Global Australian Podcast

In this episode, you will meet Anan Bouapha, a GameChanger in the Alumni category of the Global Australian Awards in 2023. Anan is an internationally renowned human rights leader, and the founder of Laos’ first LGBTQI rights organisation. As founder of Proud To Be Us Laos, Anan is dedicated to promoting equal rights for people within sexual and gender diversity communities. He is referred by the HuffingtonPost as the leader of the country’s nascent LGBTQI movement, working to integrate LGBTQI rights into national development, tackling the cultural, legal and normative barriers facing the community.

In this heartwarming interview Anan shares his journey to reaching this significant milestone in Laos. He describes the ongoing challenges he faces in his work and how important the collaboration with Australia is. Anan’s unwaivering passion for LGBTQI rights has seen him travel to the USA, Paris and London, to undertake studies and immerse himself in new approaches, with these experiences helping to hone his focus on working in solidarity to build relationships and trust for a better society and future.

Learn more about Anan in his 2023 GameChanger profile here > Anan Bouapha

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In this episode, you will meet Elliot Kotek, a GameChanger in the Creative Excellence category for the Global Australian Awards in 2023. Elliot is a global creative arts leader, whose hunger for innovation and impact drives his groundbreaking approach to storytelling and content creation. Based in Los Angeles, Elliot is Founder and CEO of award-winning production company The Nation of Artists, a multi-media studio that works collaboratively to produce high-impact content ranging from documentaries to animations and virtual reality. Over the past 15 years, Elliot’s work has generated more than 7 billion media impressions and been honoured with more than 50 international awards, including an Emmy and 5 Cannes Lions awards.

In this interview, Elliot shares his journey from a double degree in Science and Law at Monash University to enrolling in theatre school in New York and then working in journalism. Elliot describes how the questions he asked in interviews related to meaningfulness and purpose, which led him to explore these topics in depth. Out of this came the focus of creating impact through ideas and empathy. Elliot’s inspiration is to change the world through various forms of storytelling, with whatever has the greatest reach and creates the most impact.

Learn more about Elliot in his 2023 GameChanger profile here > Elliot Kotek

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In this episode , you will meet Madhavi Shankar, GameChanger in the Alumni category of the Global Australian Awards 2022.

Ms Shankar is a tech entrepreneur breaking through barriers for women in STEM across India and beyond. As co-founder and CEO of one of India’s fast growing tech startups, SpaceBasic, Ms Shankar inspires women and girls across her country, eager to overcome gender and cultural stereotypes, to become leaders in business and entrepreneurship. She represents a new generation of leaders, determined not to replicate business as usual and passionate about the impact their work has on the world.

Hear Ms Shankar share more about her tech startup and how her passion was born from her time as an international student studying in Australia. She shares how working for a startup in Sydney, and all that it entailed, inspired her own entrepreneurial journey and success.

Learn more about Madhavi Shankar in her 2022 GameChanger profile here > Madhavi Shankar

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In this episode , you will meet Rachel Davis, GameChanger in the Social Impact category of the Global Australian Awards 2022.

Ms Davis is a passionate advocate for human rights who has played a critical role in shaping the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Guiding Principles have set the benchmark for how business must operate in a human rights context around the world. Today, as co-founder of New York based non-profit Shift, Ms Davis continues to influence the way those principles are implemented across industries, communities and geographies.

Hear Ms Davis share what her day to day looks like as the co-founder of Shift, as she discusses her most recent work with FIFA, particularly the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Ms Davis also shares some of the highlights and challenges of this incredibly important work, as she and the Shift team seek to identify potential human rights risks and recommend actions to mitigate and address issues.

Learn more about Rachel Davis in her 2022 GameChanger profile here > Rachel Davis

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In this episode, you will meet Prof Kate Manne, Emerging Leader GameChanger in the Global Australian Awards 2022.

Professor Kate Manne is a moral philosopher, regarded as one of the world’s top thinkers in the field of feminist philosophy. A prominent writer and commentator, Prof Manne’s first book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny was published at the height of the #MeToo movement, exploring the nature, function and persistence of misogyny. The award-winning book offered a bridge between academic analysis and the broader public discourse on vexed issues of misogyny and sexism, providing a means to inform and elevate conversations around the world on these critical topics. Her second book, Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women, delved deeper into the social ills of toxic masculinity, further analysed a term she had coined in 2016, ‘himpathy’ (whereby disproportionate or inappropriate sympathy is extended to a male perpetrator over his similarly, or less privileged, female targets in cases of sexual assault, harassment, and other misogynistic behaviour) and illustrated the damaging impact of male privilege and entitlement on the lives of women and girls. Regarded as a ‘once-in-a-generation’ mind, Prof Manne’s work challenges social norms and stimulates discussion both within academic circles and broader society.

In this interview, get an insight into how Prof Manne’s social and political commentary is challenging today’s social norms and what shapes the way we think. Prof Manne shares how her interest developed in this area from when she was a child and what being a moral philosopher looks like day to day.

Learn more about Prof Kate Manne in her 2022 GameChanger profile here > Prof Kate Manne

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