Share
The Lens – UK Responsible Business Podcast
SALESFORCE: Responsible leadership, digital connectivity and access to technology
In this episode, Harjot and his guests explore responsible leadership, digital connectivity and access to technology. They talk about making valuable connections, closing the digital skills gap and the importance of having a strong sense of purpose.
Our Guests
Gavin was appointed President and Chief Revenue Officer, Salesforce on August 1, 2020. He is responsible for worldwide sales and distribution of Salesforce products and services. Patterson joined Salesforce in August 2019 and served as Chairman of EMEA Advisory Board and President and CEO International.
Prior to Salesforce, Gavin served as Chief Executive of BT Group from 2013-19 and a board director from 2008-19. During his tenure at BT, he completed the UK rollout of the superfast fibre and started the deployment ultrafast fibre. He led the £15 billion acquisition of EE, launched BT Sport, expanded BT’s cyber security practice and championed BT’s social purpose agenda. He joined BT in 2004 as MD Consumer and joined the board as CEO BT Retail in 2008. Prior to BT, he spent four years at Virgin Media latterly as MD Consumer and nine years at Procter & Gamble in various brand management and marketing roles. In January 2021, Gavin Patterson became chair of Business in the Community - the Prince’s Responsible Business Network.
Gavin is a Non-Executive Director at Elixirr Consulting, the APAX backed AI business Fractal and EQT backed Delta Fiber. He served on many boards including British Airways plc and as a Trustee at The British Museum and acting as an advisor for many tech start-ups. He graduated from Cambridge University with an MEng in Chemical Engineering.
Dara is a Manager within Digital Transformation & Innovation at the global firm Deloitte, with particular areas of focus being Digital Acceleration, Workforce Transformation and Leadership Development. She is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and currently sits on the ICAEW’s Sustainability Committee.
Having lived and worked across four different continents, she is passionate about rethinking and redesigning the paradigm within which organisations operate, such that sustainability - economic, environmental and societal - sits at the heart of solutions and strategies proposed for the future.
Supported by McCann and in partnership with One Young World, The Lens represents the breadth, diversity and priorities of the responsible business agenda. From gender equality to zero hours contracts, learning on the factory floor to activist businesses, The Lens covers a range of topics from a host of varying perspectives.
Each episode brings together a business and future leader to foster disruptive conversations and fresh connections. Innovators and CEOs join Harjot Singh in the studio for a unique conversation covering their journeys, lessons learned, advice, insight and of course, the inspirational person they’d most like to meet for coffee.
Business in the Community is The Prince's Responsible Business Network. We convene a unique network of purposeful leaders to share insight, expertise and create innovative programmes that deliver impact. Together our ambition is to make the UK the world leader at responsible business.
Don’t forget to follow The Lens on Instagram and to rate, review and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. instagram.com/thelenspodcast
More episodes
View all episodes
4. HAYS and GOOGLE - Is age just a number in the workplace?
35:08This month our host Sarah Travers is joined by Clare Kemsley, Managing Director of Marketing UK&I at Hays; and Lisa De Wachter, Global Brand Account Lead Food Tech, Google Netherlands - Amsterdam.In this episode, we will discuss how people in underrepresented groups can fair well in the workplace, and we specifically dive in to the issue of age – what’s the reality for workers over the age of 50, and investigate the business case for attracting, retaining and retraining individuals who may feel they have additional barriers in the workplace.
3. GREGGS and PWC: Putting business at the heart of communities is essential for everyone
34:36This month our host Sarah Travers is joined by Roisin Currie, Chief Executive of Greggs; and Jessica Garbett, Senior Manager, Workforce Consulting Team, PwC. In this episode, we’ll explore how putting business at the heart of communities is essential for everyone. We’ll also discuss some of the tough issues out there such as employing those who have a criminal conviction and how businesses are literally stepping up to the plate to address food poverty.UK Hopes and Fears Survey 2023 - PwC UKGreggs | Doing GoodFor employers - Social Mobility CommissionThe Class Ceiling: Why it Pays to be Privileged by Sam Friedman | Goodreads
2. DANSKE BANK and GOOGLE: Workplace inclusion – why every voice must be heard
33:26This month our host Sarah Travers is joined by Vicky Davies, CEO, Danske Bank and new Chair of Business in the Community Northern Ireland; and Tomas Flier, EMEA Inclusion Lead and Diversity Business Partner for Spain, Italy and Portugal, Google, USA. In this episode, we’ll take a deep dive into workplace inclusion – how can businesses ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and what companies are doing to help their people whatever their circumstances, and when challenges come along like caring responsibilities.1. ULSTER UNIVERSITY and VOICING VOICES: Creating human-centred workplaces
35:25This month our host Sarah Travers is joined by Damian McAlister, Chief People Officer, Ulster University; and Ayan Said, Founder of Voicing Voices, an organisation that embeds intersectional inclusivity into its clients’ culture, policy and community. In this episode, we will discuss how employers can create a human-centred approach to people in the workplace – what it means, what things businesses are doing well and where improvements need to be made. Find out more by listening to the latest episode of The Lens.
12. AKQA and Suade: Designing Responsible Business with imagination, commitment and leadership
31:47This month our host Sarah Travers is joined by Ajaz Ahmed, Founder and CEO of AKQA, a global design and innovation agency owned by WPP and providing ingenious solutions for companies like Nike, Volvo, Sony, Sky and even Tinder; and Diana Paredes, CEO & Co-Founder of Suade, a platform that allows financial institutions to transparently deal with their regulatory calculations and reporting. In this episode, we will discuss how businesses can be responsible through imagination, commitment and good leadership; and how giving time and energy to initiatives that are changing the world is so beneficial. Find out more by listening to the latest episode of The Lens.
The Lens Special: Live from One Young World Summit
11:55In this bonus episode, our host Sarah Travers shares stories from One Young World Ambassadors who visited Belfast in October 2023 for the One Young World Summit. She shares who they are, where they work, what part of the world they are from, and of course why they are attending the Summit. Importantly, she gets to the nitty gritty of how they plan to change the world and finds out what they are already doing to make a difference. We hope you enjoy this special episode and are inspired to find out more about responsible business by getting in touch with Business in the Community at www.bitc.org.uk.
11. SUEZ AND AUDI: Pioneering circular economy approaches to responsible business
36:23This month our host Sarah Travers is joined by Dr Adam Read, Chief Sustainability & External Affairs Officer at SUEZ UK – a leading global provider of environmental solutions; and from Germany, Philipp Eder, Sustainability Strategist / Procurement Strategy, AUDI AG. In this episode, we will explore the circular economy from two very different organisations, but from our two guests’ perspectives – both of whom are committed to making the world a better place.
10. VERIZON BUSINESS AND BAYER: When our people win, everyone wins
33:13This month our host Sarah Travers is joined by Tony Judd, Managing Director of Verizon Business for the UK and Ireland. Verizon is one of the largest communication technology companies in the world, and we hear about Verizon’s plans for the future and how it is taking its responsibility for people and the planet to the next level. And our second guest is Loek Hageman, Early Careers Talent Development Programs, Bayer. Based in Berlin, Loek’s company, Bayer, is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life, and at the same time, it aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. In this episode, we will explore how Tony and Loek’s shared passion for people development plays out in both of their businesses, how development talent for the future is critical for business success, and we’ll ask them what a responsible future looks like for them personally, professionally and digitally. Find out more by listening to the latest episode of The Lens.
9. Coca-Cola (HBC) and rePurpose Global - Packaging with Purpose
33:40This month our host Sarah Travers is joined by Tom Burke, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Director at a very well-known global brand - Coca-Cola and Svanika Balasubramanian, Co-Founder and CEO at rePurpose Global - the world's first Plastic Credit Platform. In this episode, we will explore packaging with purpose. We’ll look at how one of the world’s biggest drinks production companies is continually innovating in how it packages its products, and how another is helping consumers and businesses across 26 countries create impact by catalysing innovative waste management and circular solutions that stem the flow of ocean plastic.