The Charity CEO Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Charity CEO Podcast

Dhivya O'Connor

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/37d. Total Eps: 59

Join us for thought-provoking conversations that dive deep into the challenges faced by charity and nonprofit leaders. Hosted by Dhivya O’Connor, a charity CEO herself, each episode brings inspiring CEOs and social sector trailblazers, who share their powerful stories, practical insights, and valuable expertise. Whether you're leading a nonprofit or passionate about making a difference, you'll find fresh perspectives and actionable takeaways to help you navigate the journey and amplify your impact. Tune in for a dose of inspiration, knowledge, and community—all aimed at making the world a better place.

The Charity CEO Podcast is produced and hosted by Dhivya O’Connor. For more details visit www.thecharityceo.com

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🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
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#46
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17/08/2026
#61
🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
16/08/2026
#37
🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
15/08/2026
#44
🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
14/08/2026
#32
🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
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#46
🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
12/08/2026
#43
🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
11/08/2026
#39
🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
10/08/2026
#32
🇬🇧 Great Britain - management
09/08/2026
#80

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Ep 50. Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO Women's World Banking: There's nothing micro about a billion women!

Season 5

Monday, July 1, 2024 • Duration 48:17

"Empowerment is the ability to make choices... and... having economic tools, economic resources is a way of providing the means for those choices."

The world has come a long way since 1974 when women in America could not have their own bank account or checking account without their husband’s signature. The 1st United Nations World Conference on Women in 1975 and the subsequent creation of Women’s World Banking in 1979, have played a massive part in enabling women today to achieve financial independence and be economically empowered.
Mary Ellen Iskenderian has been at the helm of Women’s World Banking for 18 years. She joins us today to talk about how far we have come with respect to women’s financial inclusion, her organisation’s work in this area, particularly in low-income settings, and how far we have yet still to go.
We talk about her book, ‘There’s Nothing Micro About a Billion Women’ - a reference to the nearly one billion women who until a couple of years ago, were outside of formal financial systems - and how women’s financial inclusion is not just good for women and their families, but also, good for business, good for the resilience of the global economy, and essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Recorded May 2024.
Guest Biography
Mary Ellen Iskenderian is President and CEO of Women’s World Banking, the global nonprofit devoted to giving low-income women in the developing world access to the financial tools and resources they require to achieve security and prosperity. She joined Women’s World Banking in 2006 and leads the Women’s World Banking global team, based in New York, and also serves as a member of the Investment Committee of its two impact investment funds.

Mary Ellen is a passionate advocate for women’s economic empowerment through greater access to finance. She is a leading voice for the world’s one billion women not actively engaged with the financial sector, urging the banking industry to view this community as a powerful new market of small business owners, heads of households, and consumers of financial products and services.

Prior to Women’s World Banking, Mary Ellen worked for 17 years at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank. She had previously worked for the investment bank Lehman Brothers. Mary Ellen is a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a member of the Women’s Forum of New York. She serves as a Director on the Board of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

A 2017 Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Fellow, Mary Ellen holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in International Economics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She was recently recognized in the Forbes 50 over 50: Investment list, which highlights female investors and financial leaders. Her first book, There’s Nothing Micro About a Billion Women: Making Finance Work for Women, was published by MIT Press in April 2022.

Links
https://www.womensworldbanking.org

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

Season 5

Monday, May 6, 2024 • Duration 58:17

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.

Ep 40. Ella Gudwin, CEO VisionSpring: Enabling a billion people to see

Season 4

Monday, March 6, 2023 • Duration 48:52

“Creating One VisionSpring is anchored in what we do, so our mission and our social enterprise models, and its anchored in how we do it, and that is in the values that are at the heart of our teamwork… I cant emphasise enough how much values are critical to our success.”
There are over a billion people in the world who don’t have the eye-glasses they need.
VisionSpring is a non-profit that provides affordable eyeglasses to people in need. The organisation aims to improve the lives of people, particularly in low income settings, by increasing access to eyeglasses.
With partnerships in over 43 countries they are on a mission to make the wonder of clear vision possible for everyone.
My guest today is Ella Gudwin, CEO of VisionSpring. Under Ella’s leadership, VisionSpring has tripled its impact, selling over 10 million affordable eyeglasses in emerging and frontier markets.
Ella talks about how eyeglasses improve daily functioning, productivity and earning potential, creating a greater likelihood of a pathway out of poverty. We discuss hybrid business models, Board dynamics, mentoring and developing organisational values. Ella shares her insights on taking over from a Founder and what it means to have received a transformational $15m gift from Mackenzie Scott.
Recorded February 2022.
Guest Biography
Ella Gudwin is CEO of the social enterprise VisionSpring, which accelerates the uptake of eyeglasses among people who live on less than $4 a day. Under Ella's leadership, VisionSpring will correct the vision of 10 million low-income adults and children, unlocking $2.16 billion in income earning potential at the household level.

Ella is a global health strategist with more than 20 years of experience. Her passions for social justice and economic development took root while living and working in Indonesia during the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the ensuing people power revolution.

Prior to joining VisionSpring, Ella served as senior vice president of strategy and programme development at the global health and emergency response organization, AmeriCares. Ella has also led humanitarian operations as vice president of emergency response, and managed access to medicine and other health interventions in ten countries as director of Asia and Eurasia partnerships. Previously, Ella served as the head of foreign government and board relations at the Population Council, focused on reproductive health, youth, and poverty. Ella regularly speaks about hybrid business models that blend earned revenue with philanthropy; growing a purpose-driven business; and measuring social impact. She has shared views with audiences of NPR/PRI, Forbes, The Guardian, Fortune, Skoll World Forum, SoCap, Duke, MIT, Stanford, Princeton and Yale universities, and the Clinton Global Initiative among others. Ella earned a Masters degree in Emerging Market Economics and Southeast Asia studies from SAIS, Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelors from Vassar College. Ella is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Ella and her daughter enjoy getting out of the city for walks in the woods.

Ep 39. Siobhan McCarthy Morton, CEO Adventure Ashram: A small but mighty force against human trafficking

Season 4

Monday, February 6, 2023 • Duration 46:48

There are 8 million people affected by human trafficking in India every year, and over 50 million globally. According to the UN, 79% of human trafficking is for sexual exploitation and 20% of all trafficking victims are children.
Adventure Ashram is a small but mighty charity that is looking to change this!
Driven by a spirit of adventure and freedom, the Adventure Ashram focuses on supporting grassroots anti-trafficking and education projects in South India. In this episode I speak with their CEO, Siobhan McCarthy Morton.
Adventure Ashram’s Vision is a world without injustice, in which all people can enjoy their rights, their self-determination and their freedom.
We talk about Adventure Ashram’s partnership delivery model, and Siobhan tells us about mobilising for their iconic Yoga Stops Traffick global event, with a team of just 3, showcasing the power of collective action.
Siobhan also sounds a rallying cry for the value and importance of small charities, with a reminder that all charities, no matter how large or small, are made up of a community of people who care deeply about a cause, and this, is what makes them powerful change-makers.
Recorded December 2022.
Guest Biography
Siobhan McCarthy Morton is the CEO of Adventure Ashram, a small charity currently supporting grassroots projects in India, with a focus on anti-trafficking, education and accessible health care. Founded by an adventurous group of motor bikers in 2007, the charity has raised over £1.5 million to date, and helped thousands of women and children access freedom and opportunities.
Siobhan joined Adventure Ashram in 2022, having previously spent six years at the children’s heart charity ECHO, initially as their Communications and Volunteering Manager before being promoted to Head of Operations. Prior to that Siobhan was Head of Marketing at the grant-making organisation, The Freemasons’ Grand Charity.
Siobhan is also a Trustee at Women’s Aid in Luton because she believes that all women and children should be able to choose their path in life, free from harm.

Siobhan is currently studying for a Master’s in Voluntary Sector Management at Bayes Business School and lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and two young sons.
Links
https://www.adventureashram.org/

Ep 38. Alex Day, Managing Director Big Give: The Generosity Multiplier!

Season 4

Monday, January 2, 2023 • Duration 37:26

“What we have learned throughout the years of running the Big Give… is that Match Funding is a great way to get more people to give, and people to give more.”
The Big Give is the UK’s leading online match funding platform.
The Big Give Christmas Challenge took place from the 29th of November to the 6th of December 2022 and in that one week, raised £28.6m for over 1,000 charities across the UK.
With more than £233m raised to date, the Big Give has been a huge enabler of digital fundraising through Match Funding. With the strap line “Matching Donations, Multiplying Impact”, they are in essence, a Generosity Multiplier.
In this episode I speak with the Big Give’s Managing Director, Alex Day, about how the Big Give came into being, its plans for the future, and tech as an enabler for social good.
Alex also shares how through a focus on building resilience, skills and profile for charities, and amplifying the campaign’s messaging, they have enabled 92% of participating organisations to reach new supporters bringing in a third of the overall donations.
Charity fundraisers, listen to find out about the Big Give’s campaigns that are launching this year and how your charity could benefit.
Recorded December 2022.

Guest Biography
The Big Give is the UK's biggest digital match funding platform which has raised over £233m for not-for-profit organisations since 2008.
Alex Day joined the Big Give as Managing Director in 2015. During his tenure, Alex has has grown the size and impact of the Big Give's flagship campaign, the Christmas Challenge, from £7.2m raised for 258 charities in 2015, to £28.6m raised for 1,021 charities in 2022. He has also led on a number of high profile match funding campaigns, including raising £2.6m following the Grenfell Tower Fire.
Alex has spent the majority of his career in the not-for-profit sector. He has worked for a number of international development and humanitarian NGO's including Tearfund and Medair.
Alex holds a BA Hons in Business and Geography from Exeter University and an MA in Charity Management from St Mary's University, which included a thesis entitled 'Impact Bonds: The future of disaster resilience funding'. He is Vice-Chair of Excellent Development, an international development charity specialising in water conservation, and lives in Surrey with his wife and young son.

Ep 37. Bejal Shah, CEO ReachOut and Verena Hefti MBE, CEO Leaders Plus: The Power of Mentoring!

Season 4

Monday, December 5, 2022 • Duration 46:09

“In a way what we are doing, is we’re engineering social and cultural capital for those who don’t have it… that’s what mentoring is”

In this episode we explore a new format for the show. Two charity CEOs having a panel discussion on the topic of mentoring: Bejal Shah, CEO of ReachOut and Verena Hefti, Founder and CEO of Leaders Plus.

ReachOut is a mentoring and education charity, rooted in local communities. Working in under-resourced areas across the UK, ReachOut’s programmes support young people to grow in character and confidence, sparking change in themselves and society.

Leaders Plus is a social enterprise working with individuals during maternity leave, shared parental leave and beyond, to progress in their careers whilst enjoying their young families. The Leaders Plus flagship Fellowship programme support parents to progress in big careers whilst juggling small children.

We talk about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of mentoring, how it applies to different age-groups and how each organisation measures that all important evidence of impact.

And above all, how the experience of mentoring can have a transformational impact on an individual’s life and career trajectory.

Recorded September 2022.

Guest Biographies
Bejal Shah is the CEO of ReachOut, a mentoring charity working in under-resourced communities to support young people to grow in character and confidence to achieve positive long-term outcomes.
After leaving university, Bejal was determined to make a positive contribution to society and joined Explore Learning in 2009, forging a career in front-line education work. Following this she joined ReachOut in 2017 to head up their programmes nationwide, becoming the CEO in 2021.
Bejal is passionate about supporting young people to be the best versions of themselves, helping them develop the tools to make decisions that benefit themselves and those around them, and achieve their full potential.
Verena Hefti MBE is the CEO and Founder of the social enterprise Leaders Plus. She set up Leaders Plus in order to support leaders with babies and young children to continue to progress their careers.

Verena believes that no one should have to choose between becoming a CEO and enjoying their young children. She stands for supporting parents to fulfil ambitious career dreams which she believes is essential to achieving gender equality at the top. Verena is also the host of the Previous to Leaders Plus, Verena ran leadership development programmes and events for 10 years in Switzerland, Denmark, and the UK, working with various organisations, including Teach First.Verena is from Switzerland and has MA in Social Anthropology from the University of Manchester. She was awarded the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award and an MBE for services to working parents in 2022.

Ep 36. Jean-Michel Grand, CEO Action Against Hunger UK: No child should die of hunger!

Season 4

Monday, November 7, 2022 • Duration 58:24

“No child should die from hunger… we have the treatment… this treatment has 95% cure rate… and (yet) only 20% of the severely malnourished children in the world have access to this (life-saving) treatment”
In a world where enough food is produced to feed everyone on earth, how is it that nearly 3 billion people - over a third of the world’s population - can’t get the food that they need to survive!
Jean-Michel Grand, CEO of Action Against Hunger UK, shares his views on what is driving this global humanitarian crisis of hunger and what action needs to be taken to resolve it.
We talk about crises in Africa, Pakistan, Ukraine and also Action Against Hunger’s programmes right here in the UK, developed in response to an increase in food poverty and food insecurity for millions of UK households.
Jean-Michel lays down the challenge to the UK’s newly elected Prime Minister to put the UK’s international aid spending back up to 0.7% and to reclaim Britain’s position of influence on the global stage.
He also shares some powerful leadership lessons learned over 20 years of being a CEO.
Recorded September 2022.
Guest Biography Jean-Michel Grand has been the CEO of Action Against Hunger UK since 2003.
He started his career in the humanitarian sector in 1994, as a logistician during the Bosnian war where he worked for two years before being deployed to mostly conflict and drought related humanitarian crises. He spent the subsequent six years in Chechnya, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Malawi and Zimbabwe, working for Action Against Hunger.
Jean-Michel represents Action Against Hunger UK on the International Executive Committee of the organisation’s International Network (which is present in over 50 countries). He was a Board member of VOICE, the network of European Humanitarian NGOs and is currently part of the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) Board, as an agency member. He has also been part of the CEOs' “Sounding board” on effective management hosted by Bain and Company since 2006, and is a Director of ACFIN trademark licensing company.
Over the past three decades, Jean-Michel has dedicated most of his efforts to addressing child undernutrition around the world and helping populations affected by humanitarian crises.
Links
https://www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/

Ep 35. Chris Bird, CEO The Raheem Sterling Foundation: Mindset of a Champion!

Season 4

Monday, October 3, 2022 • Duration 44:32

“Everybody’s got a talent, but not everybody gets the opportunity. And thats what we’re about; we’re about opening that door and getting people through that door… that’s what’s missing in a lot of communities and society today…
There’s a lot of talented young people out there… The Raheem Sterling Foundation is about capturing that (talent) and making sure the opportunities are there.”
This episode is a very special collaboration with The Olympic Mindset Podcast.
I have teamed up with its host, Dominic Broad, to bring you this conversation with Chris Bird, CEO of the newly formed Raheem Sterling Foundation.
Chris is also the Founder of EQ Esports, CEO of Sports Tours International, a Trustee of The Running Bee Foundation and in the late 90s was the COO of Manchester City Football Club.
We speak with Chris about leadership and what it takes to have the mindset of a champion - not just in sport but in any walk of life.
Chris shares his aspirations for The Raheem Sterling Foundation and how through its focus on education, employment and social mobility, it aims to create opportunities and change the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. We have a fascinating conversation about levelling up and what that means in reality versus just in a political manifesto.
And of course we also talk about football.
Recorded August 2022.
Guest Biography
Chris is CEO of The Raheem Sterling Foundation, which champions further education, employment opportunities and social mobility for young people.
Chris is a leader in business and sports, and is widely considered a media, PR and communications authority. His media career started in 1982, working in commercial radio and regional newspaper sales. He now holds the position of Executive Chairman for Quest Media Network, as owner of the newspaper he delivered as a boy. He is also CEO of Sports Tours International.
Chris served as COO at Manchester City Football Club, where his negotiations were crucial in securing major commercial and sponsorship agreements that were highly profitable for the club. Chris joined Manchester City FC as a freelance PR Consultant before he was appointed as the Chairman’s Assistant. His rise from freelancer to COO reflects that of the club, climbing from Division 2 to English football’s top tier, the Premier League.Chris is also the Founder and Trustee of The Running Bee Foundation and actively participates in challenges inspiring communities to lead healthy and active lives.

Ep 34. Mita Desai, CEO Young Trustees Movement: What is the role of charity Governance? (and what Boards must do to get it right!)

Season 4

Monday, September 5, 2022 • Duration 36:53

“It’s not the role of a Trustee to know all the answers; it’s asking great questions. And if we only have a homogeneous group of people on (a) Board, it lowers your ability to ask really great questions from different perspectives, which lowers our ability to manage risk.”
Mita Desai is the Chief Executive of the Young Trustees Movement.
The Young Trustees Movement aims to double the number of young trustees, so that charity boards can better navigate uncertainty, better reflect the interests of their communities and future-proof their decision making.
Currently only 3% of charity Trustees in the UK are under the age of 30.
Mita talks about the disruptive campaign her organisation is running to change perspectives on who a Trustee can be. They are also raising awareness on the role of governance and what charity governance is really there to do.
We talk about how organisations can create the culture for diverse perspectives to thrive, not just on their Boards but across their workforces. Mita shares practical advice on what Boards can do to ensure that representation is not tokenistic and that different voices are genuinely welcomed and valued.
Mita shares her own experiences of being a young Trustee and how the maxim ‘Never let fear get in the way of the choices you want to make’ has led her to where she is today.
Recorded July 2022.
Guest Biography
Mita Desai currently serves as CEO of the Young Trustees Movement.
Mita has over 10 years of experience in the Youth Sector and youth voice advocacy. She has been part of a variety of campaigns including Votes at 16, A Curriculum for Life, and the Alternative Vote referendum.
Mita holds a BA in Social Policy, has served as Chair of the British Youth Council and sat on the Advisory Board for Step Up To Serve.
Links
https://youngtrusteesmovement.org
This episode is kindly sponsored by EdenTree, a charity owned investment manager and leader in responsible and sustainable investing.

Ep 33. Barbara-Anne Walker, CEO Ashgate Hospice: Changing the conversation about death and dying

Season 4

Monday, August 1, 2022 • Duration 56:48

“Part of Ashgate’s ambition is to change the conversation about death and dying… to enable conversations to happen in daylight, in general conversation, about death and dying. We’re all going to die, its not something that any of us can avoid… ”

Barbara-Anne Walker is the Chief Executive of Ashgate Hospice.
Ashgate Hospice is a specialist hospice, providing palliative and end of life care for the community of North Derbyshire.
Their vision is for people with a life-limiting illness to be able to live well, and have a good death. And for their families to be supported and comforted through the process.
Less than 30% of hospice funding comes from the NHS and yet the hospices provide a vital service within the UK healthcare system. Barbara-Anne and her team at Ashgate Hospice have been prolific in engaging the community, campaigning and raising awareness for hospice funding, both locally as well as on the national stage.
Barbara-Anne is emphatic about the need to change the conversation about death and dying.
We talk about the organisation’s iconic Sparkle Walk event. We also talk about Ashgate Hospice’s own podcast, The Life and Death Podcast, which explores frank and honest conversations about death and what ‘dying well’ really means.
Barbara-Anne shares her thoughts on the importance of visible leadership and her role, as a leader, in creating a learning culture. She also shares some practical learnings gained from working through the pandemic.
Recorded May 2022.
Guest Biography
Barbara-Anne Walker is the CEO of Ashgate Hospice. Barbara-Anne has worked in the voluntary sector for over 30 years and has had an interest in palliative and end of life care since early in her career when she worked with people affected by HIV.

Barbara-Anne led the national social care programme for Macmillan Cancer Support and previously worked as Operations Director with the British Red Cross. She was a Non-Executive Director of Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust for eight years. In 2021 she was shortlisted for the Charity Times ‘Leader Of The Year’ award.

Barbara-Anne is Scottish and Derbyshire has been her home for over 20 years.

Links
https://ashgatehospice.org.uk/

The Charity CEO Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Charity CEO Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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