaced people, and co-founder of the award-winning media platform  Untelevised⁠ , which produces media from the grassroots to explore possibilities for social change. She has over 10 years of experience in the socio-political sector, ranging from the Cabinet Office, to the refugee camp in Ca...

Naomi is the CEO of  Footwork Trust . Their purpose is to create effective, more collaborative models for how places are made and remade that are locally rooted and led; and informed by local knowledge and experience. By identifying, supporting and learning with local social innovators and the communities they serve, Footwork uncovers the barriers to successful placemaking and how best to overcome...

Isabel Sachs is the founder of I LIKE NETWORKING, a D&AD award-winning platform.  Isabel is an entrepreneur and public speaker with over 18 years of experience in the Creative Industries, passionate about bringing diverse talent into the creative industry - from artists to arts managers. She has worked on a variety of nonprofits, culture organizations and consumer-led companies, conceptualizin...

Alex Ball is the Co-founder and Programme Director at the Block Dojo, with over 20 years’ experience within financial services focusing on innovation, data and technology. As the Programme Director he is responsible for the design, curation, and execution of the 12-week incubator programme, helping early-stage companies to develop their business ideas and get them ready for funding. Prior to this,...

Camilla Cole is an experienced contemporary art curator dedicated to championing leading emerging artistic talent in the UK and internationally.  Hypha Studios was born when Camilla wanted to curate exhibitions in non-gallery contexts, aware of how many interesting spaces were available but empty. As a sole practitioner, she found it hard to engage landlords, but by setting up a charity that offer...

Sinead Koehler is the founder and director of Crafty Fox Market & an associate lecturer of the Arts and Cultural Enterprise Masters at Central Saint Martins. Sinead started Crafty Fox Market in 2010 - a modern craft market and community for designer makers. Crafty Fox Market supports artists and makers to sell their work through a variety of in-person shopping events including markets, popup s...

Gordon Seabright became Chief Executive of the Creative Land Trust, a new charity tackling the loss of creative workspace for artists and makers in the UK, in April 2020. The CLT is on a mission to secure the future of London’s studios, as without protection, we risk losing this crucial sector and the many benefits it gives us. Before joining the CLT, Gordon has been leading environmental charitie...

Nicolette has worked with global corporates and governments to resolve strategic stakeholder issues and create development strategies at the intersection of private and public industry (UK, eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and Southern Africa). During her studies in the arts Nicolette worked at the Whitechapel Gallery, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Tate and aspreyjacques gal...

Poonam Dhuffer is an accredited Somatic coach, facilitator, speaker and founder of YSM8. She is devoted to supporting people to find their authentic expression, attuning into the wisdom of their bodies, and building restorative healing practices, together in community. Her work dances between Somatics, human centred therapy, systems thinking, emergent strategy, texture constellations, creative exp...

Mike Mair is the Founder of PT PODS, a new fitness and exercise company that delivers the experience of personal training, through a private space bookable via mobile application. Mike launched his first space in Hackney Wick & is now on a journey to offer convenient space to exercise for busy urbanities. Is this episode we explore the challenges facing urban citizens health, how the creative...

Kwabena Amponsa is a specialist in the creative industry, with a proven track record in the planning, development and execution of strategies, with previous roles at Mixcloud and Peckham Levels. Alongside this, his impressive career as a musician, releasing multiple records under the name Mickey Lightfoot, is notable. As a graduate of the Redbull Music Academy and with song credits with the likes...

Graham Hitchen specialises in Cultural and Creative Industries policy, having worked at a senior level in the sector for more than 25 years. He runs the Creative Research and Innovation Centre (CRAIC) at Loughborough London with Andrew Chitty, and he is also working with the Industrial Strategy team at UKRI, leading strategy for the Audience of the Future and the Creative Industries Clusters progr...

Ken is a trained architect with over 17 years practice experience across masterplanning, mixed-use & residential, cultural and educational sectors. With built work varying in budget from £250,000 to £125million & with a focus on sustainability & innovative environmental design. Ken is a champion for improving diversity within the built environment. In this episode this topic alongside housing affo...

Sabinna Rachimova is an opinion leader for the future generation of creatives. After graduating from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, she worked for the leading fashion house Christian Dior and contemporary London brand Mary Katrantzou. As a child, she learned traditional soviet handcraft from her grandmother, developing a deeply ingrained appreciation for the craft. This early inf...

Alvin Owusu-Fordwuo is a strategist, founder and youth worker who sits at the intersection of social impact, storytelling and youth culture. As the Founder of Tag Agency, Alvin has focused on creating social change through creativity, power-sharing, and strategic thinking. Alvin has worked with global brands and grassroot organisations across strategy, ethnographic research, brand partnerships and...