Better Heroes

How does a small, impact driven business grow into a social unicorn and deliver impact for millions or even billions of people? Support, partnership and collaboration. In this episode, we're going to tell you about the Reckitt Catalyst program and the EY Ripples collaboration. Reckitt owns health and hygiene brands including Lysol, Mucinex and Dettol. Purpose is to protect, heal and nurture in the pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world. Reckitt Catalyst is doing that by making a five-year commitment to provide funding, mentorship and expertise to support 200 social innovators by 2030. In particular, the program targets female and under-represented founders. Our guests are Hamzah Sarwar, Global Head of Social Impact and Innovation at Reckitt and Gillian Hinde, EY Global Corporate Responsibility Leader. Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the age of AI, nonprofits need technology just as much as any for profit business. Unfortunately, nonprofits are often working with tight budgets and limited resources. That's why ServiceNow started the Partnership for Good Grant and that's also why EY joined them. The program offers four grants to deserving nonprofits. They include technology donations, monetary donations and consulting hours. As a collaborator, EY was paired with WaterAid. Our Better Heroes today are Izzy Smith, Director of IT at WaterAid and Pranav Chandrasaykar, EY Director in the UK ServiceNow Practice. They’ll tell us all about their collaboration and how WaterAid is using technology to scale impact, reaching millions of people with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Socioeconomic inequality is a global issue but it’s especially significant in South Africa right now. According to a recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey <https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=18398> from Statistics South Africa, more than 50 percent of South African youth are unemployed. To help find actionable solutions, today's guests are sharing the tools they use to create economic opportunity. Nazia Pillay is the Managing Director of SAP Southern Africa, one of the global leaders in enterprise applications and Business AI. SAP® operates multiple young professional programs aimed at upskilling youth and moving the needle on unemployment. Our second guest Mohau Maroga, is an EY SAP Associate. In this episode, he shares his success story through SAP's Young Professionals Program in South Africa. Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we protect the ecosystems underwater from the effects of climate change? Our guests show us that the key lies in expeditions which explore the oceans on our planet. Toby Gregory, founder of the Arctic Challenge, led a crew into the Arctic Ocean to study the remote area, and brings to life his expedition. Darryl Owen, Owner and CEO, Freestyle Divers Founder, Project REEFrame, speaks about how educating people about marine life is a key to environmental activism. They’re joined by Fatma Albastaki, EY MENA Business Sustainability Leader. Learn more about Toby here: https://ownershipworks.org/team/ Learn more about Darryl here: https://www.ey.com/en_us/people/timothy-tracy Learn more about Fatma here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatma-al-bastaki-16b915188/?originalSubdomain=ae Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In rooms across the world - kitchens, board rooms, conferences - people are asking questions about AI. Today, we hope to answer some of those questions by bringing you professionals who are researching, teaching and implementing AI in their roles. Our guests are Raj Sharma, EY Global Managing Partner for Growth and Innovation, and Rebecca Winthrop, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. Raj and Rebecca are some of the best people to help educate us about AI. They’ll tell us how we can learn more about the technology, how to teach our kids to use it safely, and how to make sure AI is implemented equally around the world. Learn more about Raj here: www.ey.com/en_gl/people/raj-sharma Learn more about Rebecca here: www.brookings.edu/people/rebecca-winthrop Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if there was a way to shift the system and create better opportunities for everyone? What if businesses could thrive while also empowering their employees to share in their success? Today’s guests are going to tell you about the potential of shared ownership and how they’re converting ownership structures. Anna-Lisa Miller is the Executive Director of Ownership Works. She’s leading a movement to reshape ownership structures in companies big and small. Tim Tracy is head of EY Americas Private Equity practice and a board member at Ownership Works. He’s seen shared ownership drive both social mobility and business success. Learn more about Anna-Lisa here: https://ownershipworks.org/team Learn more about Tim here: https://www.ey.com/en_us/people/timothy-tracy Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the keys to building a more sustainable future is for corporations to step up and assume their responsibility to decrease CO2 emissions. Luckily our guests today are leaders in corporate sustainability initiatives. Michaela Morris is CEO at Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM). Tasman helps businesses achieve their carbon emissions goals. Mathew Nelson is EY Oceania, Chief Sustainability Officer. On the show, Mathew and Michaela share the realities of what we call the carbon markets and achieving net zero emissions. They also provide realistic and efficient steps individuals and organizations can take! Learn more about Michaela here: www.tasmanenvironmental.com.au/staff/michaela-morris Learn more about Mathew here: www.ey.com/en_us/people/mathew-nelson Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The difference we can make in the world when we come together is far greater than any individual or company could possibly make on their own. Our guests are Payal Dalal and Meredith Jones. Payal is the Executive Vice President, Global Programs for the Center for Inclusive Growth at Mastercard. Meredith is a Managing Director, Financial Accounting Advisory Services (FAAS), Ernst & Young LLP. She’s also the author of Women of The Street: Why Female Money Managers Generate Higher Returns (And How You Can Too). These two inspiring women, as well as their employers have come together to back social impact projects around the world through the Center for Inclusive Growth. The center has helped women in developing countries manage their own money, they've shared their expertise with small businesses, and they're studying how new technology (like AI) can be implemented equitably. On the show, they’ll give us advice about doing good and give us their blueprint for impactful partnerships. Learn more about Meredith here: https://www.ey.com/en_us/people/meredith-a-jones Learn more about Payal here: https://www.mastercardcenter.org/people/payal-dalal Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recipe for social impact success includes, concern for people and the planet, problem solving, a specific motivation, and mentorship. Our guests today, Arturo Quiroz and Stephanie Benedetto, have every ingredient in this recipe and more. Arturo is the founder of Wareclouds, a digital platform that makes use of a network of individual homes acting as warehouses and fulfillment centers. The decentralized locations allow products to be shipped faster and more efficiently and it puts money into the Chilean communities, where these homes are located. Stephanie Benedetto is the CEO of Aloquia, a tech company, helping businesses manage their excess inventory through recycling, reselling or repurposing. Stephanie's motivation is seeing a cleaner planet for her children. So how can big companies help social impact entrepreneurs scale their operations and make a difference in the world? Arturo and Stephanie are the perfect example! They met at the 100+ Accelerator Program, where they learned to build new sustainability models for their businesses. The accelerator delivers six months of remote programming and training, mentor networks and up to 100,000 US dollars toward pilot execution. Some of the biggest consumer goods companies participate, and EY teams also guide and prepare the startups for “Demo Days.” Learn more about the 100+ Accelerator Program here: https://www.100accelerator.com Learn more about Arturo here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arturoquirozl/ Learn more about Stephanie here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniebenedetto Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if I told you mushrooms could be used to build roads? In this episode, we’ll introduce you to the people who are taking this idea from just a fantasy for video games and movies to a real technology that’s reducing pollutants and making construction more sustainable. Line Kloster Pedersen is the founder of Visibuilt. The idea for mushroom roads first struck her while she was on a hike. Then Line had to figure out how to create her fungi binder and solve many of the hurdles of being a small startup company. Luckily she found a life science incubator called the BioInnovation Institute and its Director of Planetary Health, Christian Brix Tillegreen. The institute helps biotech startups, like Visibuilt, solve their hurdles by providing research centers and funding programs. Learn more about Christian here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-brix-tillegreen-47749a13/ Learn more about Line here: https://visibuilt.com/people-and-values Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than half of all companies use AI in their work today - and that number is only going to grow. But not everyone has the opportunity to prepare for that future and learn about this rapidly changing technology. That’s where our guests, Naria Santa Lucia and Marcie Merriman come in. Naria is General Manager, Skills for Social Impact Leader at Microsoft Philanthropies. She ensures all people have access to and are prepared for digital innovations. Marcie is the EY Global Cultural Insights & Customer Strategy Leader. She uses her knowledge in anthropology to help businesses prosper. The fact is AI is going to be a huge part of the future of work. So listen closely and consider how AI literate you are! You can also check EY’s AI Upskilling Report here: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/about-us/corporate-responsibility/how-can-we-upskill-gen-z-as-fast-as-we-train-ai Learn more about Marcie here: https://www.ey.com/en_us/people/marcie-merriman Learn more about Naria here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nariasantalucia/ Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the definition of ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI)? How can advancements in technology be put to work and make the world a better place? What issues are impact entrepreneurs trying to solve right now? One place where AI can make a world of difference is education inequality. In this episode, we’ll bring you the story of the ed-tech company, Geekie and its founder, Claudio Sassaki. Geekie has deployed AI to personalize lesson plans and advance learning in some of Brazil’s poorest school districts. Our second guest is Adedoyin Omidiran. She leads Social Innovation Initiatives at the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship - that's part of the World Economic Forum! Adedoyin promotes the ethical use of AI by social innovators including Claudio. Learn more about Claudio here. Learn more about Adedoyin here. Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to move the needle on the world's toughest challenges, shaping the future with confidence? Visionary individuals, groundbreaking collaborations and committed organizations. This season brings stories of entrepreneurs using mushrooms to build roads; organizations changing the way supply chains run in South America; AI democratizing education, and some of the world's largest organizations working together to foster impact entrepreneurship. EY Ripples Better Heroes Season 3 is out now! Listen wherever you get your podcasts! Better Heroes is a project of EY Ripples, a global program to mobilize people across the EY network to help solve the world's most urgent social and environmental challenges. Learn more about EY Ripples at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Better Heroes is back with a new episode just in time for Climate Week in New York City! Have you heard the acronym ESG? We’ve definitely mentioned it once or twice on the show. It stands for environmental, social, and governance. These are three areas where businesses have become far more conscious of their impact on the world and are evolving in their ability to quantify and disclose their impacts, risks and opportunities for each. In this episode, Elise Saur, EY Responsible Business Leader, and Brian Finch, Vice President of Sustainability at Mastercard, join us to talk about the importance of measuring a company’s sustainability impact. They’ll talk about what responsible business really means and why sustainability reporting matters. -- Learn more about EY Ripples and all of our guests at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neurodiversity is an asset in the workplace but employers haven’t always been ready for it. Research shows that when neurodiverse people are properly supported, they come up with more novel ideas and better serve customers. Supportive technology has changed the game in this regard. Things like AI, can help people focus on their strengths while filling in the gaps where they might have a weakness. One of our guests today is Martin McKay. He is the co-founder and CEO of Texthelp. A company that provides digital tools to those who need a little more help understanding and communicating in the workplace. In recognition of his work, Martin was EY Ireland’s Entrepreneur of the year. Our other guest is Gillian Hinde, EY Global Corporate Responsibility Leader. Gill and the EY Ripples team have a goal to impact 1 billion lives by 2030! Learn more about Martin here. Learn more about Gillian here. -- Learn more about EY Ripples and all of our guests at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite the uncertainty of new technology and conversations about the negative impacts of AI, today’s Better Heroes believe whole-heartedly in its positive uses. Rami Amin is the Director of Innovation and Digital Partnerships at Visa. He spearheads AI initiatives, and digital partnerships, with governments, to help financial ecosystems. Sophie Sirtaine is the CEO of CGAP which stands for the Consultative Group, to Assist the Poor. CGAP is an international partnership housed by the World Bank Group. They explain how AI can help advance us to a world where our financial institutions and products are inclusive to all. If our governments work together with the private sectors, then the digital transformation we see today can build a better and more inclusive tomorrow. Learn more about Sophie here. Learn more about Rami here. -- Learn more about EY Ripples and all of our guests at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In order to best prepare students for the workforce, artificial intelligence (AI) should be taught and used in schools. Some countries and some states are way ahead of others when it comes to how they approach teaching AI. That’s where public, private and government partnerships come in to level the playing field. Today’s guests are embracing AI and preparing current and future generations to work with it. Pat Yongpradit is the Chief Academic Officer for Code.org and leader of TeachAI, an initiative to guide education leaders and policymakers in transforming education in an age of AI. Jay Persaud is EY Global Emerging Technology Ecosystem Leader. He works with new tech like AI and helps prepare his colleagues for the future of work. Learn more about Pat here. Learn more about Jay here. -- Learn more about EY Ripples and all of our guests at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever heard of the Zulu word, Ubuntu? It means ‘I am because we are.” The term alludes to having a collective vision, goal and effort as a community rather than an individualistic outlook. Both of today’s Better Heroes are living, breathing examples of how this collective effort can help us live more sustainably by changing our consumption habits. While they have different approaches their goal is the same: To improve sustainability and make a difference in the world. Umazi Mvurya is the youngest leader of the Leadership Council of Kaya Duruma, a forest sanctuary in the Kenyan coast. She calls herself an artivist and uses her art to create sustainable solutions in indigenous African communities. Tom Simmons is the founder and CEO of The Supplant Company. Supplant creates sustainable sugar substitutes from agricultural byproducts that would usually go to waste. Learn more about Umazi here. Learn more about Tom here. Note: We’re taking a midseason break so no episode next week. We’ll be back on July 15! Learn more about EY Ripples and all of our guests at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Volunteering seems like a normal everyday activity. Planting trees, cooking at a soup kitchen or picking up trash are all great examples. But what if we could amplify the impact of these activities? In Singapore, at least 31 organizations including EY and CitiBank, have joined together to get more people to volunteer more often. It’s called Project V - as in volunteer. This episode’s better heroes got involved with Project V in the name of corporate volunteerism and they’ve learned that volunteering has benefits far beyond the work a person does in one day. Tibor Pandi is the Citi Country Officer and Banking Head for Singapore. Nam Soon Liew is EY Asean Regional Managing Partner. Learn more about Tibor here. Learn more about Nam here. Learn more about EY Ripples and all of our guests at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you find and build meaningful partnerships when you’re working across borders, and in unfamiliar communities? Today’s Better Heroes have the answer. Peter Awin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cowtribe, a digital platform distributing animal vaccines across Ghana’s villages. Malte Pielhau is a Director at EY Germany and Christian Bausch is Associate Director at Boehringer Ingelheim Social Engagement. On the show, we talked about how financial investments for social causes and transformative initiatives like Cowtribe are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fruitful partnerships. A real collaboration requires understanding and respect between all parties. Learn more about Peter here. Learn more about Christian here. Learn more about Malte here. Learn more about EY Ripples and all of our guests at www.ey.com/eyripples. The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Subscribe to our podcast. Rate and leave us a review. Produced by Hueman Group Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.