Social Impact Pioneers

What makes a good partnership great and what makes someone leave a career in management consulting to tackle poverty? For Maike and Jonny, the answer began with volunteering, a willingness to change direction and a conviction that business could help create economic opportunity. In this episode of Social Impact Pioneers, we meet two leaders whose careers connect corporate boardrooms with entrepren...

If your philanthropy looks like business as usual, Clare Woodcraft thinks you’re probably getting it wrong. Her challenge is blunt: take risks. Back the unproven. Fund what businesses won’t and governments can’t. If philanthropic money simply follows the safest route, is it wasting its greatest advantage? In this episode of Social Impact Pioneers, Clare joins Katie to challenge comfortable assumpt...

What happens when brilliant ideas are overlooked because their creators do not know what they are worth, or lack the systems needed to bring them into the world? Meet Social Impact Pioneer Bill Shaw, a three-time founder, intellectual property lawyer and professor, and Executive Vice President of Britebound, a national nonprofit whose platforms reach more than 15 million young people each year. Bi...

Menstrual health is often treated as a question of access to sanitary pads. But for ZanaAfrica, it is also about education, health, gender equality, environmental sustainability and the power to shape your own future. Social Impact Pioneers, Megan Mukuria, founder and CEO ZanaAfrica and the organisation’s Kenya Executive Director, Beatrice Wanjiku Jane explain how a campaign launched in 2006 devel...

How can global businesses turn corporate purpose into lasting social impact, and communicate that work without losing public trust? Meet social impact pioneer: Charlotte West. Charlotte has spent more than three decades navigating that challenge. As Vice President of Global Corporate Communications at Lenovo and a Board Director of the Lenovo Foundation, she works at the intersection of technology...

What does it take to turn corporate ambition into real-world social impact? And how can business help tackle one of the world’s most urgent challenges: access to safe water and sanitation? Meet Social Impact Pioneer Philipp Küst, Global Social Impact Lead – Water & Hygiene at Reckitt. Because Philipp is on a mission, to put purpose into practice inside a global health and hygiene business. Over th...

What does it take to solve the world's most complex challenges? According to partnership expert Darian Stibbe, the answer isn't better technology, bigger budgets or stronger institutions working alone, it's collaboration. From rocket science to systems change: Darian Stibbe explains why effective partnerships matter more than ever. Social Impact Pioneer, Darian, Executive Director of The Partnerin...

What does it take to build an economy that works for everyone? Meet Social Impact Pioneer Joe Scantlebury, President and CEO of Living Cities. From representing children in the juvenile justice and dependency care systems to helping shape civil rights and equity advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Joe shares his journey. If you’re looking for inspiration and a can-do boost, this podca...

What if one of the world's greatest untapped talent pools is hiding in plain sight? More than 120 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced by conflict, persecution and violence. Yet too often refugees are portrayed through the lens of crisis rather than capability. Their stories are reduced to statistics, while their skills, ambitions and entrepreneurial potential remain overlo...

Listen in to Ian Leader, Social Impact Pioneer, cross-sector strategist and founder of Local Works. Ian shares his experience in building partnerships that really work, between business, community and government. With more than 25 years of experience working across New Zealand’s business, charity, education, philanthropy and local government sectors, Ian has become one of the country’s leading voi...

Social Impact Pioneer Hesham Elzeftawi, Founder and CEO of EBRIIZ shares his journey from Egypt to the US and Mexico developing deep understanding and appreciation for cross-cultural learning, practical field experience, and emerging market realities. Hesham’s time in Arabic, English, and Spanish-speaking communities gives him a perspective we all need to hear. In this conversation, Hesham explore...

In this episode, we’re joined by Devon Fritz, author of The High-Impact Professional’s Playbook and co-founder of High Impact Professionals. An experienced coach and strategic philanthropy adviser, Devon helps people bridge the gap between good intentions and measurable outcomes. Devon’s story begins in the private sector, where he worked as a software developer and achieved financial security ear...

Social Impact Pioneer Michelle Grogg is the Executive Director of the Mars Impact Fund. Listen in as Michelle shares her insights on why Mars can do more with an Impact Fund now. She shares her experiences on how businesses can drive meaningful social impact at scale and how delivering impact through both business operations and targeted investment is a vital way to make limited resources go furth...

Meet Social Impact Pioneer, Fernanda Facchini. She is part of the team at Natura, the Brazilian multinational cosmetics company, who are pioneering sustainable and ethical beauty products while driving regenerative practices in the Amazon rainforest. This conversation deep dives into what it takes for a commercial business to deliver social and environmental impact from its heart. Fernanda’s role...

Getting your coffee tomorrow is not a given. Behind everyday products like coffee, bananas, and cocoa lies a global trading system under pressure. A pressure shaped by climate change, economic uncertainty, and growing inequality. The need to change how we value our food is urgent or we risk our daily coffee, and midmorning snack. Listen in to this podcast episode to hear from Social Impact Pioneer...

How do we finance renewable energy in the places where it can have the greatest impact? Meet two visionary leaders and Social Impact Pioneers driving solutions: Lassor Feasley, co-founder and CEO of Renewables.org, and Ruchir Punjabi, co-founder and CEO of Distributed Energy, a company making renewable energy affordable and accessible for businesses across India, Africa and the Middle East. Across...

It’s not often we talk about burn out, but Social Impact Pioneer, Ashley Jablow shares her personal experiences and her practical ways to navigate negative times. In this episode of Social Impact Pioneers, we explore what it really takes to navigate uncertainty, rediscover purpose, and design a life and career that feels both meaningful and sustainable. At a time when the world feels increasingly...

Ibiza may be world-famous for its beaches, superyachts and nightlife, but behind the glamour lies a growing affordable housing crisis that threatens the island’s future. In this episode, three Social Impact Leaders: Sofi Ribas, Anna Olivia Spenner Hernández, and Yvette Torres-Rahman, share insights from their groundbreaking research into Ibiza’s housing crisis and explore practical solutions to ma...

How much will your mortgage really cost you over your lifetime — and what if there was a simple way to avoid carrying debt for so long? In this episode, we’re joined by Social Impact Pioneer Jinesh Vohra, founder of Sprive, the UK’s fastest-growing mortgage platform designed to help homeowners reduce mortgage debt faster and save thousands in interest. Jinesh brings a powerful mix of personal expe...

What does it take to restore coral reefs at scale — and turn one of the world’s most urgent environmental crises into a sustainable, investable solution? This conversation explores the business of coral reefs, running impact businesses, investors and innovation. Social Impact Pioneer, Sam Teicher is the co-founder of Coral Vita, the world’s largest for-profit coral reef restoration company, and a...

How to bring business talent development and social impact to get the best outcomes. Social Impact Pioneer Banalata Sen, Global Head of GoTeach at DHL Group shares her wisdom. In this episode of the Social Impact Pioneers podcast from Business Fights Poverty, host Katie Hyson sits down with Banalata, who is working at the intersection of corporate strategy, talent development and social impact, as...

In this episode, we sit down with Social Impact Pioneer, Darshana “Darsh” Myronidis, Director of Sustainability at Virgin Group — the HQ at the centre of one of the world’s most iconic and diverse brands. With more than 20 years of global sustainability leadership, Darsh has built a career dedicated to helping businesses deliver meaningful social and environmental impact. From renewable energy in...

During this special edition of Social Impact Pioneers - we are joined by David Nicholson, a leading figure in global climate action, speaking to us directly from the UN Climate COP in Belém, Brazil. As Mercy Corps’ first-ever Chief Climate Officer, appointed in 2022, Nicholson has been at the forefront of embedding bold, science-driven climate strategy into one of the world’s largest humanitarian...

This Social Impact Pioneers episode forms part of the Business Fights Poverty Climate Series 2025. Katie Hyson sits down with Matthew Spencer, Global Director of Landscapes at IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative, for a timely conversation recorded live from COP 2025 in Belém, Brazil. With climate risks intensifying and global supply chains under unprecedented pressure, Matthew explores why land...

How can carbon finance do more to strengthen rural livelihoods and empower the communities on the frontlines of climate change? Social Impact Pioneers - Anna Kilpatrick, from PUR, Ann Vaughan & Lilian Gwazayo of CARE, and Olaf Westermann, from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) explore this critical question. The conversation, in turn, hears from people implementing carbon finance programmes with a fo...