The IWIB Female Factor Podcast

Sophie Hedestad is an expert in Marketing, Communication, Leadership, Sales & Social Media. She works at an international environment and has worked for technology companies throughout her career with leadership within sales and marketing. She is a thought leader within digitization and female leadership. Sophie is the famous host of the swedish podcast #KommuniceraMERA and the English podcast #VoiceOfSuccess.

Urban Björn is the author of the book "Business As Equals" released this past April - in Swedish, where he shares tips and advice on how to successfully drive a gender equality workplace, and get the great business potential in increased diversity and strengthen.  At a time when it is now assumed that diversity leads to more fervent and successful decisions, also thinks that the variance-based recruitment trend is worrying. Can Equity be one of the reasons for polarization? Us and them. You and us? Is it even going to be a total 'we'? Will 'we' not always hold sub-groupings where polarization picks up? Is it not precisely the differences of sub-groupings that create the 'throaty' conflict that leads to innovation and success? Without conflict- do we not accept stagnation? Perhaps the problem is not polarisation itself. According to Urban sometime we have to play 'Devil's advocate'. And, not see the word polarization as just negative. Here you can learn more about Urban services: http://www.businessasequals.se/

Yonah Welker talks about the challenges of Zero Exclusion, AI & Ethics. The future of technology is nonbinary. There is no the same brain, mental or talent pattern. There is always an infinite spectrum of shades and colors. Yonah has been working on the intersection of tech and society since 2005 year - when he become a tech explorer and launched a hardware think tank. He founded and co-created tech startups and labs, helped to facilitate tech ecosystems through North America to APAC, MENA, Africa, Europe, screened over 2000 teams, contributed projects in ethics (AI, tech), deeptech, impact and sustainability (European Commission-funded projects and open calls). Yonah guided and screened the world youngest tech and AI inventors, Ashoka and United Nations fellows, talent from Google, Singularity University, 500 Startups, Techstars, Masschallenge, alumni of MIT, Stanford, Oxford. Recent projects include the Human-Centered AI & Ethics (with Shop4CF, funded by the European Commission). I also support such communities as: All Tech Is Human, Montreal AI Ethics Institute, Women In AI, Teens In AI and many others. Here you can learn more about Yonah's work:  https://yonah.ai

Clayton Steele is a true 'portfolio careeer' business woman and global citizen. She is specialized in cross-border transactions, admitted in both New York State and the Republic of Colombia. Currently, Clayton teaches law at Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. In addition to legal writing and corporate drafting at other law schools in the US. Her areas of expertise include Project & Infrastructure Finance, Energy–Natural Resources and Power, M&A, Impact Investing, and Cross-border Real Estate transactions. She was an Independent Consultant for Delaware Counsel Group and ADN Capital Venture, and has been a board member of WILL (Women in Leadership in Latin America – New York Chapter) and as WILL’s Executive Director for the New York Chapter. In 2009, she moved to Bogotá, Colombia, with her children for five years where she was special counsel at Posse Herrera y Ruiz Abogados and was an adjunct professor in the law schools of the Universidad de Los Andes and the Universidad Externado. Clayton graduated from St. Andrew’s School and holds a BA in Iberian Latin American Studies and Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University. She was a Rotary Scholar at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and received her JD from Tulane Law School. She is also a member of Women Corporate Directors (WCD) Bogotá and the Philanthropy Council of the School Year Abroad Program.

Soledad  is an Argentinian who after many years of living in abroad found her passion for sustainabilty. She is a lawyer licensed in Argentina and member of The New York Bar.  LinekdIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soledadmatteozzi/ Website: https://www.thinkingbeyondbusiness.com/ Email: info@thinkingbeyondbusiness.com

Get inspired by Oonagh van den Berg, who is a lawyer from Northern Ireland based in Hong Kong. She is a Mother, an Award Winning Compliance Officer, Entrepreneurial CEO, Innovator, Disruptor, Global Compliance Community Builder, Keynote Speaker, Podcast Host & Mentor. You can learm more about Oonagh's company at: www.rawcompliance.com

Shân Millie is the founder of the Bright Blue Hare, where she works with both corporate intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs , and as Innovation & Customer Lead for Delegated Authority specialists, GreenKite Associates. She is a FinTech Delivery Panel (FDP) Board member for InsurTech; co-Chair of FDP Financial Inclusion; and FinTech Advisor for the Cabinet Office-sponsored Access to Insurance initiative. Also a Board Advisor for biodiversity social enterprise Heal Rewilding, and co-host of the podcast series #HerStory, powered by Digital Women. Shân is the co-author of The AI Book - A Handbook for Investors, Entrepreneurs & FinTech Visionaries.

Gina Pari shares her amazing personal and professional journey with us. She is the Client Director at Safello, founder of SweBlocks and the Bolivian Blockchain Association, and cryptocurrency advocate.

Kate Bohn joined us from the UK and shared her personal and professional journey into the finance world. She also shared why she is actively involved in ensuring gender equality and opportunities for women in the fintech industry. Kate is also the co-founder of Technical Women in Leadership, a community of multi-industry senior women in technology and finance practitioners based in the UK. According to her profile on LinkedIn, she is a gifted Connector and highly skilled yet versatile transformation driver and leader; with a strong mix of experience in front/back financial services 'stuff' - be that innovation, personnel development, marketing, strategy, broking, client/ account management, insights, digital, disruption, delivery, or technology.... INDUSTRY AWARDS/ LISTINGS: + Oct 2020 : Banking Tech Awards - Woman in Technology, Finalist + Apr 2020 : 100WFinTech - 100 Women in Finance + Mar 2020 : Innovate Finance - Women in Fintech Powerlist 2019 + Dec 2019 : Fintech Futures 2019 - Top 10 women in Fintech & Banking + Jul 2019 : Women in Finance - Advocate of the Year, Finalist + Mar 2019 : Innovate Finance - Women in Fintech Powerlist 2018 You can follow Kate on the following social media platforms: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katebohn/ Instagram at @Kate_Bohn Twitter: @kate_bohn www.katebohn.com

The Swedish social media lit up at the end of 2020 when Sean George, a hedge-fund manager from New York questioned the country’s prized egalitarian credentials. Sean George is a New Yorker living in Sweden who has Caribbean roots, and who had to go solo with his fund in Stockholm in 2018, which already reached over 100 million US dollars in assets. After decades of working overseas at firms like UBS Group AG, Bank of America Corp. and Deutsche Bank AG, he said he failed to get as much as an interview when he moved back to Stockholm. In this episode, Sean shares what inspired him to share his story. Read what happens next with Sean George's hedge-fund: https://www-bloombergquint-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bloombergquint.com/amp/markets/-100-million-swedish-hedge-fund-shuts-as-manager-heads-to-london

To celebrate Women's History Month, IWIB invited remarkable women who we can learn from and get inspired. For this episode we have invited a young lawyer from the UK, Esyllt Martin, who is originally from Wales, currently working in London as a Solicitor at the Eversheds-Sutherland law firm, specialising in both Immigration and Employment Law. Having experienced trauma at a young age and entering the legal career via a non-traditional route, Esyllt will be discussing her experience in overcoming difficulties with her mental health, whilst overcoming adversity in her legal career. She will be speaking candidly about her highs and lows and how important it is to seek help before it is too late. As an advocate for mental health within her firm, she has given similar talks to colleagues in the hopes that it will help those in similar situations. IMP: If you need help with mental issues please do reach out to your friends and family or your medical provider.

To celebrate Women's History Month, IWIB invited women who we can learn from and get inspired. For this episode we have Swedish female founder, Anju Khanna, co-founder of "Systrarna Khanna" which translates The Khanna Sisters.  Anju and her sister Alka, for several years dreamed of making a business that would honor their parents' Indian food heritage.  Their parents were actually pioneers who opened the first Indian grocery store in Sweden back in the 70's with authentic food and their own spice mixes with inspiration from India. For 40 years they ran Indian restaurants, shops and cooking classes together in Gothenburg.  In the summer of 2015, after they visited their parents they started stocking up with our parents' spice mixes as usual to take home from Malmö and Stockholm. And, unlike previous years, they decided to learn the recipes themselves from the ground up and that is how "Systrarna Khanna AB" grew to be the successful business that is today. Their products are available at several large retailers stores, i.e.: Coop, Mathem, Hemköp and Ica stores around the country. Anju is grateful for their knowledge of Indian cuisine and together with her sister, look forward to passing it on to the next generations. To check and buy their products follow the link below. https://www.systrarnakhanna.se/

IWIB's Philantropy Coordinator, Ewa Borin explains why she has chosen ECPAT as the organization for IWIB to support under 2021-2022 - and hopefully for years to come. Together with IWIB's founder, they welcome special guest Linda Wijkström, Business & Partner Manager at ECPAT Sweden, ECPAT is a child rights organisation working against child sexual exploitation, preventing and stopping all forms of sexual exploitation of children: child sexual abuse material (child pornography), traveling offenders (child sex tourism) and trafficking of children for sexual purposes. ECPAT operates, as the only organisation in Sweden, a web-based Hotline to which the public can anonymously report suspected child sexual exploitation. Since March 2020, there is a support line for children and youngsters to address their questions and offer advise regarding sexual exploitation, IRL or on online.  ECPAT provides information and expertise on the subject and work with prevention, advocating for change and collaborate with government agencies, the private sector and other organisations. If you are in Sweden please donate any amount to the SWISH number 9034349. To learn more and support ECPAT click the link below: https://www.ecpat.se/in-english

Beth Topolovsky is an American living in Sweden and currently working as a Managing Partner with Spark Group and Stinsen Partners in Stockholm, Sweden. Beth has a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from San Francisco State University. She is a woman in tech who started her career at Hewlett-Packard as a chip designer in California, and also a woman who brought the Silicon Valley based Method to Product Development Process in the board rooms she serves on. Currently, Beth is serving on AmCham Sweden’s Board of Directors and is leading AmCham Sweden’s Mentoring Program since 2009. She also is on the Board of Directors for Turnaround Management Association in Sweden since 2011. - For more information on Beth's services and the Silicon Valley based Method visit her company's website: www.sparkgroup.se - To learn more about the AmCham Sweden's mentorship program and sign up from anywhere in the world follow the link below: https://www.amcham.se/mentoring-program

"International Women´s Day in the A.I Era", IWIB has the honour to welcome Prof. dr. Mireille Hildebrandt, as our guest speaker. She is a Professor of ‘Interfacing Law and Technology’ in the Law Faculty in Brussels and Professor of ‘Smart Environments, Data Protection and the Rule of Law’ at the Science Faculty of Radboud University in The Netherlands. She is also founding Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Research in Computational Law (CRCL). Even though Prof. Hildebrandt does not believe in fixed identities and does not identify as a feminist (for the same reason), she believes it is crucial that in a day like International Women's Day, we advocate that women participate in the development of, resistance against and proper integration of ‘AI'. Proffesor Mireille research interests concern the implications of automated decisions, machine learning and mindless artificial agency for law and the rule of law in constitutional democracies. She has published 5 scientific monographs, 23 edited volumes or special issues, and over 100 chapters and articles in scientific journals and volumes. Additionally, she received an ERC Advanced Grant for her project on ‘Counting as a Human Being in the era of Computational Law’ (2019-2024), that funds COHUBICOL.