The Manifesto Read

Set up by two friends, Abimbola Johnson (known as OJ) and Ayo Afolabi. We have gathered groups of experts to have round table discussions about the areas of the big three's manifestos that correspond with their areas of industry. This podcast is not aimed at pushing a particular agenda or supporting a specific party but rather about encouraging informed discussions. It’s about being as objective as we can in our analyses of the big three’s manifestos by bringing our own practical knowledge of those areas to the table. It also will mean that following the election there is a more engaged electorate that is ready to hold whomever is voted in accountable to the promises made during election campaigning.Hopefully we can help to get you ready for voting in the 12 December General Election!We have recorded 4 episodes dealing with:1. Defence, Crime, Home Affairs2. Education3. Health and Social Care; and4. Economy, Business and Climate Change See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Set up by two friends, Abimbola Johnson (known as OJ) and Ayo Afolabi. The Manifesto Read has gathered groups of experts to have round table discussions about the areas of the big three's manifestos that correspond with their areas of industry. This Episode concentrates on Defence, Crime and Home AffairsOur Panel:Samuel Etienne (Defence), a former Army Officer equipped with over five years of leadership, risk & operations experience in high-tempo environments. Samuel holds a degree in Physics from Queen Mary, University of London, as well as various professional qualifications from The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and British Army. He has served in a variety of roles in the military, from commanding troops & assets in the field to heading up soldier training. Samuel is passionate about geopolitics, communication and applied behavioural science, social mobility and the psychology that drives them all. A RUSI member, he has written on Sub-Saharan African security, including the fragile state status of Nigeria and the United Nations failure in Rwanda.Fiona Robertson (Crime) a criminal barrister specialising in cases involving young and vulnerable defendants and witnesses. She was called to the Bar in 2008 but has been involved with human rights and the law in Ghana, the Cayman Islands and the UK for the last 15 years. She is particularly concerned with how the justice system impacts on the most vulnerable members of society - from the over criminalisation of youths and those with mental health issues to the impact of legal aid cuts forcing people to self represent against the might of the state.Abimbola Johnson, aka OJ (Crime) a criminal defence, regulatory and inquest barrister at 25 Bedford Row. Winner of the 2018 Diversity Legal Awards Rising Star (Chambers) category and a finalist in the 2018 Black British Business Awards, Abimbola’s practice focusses on serious crime, professional discipline and inquiry work. She often appears in serious and complex cases co-defending with and being prosecuted by far more senior members of the Bar. OJ was called to the Bar in 2011 by the Inner Temple. She read law at Oxford.Ayo Afolabi (Home Affairs), a management consultant in the city (working within Financial Services) by day at a big 4 firm. He has FS expertise gained across Insurance, Investment Banking, Corporate, Retail and group level). Specific projects have covered include insurance engagements where post acquisition policy alignment for personnel has also taken place. He also has experience in policy - implementation and executing updates across all different business areas as part of a banking group’s central change management initiative. Outside of work his extra-curricular activities are wide ranging: He sits on the council for the African and Caribbean Network at KPMG. He is a social media content creator who runs a lifestyle platform with his wife Ruth called 'The Afolabis' which focuses on lifestyle, relationships and purpose and aims to help individuals enjoy life while living, leading and loving with passion and purpose. He co-authored his first book with his wife, Ruth, which was published by SPCK the oldest Christian publishing house in the UK.Zainab Asunramu (Home Affairs) an activist, a parliamentary researcher and an advocate for human rights who holds a Masters degree in International Politics and Human Rights. She worked at Amnesty International UK for over 5 years in various roles including a year as a Research Assistant for Amnesty's Online Violence against Women research. Zainab worked in Parliament (up until the GE) as a Parliamentary Researcher for a former Labour MP, producing briefings, speaking notes, attending key meetings on behalf of her former Member and completing policy responses as part of her day job. She is a graduate of the Labour Party's Inaugural Bernie Grant Leadership Programme. She is currently working at Activate as a Movement Manager. Activate is an organisation whose mission is to champion female activists who are supporting their local communities to extend their power into politics by standing for elected roles (MPs, Mayors and Councillors) She is a School Speaker and delivers workshops to young people between the ages of 11-21 around human rights values and youth engagement in politics. She is also a Campaign Coach for the for the Advocacy Academy which is a youth social justice fellowship based in South London. Zainab is the BAME Officer for her Constituency Labour Party and the Events and Networking Officer for ParliREACH which is Parliament's Workplace Equality Network for Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Set up by two friends, Abimbola Johnson (known as OJ) and Ayo Afolabi. The Manifesto Read has gathered groups of experts to have round table discussions about the areas of the big three's manifestos that correspond with their areas of industry.This Episode’s Panel:Lotis Bautista Lotis is one of the Co-founders of VOLO Group, a technology company aiming to help people develop careers they love through volunteering. She currently manages client relationships, training and operations in her role at VOLO, liaising frequently with university partners and students. Lotis started her career in education as a participant on the Teach First graduate programme in 2012, where she taught English and Politics in West London for 3 years, becoming Assistant Head of Sixth Form in her second year. After leaving teaching, Lotis was part of the Founding Team at the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership, who sought to develop a hub of resources and training for all teachers in Church of England Schools across the UK and she has also been a School Governor since 2015 for a Primary school in North West London. Through this role, she has been part of the governing body that oversaw the school's transition from 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good,' and has developed an ongoing marketing strategy to increase the school's role. Lotis has also trained incoming Teach First English teachers since 2016 and also manages the Access course at City Lit, one of London's biggest Adult Education providers, where she supports adult learners to gain the qualifications required for university through an intensive one-year Access course. Her experience has lead to an in-depth understanding of the inner functions of educational institutions, at all levels, and provides her with the unique ability to understand the sector as a whole.Charlotte Nicholls is a Deputy Headteacher based in a large comprehensive secondary school in Surrey, part of a multi-academy trust (MAT) of 10 schools spanning the county. She is also Director of Initial Teacher Training across the MAT, working to promote high-quality teacher training across all of the schools with the ambition of enticing more people to train to teach, and leading to the recruitment and retention of more excellent teachers in both the primary and secondary phases. Charlotte studied Modern Languages at Oxford University, before gaining a distinction in her post-graduate law conversion. After this, Charlotte realised her heart was in the classroom and has never looked back. Within two years of completing her PGCE at the Institute of Education, Charlotte was appointed as Head of Languages in a large comprehensive secondary school in Berkshire, where she led changes which resulted in a 23% increase in GCSE results on universal entry. Within a further two years she entered the senior leadership team of her current multi-academy trust. Having gone through the comprehensive system herself, Charlotte was the first in her family to go to university. She has experienced first-hand - as a student, teacher and senior leader - the enormous benefits of a comprehensive state education, how it can bring out the best in all students and give them strong foundations to go out into the world and realise their full potential. Guy Forbat is the Head of Music at William Ellis School, an all-boys secondary school in Camden, where he teaches Music Technology A-level and leads the school's Music provision. His department has exceeded national expectations for the uptake of Music GCSE since 2016, as a result of an outstanding team and highly supportive headteacher. He is extremely passionate about his subject and has a First Class degree in Music from the University of Leeds, as well as an MPhil in Management from the University of Cambridge's Judge Business School. After starting his career as a Teach First Music participant in 2012, he has been a Music Subject Tutor for Canterbury Christ Church University and has delivered teacher training to Teach First Music participants across London since 2014. Guy is also heavily involved in the Music provision in his local borough and is a Governor at WAC Arts, an alternative provision college aimed at supporting young people through the power of the arts. Alongside his teaching, he is also the Secondary Music Coordinator for the London Borough of Camden, where he leads on supporting the borough's Music teachers through sharing good practice and is an advisor for Future DJs, an innovative Music startup aiming to professionalise the teaching of DJing and spreading its provision to schools and students across the UK. Guy is a highly experienced drummer and pianist and enjoys drumming in big bands and concert bands in and around London.Yansé Cooper graduated from Durham University with a first-class degree in Modern Languages and Cultures (French, Spanish & Arabic) before training to teach Modern Foreign Languages to secondary pupils through the Teach First Programme in 2010. Since then, she has taught across London secondary schools, led a primary school’s Spanish-teaching pilot, and obtained a PGCE from Canterbury Christ Church University, a post-graduate certificate in Leadership from UCL Institute of Education, and an MSc in Comparative and International Education from The University of Oxford. She has been working for Teach First as an Initial Teacher Educator since leaving the classroom in 2016, and undertook the role of associate teaching and learning tutor for early-career teachers in the inaugural training institute of Le Choix de l’école (formerly known as ‘Teach For France’).She is the co-founder of the Teach First BAME Network through which she addresses the underrepresentation of BAME leaders in education through: advocacy, research and consultancy, and convening sector events. She is a committee member of the Amos Bursary charity, through which she trains both prospective and experienced mentors to meet the academic and social needs of Black-British boys from low income backgrounds.Ekow Oliver is the Communications Lead for Rivers Coaching, a social enterprise dedicated to the abolition of social inequality through the dismantling of an unjust education system. Ekow's activist voice was formed by growing up black in the North London borough of Haringey, where social inequality was laid bare by a north-south wealth divide, that was effectively a form of segregation. Before finishing school, he had joined the borough's youth council and upon the creation of Connexions North London (Labour's initiative at creating an umbrella youth services organisation for 13-19 year olds) he joined and eventually chaired the Young People's Partnership Board. From there he transitioned to a full board member and after the financial collapse of 2008 and the cuts to youth services, sat as a director of a private company attempting to fill the void left by a now defunded and defunct Connexions North London. Ekow started working at 16 and for 10 years, worked exclusively for charitable organisations and youth services. His experience in delivery, strategy, governance and fundraising gave him an insight into why many of our social injustices manage to persist despite decades of funding and intervention.Joining Rivers Coaching in 2017, Ekow works to fight for social justice and is only interested in society wide cultural shifts coupled with systemic changes that serve the most vulnerable and disenfranchised members of our society. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Set up by two friends, Abimbola Johnson (known as OJ) and Ayo Afolabi. The Manifesto Read has gathered groups of experts to have round table discussions about the areas of the big three's manifestos that correspond with their areas of industry.This Episode’s Panel:Kelechi Eseonu a speciality registrar in Trauma and Orthopaedics in London. Kelechi completed his primary medical qualification at the University of Edinburgh, with an intercalated BSc (Hons) in Genetics. After completing foundation and core training at Imperial College NHS trust, Great Ormond Street and the Royal London Hospital, Kelechi started higher orthopaedic training on the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (Stanmore) rotation in 2013. Kelechi undertook an Executive MSc in Health Economics, Management and Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE) where he developed an interest in the financial evaluation of health provision. He has also been awarded an MSc in Musculoskeletal sciences at the University of Oxford. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) in 2019. He has published a number of papers in Trauma and Orthopaedics and has presented his research both nationally and internationally. He has a keen interest in medical education and politics. He has previously been a Vice Chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) regional Junior doctors committee. He currently sits on the National Council of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) Trainees Committee as well as the British Association of Spinal Surgery (BASS) trainee sub-committee. He is a member of the AO Spine, BASS as well as the British Orthopaedic Association.Danielle Solomon is a Specialist Registrar in Public Health and a Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD Fellow at the Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL). She holds a medical degree from Oxford University and a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to specialising in public health, Danielle practiced as a sexual health and HIV physician at the Mortimer Market Centre in central London. She also previously worked as the Technical Advisor for HIV and AIDS at the international NGO Pathfinder International in Boston, and worked with the UK Faculty of Public Health on the blueprint for the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.Daniel Malynn South London Vascular Network Manager. He was a former senior policy adviser at Department of Health and Social Care, working on integrated care, NHS long term plan. He is a writer for BioNews on assisted conception and genetics. Although he is not a practising barrister, Daniel was called to the Bar in 2011Janita Halsey is the Youth Manager for a well established youth and community charity in Hackney that has been running 31 years. It was started by the Police in 1988 to keep young people positively engaged and divert them from crime. Its primary goal today is to help young people and families feel positive about themselves and their futures, give them opportunities to have new experiences and to walk alongside them on their journeys. As the youth manager she develops positive youth engagement programmes that provide support and opportunities to help young people thrive and reach their full potential, alongside working with statutory organisations such as social services, schools and GPs. She has worked in the voluntary sector full time for over 12 years and has a wealth of experience with working with some of the hardest to reach, most vulnerable young people and families in communities of high deprivation. Janita grew up with her parents being foster carers and so she is keenly aware of social care issues for young people. Today, she is part of the legal support care network for close friends who currently foster.Iyuwa Adedeji is family law barrister called to the Bar in 2012 with a master’s degree in Advanced Child Protection. After an established career in family law at the self-employed Bar, she has spent the last two years working in Local Authority Children's Services legal departments advising on child protection and safeguarding. She is currently the Interim Team Manager of a busy team in Essex. She is the Safeguarding Trustee for a family support and intervention charity offering befriending and therapy services. She has also previously worked for non-for-profit organisations working with and for people with disabilities and advising on welfare rights, as well as volunteering with the personal support unit assisting litigants in person and as a McKenzie Friend with the National Centre for Domestic Violence. Whilst at university she was trained and worked as a youth mentor for the youth offending team empowering disadvantaged children to reach their full potential, whilst also running a pro-bono prisoners’ rights program delivering talks to vulnerable prisoners at HMP Hull and setting up and training students for the University’s legal advice centre. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Set up by two friends, Abimbola Johnson (known as OJ) and Ayo Afolabi. The Manifesto Read has gathered groups of experts to have round table discussions about the areas of the big three's manifestos that correspond with their areas of industry.This Episode’s Panel:Alice Ritchie:Climate change lead for the Country Land and Business Association, working with farmers and landowners across England and Wales to create sustainable food production systems and lobbying the government on their behalf. She moved to the UK in 2018 after working for the New Zealand government on net-zero legislation and emissions trading, and is an NZ-qualified barrister and solicitor, specialising in environmental law. Alice is currently midway through an MSc in global food security from the University of Edinburgh.Afiya TitusFounder and MD of Lime Hut a contemporary Caribbean street food brand with a focus on health and wellbeing. The business recently featured in Forbes magazine. Afiya graduated from UCL and subsequently qualified as a chartered accountant at Deloitte where she worked in the Energy & Resources department. Her portfolio included billion dollar revenue FTSE 100 clients and she also managed subsidiary engagements across Europe & Africa. She worked across oil, gas, mining, utilities and renewable energy sectors. Her finance and accounting background is still utilised as she hosts periodic workshops and seminars to support small female-led businesses take control of their finances.Alexander AllenStarting as a geologist, Alex worked for several exploration companies across a range of commodities and countries. He gained an MSci in Geology from Bristol. He then went on to study an MSc at Imperial College in Metals and Energy Finance in 2014. He joined Hannam & Partners as a mining analyst, focussing on the small and mid-cap mining space in emerging markets including Africa, Central Asia and South America. He moved into the Capital Markets team at Hannam & Partners and now focusses on M&A and ECM execution as well as corporate broking across mining and oil & gas.Sam BrightSolicitor, Coal Lead at Client Earth in their Energy Programme. Rising Star at the British Legal Awards, he started his career at Clifford Chance where he specialised in EU competition and state aid law. He read law at Oxford University and undertook an LLM in Public International Law and Human Rights from UCLHe has also completed a postgraduate diploma in EU Competition Law at KCLTimi DorguStarted at L’Oréal, the global cosmetics giant, leading large sales teams. He was their youngest ever regional sales manager and won a Black British Business Award for his innovative work. He then went on to double the turnover of a new brand in the luxury beauty sector as National Sales & Marketing manager. He currently helps corporate businesses increase their diversity, working at Rare Recruitment. Alongside this, Timi is an award-winning jewellery entrepreneur with a diamonds business based in Hatton Garden and is starting a new venture in 2020. He and his wife also invest in property together.Matthew BirchUK and European patent attorney in the Engineering & Tech team at Carpmaels & Ransford LLP. He has a particular interest in the medical and renewable energy sectors. Matthew's work involves drafting and prosecuting patent applications for companies ranging from UK startups to large multinationals. He regularly represents his clients in attacking and defending patents at the European Patent Office in Munich, Berlin and The Hague. He also advises on infringement of intellectual property rights and freedom to operate, as well as handling registered and unregistered design rights and providing litigation support to the Dispute Resolution team at Carpmaels. Matthew entered the intellectual property profession in 2009 & after graduating from the University of Bristol with a first class MSci degree in Physics, specialising in condensed matter physics and nanotechnology. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

TMR will return in January 2020. Listen as OJ and Ayo set out where The Manifesto Read will be heading next. To stay up to date, please subscribe! For extra content and for updates follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themanifestoread/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ManifestoRead Get in touch by dropping us an email: themanifestoread@gmail.com if you have any topics or subjects you'd like us to get our experts to delve into.Like | Review | Subscribe For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy

In Season 2, The Manifesto Read has gathered groups of experts to have round table discussions about the areas of government policy on COVID-19 that correspond with their specialisms. In this episode Ayo and OJ speak to the panel about how frontline NHS work will operate during the pandemic; what the thinking is behind the public health approach taken by the government and what impact this will have on other areas of the health sectorThis Episode's Panel:Daniel MalynnDaniel returns for Season 2! He is a South London Vascular Network Manager. He was a former senior policy adviser at Department of Health and Social Care, working on integrated care, NHS long term plan. He is a writer for BioNews on assisted conception and genetics. Although he is not a practising barrister, Daniel was called to the Bar in 2011Dr Danielle SolomonShe's back again for Season 2! Danielle is a Specialist Registrar in Public Health and a Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD Fellow at the Institute for Global Health, University College London (UCL). She holds a medical degree from Oxford University and a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to specialising in public health, Danielle practiced as a sexual health and HIV physician at the Mortimer Market Centre in central London. She also previously worked as the Technical Advisor for HIV and AIDS at the international NGO Pathfinder International in Boston, and worked with the UK Faculty of Public Health on the blueprint for the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.Rosamund HawleyNew to Season 2. Roz is a management consultant at 2020 Delivery. For the last 7 years she has worked across multiple NHS Trusts and health economies to develop their strategies and transform their operational delivery for improved patient outcomes.Dr Folusha OluwajanaDr Oluwajana is a portfolio GP in North London. She went to the University of Birmingham MedicalSchool and also intercalated at Barts and The London School of Medicine School where she graduated with a BSc in Sports and Exercises Medicine. After medical school Dr Folusha moved to London where she completed her foundation training and eventually GP training.Dr Oluwajana has a non-clinical commissioning role. She is the North Central London (NCL) Clinical Lead for GP Recruitment and Retention. This involves evaluating existing recruitment and retention methods and developing and implementing new programmes across the five NCL boroughs (Camden, Islington, Haringey, Barnet and Enfield). She has a passion for all things health, nutrition and fitness so she is currently using social media under @fitdocfolu as a means to inspire and educate people in these areas.Bami AfolabiNew to Season 2. Bami Afolabi was the managing director of Beaulah Care for 9 years. An organisation that provides supported living and residential care services for adults with learning disabilities and mental health problems in communities across East London and Essex. Currently he has taken a step back from that role to study Global Health at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.Find us on Instagram: @themanifestoread Twitter: @manifestoread or Email us: themanifestoread@gmail.comDon't forget to subscribe! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on education. We consider the impact on school exams, analyse what information and guidance has been given to teachers and parents, and what will happen to vulnerable students and families. This Episode's Panel:Yansé Cooper graduated from Durham University with a first-class degree in Modern Languages and Cultures (French, Spanish & Arabic) before training to teach Modern Foreign Languages to secondary pupils through the Teach First Programme in 2010. Since then, she has taught across London secondary schools, led a primary school’s Spanish-teaching pilot, and obtained a PGCE from Canterbury Christ Church University, a post-graduate certificate in Leadership from UCL Institute of Education, and an MSc in Comparative and International Education from The University of Oxford. She has been working for Teach First as an Initial Teacher Educator since leaving the classroom in 2016, and undertook the role of associate teaching and learning tutor for early-career teachers in the inaugural training institute of Le Choix de l’école (formerly known as ‘Teach For France’).She is the co-founder of the Teach First BAME Network through which she addresses the under-representation of BAME leaders in education through: advocacy, research and consultancy, and convening sector events. She also is a committee member of the Amos Bursary charity.—Ekow Oliver is the Communications Lead for @riverscoaching, a social enterprise dedicated to the abolition of social inequality through the dismantling of an unjust education system. Ekow's activist voice was formed by growing up black in the North London borough of Haringey, where social inequality was laid bare by a north-south wealth divide, that was effectively a form of segregation. Before finishing school, he had joined the borough's youth council and upon the creation of Connexions North London (Labour's initiative at creating an umbrella youth services organisation for 13-19 year olds) he joined and eventually chaired the Young People's Partnership Board. From there he transitioned to a full board member and after the financial collapse of 2008 and the cuts to youth services, sat as a director of a private company attempting to fill the void left by a now defunct Connexions North London.—Charlotte Nicholls is a Deputy Headteacher based in a large comprehensive secondary school in Surrey, part of a multi-academy trust (MAT) of 10 schools spanning the county. She is also Director of Initial Teacher Training across the MAT, working to promote high-quality teacher training across all of the schools with the ambition of enticing more people to train to teach, and leading to the recruitment and retention of more excellent teachers in both the primary and secondary phases. Charlotte studied Modern Languages at Oxford University, before gaining a distinction in her post-graduate law conversion. After this, Charlotte realised her heart was in the classroom and has never looked back. Within two years of completing her PGCE at the Institute of Education,—Guy Forbat is the Head of Music at William Ellis School, an all-boys secondary school in Camden, where he teaches Music Technology A-level and leads the school's Music provision. His department has exceeded national expectations for the uptake of Music GCSE since 2016, as a result of an outstanding team and highly supportive headteacher. He is extremely passionate about his subject and has a First Class degree in Music from the University of Leeds, as well as an MPhil in Management from the University of Cambridge's Judge Business School. After starting his career as a Teach First Music participant in 2012, he has been a Music Subject Tutor for Canterbury Christ Church University and has delivered teacher training to Teach First Music participants across London since 2014. Guy is also heavily involved in the Music provision in his local borough and is a Governor at WAC Arts, an alternative provision college aimed at supporting young people through the power of the arts.—Lotis Bautista is one of the Co-founders of VOLO Group, a tech company aiming to help people develop careers they love through volunteering. She currently manages client relationships, training and operations in her role at VOLO, liaising frequently with university partners and students. Lotis started her career in education as a participant on the Teach First graduate programme in 2012, where she taught English and Politics in West London for 3 years, becoming Assistant Head of Sixth Form in her second year. After leaving teaching, Lotis was part of the Founding Team at the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership, who sought to develop a hub of resources and training for all teachers in Church of England Schools across the UK and she has also been a School Governor since 2015 for a Primary school in North West London. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (and the government's response) on employee rights; and the financial assistance available for the self-employed and small businesses. Our panellists also share tips on: adjusting your business and financial behaviours to survive the pandemic; and how to work from home efficiently.---This Episode's Panel:Ore Nzekwe: Ore is a management consultant with over 10 years of experience working in the Financial Services sector. She started her career at Deloitte, followed by McKinsey before becoming an independent contractor in 2014. Over her career she has led on a multitude of projects ranging from Proposition Development & Market Performance Optimisation to more recently heading up the global Communications and Engagement function for a major retail bank. Alongside her consulting career, Ore has also started small personal ventures, which led her to receive a Precious Awards’ Young Entrepreneur of the Year nomination, win the Shell LimeWire Award and obtain a feature in Grazia Magazine. Outside of work Ore has her hands full with her energetic (and adorable!) 18 month old daughter, Aria.--Afiya Titus: Afiya is the founder and MD of a contemporary Caribbean street food brand with a focus on health and wellbeing. She is also the Co-Founder of accounting and business consultancy Coco Financial through which she hosts periodic workshops and seminars to support small female-led businesses take control of their finances. Afiya graduated from UCL and subsequently qualified as a chartered accountant at Deloitte where she worked in the Energy & Resources department. Her portfolio included billion dollar revenue FTSE 100 clients and she also managed subsidiary engagements across Europe & Africa.--Timi Dorgu: Timi started his career at L’Oréal, the global cosmetics giant, leading large sales teams. He was their youngest ever regional sales manager and won a Black British Business Award for his innovative work. He then went on to double the turnover of a new brand in the luxury beauty sector as National Sales & Marketing manager, and currently helps corporate businesses increase their diversity, working at Rare Recruitment. Alongside this, Timi is an award-winning jewellery entrepreneur with a diamonds business based in Hatton Garden and is starting a new venture in 2020. He and his wife, Ife, also invest in property together.--Alex Friede: Alex is a Chartered Accountant. He is the Owner and Director of Philip Friede & Co, a small firm comprised of eight professional accountants and tax advisers. Alex specialises in advising barristers and legal professionals, along with owner-managed companies within a wide range of industries.--Rad Kohanzad: Rad is an employment law barrister. He is regularly instructed across a wide range of cases covering the employment and discrimination law spectrum, including unfair dismissal, redundancy, discrimination, maternity/pregnancy rights, flexible working, whistleblowing, breach of contract, unlawful deductions of wages, and equal pay. He has a particular interest in TUPE and industrial action claims. Rad has a wide client base which includes individuals, trade unions, national and multinational companies, charities, police forces and NHS Trusts. He regularly appears at in the Employment Tribunal, County Court, Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to our COVID-19 Macroeconomics and Climate Change episode. Ayo and OJ have a talented panel lined up to dig into the UK and Global economic and environmental impact of COVID-19 related policies from the breadth of their work experience and specialists. They will delve into monetary and fiscal policy, trade, comparisons between the UK’s response and the approaches taken by international governments as well as a consideration of matters from the perspective of environmental impact and climate changeFunmi Oyeneyin:Funmi has over 7+ years of experience working as In-House Counsel within investment/asset management and M&A firms in London and New York (where she also qualified as a New York Attorney). She started her career at EY, in International Tax Services, where she qualified as Chartered Accountant. Over her career she has led multiple international transactions and projects, advising on multi-jurisdictional legal, strategic, and related tax matters.Alongside this, Funmi started a journey to entrepreneurship, with a small luxury homewares business.Carl Hazeley:Carl Hazeley is the VP Content at Finimize, the world's largest and most engaged finance community, where he heads the firm's team of analysts who produce jargon-free and snackable financial insights for Finimize's more than 800,000 members globally. Carl has over six years of experience as an equity research analyst, previously at Goldman Sachs, where he led the firm's coverage of European Internet stocks including. After leaving Goldman Sachs in 2017, he launched Shoptalk Europe – part of Shoptalk, the world's largest retail and e-commerce conference – which was sold to Hyve Group in December 2019. Carl is also a Board Advisor at Community Growth Ventures. He graduated from UCL where he read Genetics.Sam BrightSam is a lawyer at ClientEarth, a legal NGO using the power of the law to protect the planet. He leads ClientEarth’s legal campaign against highly polluting coal plants and mines across Europe and beyond, for which he was recently named a ‘Rising Star’ at the British Legal Awards. He has degrees from the University of Oxford and University College London, and before joining ClientEarth worked at a major international law firm.Matthew BirchMatthew is a UK and European patent attorney in the Engineering & Tech team at Carpmaels & Ransford LLP with over a decade of experience in intellectual property. He has a particular interest in the medical and renewable energy sectors. Matthew's work involves drafting and prosecuting patent applications for companies ranging from UK startups to large multinationals. He regularly represents his clients in attacking and defending patents in oral opposition and appeal hearings at the European Patent Office in Munich, Berlin and The Hague. He also advises on infringement of intellectual property rights and freedom to operate, as well as handling registered and unregistered design rights and providing litigation support to the Dispute Resolution team at Carpmaels. Matthew entered the intellectual property profession in 2009 after graduating from the University of Bristol with a first class MSci degree in Physics, specialising in condensed matter physics and nanotechnology. His MSci research sparked his interest in renewable energy and investigated the use of pulsed laser deposition in the synthesis of ZnO nanorods and the effect of the nanorods on the efficiency of inorganic solar cells. Matthew is an accomplished trumpeter and violinist and won national competitions as a solo performer during his teenage years. He is also a keen marathon runner and Ironman triathlete.Alice RitchieAlice Ritchie is the climate change lead for the Country Land and Business Association, working with farmers and landowners across England and Wales to create sustainable food production systems and lobbying the government on their behalf. She moved to the UK in 2018 after working for the New Zealand government on net-zero legislation and emissions trading, and is an NZ-qualified barrister and solicitor, specialising in environmental law. A law degree doesn’t quite cut it in the science-heavy field of climate change, so Alice is currently midway through an MSc in global food security from the University of Edinburgh.Joe MurphyJoe is an Asset Manager at Temporis Capital which specialises in Renewable Energy, specifically Onshore Wind and Hydro. Before joining Temporis, he trained as Chartered Accountant at KPMG, starting in the Banking Audit department before moving to the Transaction Modelling team. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the last episode of the series, Ayo and OJ have gathered experts to delve into the Coronavirus Act 2020 which was passed on March 25 2020. They discuss what effects it has had in their areas of work and how its provisions interact with the every day lives of citizens.This Episode's Panel features:Natasha Shotunde, a barrister at Garden Court Chambers. Her family law practice includes care proceedings, private children cases and injunctions to protect individuals from domestic abuse, forced marriage and female genital mutilation. She is passionate about human rights, eradicating violence against women and girls and safeguarding children. She is also concerned about access to justice for all, particularly for those who are vulnerable, and insuring that all parties can take part in proceedings.Tom Coke-Smyth, a barrister at QEB Hollis Whiteman. His practice specialises in cases involving professionals and spans crime, professional discipline and inquests and inquiries. He is a Level 3 prosecutor on the CPS specialist panels in Serious Crime, Fraud and Counterterrorism, and regularly prosecutes disciplinary cases on behalf of the General Medical Council and General Dental Council. In inquests he has particular expertise in cases involving Article 2 of the ECHR and healthcare professionals, police or the military. Tom read history at Oxford, before serving as an army officer in the Parachute Regiment. He was called to the Bar in 2011Suzie Staunton is barrister at Clyde & Co specialising in employment and discrimination law. She was called to the bar in 2010 and practised at the independent bar for several years before going into private practice. She is now an Associate Barrister at Clyde & Co. Her expertise in the area was recognised in both leading legal directories: Legal 500, and Chambers & Partners. She was recently informed that she has been nominated for The Bar Council's "Outstanding Employed Barrister at a Law Firm" Award 2020.Alasdair Henderson, a barrister at One Crown Office Row specialising in public law and human rights, employment and discrimination law, and clinical negligence. He is also a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Before coming to the Bar, Alasdair previously worked for International Justice Mission in Kigali, Rwanda. He is kept busy at home by his three inquisitive daughters aged 6, 4 and 2.Fiona Roberson practises, a criminal barrister specialising in cases involving young and vulnerable defendants and witnesses. She was called to the Bar in 2008 but has been involved with human rights and the law in Ghana, the Cayman Islands and the UK for the last 15 years.She is particularly concerned with how the justice system impacts on the most vulnerable members of society - from the over criminalisation of youths and those with mental health issues to the impact of legal aid cuts forcing people to self represent against the might of the state.Tom Lawal, a multiple award-winning Barrister practising from St Ives Chambers, Birmingham. He is an experienced and highly regarded private children and housing law Barrister with over 10 years of experience dealing with complex and wide-ranging issues arising out of his specialist areas. Tom is described in Chambers & Partners as a “fantastic advocate”, who is a “joy to work with”. In addition, Tom is said to have the “likeability factor”, who has “great technical ability and excellent judgement”. Outside of his career as a Barrister, Tom works with various organisations and individuals to promote his passion of ensuring greater diversity within the legal profession.Zainab Asunramu who worked at Amnesty International UK for over 5 years in various roles including a year as a Research Assistant for Amnesty's Online Violence against Women research.She worked in Parliament as a Parliamentary Researcher for a former Labour MP. She is a graduate of the Labour Party's Inaugural Bernie Grant Leadership Programme. She works at Activate as a Movement Manager. Activate is an organisation whose mission is to champion female activists who are supporting their local communities to extend their power into politics by standing for elected roles (MPs, Mayors and Councillors). Zainab is the BAME Officer for her Constituency Labour Party and the Events and Networking Officer for ParliREACH which is Parliament's Workplace Equality Network for Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.