The Bitesize LEADership Podcast

Hosted by LEAD Network Volunteer and Facilitator, Non-Executive Director and Leadership Coach- Dunke Afe, this episode reveals the code that separates leaders who talk about inclusion from leaders who actually create it.In less than 20 minutes Dunke shares: ✨ Six elements that separate leaders who talk about inclusion from leaders who create it ✨ Real lessons from Obama, Jacinda Ardern, Anne Boden, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala ✨ One practice you can start TODAY that will shift how your team shows upWhether you're leading a team of 2 or 2000, this framework applies to you.Because inclusion isn't soft. It's strategic. It's measurable. And it's the competitive advantage every organization needs.The LEAD Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, creating sustainable business value. With over 22,000 Members and over 65 corporate Partners, the LEAD Network is committed to building a diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and organisations thrive. Discover how you can be part of this transformative movement by visiting https://theleadnetwork.net/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of the Bite-Sized Leadership Podcast (LEAD Network UK), Dunke Afe speaks with Louise Robbie, Head of Product at Cawston Press, about her leadership journey — from big corporates to entrepreneurship to driving inclusion today.Here are the highlights:🔹 Resilience with space — hold strong, but leave room for people and ideas to grow.🔹 Purpose matters — always ask: Does it help? Does it enable?🔹 Evolving style — thriving in ambiguity is more powerful than having all the answers.🔹 Equity in action — through Female Plus Forward, Louise is ensuring diverse voices are heard, with clear business impact.🔹 Lessons to remember — pace + patience, treat feedback wisely, and build self-awareness early.💡 Leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about purpose, resilience, and creating space where others can thrive.The LEAD Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, creating sustainable business value. With over 22,000 Members and over 65 corporate Partners, we are committed to building a diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and organisations thrive. Discover how you can be part of this transformative movement by visiting https://theleadnetwork.net/Dunke Afe is a Non Executive Director, Business and Leadership Coach with over 25 years of Consumer Goods , Beauty and Luxury industry experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's episode, we continue to explore more on leadership and leadership lessons. Dunke Afe speaks with Cathrin Kurz about her leadership philosophy which is centered on leading for impact.Cathrin is a Global Product Portfolio Director at Ingredion focused on cross-functional collaboration to drive strategic, sustainable growth. Her professional and personal passion has taken her around the world to immerse in different cultures and create lasting connections with fantastic people. Having lived in 11 cities in 5 different countries and worked in 4 different languages, she brings a refreshing and cross cultural lens into her leadership styleThe LEAD Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, creating sustainable business value. With over 22,000 Members and over 65 corporate Partners, we are committed to building a diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and organisations thrive. Discover how you can be part of this transformative movement by visiting https://theleadnetwork.net/Dunke Afe is a Non Executive Director, Business and Leadership Coach with over 25 years of Consumer Goods , Beauty and Luxury industry experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's episode , it's Dunke's turn to share leadership lessons ! She is joined by Ali Fisher ( Plans with Purpose) to unpack the meaty topic of Inclusive leadership , why it matters, why it's good for leaders, good for employees and yes ! why it's good for business. You really don't want to miss this information packed episode!!The LEAD Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, creating sustainable business value. With over 22,000 Members and over 65 corporate Partners, we are committed to building a diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and organisations thrive. Discover how you can be part of this transformative movement by visiting https://theleadnetwork.net/Dunke Afe is a Non Executive Director, Business and Development Coach with over 25 years of Consumer Goods , Beauty and Luxury industry experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here’s a question for you .. what would you do with your life if you knew for a fact that you would live to 150 years ?  Are there things you would differently ? Are there things you would stop doing? Start doing ? In this episode, Dunke Afe speaks with Zeynep Yalim-Uzun about her deeply person wellness journey which evolved from a global corporate leader to a multifaceted portfolio career. They also talk about rethinking the typical life stages which are now evolving and what that means for us and our careers going forward.Zeynep is an accomplished Senior Executive with over 30 years experience in consumer goods and durables companies, 15 years of which have been at  C suite level . Zeynep has led billion-dollar brands and Business including Unilever and Beko to name a few.  In fact when it comes to marketing , having been a VP and CMO for some of the biggest brands out there, there isn’t much Zeynep hasn’t seen or done  . She is now a Non-Executive Director , Board Advisor and Audit Chair among her many other pursuits. The LEAD Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, creating sustainable business value. With over 22,000 Members and over 65 corporate Partners, we are committed to building a diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and organisations thrive. Discover how you can be part of this transformative movement by visiting https://theleadnetwork.net/Dunke Afe is a Non Executive Director, Business and Development Coach with over 25 years of Consumer Goods , Beauty and Luxury industry experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March is all about International Women’s Day and the theme for this year is about accelerating action for gender equity. It’s about taking those big or small steps to accelerate change for women in the workplace.  Truly brilliant initiative , and then it  got me thinking , are there areas in our lives that require acceleration or change as well ? A quick google search revealed that a significant portion of women often prioritise the needs of others over their own, frequently putting themselves last, particularly when it comes to self-care, health appointments, and personal time.In this month’s episode, Dunke Afe speaks to Charlie Fancy about Putting the ME into MidlifE. Charlie is an Integrative Psychotherapist who specialises in working with women in midlife.  Charlie worked as a mental health nurse in the NHS for 20 years before gaining her Masters in Integrative Psychotherapy and counselling.  She now runs a thriving Private Psychotherapy Practice. Charlie will be discussing how midlife women can improve their psychological well-being, work out who they are and what they want from their lives, and make sure their own needs do not take a back seat when juggling many different responsibilities.You can find Charlie Fancy at https://charliefancy.co.uk/ or @charlie_fancy_therapy.The LEAD Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, creating sustainable business value. With over 22,000 Members and over 65 corporate Partners, we are committed to building a diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and organisations thrive. Discover how you can be part of this transformative movement by visiting https://theleadnetwork.net/Dunke Afe is a Non Executive Director, Business and Development Coach with over 25 years of Consumer Goods , Beauty and Luxury industry experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's episode, Dunke Afe sits down with Tom Geraghty, CEO of Psych Safety to discuss what psychological safety means and how leaders and teams can foster it in everyday work. Tom Geraghty, founder and CEO of Psych Safety, is an expert in team performance and psychological safety. Leveraging his unique background in ecological research and technology, Tom has held CIO & CTO roles in a range of sectors from tech startups to global finance firms. He holds a degree in Ecology, an MBA, and a Masters in Global Health and Humanitarianism. His mission is to make the world of work safer, higher performing, and more inclusive.Connect with him on LinkedIn (@geraghtytom), Twitter (@tom_geraghty), or explore his work at https://tomgeraghty.co.uk and https://psychsafety.com.The LEAD Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, creating sustainable business value. With over 22,000 Members and over 65 corporate Partners, we are committed to building a diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and organisations thrive. Discover how you can be part of this transformative movement by visiting https://theleadnetwork.net/Dunke Afe is a Non Executive Director, Business and Development Coach with over 25 years of Consumer Goods , Beauty and Luxury industry experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join CEO of Unleash my Future Lisa Murdoch and Non Executive Director and Development Coach, Dunke Afe as they discuss what it means to be authentic, why it matters and how they discovered their authentic selves. They share helpful suggestions on how to take the journey towards authenticity and how we can all be more comfortable with ourselves.The LEAD Network is a non-profit organisation with a mission to attract, retain and advance women in the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, creating sustainable business value. With over 22,000 Members and over 65 corporate Partners, we are committed to building a diverse and equitable workforce where everyone can contribute and grow, and organisations thrive. Discover how you can be part of this transformative movement by visiting https://theleadnetwork.net/Dunke Afe is a Non Executive Director, Business and Development Coach with over 25 years of Consumer Goods , Beauty and Luxury industry experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel White is Managing director at Nielsen IQ & GfK. Rachel has a broad range of commercial and leadership experience, and is passionate about driving DE&I forwards. Rachel has supported some brilliant progress on the topic of menopause within her organisation and she will be sharing her experience and advice in this month's podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month we speak with Lisa Murdoch about how we can own our careers. Lisa is a Coach, Speaker , Trainer and CEO of Unleash My Future. A business specialising in supporting organisations & employees in the CPG & Retail sector. Lisas passionate about empowering people to unleash their brilliance and create a career they love. Through inspiration, insights, and tangible tools, Lisa helps people to supercharge their confidence, become the ‘CEO of their Careers’, and take their seat at the table. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our careers are full of potential and opportunities, uncertainity and change. There is no such thing as a straight line to success these days as we can get stuck, face obstacles, feel frustrated or simply be eager to explore new possibilities. Navigating a career path in today’s VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambigious) requires a whole different set of skills and perspective . In this episode, we talk about developing one's career and we are joined by Clare Walker, Category Group Director, R&D at Reckitt. Clare began her career as an analytical chemist at Boots. She joined then Reckitt in 2006 and has managed the global condoms team in Thailand and led innovations in pest control in India among many others. Clare’s driven by diversity, partnerships and a passion to go beyond the day job.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the world of DEI, intersectionality describes how our compounding identities affect how we see the world, and in some cases, how the world sees or maybe doesn't see us. We are talking about leadership and intersectionality with Anjana Anand, the Director of Insight and Innovation at Amazon UK Retail. Not only is Anjana focused on finding new ways to make the consumer shopping experience the best it can possibly be, she's also a mentor to other working moms like herself, offering advice and support to help them achieve their potential in the workplace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we talk to Stephen Egli Senior leader and Finance Director at CHEP. Stephen has a wide range of financial and commercial business experience, he is also driven by a passion to inspire, learn and make a tangible difference. It was a pleasure to speak with him about his discovery and journey of Allyship. He gives some refreshing honest reflections and practical advice on being an ally . Guess what ? Everyone can be an Ally.Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Creating Inclusive workplaces starts from the top, with leaders capable of conscious and personal introspection, reflection and role modelling.' In this month’s Bitesize leadership podcast we are joined by Sandeep Gill, the Global HR R&D Director at Reckitt to talk about Inclusion and creating inclusive workplaces.Sandeep brings over 19 years of diverse HR leadership in markets, global organisations and new start-ups, both in HR and Talent roles. She has a strong track record of building diverse high performing leadership teams and driving cultural change. In our discussion, Sandeep shares her reflections on powerful and personal ways to create inclusive workplaces, starting from leaders looking within and considering how they lead inclusively. She also offers some advice on what employees feeling excluded can do courageously and also shares some lessons when she’s learned when starting her leadership journey.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you be high performing at work and living with mental health issues? Would you know how to protect or improve your mental health or provide support to others?According to NHS Digital, a sixth of the population in England aged 16 to 64 have a mental health problem. Whether it is family or friends, neighbours or work colleagues, the chances are we all know someone who is affected. Bearing in mind the figure is a snapshot in time, you could easily argue it is even more prevalent than that. It’s Mental health awareness week and in recognition of that, this episode of the Bitesize leadership podcast focuses on leadership lessons around mental health. Please be aware that some of the content covered is sensitive and may be difficult for some to hear. This month, we are  privileged to be joined by Louise Erdozain, Senior Sales Director at Procter and Gamble , She cites her personal experience of depression early on in her career as the catalyst for her to become a champion for healthy minds at P&G 15 years ago. She now plays an active leadership role in helping to build resilience and balance throughout the organisation, to help enable people to reach their full potentialLou shares her most challenging leadership experience which had to do with her mental health. She openly talks about her struggles and what she consistently does now to protect her mental health. She also shares very useful advice for leaders and organisations as well as resources , references and links for anyone living with mental health issues.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent data shows that 76% of employees report moderate to high levels of stress and it's also been reported that up to 4 in 8 people experience burnout at work. April is stress awareness month and so we are speaking with Vanessa Juby , the founder of Welfy (Welfy.co.uk ) about her leadership journey through work related stress and how she came through the other side .Vanessa spent twenty years working in advertising both at Board Level in Creative Agencies and in Global roles Client side at Unilever. She is now a certified Coach and Co-Founder of workplace wellbeing training start-up, Welfy, and has been bringing big business thinking to the wellness arena for almost five years now. Vanessa shares her experience on the causes of stress and givespractical steps leaders can take to identify and manage stress within their organisations . She also shares how she handles stress personally and offers some helpful steps anyone can take to handle stress better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bitesize Leadership Podcast is a series of conversations with inspirational leaders and achievers sharing their leadership journey and career life lessons. In our very first episode ,our special guest is Louise Stigant, Mondelez International – UK MD. As Managing Director of Mondelez’s UK business Louise Stigant leads a team of 4,000 people across the UK. She very openly chatted to us about her biggest career lessons , advice for the next generation of leaders and who she would invite to her perfect dinner party!   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.