Ep 48. Cherie Blair CBE KC, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: Enabling economic gender justice

03/04/24 • 55 min

“There is a problem! Business has a problem, the world has a problem, because we are just not utilising the talents, the ambitions, the drive of half the world’s population (the female half)... Economic gender justice is essential both for women’s freedom and equality, but also for the development of the world.”
We are honoured to have on the podcast, Cherie Blair CBE KC!
As the Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Cherie has been a relentless advocate for women's rights, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Our discussion delves into her vision for the Foundation, her journey as a leading barrister and King's Counsel in the male-dominated legal profession, and the gendered challenges women still confront today.
Cherie is of course, the wife of the former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and is an inspiration to women across the world. Recorded January 2024.
Guest Biography
Cherie Blair CBE, KC is a leading King’s Counsel with over 35 years’ experience. Cherie is a strong advocate for women’s rights and in 2008 she founded the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. The Foundation promotes the financial independence of women in low and middle income countries so that they can be financially independent, have a stronger voice in their societies, and, contribute to their communities. Since its inception, the Foundation has had a significant and measurable impact on the lives of more than 250,000 women entrepreneurs in 105 countries especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Cherie is actively involved in the Foundation, travelling internationally to visit projects and donors and to advocate for women entrepreneurs globally.
Cherie studied law at the London School of Economics (LSE) and is also the Founder and Chair of the pioneering law firm Omnia Strategy where she focuses on cross-border dispute resolution, commercial arbitration, mediation and human rights.
Cherie was awarded a CBE in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List for services to women’s issues and to charities in both the UK and overseas. She is the wife of former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair. They have 4 children and 8 grandchildren.
Links
Www.cherieblairfoundation.org

Previous Episode

Ep 47. Karen Burgess, Founder & CEO Petals, with Alice Bailey: Life after Baby Loss

Trigger warning: This episode explores and talks about miscarriage, stillbirth and baby loss.
Baby loss and miscarriage is something that many parents face and yet it is still something that is not openly talked about in today’s society.
In this very special episode, I speak with Karen Burgess, Founder & CEO of the charity Petals, that provides counselling support to families affected by baby loss. Karen and I are joined by Alice. Alice shares with us the story of her daughter, Vera, and the journey that she and her husband, Dave, have been on with Petals.
Together we seek to dispel the stigma surrounding baby loss and encourage those who need support to reach out to specialist services like Petals. Recorded August 2023.
Guest Biography
Karen Burgess is the Founder and CEO of Petals, The Baby Loss Counselling Charity.
Karen has been a practising counsellor since 1998. Alongside running a successful private practice, she gained wide-ranging experience across schools, the NHS, addiction units, workplaces and hospital settings. Since founding the organisation in 2011, Karen has grown Petals into a national charity, with 35 counsellors delivering over 6,000 specialist counselling sessions every year.
Karen has become a leading player in influencing change in the field of baby loss support and in raising awareness of the need for psychological support for bereaved parents. Karen is a member of the Pregnancy and Baby Charities Network, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Baby Loss and the International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA).
Alice Bailey is a clinical nurse specialist originally from Sheffield. She now lives in Surrey with her husband, Dave, and their three boys, Fred, Ralf and Will.
In 2016, Alice and Dave became first-time parents to their daughter Vera. Vera was sadly stillborn at 38 weeks. Alice and Dave have since been supported by Petals, who have been by their side every step of the way.
Links
www.petalscharity.org

Next Episode

Ep 49. Dianne Calvi, President & CEO Village Enterprise: Full bellies and big dreams!

With an audacious goal to lift 20m people in Africa out of extreme poverty by 2030, Dianne Calvi, President and CEO of Village Enterprise, joins us to share how they plan to make this happen.
Centred around their core value of ‘Ubuntu’, a South African term, which means ‘humanity’ or ‘I am because we are’, Village Enterprise seeks to transform lives through entrepreneurship, innovation and collective action.
By partnering with other nonprofits, governments, agencies, and private sector companies, Village Enterprise equips first-time entrepreneurs in Africa with the resources and skills to start climate-smart businesses and savings groups.
We talk about their Poverty Graduation Model and building up their evidence base, using Randomised Control Trials, which has helped catalyse funding for their exciting new programme: working with USAID, the French and the Rwandan governments to end extreme poverty in Rwanda for good. Dianne also shares her personal family story, revealing what really drives her to do this work, which, as one of their entrepreneurs says, is all about enabling full bellies and big dreams. Recorded March 2024.
Note: The title of this episode is a direct quote from an entrepreneur that Village Enterprise supports in Africa, describing the impact of their work.
Guest Biography
Dianne Calvi has been working to end extreme poverty in rural Africa as Village Enterprise’s President and CEO since 2010. Since joining Village Enterprise, Dianne has increased the breadth and depth of the organization’s impact by focusing on strategic partnerships, innovation and technology, rigorous monitoring and evaluation, and building a highly qualified African team.
To date, Village Enterprise has trained over 274k people, started over 80k businesses, and lifted over 1.65 million people out of extreme poverty. With Dianne at the helm, Village Enterprise has completed an independent randomized control trial (RCT) and launched the first Development Impact Bond in poverty alleviation.
Prior to joining Village Enterprise, Dianne served as the President of Bring Me A Book Foundation, a literacy nonprofit that she scaled through partnerships in both domestic and international locations. Previously, she worked in the private sector for Microsoft, Xerox, and Montedison in Milan, Italy.
She has served on several nonprofit boards and was recently appointed to the InterAction board of directors. Dianne received a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Bocconi University (Milan, IT) on a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship.
Links
https://villageenterprise.org