Welcome to the latest episode of the Future Faces podcast, hosted by Sophie Poduval-Morrell. This new episode celebrates the achievements of Santina Bunting, the youngest winner of the Greater Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (GBYPY) Awards. A civil engineering apprentice at Arup, Santina reflects on her decision to pursue an apprenticeship over traditional education, influenced by her mother's sacrifices. She emphasizes the supportive environment at Arup and the opportunities provided through the Future Faces network. The discussion highlights the importance of visibility, education, and diversity in the professional world, with anecdotes about organizing successful community and networking events. Santina's experiences and positive outlook advocate for women in STEM and underscore the value of early career investment for future leadership development.
In a powerful and compelling new episode of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we were introduced to Gabriel Imevbore, an eloquent, determined, and inspiring sales director at Z Digital UK. Hosted by Sophie Poduval-Morrell, this episode highlights Gabriel's journey, which resonates with the theme of Black History Month, touching upon the significance of social mobility and the unique challenges faced by young Black professionals. Gabriel discusses his challenging upbringing, marked by his mother's battles with severe depression, financial hardships, and his own youthful rebellion. His story traverses his time in emergency accommodation at St. Basil's, several years at the YMCA, and the transformative mentorship of DK James. Despite early struggles, Gabriel rose to become a successful young professional. His story includes becoming the youngest trustee of YMCA Heart of England, and winning notable awards like the Third Sector Award and Young Leader of the Year. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories on the Future Faces podcast and follow us on social media for updates and new episodes.
In episode 38 of the Future Faces podcast, host Sophie Poduval-Morrell of the Future Faces Chamber of Commerce interviews Ashley Kerr, an associate at Mills & Reeve and a former member of the Future Faces Committee. Ashley shares his inspiring career journey, discussing his personal experiences with social mobility. From his challenging school years where he had to fight for education while caring for his sick grandfather, to navigating university applications without family support, and eventually succeeding in the legal profession, Ashley's story is one of determination and resilience. The conversation underscores the importance of social mobility and the impact of networking, mentorship, and perseverance in achieving career goals.
Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals, families or groups through a system of social hierarchy. Basically, it talks about moving up or down the social ladder based on your wealth, occupation, age, gender or other social variables. In episode 37 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from Alena Dudrah and Phil Hunt from mfg Solicitors. Sophie talks to Alena and Phil about their career journeys and how social mobility has shaped how they got to where they are today, including a special insight into the inner workings of the legal profession pathway. They also discuss the upcoming professional development event on social mobility, taking place on 25 September at The Button Factory. The event will feature a live panel discussion on how social mobility affects the workplace, with key speakers such as Gabriel Imevbore, Emma Chater, Javed Ahmed and Baoli Zhao. Visit the GBCC events website for more information.
It's two months to go until we celebrate the successes and achievements of young professionals at the Greater Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards 2024, taking place at the ICC on Friday, 18 October. In episode 36 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from this years awards ceremony host, Amber Sandhu. With a diverse and extensive background in the media, spanning across TV and radio broadcasting for BBC Midlands Today, BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio WM and Sky Sports News, including covering the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Amber will be bringing her dynamic personality to the ICC stage to present the awards ceremony. In this episode, Amber talks to Sophie about personal brand, imposter syndrome and how important it is for social media to be a safe space to share content that is authentic to you. Sophie also talks about the upcoming awards and their importance to the careers of young professionals, with the shortlist being announced very soon.
Participating in a mentor scheme programme can be hugely beneficial for anyone's career, whether they are a young professional or a senior leader. In episode 35 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from Heart FM presenter and marketing communications expert Ed James, and his mentee Georgia Turvey, social media content executive at Liquid and the genius behind the Future Faces TikTok account. Sophie talks to Ed and Georgia about their mentoring relationship, and how the scheme has helped Georgia to create a new-found confidence in areas such as public speaking and personal brand. Ed also offers a special insight into the workings behind being a mentor, and how having a mentee is equally important for growth as a senior leader.
Young professionals can benefit hugely from either having a mentor or being a mentor themselves, and in episode 34 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast we hear just how much of an impact a mentor relationship can have on an individual. Sophie talks to one of the successful matches from the Future Faces mentor scheme programme, general manager of Touchwood Solihull, Tony Elvin, and Money Chopra, cluster sales manager at Malmaison and Hotel Du Vin. Tony and Money offer an insight into their mentor/mentee relationship, detailing how the mentor scheme has impacted both of them in their careers and personal lives. Find out how Tony's advice and support has helped Money to achieve her goals and aspirations in the last six months.
As we approach the end of Pride Month, Future Faces continues to shine a light on the movement by welcoming Char Bailey, director of people and culture at Birmingham Pride UK. Char joins Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell and co-host Nadia Johnstone-Smith from the Future Faces diversity and inclusion group to discuss the year-round support offered by Birmingham Pride, as well as the evolution of the 27-year-old organisation. Char also speaks candidly about some of the barriers she has had to overcome as a mixed race, neurodiverse member of the LGBTQ+ community. Find out why the work done by Birmingham Pride has "massive ripple effect for the rest of the world."
In episode 32 of Future Faces, The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from Shereen Johal, associate at Shoosmiths and member of the Future Faces Diversity and Inclusion working group. DISCLAIMER: This episode features potentially upsetting topics, including abuse and discrimination. Please listen at your own discretion. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Shereen about her own personal journey of being a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the legal sector, including how she advocates and raises awareness for the community in a variety of ways. Shereen shares a brave and thought-provoking insight into how she has dealt with discrimination herself, and talks about how people can support the LGBTQ+ community by being an ally. If you would like to get in touch with Shereen, you can find her on LinkedIn.
In episode 31 of Future Faces, The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from committee member Hannah Ellis, senior business manager at Lloyds Bank. DISCLAIMER: This episode features potentially upsetting topics, including eating disorders and cancer. Please listen at your own discretion. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Hannah about her own personal journey with mental health struggles, including how she overcame her struggles and the support she received from work as well as her family and friends. If you would like to get in touch with Hannah, you can find her on LinkedIn. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please reach out to people who can help you. Below is a list of resources for mental health awareness and support: www.mind.org.uk birminghammind.org www.nhs.uk/mental-health/ www.betterhelp.com www.mentalhealth.org.uk www.youngminds.org.uk www.sane.org.uk
In episode 30 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from Kerrie Henry-Edge and Mike Jeffries, who are part of the team at our chosen charity Birmingham Mind. Kerrie is Birmingham Mind's fundraising officer, while Mike heads the role of training manager. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Kerrie and Mike about the work they do at Birmingham Mind, including the mental health services they offer for the people of wider Birmingham. Kerrie and Mike also give a preview into what they will be doing for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week, taking place from the 13th to the 19th of May, as well as a special insight into the mental health first aid courses they provide for businesses. If you would like to get in touch with Kerrie or Mike, you can find them on LinkedIn.
In episode 29 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from Alice Kinder, senior associate solicitor at Bexley Beaumont. Alice is also the youngest president in 204 years of the Birmingham Law Society, as well as last year's winner of the Greater Birmingham Legal Young Professional of the Year award. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Alice about her career in the legal sector, especially her role as the current president of the Birmingham Law Society, and the importance of leadership for young professionals. Alice also offers a special insight into her views on empowerment and the female voice in the business community. If you would like to get in touch with Alice, you can find her on LinkedIn.
In episode 28 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from leadership experts Louise Teboul and Avni Ahuja. Louise and Avni are both key figures at Common Purpose, who provide transformative learning experiences to professionals, in order to give them the skills, mindset and spark to make a difference. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Louise and Avni about the importance of leadership, and how young professionals can foster a working style that will help them to move forward in their careers towards being leaders of their sectors. Louise and Avni also give a special insight into how Common Purpose can provide leadership advice for professionals, including their Legacy Programme. If you would like to get in touch with Louise, Avni and the team at Common Purpose, please visit their website at commonpurpose.org You can also find Louise and Avni on LinkedIn.
In episode 27 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from mindfulness in the workplace expert Amanda Jackson from Beacon Learning and Performance Limited. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Amanda about Mindfulness and Resilience, and how we can incorporate them into our daily lives through something as simple as folding our laundry. Amanda gives a special insight into how all people have different resilience limitations, and how mindfulness practices can be used to benefit our mental health. If you would like to get in touch with Amanda and the team at Beacon Learning and Performance Limited, please call 07969 776075 or email info@beaconmentalhealth.co.uk. You can also find Amanda on LinkedIn.
In episode 26 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from leadership coaching expert Rebecca Mander from GuruYou. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Rebecca about Self-Doubt and the Imposter Phenomena (otherwise known as Imposter Syndrome), and how young professionals can tackle these feelings in order to persevere in their careers. Rebecca also gives us a special insight into the Bounce Forward programme, as well as what our young professionals can expect from our Resilience and Mindfulness professional development event, taking place on 12 March at Mills & Reeve, as part of our Bounce Forward mini-series. If you would like to get in touch with Rebecca and the team at GuruYou, please call 0121 270 4300 or email rebecca@guruyoucoach.com. You can also find Rebecca on LinkedIn.
In episode 25 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from two of our fantastic Future Faces vice presidents - Amy Jacklin and Sarah Griffiths. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to the VPs about why they wanted to join the Future Faces committee, and what they are looking forward to getting stuck into most about the upcoming year. We also hear a special insight from Sophie about her role as Future Faces manager, and what she is looking forward to about the upcoming year.
In episode 24 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from some new faces on our fantastic Future Faces committee - Adam Gadsby, Harry Paige and Jasmine Caine. Our new faces are also joined by re-elected committee member, Will Crawford. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to the group about why they wanted to join the Future Faces committee, and what they are looking forward to getting stuck into most about the upcoming year.
In episode 23 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from five members of our brand new Future Faces executive committee, including our President Kasim Choudhry and new vice-president, Freya Dearman. Joining Kasim and Freya are new committee members Faye Jacklin and Jamie Gibson, as well as longstanding committee member Tom Bower. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to the committee members about their own journeys with Future Faces, as well as what they are looking to bring to the network in the next year.
In episode 22 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from Zaylie-Dawn Wilson, head of Creative Partnerships at Birmingham Hippodrome and overall winner of the Greater Birmingham Young Professional of the Year awards 2023. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Zaylie about her career journey into the Creative Arts sector, through to winning the Greater Birmingham Young Professional of the Year 2023. Zaylie talks about her awards journey, from the application process to her judges interview, as well as what it has been like for her since she won her award. Zaylie also offers a personal insight into being a working mother, with how she has juggled having a young baby, spearheading the Creative Partnerships department at Birmingham Hippodrome, and applying for the awards.
In episode 21 of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, we hear from Tara Attfield-Tomes, founder of PR agency EAST VILLAGE., and Georgie Butler, associate director at Blackberry Events. Future Faces manager Sophie Poduval-Morrell talks to Tara and Georgie about the importance of being both a mentor and mentee in a young professionals' career, and how young professionals can access a mentor through the Future Faces network. Tara and Georgie offer a personal insight into their own mentor relationship, and how the mentoring journey contributed to both their careers.