Podcasts about international trade centre

Trade policies are more than economic levers. Today they are instruments of influence, competition and – at times – conflict. We have seen how Trump's recent tariff hikes on Mexico, Canada and China have heightened geopolitical tensions.The global trade system is also undergoing a deeper transformation. Countries are diversifying supply chains and rethinking alliances. Regional trade agreements are gaining momentum. Take the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is vital for strengthening Africa's resilience. This episode takes stock of this changing global trade landscape. What direction is it heading? Are we on the brink of a new era of economic fragmentation, or can innovative trade mechanisms and agreements provide stability?GuestsSara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI GlobalPamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre.Teddy Soobramanien, Chief Executive Officer, COMESA Business CouncilJodie Keane, Senior Research Fellow, ODI GlobalRelated resourcesResponding to Trump's tariffs: the EU needs a new trade weapon to protect its economic security (Insight, ODI Global)Supporting Investment and Trade in Africa (Project, ODI Global)Implementing the Digital Trade Protocol of the African Continental Free Trade Area: expected impacts, early experiences and challenges ahead (Publication, ODI Global)Remaking global trade: how does the UK measure up to the Villars Framework? (Insight, ODI Global)

370 Whatever Will Be, Will Be We can often have expectations of how the world is supposed to work, like we are running out of time or that we have to hold on desperately to ideas and beliefs that no longer serve us. However, it is imperative to our growth as individuals, and in turn, our business ventures, to let go of the beliefs that no longer serve you and to learn to accept that whatever will come to you when you are ready, and in its own good time.  In this episode Sarah Elkins and Rashina Gajjar discuss the lessons they've learned on their own private journeys, as well as how their own knowledge has helped to serve clients and friends alike.    Highlights Acknowledging the reality of a situation regardless of if you are proud of that thing or not. Sometimes we sabotage ourselves with change for the sake of change without it being intentional or meaningful change.  Things will happen when they are meant to.    Quotes “I guess learning to let go and surrender that and to move into this path that I think is more aligned with my broader purpose that really required me to yield and to let go of something that I thought that I had really wanted, and at the time I did want, but was no longer in the forefront of my vision.”  “Everything has it's own timing. The moments of preparation are important, the moments when you're stumbling are important, because they also get you there. But don't be frustrated if it doesn't happen in those moments, because it will happen in the right way. I think that's something I've been constantly learning in my life, and this was an example of it. And I think also my friend it was an example for her as well, the divine timing of things.”      Dear Listeners it is now your turn, What will you do to choose tomorrow? What is one thing you can do to decide that you have earned and that you deserve the life that you want? Everyday you have choices to make to remind yourself that you deserve the life that you want. That means choosing the labels that fit you rather than holding onto the ones that people gave you.  And, as always, thank you for listening.    About Rashina Rashina Gajjar is a British entrepreneur, Brand Amplifier and Belief Coach. Passionate about increasing diversity and accessibility within the creative industry through entrepreneurship, Rashina founded Amplify Studio in 2020, an creative storytelling and brand Amplification studio that has advised companies such as Wise, UCL, and Divinc on inclusive, multi-cultural marketing and brand storytelling. A former United Nations consultant, she worked closely with the International Trade Centre in Geneva, supporting a community of 4,000 global entrepreneurs on business storytelling, creative marketing, and networking. Rashina is also a belief coach, helping international entrepreneurs overcome their subconscious limitations and beliefs, clearing the path to increased fulfilment, business success and emotional awareness. Be sure to check out Rashina's Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn! As well as her website House of Rashina!   About Sarah "Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision." In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I've realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don't realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they're sharing them with. My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home. The audiobook, Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available! Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana. Be sure to check out the Storytelling For Professionals Course as well to make sure you nail that next interview!

The Weekly Tradecast looks at how the green transition is transforming the global economy, national policies and almost every aspect of our lives with the International Trade Centre's Vanessa Erogbogbo. As the impact of climate change gets worse, the focus is on finding solutions that make a difference. Much more needs to be done but steps to cut emissions and use more renewable energy are already opening new frontiers for technology, creating new opportunities for business and redrawing the map for the resources we use and the products we make. So how does that big picture connect and affect daily life in our work and in our communities? For more on the macro to micro aspects of the green transition, listen in to Vanessa Erogbogbo, chief of the ITC's green and inclusive value chains section.

Stephen Grootes talks to Pamela Coke-Hamilton, the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre about South Africa's presidency priorities, focusing on SME empowerment, regional trade enhancement, and women's entrepreneurial development.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People often seek guidance from others in life, overlooking the profound wisdom of their own instincts and inner wisdom! Join Deborah as she converses with Jennifer Jane Young about the significance of trusting your intuitive guide. Whether personal or business, embracing this approach can help you align with your true path and achieve tremendous success! Stay tuned! Here are the things to expect in the episode:The difference between intuition and instinct.In what ways can embracing imperfection contribute to personal growth and learning?How does Jennifer help clients overcome barriers to trusting their inner wisdom?Embracing joy and aligning with your dream life.And much more! About Jennifer:Jennifer Jane Young is a speaker, author, and Intuitive Leadership advisor to entrepreneurs and business leaders around the world.Since 2011, Jenn's leadership roles have spanned several continents, from leading a community of 5,000 entrepreneurs for the International Trade Centre as a United Nations Consultant to advising startups and multi-million dollar businesses.Jenn is the Founder of the School of Intuitive Leadership, a hub and online community where heart-centered, impact-driven entrepreneurs learn to embrace their intuitive wisdom, experiencing deeper transformation, alignment, and growth in their path toward success. Connect with Jennifer Jane Young!Website: https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/The School of Intuitive Leadership: https://theschoolofintuitiveleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-jane-youngInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer.jane.youngTwitter: https://twitter.com/jennyjaneyoungJenn's online course, Introduction to Intuitive Leadership Course, includes a digital copy of the book: https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/#course and the book: https://sayyestoyouryes.com/. Book Recommendation:Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Joe Dispenza  Connect with Deborah Kevin:Website: www.deborahkevin.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/debbykevinwriterLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-kevin/Book Recommendations: https://bookshop.org/shop/storytellher Check out Highlander Press:Website: www.highlanderpressbooks.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highlanderpressInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/highlanderpressFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/highlanderpress

Send us a Text Message.Author and life coach Jennifer Jane Young discusses how she created a movement, what a movement is, and how you can make your book into its own movement.▬Giveaway info:Comment which item you would want on Jennia's Instagram post!https://www.instagram.com/jenniaahava/?hl=enRead Jenn's bio and check out her links below:Jennifer Jane Young is a Canadian speaker, author, Intuitive Life Coach and Intuitive Leadership advisor to entrepreneurs and business leaders around the world.Since 2011, Jenn's leadership roles have spanned several continents, from leading a community of 5,000 entrepreneurs for the International Trade Centre as a United Nations Consultant to advising startups and multi-million dollar businesses.Jenn is the Founder of the School of Intuitive Leadership, a hub and online community where heart-centred, impact-driven entrepreneurs learn to embrace their intuitive wisdom, experiencing deeper transformation, alignment, and growth in their path towards success.Through her workshops, talks, and her signature podcast, “Finding your Flow”, Jenn has helped global entrepreneurs change the paradigm in how they lead their lives & business.Today, Jenn is living her dream life between Mexico and the Canadian countryside, with her two rescue dogs Bailey and Johnny.https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/store/ https://jenniferjaneyoung.substack.com/ https://instagram.com/jennifer.jane.younghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-jane-young 

Itto Outini's Bio:Itto Outini is a journalist, Fulbright Scholar, Steinbeck Fellow, MacDowell Fellow, Founding Editor at The DateKeepers, and author of the forthcoming memoir Blindness is the Light of My Life. She holds an MA in journalism and strategic media from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a BA in applied linguistics from Mohamed V University in Rabat, Morocco. Itto has published with US-based and international outlets including The Relatable Voice Magazine, The Fulbright Chronicle, and The Chicago Tribune. Organizations for which she has spoken include The United Nations, Cal Tech University, Verizon Wireless, and The International Trade Centre. In addition to writing and speaking speaking, she offers a diverse suits of services tailored to writers, young professionals, and entrepreneurs. Mekiya Outini's Bio:Mekiya Outini is an award-winning author, freelance editor, MacDowell Fellow, Founding Editor at The DateKeepers, and co-author of Itto's forthcoming memoir Blindness is the Light of My Life. His work has appeared in Chautauqua, The Coachella Review, Willow Springs, and elsewhere. Two chapters from his novel Ashes, Ashes can be read at the West Trade Review.  Mekiya holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a BFA in creative writing from the UNC Wilmington. He brings to the table 10+ years of experience writing, editing, teaching, tutoring, reading, and revising. His clients hail from all backgrounds and all walks of life, and he especially enjoys supporting people who write in English as a foreign language to craft clear and elegant prose.Links: Website: https://www.thedatekeepers.comItto's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ittooutini/Mekiya's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mekiya-o-1157b9184/The DateKeepers LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-datekeepers-–-an-international-media-platform-372831275/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/i-am-refocused-radio--2671113/support.

In today's episode, Itto and Mekiya Outini open up about the power of storytelling, overcoming personal challenges, and the unique paths that have led them to become advocates for writers worldwide.We begin with Itto and Mekiya telling the unlikely story of how they met, and how their union not only created great happiness for the two of them, but also their business Datekeepers, a platform where emerging writers find their voice and the courage to share their stories.  Itto shares how her early life living on the streets of Morocco due to a heart-breaking family betrayal eventually led her rise as a globally-recognized scholar. Mekiya shares how his life story is one of defying societal norms, and embracing a life that is true to himself. Their shared experiences, filled with resilience and self-love, serve as a beacon for anyone navigating the complexities of finding their own voice.At the heart of our conversation lies a universal reminder: the impact of a supportive community and influential mentors in our own life's stories. We explore the balance between receiving guidance and forging an independent path, and the transformative effect of educators who embolden, rather than diminish our personal power.  MEET ITTO AND MEKIYAItto and Mekiya Outini are the founding editors of The DateKeepers, an international media platform that publishes short-form creative and journalistic nonfiction, spotlights individuals who've overcome extreme adversity to make meaningful contributions to their fields, and creates opportunities for emerging writers. Itto Outini is a Fulbright Scholar, Steinbeck Fellow, and MacDowell Fellow. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Fulbright Chronicle, ABILITY Magazine, and elsewhere, and her life story has been on BBC. She's spoken for Cal Tech University, The United Nations, Verizon Wireless, and The International Trade Centre and holds an MA in journalism and strategic media from the University of Arkansas.Mekiya Outini is a writer, freelance editor, and MacDowell Fellow with an MFA in fiction from the University of Arkansas. His short story “Baptism by Earth” won of the 55th New Millennium Award in Fiction, and his work has appeared in Chautauqua, The Coachella Review, Willow Springs, and elsewhere. The first two chapters of his novel, Ashes, Ashes, have been featured in the West Trade Review.The DateKeepers Website The DateKeepers LinkedIn Support the showJoin Brilliant Breathwork, the monthly membership offering multiple weekly live breathwork sessions with Jen and other trauma-informed facilitators, an extensive vault of replays, and a supportive community for authentic, creative, and radiant growth. Other ways you can support: Share an episode and tag Jen on Instagram @untetheredjen Follow/subscribe to get updates of new episodes Leave a review! Connect with Jen JenLiss.com @untetheredjen Music created and produced by Matt Bollenbach

In today's episode, Itto and Mekiya Outini open up about the power of storytelling, overcoming personal challenges, and the unique paths that have led them to become advocates for writers worldwide.We begin with Itto and Mekiya telling the unlikely story of how they met, and how their union not only created great happiness for the two of them, but also their business Datekeepers, a platform where emerging writers find their voice and the courage to share their stories.  Itto shares how her early life living on the streets of Morocco due to a heart-breaking family betrayal eventually led her rise as a globally-recognized scholar. Mekiya shares how his life story is one of defying societal norms, and embracing a life that is true to himself. Their shared experiences, filled with resilience and self-love, serve as a beacon for anyone navigating the complexities of finding their own voice.At the heart of our conversation lies a universal reminder: the impact of a supportive community and influential mentors in our own life's stories. We explore the balance between receiving guidance and forging an independent path, and the transformative effect of educators who embolden, rather than diminish our personal power.  MEET ITTO AND MEKIYAItto and Mekiya Outini are the founding editors of The DateKeepers, an international media platform that publishes short-form creative and journalistic nonfiction, spotlights individuals who've overcome extreme adversity to make meaningful contributions to their fields, and creates opportunities for emerging writers. Itto Outini is a Fulbright Scholar, Steinbeck Fellow, and MacDowell Fellow. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Fulbright Chronicle, ABILITY Magazine, and elsewhere, and her life story has been on BBC. She's spoken for Cal Tech University, The United Nations, Verizon Wireless, and The International Trade Centre and holds an MA in journalism and strategic media from the University of Arkansas.Mekiya Outini is a writer, freelance editor, and MacDowell Fellow with an MFA in fiction from the University of Arkansas. His short story “Baptism by Earth” won of the 55th New Millennium Award in Fiction, and his work has appeared in Chautauqua, The Coachella Review, Willow Springs, and elsewhere. The first two chapters of his novel, Ashes, Ashes, have been featured in the West Trade Review.The DateKeepers Website The DateKeepers LinkedSupport the showWant to work with me live, in person? I'll be on the island of St. Maarten for the Island Girl Awakening Retreat where I'll be joining The Traveling Island Girl, Riselle Celestina, for a week of transformative fun, adventure, LUXURY, and healing. If you're ready to say a huge heck yes to living your best life, this will be the experience for you. Apply to be one of the beautiful women to join us at jenliss.com/retreat. ---See the other ways you can work with me at jenliss.com Other ways you can support: Share an episode and tag Jen on Instagram @untetheredjen Follow/subscribe to get updates of new episodes Leave a review! Connect with Jen JenLiss.com @untetheredjen Music created and produced by Matt Bollenbach

This is a companion podcast to the amazing book “The Adaptable Leader” by Danette Fenton-Menzies which has just been released. Get your copy here: https://www.danettefm.com/store/p/the-adaptable-leader-paperback You can also get episodes of this podcast a few days early by jumping over to the Adapt with Danette F-M podcast page here:https://open.spotify.com/show/17oatIqfJyn6x3cr4APQP2 Today's episode is with Sophie Krantz. Sophie Krantz is an advisor, coach and speaker on internationalisation, global strategic expansion, and international leadership development. In over 20 countries, Sophie has worked with private public sector leaders to develop and implement international business strategies. Sophie has done this at Global Fortune 500 and ASX100 companies as well as with startup founders and CEOs of SMEs and scaleups. Sophie has held internationalisation strategy roles, including at the International Trade Centre (agency of the UN/WTO) in Geneva and at Swiss Re in Zurich. Enabling her clients to adapt to global opportunities and risks associated with the Digital Era and Fourth Industrial Revolution, Sophie applies the Exponential Organisation framework, designed by Salim Ismail, in her work. Sophie runs workshops and masterclasses for international business leaders. Her work centres on creating the connections, content and conversations for business leaders and companies to succeed on the world stage. In today's podcast, Sophie discusses not only how she got to where she is, but also how to adapt to a more globalised world. She breaks down how standing still can be as dangerous as trying something new, why your friends should be changing, and how to develop globalised networks. To find out more about Sophie, or to get in contact:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiekrantz/ https://sophiekrantz.substack.com/ ‘Adapt with Danette F-M' is a podcast by Danette Fenton-Menzies; speaker, business coach, and a leader in the adaptability space for the over a decade. In this podcast Danette chats to different adaptable leaders from across different sectors to break down how they have adapted to get where they are, and what tips you can utilise to keep up with changing environments. You can also learn more about Danette and get in contact here: https://www.danettefm.com/

Karl Satinitigan and Quiel Quiwa are Co-Founders at Meron. Meron is a B2B SaaS startup for SMEs' circular economy needs. Meron Exchange is an asset management system for reusable company resources. Meron is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2 co-implemented by IdeaSpace Philippines & QBO Innovation Hub, Department of Trade and Industry, and the International Trade Centre. IN THIS EPISODE | 00:29 Ano ang Meron? | 01:42 What is Meron Exchange? What do you mean by asset management system for reusable company resources? | 04:35 Does Meron also help companies in tracking their assets? | 11:15 Who are some early adopters of Meron Exchange? What is their feedback? | 16:57 How does Meron track the utilization of a company's assets? What can they do with this information? | 18:15 How did Meron start? Can we know more about the co-founders? | 22:18 Meron is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2. How was the program? | 25:00 What is circular economy? How will Meron play a role in the larger circular economy perspective? | 31:02 What are some future plans for Meron? | 35:35 How can listeners know more about Meron? MERON | Website: meronexchange.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠| Facebook: facebook.com/meronexchange⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFICIAL E-LEARNING PARTNER | Ask Lex PH Academy: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠asklexph.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Get 5% discount by using the code: ALPHAXSUP ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS | IdeaSpace Philippines: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ideaspacefoundation.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | QBO Innovation Hub: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠qbo.com.ph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | TechShake: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠techshake.asia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | OneCFO: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠onecfoph.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mention Start Up Podcast PH as referral!) | TakeFive Outdoors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠takefiveoutdoors.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pinoy IP Works: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pinoyipworks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Packetworx: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠packetworx.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | NutriCoach: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nutricoach.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingfour.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Benjoys Food Products: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benjoysfoodproducts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | DBUZZ: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠d.buzz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pareto Consulting | AltSwitch | Twala | Eplayment | Hive Energy PH START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT THE PODCAST | Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Unionbank: 109426505649 | GCash: 09623871744 This episode is edited by the team at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tasharivera.com

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, Founder of Rubber Cheese.Download the Rubber Cheese 2022 Visitor Attraction Website Report - the first digital benchmark statistics for the attractions sector.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends on 20th December 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter.Show references: https://vacevents.com/THURSDAY 5TH OCTOBER – QEII CONFERENCE CENTRE, WESTMINSTERhttps://vacevents.com/committee/ Bernard Donoghue OBECEO & Director, ALVA, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, Mayor of London's Culture Ambassador. Co-Chair, London Tourism Recovery Board.https://www.alva.org.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-donoghue-obe-0aa9b97/ Bernard has been the Director of ALVA, the UK's Association for Leading Visitor Attractions, since 2011 following a career in advocacy, communications, and lobbying, latterly at a senior level in the tourism and heritage sector. In  2017, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, appointed Bernard to be the Mayor's Ambassador for Cultural Tourism and a member of the Mayor's Cultural Leadership Board. Bernard is Co-Chair of the London Tourism Recovery Board. He is also Chairman of LIFT, London International Festival of Theatre; Chairman of the Bristol Old Vic, the oldest continually operating theatre in the English-speaking world, and also of the People's History Museum, the Museum of Democracy.  He has been a member of the UK Government's Tourism Industry Council since 2016.  Bernard was named by Blooloop in 2020 as one of the world's 50 most influential people in museums, and in July 2021 won the public vote for the COVID Special Recognition Award from the UK Museums and Heritage Awards for his service to, and leadership of the museums and heritage sector in the UK during the pandemic. Ken Robinson CBE FTS - Founder of VAChttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-robinson-cbe-fts-bb811312/Ken is an independent adviser who speaks and writes on tourism topics.  As a "tourism enthusiast" he aims to be a pragmatic pioneer of new initiatives, strategies and solutions to optimise the economic, cultural and social benefits of tourism.   Ken's Consultancy companies completed over 1500 assignments, mostly in the UK but also several hundred international projects, beginning over 50 years ago, before the days of mass tourism.  He was a founding member of the Tourism Society and supported the formation of the Tourism Alliance, both of which organisations he has served as a board member and Chair, as he has on several other Tourism bodies. Specialising initially in visitor attractions, Ken initiated and subsequently chaired the National Visitor Attractions Conference, VAC, and has been on its Committee ever since.  In addition to many clients in the public, private and third sectors, he has advised the UN's International Trade Centre, on national and regional Tourism strategy development.  His current focus is to move the industry's thinking from marketing to the critical need to manage future tourism for the benefit of host communities, and to optimise tourist's experiences.  Ken was appointed CBE for services to Tourism in 1997, and an Honorary Doctorate in 2014. Paul KellyChief Executive, BALPPA, Chair of VAC https://www.balppa.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-kelly-2714a922/Having been with BALPPA for 11 years and working with VAC for that amount of time as well, Paul started his career in the attractions sector at Thorpe Park in the 80's and then moved on to the London Eye for its opening around the millennium.  He has  always been involved with visitor attractions.  Several more years working within Merlin followed both in the UK and abroad, mainly on business development.  Being a BALPPA member for 30 years means, being Chair of the organising committee at VAC keeps Paul in touch with all aspects of the attractions industry. Liz Terry MBEManaging Director, Leisure Media Grouphttps://www.linkedin.com/in/elizterry/ Janet Uttley Head of Business Transformation for VisitEnglandhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/janetuttley/  Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Season 5 kicks off today with not one, not two, but three excellent guests.On today's episode, I have the pleasure of speaking to Bernard Donoghue, Paul Kelly and Ken Robinson, founders of the Visitor Attractions Conference. You also know Bernard as, Director of ALVA and Paul as CEO of BALPPA.VAC celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and I'm finding out where the idea for the event spanned from, how it's changed and developed over the years. And we take a look ahead to what 2024 has in store for the attraction sector.Unfortunately, fellow Founder; Liz Terry, the Managing Director of Leisure Media Group, and also Janet Uttley, Head of Business Transformation for VisitEngland, were unable to join us on this episode. But stay tuned for lots of insight and to find out how you can get your ticket for the VAC conference this year.Kelly Molson: If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: Bernard, Ken, Paul, it is a treat to have you all on the podcast today. Thank you for joining me. I think this is the first time I've had three guests as well, so this could be interesting. Bernard Donoghue: And three men as well. I mean, it's like a really bad testosterone banana rama, isn't it? Really. Kelly Molson: I'm just a little flower in the middle of you thorns today. Yes, it's a real shame. So, unfortunately, Janet Uttley and Liz Terry couldn't make it along to join us today, which is a shame. But I'm sure that they will get lots of mentions as we talk through some of the things that we're going to chat about today. But first, as ever, I want to start with a little icebreaker. I'm going to ask you all the same thing because I'm intrigued as to whether you ended up doing what you thought you might. So, Ken, I'm going to start with you first. When you were at school, what did you think that you'd grow up and be when you were older? Ken Robinson: I didn't know. Kelly Molson: Had no clue at all? Ken Robinson: No, I didn't have a clue. I was lucky to have a good education. I didn't work at school. And then I got into a job, which was I was very successful at it and it was very boring. So I left. And when I discovered tourism and visitor attractions, it took me over. I didn't decide to do it. It told me that was it. Kelly Molson: Oh, I love it. It's like a calling. Ken Robinson: At the time it was, I was actually sitting in a turret room which had been vacated by Lord Montague. His desk used to face in and I liked that because I didn't have to look at the faces of the visitors going past who might complain, because in those days, buli was very expensive. And then one day I thought to myself, these people are investing their hard earned money and leisure time in making a decision to come here and it's our job to make sure they have a good time. And I turned my desk round and I looked at them all day long and the moment I turned my desk round, everything changed. Kelly Molson: I love that, because you could see the whites of their eyes and how they were engaging with the venue as they turned up. Ken Robinson: Well, it's just such a failure, isn't it? If you've got somebody who makes a choice and spends their time and money, a family decision for many people, and it should be a highlight. And if it isn't, whose fault is it? It's probably the fault of the visitor attraction, given that the person has chosen to go there in not communicating well enough with them about what they've got and what they would find interesting. Kelly Molson: This is such a brilliant story and that wasn't where I was expecting this to go either, Ken. I love it. Paul, what about you, Paul?Paul Kelly: Yeah, I mean, when I was at school, I was interested in sports and that was it, really, and luckily, that dragged me through the various places I went to. But what I was going to end up doing sports. I think once you get into sports quite seriously, you realise fairly quickly that actually you're not going to make it, so you have to find something else. So, laterally, I decided that business was a good idea. So I started doing business studies up in North Wales and for some reason were doing a sandwich course in those days, I think it was called that. One of those, I got placed at Thorpe Park. I don't know why particularly, so there's a group of six of us went down to Thorpe Park to work there and I actually started working on the rides.Paul Kelly: I'm not sure what it had to do with business at the time, but I'm glad somebody thought it did. And I couldn't believe that was a job that you could do, you could be paid for, because I came from the north at that point and there wasn't an awful lot going on in the 80s and actually be paid. Everyone enjoyed themselves, fantastic atmosphere, parties every night. I'm sure it's still like that. And it was just amazing. And from that moment on, regardless of what happened after that, including other colleges, other bits and pieces, effectively, I never left. Kelly Molson: It's always going to be in that sector. Paul Kelly: Yes. Kelly Molson: Excellent. Great. Bernard, same to you. Bernard Donoghue: Well, this may come as a surprise, but my grandfather was in the Irish Guards, my father was in the Grenadier Guards, my brother was in the Royal Marines, and I had a very large collection of action men. I genuinely thought I would probably end up in the army. And actually, I got an offer after university to go into the Household Cavalry. I don't think I've ever told anyone this before. Anyway, it just clearly I didn't pursue the application. It wasn't for me at all. Got really into politics. So I started working in the House of Commons, House of Lords and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and then I've just been in sort of lobbying, campaigning, political world ever since. But I still miss the uniforms. Can't deny it. Kelly Molson: I think we'd like to see you in that uniform, Bernard, if I'm not going to lie. So from the lobbying aspect, which is obviously a really big part of the role that you currently have, how did the attractions bit kind of slot into those? Where did the two join up? Bernard Donoghue: It's a really odd coincidence. I was trustee of a charity that Diana, Princess of Wales, was a patron of, and I was working full time for a charity that she was a patron of. So when she divorced Prince of Wales, now the King, she reduced her patronages down from 187 to six. And I happened to be involved with six of them. I went to work for her as a deputy private secretary, press secretary. But of course, the moment she died, which was August 31st, I had no job. Suddenly I was unemployed. And I got contacted by a woman who Ken will certainly know, probably Paul will, too, by Sue Garland, who used to be Deputy Chief Executive of VisitBritain, who'd heard me speak at something and said, "Well, we're just about to create this post of government affairs liaison. Would you be interested to working on the role while working on what you do next?”Bernard Donoghue: And that was in August 1997. And here I am still. Ken Robinson: But also, can I add something to that? Because I was lucky enough to be sitting in the room on many occasions when Bernard would give his briefing at meetings that were held by VisitBritain. And it was always a highlight of the day because Bernard, in those days, never pulled his punches. I'm not saying he does now, but he would just explain to everybody in the room what was going on with all of the political parties, which we never understood, and explain what we ought to be doing in order to best put our case. So it was really no shock when he turned up at ALVA, because I would say this if he wasn't here, he was the star of the show there, and that expertise that he showed has blossomed in the job that he's doing now. Kelly Molson: This is lovely, isn't it? Aren't you all nice? Bernard Donoghue: This is love in.. Kelly Molson: Probably why you all work together, right? You will get on so well. Right, back to you, Ken. Unpopular opinion, please. Ken Robinson: Most visitor attractions do not deliver full value for money to most of their visitors. Kelly Molson: Okay, Paul and Bernard, do you agree with this? Will our listeners agree with this? Is this an unpopular opinion?Paul Kelly: Did you use the word most, Ken? Ken Robinson: I did. Paul Kelly: I'll go for some, not most. Bernard Donoghue: Yeah, I'll go for some as well. One of my favourite programmes is Yes, Minister. And whenever you'd hear something off the wall, bonkers, they would say, that's a very brave opinion, Minister. That's a very brave opinion, Ken.Ken Robinson: Now's not the time to justify it. I'll do that on another occasion. Kelly Molson: Yeah, we will invite you back and we can do that one on one, Ken. Paul, what about you? Unpopular opinion? Paul Kelly: Well, I'm guessing that anybody that's worked in a theme park will probably have the same opinion I have. So I worked at Thorpe Park, which was 450 acres, two thirds of which was water. And at the end of the day, when you were walking out, and in those days, that could be 9, 10 o'clock at night, it was beautiful. On a late summer's evening, calm waters, walking through a park which had just been cleaned and tidied and ready for the next day. It was fantastic. And we all had the same opinion once were down the pub discussing the day. It's just a shame we have to let people into theme parks because it's the absolutely beautiful place without them there. So sometimes people let the parks down. Kelly Molson: That's a good one. That is a good one. Yeah. And you don't want to let them in to see the beautiful bit either, do you? Because then there'd be people there. It wouldn't be serene. Paul Kelly: No, I mean, those evenings, if there was still time, we'd go windsurfing on the lakes, cable water ski around the back. And it was just a shame that all these people came in every day and messed it all up. Kelly Molson: Yeah. Well, I'm pretty sure that most people who've worked in theme parks aren't going to disagree with you on that one, Paul. Good one. Bernard, what about yours? Bernard Donoghue: Even though I chair a theatre and I know how important the revenue is, I'm not a fan of selling drinks and food to people in theatres because they just make a noise. I can't bear it. I mean, it depends. I mean, it depends if it's a panto or something like that. Completely fine. Ken Robinson: Oh, no, it's not. Bernard Donoghue: It kind of allies to what Paul was saying as well, which was I don't know whether it's an unpopular opinion. I think it's probably a popular opinion. But visitor behaviour, whether it's in a theatre, a museum, an art gallery or wherever, has completely deteriorated post lockdown. Some people's behaviour is getting worse and it's very difficult to know what to do about it. Kelly Molson: Yes, agree. I don't think that's going to be very unpopular at all, actually, considering some of the things that we've seen recently. Thank you all for sharing. Okay, let's get back to the serious bit. The Visitor Attractions Conference. It's 20 years old this year. If you are listening and you're not familiar with it, one, why the hell not? And two, you need to grab a ticket today. It's the leading networking and learning event for visitor attractions across the UK. And I first visited in October 2019 and it was the first sector specific conference that I had been to. We'd been working in the sector for probably about three or four years, had never really at that point kind of gone all out on our like, "This is what we're going to niche and this is what we're going to specialise in."Kelly Molson: So I was kind of doing a bit of a fact finding mission really, and I came along and it absolutely blew me away. I think it was one of the friendliest conferences I've ever been to. I think you'd created an environment where everybody was really welcome, no stupid questions. Everyone from speakers to guests where kind of felt like they were all on the same level, really happy to answer questions that you had, really happy to talk to you. And I think that was for me. I came away from that event, I went back to my team and said, "This is where we should be. This is the event for us, this is where we should be attending, these are the people that we should be speaking to." And I've absolutely loved every minute of that. Kelly Molson: I mean, the next one I went to was a virtual one. So it was very different to the 2019 event, but still excellently organised. So firstly, thank you for making that happen. But where did the idea for the VAC come from in the first place? How did this come about? Ken Robinson: So we have to remember that the world was very different over 20 years ago. Really, really very different. Not just a question of internet or pre COVID and all those things and pre Olympics, but just very different. And attractions in those days thought and acted and communicated in their sectoral associations. Historic houses talked to historic houses, curators of museums talked to curators, bishops talked to priests, zoologists talked to botanists, but they didn't talk across the sectors. There were two exceptions to that. One was that in Visit England or English Tourist Board, there'd always been a committee there which was across the sectors, but the other one was ALVA. Now, when ALVA was formed, it was a 1 million visitors plus club for attractions, with 1 million plus visitors a year. Ken Robinson: Subsequently, groups of attractions, particularly English Heritage, National Trust, were involved originally associates, but it was a 1 million plus club and that's only 1% of the attractions in the United Kingdom had over 1 million. And it was very London centric. And ALVA had a five objectives, four of which were about government. And the interesting thing was that I was very good friends all through this time with Lord Lee, who know a very big part of the early success, pre Bernard of ALVA. I said to John Lee, “Look John, could you not change your name to ALVA and be involved with all the visitor attractions because they badly need something which glues everybody together and we need to get across this away from this sectoral stuff.” Ken Robinson: And everybody was talking about historic houses, talk about the house museums, talking about the continents of the museum but they weren't talking about visitors. They weren't talking about how you communicated with the visitors or what they were motivated by or how you could better manage things for visitors, give them better they weren't doing that. So John agreed with this and I've got the original papers here. I looked them out that I was asked first of all by ALVA in December of 2001 to write a paper on the future of ALVA which is headed: ALVA in the Future Representing All Visitor Attractions. Then after that the conversation went on and we realised that if were going to have some kind of overall event we couldn't do it without the National Tourist Board, we couldn't do it without Visit Britain, Visit England. We needed their input.Ken Robinson: We needed them to talk to DCMS and make sure it would happen. And also we wanted to do this not on a commercial basis but being by the industry, for the industry, run by the industry, not for profit. And that was a problem because we wanted to do it in the QE II Centre because we wanted to be in the centre of everything and that was going to cost an extraordinary sum of money and there wasn't that much money that could in that first year come originally from VisitEngland. So the partners in this, the partners being ALVA, BALPPA, Paul's organisation, Leisure Media the wonderful Liz Terry and her magazine which has forever been behind this event for no recompense whatever and myself put up 5000 pounds each security in order that the thing would happen. Ken Robinson: You said, "We'll stand the risk, let's do it.". So in 2004 I wrote the briefing of the first conference and I found from a 2003 the government asked for a list of topics that would be discussed in order they could work out whether or not they might like it and it's still here. What I like about it is it would do quite well for this year's conference. All those topics are still relevant. So that's where it came from. That's where it came from. We wanted it to have at the time the lowest possible attendance fee to get the highest number of people there. We wanted to involve everybody. Ken Robinson: And the cast list for that 2004 event, my goodness me, absolutely fantastic cast list in terms of the people we had for an initial event and you can imagine when it was announced and everybody was behind it ALVA was behind it. BALPPA, I should have mentioned that Colin Dawson, Paul's predecessor was an absolute stalwart of the conference in the early years he stood by know, when times were tough and that's where it came from. Kelly Molson: That is phenomenal. It was really putting your money where your mouth is, isn't it? By all of you actually personally investing in this thing to bring it to life. You don't hear many things happening in that way anymore, do you? It's all about getting investment and asking other people to make the commitment to it and take the risk. Ken Robinson: Well, we have a company now, I should say. We have a company called VAC Events, and we are all equal. The four of us are equal shareholders, that's to say, Bernard and ALVA, BALPPA and Paul, Liz and myself, for no benefit. Martin does it for us, but we are the people that carry the can, if you like, and I don't think we've ever had anything out of it apart from a nice lunch at Christmas, but apart from that, it's a great feeling of doing something. When you say everybody is very friendly and talks to one another. That's why they're all in the same business. Bishop, curator, zoologist person running a heritage railway, they're all in the same business. Kelly Molson: Obviously, the first event was a success. You've been on and you've done many, what, 20, 20 events since that first one. How have you seen it kind of change and develop over the years? So what did that first conference look like compared to what this year's will look like? And how have you kind of evolved it over that time to keep it relevant to your audience? Paul Kelly: Well, I think so. My involvement directly has been the last ten years, so I'm halfway through chairing for this one, but I was actually there at the early ones because I worked at that time. I was working at the London Eye, just across the river, and I was good friends with Colin Dawson at the time. I'd worked with him at Thorpe Park and he for some people, may well remember Colin as entertaining Princess Diana on a log flume in 92, 3 and 4. Paul Kelly: And I was there. It's hard to tell, but I was actually there. I'm not in any of the photos in Paris Match and all of those places. I have a couple of myself here. I didn't get anything signed by Princess Diana and sent over to you know, bitterness takes a while to and I've joked with Colin over this many years. Colin was there, but if you look closely behind the scenes, you'll find I was there too, but so I was great friends with Colin over many years and still am. He was obviously contacting everyone he knew about this conference. He was working for BALPPA at the time. I was working for the Two Swords Group, had the operational contract for the London Eye. Paul Kelly: So I went to the first one and I suppose my impressions of the first one was for somebody who hasn't been there before, the QE II is extremely impressive as a conference center. I don't go to many that look like that around the UK. Most of them normally the ones I go to are in attractions, they're slightly different so it was hugely impressive both on its location and what was across the road and how things went and I was a little bit starstruck I suppose, for the first one. Now I get the opportunity to sit on the stage and look out at everybody and have a slightly different view on it all, but still think it's an extremely impressive environment to do that. Paul Kelly: And I think the biggest change for me, and I think we may cover a little bit later, is how we've broken up the afternoons into separate segments and sections where people can go along to a smaller, informal group discussing a topic that they particularly want. And I think the thing I also like about that is the amount of people who want to go to more than one of them that are on at the same time and are almost complaining there's too many things to go to, which I think is hilarious, which means it's really good. And hopefully that means that next time they'll really think about which one do I want to go to, obviously I want to go to more than one, but I'm going to pick my best one. Paul Kelly: So I think for me, that's probably the biggest change over time. But what doesn't change for me is the team that we have putting these things together, which we're actually relatively slick at. Everyone gets the chance to put their opinions and I'm glad we don't record those meetings and it works out really well. And I think as a team, it's amazing how long we've stuck at it and stuck together. Kelly Molson: I'd love to be on a little fly on the wall for those meetings. Have you ever had a fallout about something? Bernard Donoghue: Yes, we're frequently violent. It's a visitor experience in its own right, I think. Kelly Molson: I'll pay for it. Bernard Donoghue: We reflect the madness that some of our visitors demonstrate on site so in that case I think we're rooted in the industry. The first one that I went to was in 2011, so I just joined ALVA at that point. And the first one I spoke, it was in 2012 and I've been doing the same kind of slot ever since. I do a kind of State of the Nation in the morning because ALVA obviously gets loads of data and information and we publish all of our visitor figures and all the rest of it, and actually we collect and commission much more data now than we ever used to. So I share all of that in the kind of Donoghue half hour copyright. Bernard Donoghue: What's lovely I mean, Paul's absolutely right is that over the last twelve years I think we've seen a real move from people desperately wanting to speak about their successes to being really open about what hasn't worked, which of course is far more interesting and useful. So there's been a really lovely shift from people saying, "No, I don't have to do the propaganda stuff.” Actually, I'm going to tell you what it was like, why it was a disaster and what we learned from it. And that's so useful. So you do get this real honesty coming from the speakers who know that's what they find useful too. So why not share it? I think the other one is I do a presentation about, is there core behaviours of successful visitor attractions regardless of type?Bernard Donoghue: And there are there's about ten of them, but one of them is the ability to foster creative partnerships with unusual suspects. So the presentations that are most fascinating for me is where a visitor attraction, it doesn't matter whether it's a cathedral or whether it's a museum or gallery or theme park, have teamed up with someone that you wouldn't expect them to team up with to tell the story of their people and places and collections in a new, innovating, exciting way. And those are fascinating, absolutely fascinating. So I love those. There's much more of that. Kelly Molson: Fantastic. Well, on that note, I want to know from each of you who has been the most inspiring speaker that you've had at the conference over the past 20 years. Ken, let us start with you. Who do you think would be on your list for that? Ken Robinson: I had a look through the programs going back to 2004 and came up with the following names which surprised me, actually. I think originally our first most inspiring speaker was Simon Jenkins, the columnist of the Times, who had very strong views, which didn't necessarily agree with what government and others were doing. He did give a very inspiring presentation and then there are some people who perhaps we would expect less. The most single most surprising speaker was somebody called Tristram Mayhew, who titles himself as the Chief Gorilla of Go Ape and in a room full of suits and quite smart dresses and trouser suits, Go Ape shambled onto the stage in a car key shirt and proceeded to explain how he'd done things differently. And frankly, it was riveting. We had a chap called Tony Berry from the National Trust who gave presentations. Ken Robinson: His first one was just stunnning, you know, in the days when HR was less popular, Tony Berry would tell you why you should be interested and he was absolutely amazing. And Sue Wilkinson, incidentally, of the National Trust, who was the person responsible really for dragging the Trust from its sort of old form to its new marketing orientated thinking about its supporters future success? She was terrific. And the other person I would mention another Tony, I don't know whether or Tony's there's Tony Butler from the Museum of East Anglian Life, who again, when Bernard was talking about people talking about doing things differently and it inspires you. Some of those examples are very interesting, but not easy to copy. Ken Robinson: In other attractions, we always look for things that do go across the piece, so anybody can learn from the lessons within the example that we're talking about. And incidentally, we do have arguments in meetings, it's about whether particular speakers and particular topics are the way of doing things. And generally speaking, when we all have a good go at it comes out better than it did when anybody said, “Well, I know what the right answer is. No, you don't. Let's all talk about it. So that works.” So you get these people that actually inspire and they light up the room, not because of clever graphics and not because of a forceful way, but they light up the room because of the originality of their ideas. Now, I'll come to my number one. Ken Robinson: I'm sorry about this, because he's sitting on my screen down there, and that's young Bernard, who since he joined our there you go. That's the top half that works. You should see the bottom half doesn't work. He's just had pins put in it. Kelly Molson: Just for our listeners here, Bernard is given a little muscle strong arm salute on screen here. Ken Robinson: Bernard combines the latest immediate knowledge of talking to people across the industry with an absolutely amazing gift of the gab, with a power of communication. And he's unstoppable. And we wouldn't have stood him for all these years if he wasn't. So of all the years and all the speakers, the consistent best is Bernard. But we have had other people, often surprising, who take know, you don't expect it, you think you're going to listen to ordinary session, all of a sudden it takes fire. Kelly Molson: Bernard, what have you got to say to that? Bernard Donoghue: What I say to Ken is there are packets of cash going from London to the south coast with immediate effect. Delighted. Thank you very much. It's really lovely, actually. I've tried to change things every year to do partly political, but also partly about good practice and who's doing what and who's interesting. I'll tell you what, one of my favourite speakers, and it was in a conversation, one of the things that we've introduced is a sort of conversation with slot, which works really well, actually, because a bit like this, you're off script, you respond to people. Liz chaired a conversation last year, so were in Birmingham last year and it was all about HR issues and of course, it know, coming out of COVID and cost of living crisis and recruitment challenges and all of those kind of stuff. Bernard Donoghue: And Tina Lewis is the director of people at the National Trust. National Trust, getting great repertoire here. She came out with an idea that they're doing at the National Trust and I've implemented it in the three organisations that I chair and it's made the biggest difference. So the National Trust, they will pay the rent deposit for your flat if you need them to. So if you're going through a cost of living crisis and you can't get up the cash to put down a rent deposit on your flat, they'll do it for you. You can't get up the cash to put down a rent deposit on your flat, they'll do it for you. That was such a transformational thing to hear. You could almost hear the gasp in the room of people going, "Oh, my God. Yeah, if we can, let's do that." Bernard Donoghue: And I've now introduced it. As I say in the organisations that I chair, not many people have taken it up, but the fact that we've said it has made such a difference to people. I mean, as it is at the Trust, actually, there's been a relatively small number of people at the Trust who've taken it up, but the very policy decision, the very communication of it, just spoke volumes about an organisation that cares about its staff, and particularly those staff who are on really limited budgets. So there's been loads and loads of speakers over the course of the last few years, but that for me was a nugget which has changed people's lives and has been implementable. Kelly Molson: I think that's the key to that part, isn't it, is that it's an incredible thing that they've done, but the fact that it can be implemented someone has listened to that talk. They can take that away, take it to their board, take it to whoever needs to okay that, and they can put that into action like that straight away. That's the power of a really good initiative and a good speaker to be able to deliver that as well. Paul, what about you? Please don't say Bernard. I think he's had enough praise today. Bernard Donoghue: No, keep going. Kelly Molson: No. Paul Kelly: You're OK, Bernard? We'll leave that one where it is, shall we? If we can squeeze Bernard into the room next. Right, so one special mention I wanted to give, actually, which is one of the years not too long ago, we invited Simon Calder to speak, the travel journalist, and I have to say I wasn't convinced, because clearly he's not working in one of our attractions and doesn't necessarily know the industry pretty well. But I have to say, he was hugely entertaining, had done his homework, was hugely knowledgeable, and so he was absolutely excellent. But I think the most important thing for me is that he left us and he said to me, “Enjoyed it so much, I'll come back later.” And I said, “Yes, of course you will.”Paul Kelly: So he went away and he came back at the end of the day to talk to all the people that he'd seen early in the day, because he loved the atmosphere and he wasn't required to do that. And he came along. And for that I have to put a special mention in one for myself to actually listen to the others when they say, “This will be good”, and secondly for him, for actually doing a bit and actually coming back later. And he was a fabulous addition and outside of our industry. So my inside the industry one is somebody I ended up working with because I was with the Two Swords group and then they were bought by Merlin with Nick Varney and his Merry Men. Paul Kelly: So Nick and his team had obviously been in the industry a very long time at this point, dipped in and out of theme parks and attractions. But Nick didn't actually do many talks. You wouldn't actually hear him speak about too much. I'd heard him speak over in the IAAPA trade show held in Orlando every November, and he was absolutely brilliant. And then Ken managed to get him to speak at VAC one year. And again, he was absolutely excellent. And this fits in nicely because now that he's retired from Merlin, he's speaking again this year. So I think that will be really interesting because he's absolutely excellent. Ken Robinson: And by the way, guys, just to show you that we know what we're doing here, this is 2004, okay? And it says here the recipe for success. Nick Varney chief executive, will talk about the components for commercial success. And that's before. So we've got him first and look what happened. Kelly Molson: I'm really looking forward to that interview, actually, and I think it would be really interesting to see how he differs now. He's kind of outside of the sector, and I think that the format that you've got him in. So that's the interview with Liz, isn't it? On stage? I think that's going to be a really great format as well. I've seen that work really well in the past where she's interviewed people and it just feels really comfortable and really conversational. I think that brings out the best of people. Bernard Donoghue: Kelly, do you want to know who's been of most variable quality? Kelly Molson: Oh, yes. Bernard Donoghue: Tourism Minister. I mean, without doubt. I mean, we've been going 20 years now, therefore we've had 20 tourism ministers, had one a year, like Christmas cards. And some of them have completely got the industry completely understood. It delivered a barnstorming speech, and then the next year you'll get the annual Tourism Minister pop up and they'll read something flat, banal, uninteresting. And we're so torched by the experience that we don't invite the one next on the year. So we're always banging on about this. Tourism is very good at job creation. In fact, we've created 20 Tourism Minister jobs in years, but they are of variable quality. Ken Robinson: The best we ever had, Bernard, I think, by far, was John Penrose, when he had completed his review of the industry and got very clear views, which he put to government. Unfortunately, government didn't do it, as they usually don't, but he was good and people liked him and gave him a high rating. I think the next best was probably Margaret Hodge, who was very good and spoke from the heart. But as you say, when we look at every year, we look at a rating of every speaker and the meeting after the event, we go through those ratings and decide, those that got good ratings, why did they get it? Was it intrinsic to their character, their nature, their topic? Was there something special? And those who didn't, why was that? Was it our fault? Ken Robinson: Did we not brief them properly? Or was it never going to be any better? Ken Robinson: And that way we managed to manage the conference. So know the attraction sector. We sometimes forget that over half of all visits to visitor attractions in the UK are free of charge. We forget that the majority of visitor attractions are medium and small businesses. We forget that there are charitable and commercial attractions. We must be able to bring this whole sector together and move our thinking forward in the way that Bernard has just explained in terms of what he does with ALVA. And the other thing that Bernard mentioned was ALVA's research now. Ken Robinson: 20 years ago, you had to wait until the annual book came out from Thames Tower and then eventually from the centre of luck look to page 16 and there would be numbers, but very little interpretation of what those numbers meant. Now, Bernard is behind much of the work that is done now with ALVA. But the key to it is it's not just numbers, it's interpretation. And because of the communication skills, when ALVA put out a message, it is interpreted. It says why it was a successful year or what was mitigating against that. And that's so important in trying to move our case forward. Kelly Molson: But it's important in improving the content that you give your audience at the conferences as well, right? If something isn't working and you've got a process of evaluating why that hasn't worked and how you improve on it for the next one. Let's just focus on why should people attend VAC this year? What is in it for them? What's on the agenda? What have they got to look forward to and how can we get them to book a ticket? Bernard Donoghue: I'll happily go first and go quite niche, actually. One of the things that I do now outside of ALVA, or because of ALVA is that I co chair the advisory board for VisitLondon. So essentially chair the London tourist board. And I do that with Kate Nichols of UK hospitality. And we created the London Tourism Recovery Group during COVID So my suggestion would be Sadiq Khan. So we've managed to get the Mayor of London to come along and speak at this anniversary conference. And it's not just because he's the Mayor of London and it's the 20th anniversary, but it's because he's the first ever Mayor of London that hazard one of his four political priorities, culture and tourism. That's number one. Bernard Donoghue: Number two is that he put his money where his mouth was and he funded the Let's Do London Recovery campaign, which was both domestic and international with the industry. We delivered it with London and partners, but he put up the lump sum behind it. And third, he completely gets that tourism and heritage and culture is both where you grow jobs and we're very good at it, but it's also where you grow people. It's where you grow people in terms of their cultural literacy or their sense of community or their independence or their sense of history. And therefore knowing where you come from enables you to be a better future citizen, if you like. Bernard Donoghue: So my quick blast would be we've got him doing a welcome, but also saying why visitor attractions and tourism are so important to him and to the economy and the politics of London. So that's not to be missed. Kelly Molson: That is a big draw. Absolutely a big draw. Paul, you mentioned earlier about the variety in splitting up that second session, that second part of the day with the seminars and the smaller talks that you do as well. That for me, as an attendee, is really valuable because you can kind of pick and choose what's relevant to you and go along and see lots of different talks. What do you think is the draw for people to come to the conference this year for you? Paul Kelly: Well, I was just jotting down, thinking about it's a little bit. An extension of what Ken was talking about is that it's the variety of what we do in one place is greater than anywhere else. And all the conferences I do because of the nature of what we do each end of the spectrum. So we've got talks about people who run charities to people who run hugely commercial operations. We've got people doing talks on which are free to get into those who are quite expensive, but focus on value for money. And you've got those that are indoor, those that are outdoor. When I spent my time business development at Merlin, they were always focused on a balanced portfolio. And a balanced portfolio meant making sure that right across your business, you have every aspect covered. Paul Kelly: So everything balances indoor, outdoor, UK, Europe, USA, whatever it is. And I think with our conference, that's what we try and do, we try and balance all of those types of different types of operations so that everything is covered, not to the point where it's too thin and you don't learn anything. And that's the key to it, is that we go into the depth. And the depth, I think, is greater now because we do those breakout sessions and we've got time to do in fact, we double up for those three different areas just for that afternoon. So I think those are the things, if anyone asks me why they should come, it's about the variety.Kelly Molson: Regardless of size of your attraction as well. And actually, from my perspective as a supplier to the industry, it's just as valuable to come along and learn and understand what's going on in the sector. You don't have to be an attraction to come along and take part and be educated about what's happening in the sector. What about you, Ken? Ken Robinson: Well, I think that those of us who have stood on the stage at the QE II Centre and looked at the people who have come can see that there aren't any slumbering faces out there. There are people making notes, people nudging the person next to them, people looking round when we ask a question. We now have a sort of red and green card system for, do you agree? Don't you agree? Which we sometimes use, which is very interesting, engaging the mood of the room. And I think that the thing about VAC is don't be lazy if we're going to come to VAC. Don't be lazy. If you're coming to VAC, l And jot down what questions you might like to ask those people or what you'd like to learn from that session. Write it down, don't think you can remember it at the time. Ken Robinson: Bring it on a note with you when you come and then you will find, and we all know this, that the networking that happens at the end of the day and in the breaks at VAC it's like a family wedding in a way. I mean, everybody wants to talk to everybody else and it's so valuable. I think everybody who goes away from VAC should have a good few things that day, which they say, “I wouldn't have thought of that if I hadn't been there”, or even, “I disagree with that”, but it's made me realise what my true opinion about that is equally valuable. But don't be a lazy attendee. Come and participate, come and enjoy, come and learn, come and take back benefit to everybody that works with you. Kelly Molson: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think that thing about not being scared to ask questions is really valid as well, Ken, because this happened to me, actually. I went to one of the seminar sessions, and this is back in 2019 and was really inspired by one of the speakers about it was Julez Osbek, who was at Continuum Attractions at the time, and she talked about marketing segmentation, but had a completely different perspective on it in terms of not doing it demographically, just talking about age brackets and things like that. And it was really interesting. I didn't get a chance to ask a question during the seminar, but I found her afterwards and she was very approachable, very happy to answer my question. And then I stalked her on Twitter and got her to come on to the podcast afterwards to talk about it. Kelly Molson: But that's for me, what VAC is about. It's the openness that people are really willing to share. So don't be afraid to go and find the speaker that you've been inspired by and go and ask them the question afterwards, because everyone's really happy to talk about their topic and they're really happy to help people. That's my little key takeaway from it anyway. Right, so it's going to be on Thursday, the 5th October. This podcast episode is launching on the 20th September, so you haven't got long to go and get your tickets, so make sure you do. It is the 5th October, the QE II Conference Centre in Westminster. The website address is vacevents.com. That's Vacevents.com and you can get your ticket there. All of this information will be in the show notes, so don't worry if you didn't get time to scribble that down. Kelly Molson: While I've got you all, though, because you all are in the sector and you've got lots of insights to share. I want to know from each of you what you think that attractions should be focusing on and what 2024 might look like for the sector. Paul, what about you? Start with you. Paul Kelly: So I've been chatting to some of our operators. We have some very large operators around the UK asking them how it's going? And unsurprisingly, you could have said the same question 20 years ago, what's our biggest challenge? It's the weather. It's not actually the cost of living crisis, it's not COVID you can put plans together for those things and you can work on it, but the weather always is a little bit of a challenge. So this summer inverted commerce has been quite hard to focus on what we can deliver when the days have been half decent. Actually, we've done quite well, we always do relatively well, certainly in our sector, I'm sure the others will agree, in a recession. Paul Kelly: So the key seems to be, and I'm going to put it out, I haven't quite found the right words for it, but I'll develop this once I've spoken to a few more. What every attraction for me has to have is an opportunity for people to downgrade what they did slightly. What they're doing is they're ringing it up and saying, "Can't afford to do this, have you got something that's almost like that?" But whether it's a slightly different experience, less time, one day less so whatever the packages are that people are offering, there has to be one rung lower than it was before to still encourage people to come along because they're not able to reach the same heights at the moment that they did previously. But they still want to have that family experience that day out, create those memories. Paul Kelly: All of those things are still relevant. And if you don't have that opportunity, then they'll either go elsewhere or they won't go. So, again, it's managing. So I'm not talking about huge discounts, I'm talking about being relatively clever in what you package and what you put together to make sure they still attend and they still get what they perceive to be value for money. But unless you have that option then I think they won't come. Kelly Molson: Really great advice, Paul. Thank you. Bernard, what about you? Bernard Donoghue: Like Paul, actually, especially since Lockdown ended, but actually for about the last five or six years I've noticed a particular thing which is where visitor attractions have got reserves, and that's a big if by the way, particularly in the course of the last couple of years. Actually, especially since Lockdown ended, but actually for about the last five or six years I've noticed a particular thing which is where visitor attractions have got reserves, and that's a big if by the way, particularly in the course of the last couple of years. So it comes back to Paul's point about kind of ensuring yourself against the excesses of the weather and making sure that you're still particularly a family attractive visitor attractions that'd be one. Second is cost of living crisis, certainly for the average customer, but also the energy costs for visitor attractions too. Bernard Donoghue: Just crazy amounts of money that visitor attractions are now paying i If you're a zoo or an aquarium you can't turn down the temperature of your botanics you're a living reef. So we're going to have to find some way out of that. And that means that actually for many organisations it's going to be as financially challenging over the next twelve months as it has been over the last two. And then I think the third, and this is a continual for me and Kelly, you and I have talked about it before, but it forms the last session of the day at the VAC conference which is diversity and inclusivity. And my feeling is that every visitor attraction should be critically honest about who comes, who doesn't, why they don't come and what are you going to do about it?Bernard Donoghue: And in particular those organisations who in receipt are government money or public money or who had COVID loans from the UK taxpayer. If their visitors don't look like the community in which they're housed, they have a moral question at the heart of their business. That's it. If you want to take public money you need to have an audience that looks like the diversity of the public. And that's a challenge. I get that, I completely get that. But I think that making sure that we are as accessible in every conceivable way, economically, physically. Accessible to people and that they see their stories and themselves reflected in their collections and people and staff and volunteers and board members, I think that's the biggest challenge of the sector as it is indeed to many other sectors. Bernard Donoghue: But I think we're doing some amazing things and we need to shout about it and we need to share and we need to learn from each other. Kelly Molson: Absolutely agree. And that session is going to be a really great session. That's one not to miss. Ken? Ken Robinson: Well, I would say two things. First of all, as far as our visitors are concerned, I think there is a bigger polarisation now than there ever has been between those who have money and can still afford to do things and are not much impacted by the current circumstances, despite everything. And those who haven't and those who haven't have got to find ways of saving money, getting more for their money. There are so many things they can do that are free and alternatives that charged attractions find it difficult. I think we have to remember that the biggest number of attractions in the United Kingdom are heritage based attractions and they weren't purpose built like many of Paul's members, the attractions are purpose built for entertainment. But heritage attractions have got a bigger responsibility or museums housed in historic buildings. Ken Robinson: And all the time they're having to cut their costs and finding life difficult. Money isn't going into maintaining that National Heritage. And that's a real big long term challenge, one that government can't ignore. So government has a vested interest in the health of our businesses because the more healthy they are, the less will fall back on the state eventually. One last thing, I would like to mention Martin Evans and the tourism business. Ken Robinson: For the last I don't know how many years, Martin has been the person who has put together this event for us. He has to do the heavy lifting. He is backed up by our conference organisers, who are also very efficient. And the other person that I wouldn't like to miss from this, because if she could have been here today, you would have got a different flavour, is the wonderful Liz Terry and the support that her organisation. That's Liz's Organisation, her hard work in Leisure Media Group. She publishes Attractions Management magazine. Ken Robinson: She has never asked for anything from this conference and she gives it great support, without which we wouldn't have made 20 years, as I said earlier. And also a big shout and a screen for Liz. Kelly Molson: That is lovely. Thank you. I'm sure Liz will very much appreciate that. We won't forget her. Don't worry, she'll be on the credits for this podcast. I always ask our guests to leave us with a book recommendation for our listeners. So a book that you've loved, a book that you've enjoyed as part of your career growth can be absolutely anything. So, Paul, what would you like to share with us today? Paul Kelly: Oh, I tell you what, books are a bit highbrow for me. Yes, Bernard agrees with that. So I'm from the north, so I used to travel a lot when I was working North America. Commuting a little bit. So I did read a little bit then, but I very quickly swapped over to podcasts things that I download. I watch Silent Witness from the 90's, early 2000s repeatedly. I like Meet Marry Murder, which is one of the cable channels, so I'm quite simple. So I don't really have a book recommendation. I think when I have time to read, I will look forward to reading what somebody else recommends. Kelly Molson: Well, I will take Silent Witness as a recommendation because I love Silent Witness, Paul. Oh, so good. Never miss an episode, ever. So, OK, they go I mean, I can't give it away as a prize, but go and check out Silent Witness if you haven't. Bernard, what's yours? Bernard Donoghue: Well, I've been on this before and I remember my recommendation and it sounds really facile, but it was absolutely true, was Ladybird Books when I was a kid, and then that's how I got into history and heritage and storytelling and absolutely loved them. And I've still got loads of them, which is a bit sad, actually. I'm currently confined to home with a broken ankle. So I've been going through my big Bernard book of books, of all the ones that I haven't got around to reading, and the one that I've enjoyed most and has really surprised me is Lucy Worsley's biography of Agatha Christie. Absolutely fascinating. I thought I knew her. I thought I knew all about her. I know all of her characters, I've watched every conceivable film and TV program, but what a fascinating woman. Bernard Donoghue: So that's the one that I've loved this summer. Kelly Molson: Great recommendation. Yeah. I wondered what were going to get from you, actually, because you've had a lot of time on your hands to go through that book pile. Bernard Donoghue: It was either going to be Agatha Christie or the Argos catalogue. Honestly, it could have gone. Kelly Molson: It's not Christmas yet. You only do the Argos catalogue at Christmas. Ken, over to you for our last recommendation. Ken Robinson: Well, the best book quite hard to get hold of now, but I can supply copies is Action For Attractions, the National Policy Document, written in 2000. But if you want something other than that, then I have just finished reading a book which everyone else read years ago called Sapiens, which is about this thick, that's to say two and a half inches thick. For those of you listening. It's by somebody, I've just had to look him up because I couldn't have remembered it, by Yuval Noah Harari. And it's entitled A Brief History of Humankind. And what's so interesting about it is it goes through segments explaining the great moves that have happened to us humans since we appeared on this Earth. Ken Robinson: And I found the whole thing fascinating to read in one go what took me a long time, particularly the last bit, which talks about how commerce has changed the world and what we're all doing, and that's, after all, what we're doing at VAC. We are engaged in the kind of commerce that is to entertain, amuse and give enjoyment to our visitors, and at the same time keep the heritage of the country going and keep an awful lot of people employed, so I recommend Sapiens. Kelly Molson: Ken, that's a great book. It took me a really long time to read as well, but it is an absolutely fascinating book. I would totally back up your recommendation there. Have you read the next one as well, Homodeus? Ken Robinson: No one a year is enough for me. Kelly Molson: Well, I've got a toddler, so reading doesn't come easy for me right now. But Homodus is next on my list to read because that's the next one on from Sapiens and it's supposed to be a really good read as well. Right, listeners as ever, if you want to win a copy of Ken and Bernard's book, retweet this episode announcement with the words, I want the Vax books and you will be put into a prize drawer to win them. And also, do go and watch Silent Witness, Paul's recommendation, because it is blooming brilliant. I love it. Thank you all so much for coming on to join me today. I've really appreciated it. It's been a fascinating kind of deep dive into the Visitor Attractions Conference. I genuinely love this conference. It is one absolutely not to be missed. Kelly Molson: I mean, there might be a speaker called Kelly at this one. This is so I'll be there. Come and see me too. But no, thank you. It's been wonderful. As I said, we will put all of the info in the show notes. We'll put all of the connections to Paul, Ken and Bernard too. So if you've got any follow up questions that you want to ask them, I'm sure they'd be really happy to help. But it's vapevents.com. Go and grab your ticket now. Thank you, guys. Ken Robinson: And I have to tell you, Kelly, we are going to spend our time at our next committee meeting thinking of impossible questions for you for when you're speaking at VAC.Kelly Molson: Oh, God. Do it. I love impossible questions. Put me on the spot, Ken. I'll enjoy it. Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast. 

Elaine Timbol and Elvin Laceda are Co-Founders at Sakahon. Sakahon is an agritech B2B startup focused on providing high-quality seeds to farmers and nurturing the resulting produce until it is ready for sale, also offering technical support and monitoring services to ensure optimal crop growth and quality control. Sakahon is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2 co-implemented by IdeaSpace Philippines & QBO Innovation Hub, Department of Trade and Industry, and the International Trade Centre. IN THIS EPISODE | 00:28 Ano ang Sakahon? | 02:24 How did Sakahon start? How did the co-founders meet? | 07:45 What is the problem in the agriculture industry that you are solving? How are you helping farmers? | 12:56 How does the Seed to Table model work? How does Sakahon mediate in the agriculture value chain? | 16:00 Who are some institutional buyers buying through Sakahon? How is the experience negotiating with them? | 19:25 How is the experience working with farmers? Can we know some successes and challenges? | 24:50 Sakahon is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2 and won 2nd place in the Demo Day. How was the program? | 29:25 Do you intend to bring this model to all farms in the Philippines? | 31:58 What are some of your future plans and how do you want Sakahon to be known by everyone? | 34:28 How can listeners know more about Sakahon? SAKAHON | Website: sakahon.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠| Facebook: facebook.com/SakahonMarketplace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFICIAL E-LEARNING PARTNER | Ask Lex PH Academy: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠asklexph.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Get 5% discount by using the code: ALPHAXSUP ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS | IdeaSpace Philippines: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ideaspacefoundation.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | QBO Innovation Hub: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠qbo.com.ph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | TechShake: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠techshake.asia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | OneCFO: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠onecfoph.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mention Start Up Podcast PH as referral!) | TakeFive Outdoors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠takefiveoutdoors.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pinoy IP Works: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pinoyipworks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Packetworx: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠packetworx.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | NutriCoach: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nutricoach.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingfour.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Benjoys Food Products: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benjoysfoodproducts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | DBUZZ: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠d.buzz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pareto Consulting | AltSwitch | Twala | Eplayment | Hive Energy PH START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT THE PODCAST | Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Unionbank: 109426505649 | GCash: 09623871744 This episode is edited by the team at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tasharivera.com

With women-led businesses comprising only 15% of global trade, the World Economic Forum estimates it will take over a century to bridge the divide without faster policy reform. In this episode, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, Sally Jones, EY Trade Strategy and Brexit Leader and Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, discuss the challenges faced by women in the entrepreneurial world, including limited access to finance.  EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. The views of third parties set out in this publication are not necessarily the views of the global EY organization or its member firms. Moreover, they should be seen in the context of the time they were made.

Erika Dell Sancho is CEO and Co-Founder at Mata Technologies. Mata Technologies is the premier provider of 360 degrees virtual tours for real estate and tourism in the Philippines. Mata Technologies is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2 co-implemented by IdeaSpace Philippines & QBO Innovation Hub, Department of Trade and Industry, and the International Trade Centre. IN THIS EPISODE | 00:22 Ano ang Mata Technologies? | 01:20 Ano ang virtual reality and why virtual reality for improving customer experience in the real estate and tourism industry? | 08:55 Your work in the real estate industry is amazing! Can you share some of the projects and how VR tours work for this industry? | 15:20 Your work in the tourism industry is amazing! Can you share some of the projects and how VR tours work for this industry? | 23:22 How did you learn virtual reality tech? Can we know some backstories of the co-founders? | 27:10 How do you create the VR tour with your partners? How are the operations at Mata Technologies? | 33:33 Mata Technologies is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2. How was the program and how did you benefit from it? | 40:15 What are some future plans for Mata Technologies and VR tech in the Philippines? | 43:20 How can listeners know more about Mata Technologies? MATA TECHNOLOGIES | Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mata.tours ⁠| Facebook: facebook.com/matatechnologies⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFICIAL E-LEARNING PARTNER | Ask Lex PH Academy: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠asklexph.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Get 5% discount by using the code: ALPHAXSUP ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS | IdeaSpace Philippines: ⁠⁠ideaspacefoundation.org⁠⁠ | QBO Innovation Hub: ⁠⁠qbo.com.ph⁠⁠ CHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | TechShake: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠techshake.asia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | OneCFO: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠onecfoph.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mention Start Up Podcast PH as referral!) | TakeFive Outdoors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠takefiveoutdoors.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pinoy IP Works: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pinoyipworks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Packetworx: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠packetworx.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | NutriCoach: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nutricoach.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingfour.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Benjoys Food Products: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benjoysfoodproducts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | DBUZZ: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠d.buzz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pareto Consulting | AltSwitch | Twala | Eplayment | Hive Energy PH START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT THE PODCAST | Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Unionbank: 109426505649 | GCash: 09623871744 This episode is edited by the team at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tasharivera.com

Joseph Doroja is CEO and Co-Founder at Synthillate. Synthillate manages the world's first-ever intellectual property bank offering innovative financial services for cultural and technological IP's. It allows creators, researchers, inventors, and entrepreneurs to unlock the financial potential of their creations. Synthillate is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2 co-implemented by IdeaSpace Philippines & QBO Innovation Hub, Department of Trade and Industry, and the International Trade Centre. IN THIS EPISODE | 00:51 Ano ang Synthillate? | 02:10 If someone has an IP, how can it be converted into a financial asset through Synthillate? | 07:00 What can IP owners do with the financial asset? From collateralization for business loans to fractional ownership to trading and exchange! | 25:30 How was the idea born? Can we know some backstories? | 32:15 How is the experience building the startup? Is it difficult dealing with financial and legal regulations to make this work? | 35:17 Synthillate is currently also based in South Korea. How did Synthillate reach the South Korean market? | 41:10 Synthillate is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2 in the Philippines and won the Demo Day. How was the program? | 46:02 What is the vision for Synthillate? What are some future plans? | 52:23 How can listeners know more about Synthillate? SYNTHILLATE | Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠synthillate.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFICIAL E-LEARNING PARTNER | Ask Lex PH Academy: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠asklexph.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Get 5% discount by using the code: ALPHAXSUP ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS | IdeaSpace Philippines: ⁠ideaspacefoundation.org⁠ | QBO Innovation Hub: ⁠qbo.com.ph⁠ CHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | TechShake: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠techshake.asia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | OneCFO: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠onecfoph.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mention Start Up Podcast PH as referral!) | TakeFive Outdoors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠takefiveoutdoors.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pinoy IP Works: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pinoyipworks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Packetworx: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠packetworx.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | NutriCoach: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nutricoach.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingfour.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Benjoys Food Products: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benjoysfoodproducts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | DBUZZ: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠d.buzz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pareto Consulting | AltSwitch | Twala | Eplayment | Hive Energy PH START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT THE PODCAST | Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Unionbank: 109426505649 | GCash: 09623871744 This episode is edited by the team at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tasharivera.com

Aileen Bautista is Founder at EZ Sourcing Group. EZ Sourcing Group is providing tailor-fitted one-stop product sourcing service from negotiation with suppliers, order follow-ups, to logistics support from China, South Korea, and Hong Kong to Philippines. EZ Souring Group is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2 co-implemented by IdeaSpace Philippines & QBO Innovation Hub, Department of Trade and Industry, and the International Trade Centre. IN THIS EPISODE | 00:40 Ano ang EZ Sourcing Group? | 01:27 How did this all start? What usually is the problem when importing products from abroad? | 05:30 What is the range of the end-to-end logistics support? How do you provide air/sea freight, RMB payment assistance, product sourcing, and tracking services? | 09:30 Why did EZ Sourcing Group start from China? Marami bang nag-iimport from China? | 14:40 What kinds of businesses and what types of items are typically being imported from China, South Korea, and Hong Kong? | 16:15 How did you form the team behind EZ Sourcing Group? | 20:20 What sets EZ Sourcing Group apart from other logistics support companies? | 22:30 EZ Sourcing Group is part of the Arise Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 2. How was the program? | 27:57 What's next for EZ Sourcing Group? | 30:34 How can listeners know more about EZ Sourcing Group? EZ SOURCING GROUP | Website: ⁠⁠⁠ezsourcinggroup.com⁠ | Facebook: facebook.com/ezsourcinggroupph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFICIAL E-LEARNING PARTNER | Ask Lex PH Academy: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠asklexph.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Get 5% discount by using the code: ALPHAXSUP ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS | IdeaSpace Philippines: ideaspacefoundation.org | QBO Innovation Hub: qbo.com.ph CHECK OUT OUR PARTNERS | TechShake: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠techshake.asia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | OneCFO: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠onecfoph.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (mention Start Up Podcast PH as referral!) | TakeFive Outdoors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠takefiveoutdoors.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pinoy IP Works: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pinoyipworks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Packetworx: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠packetworx.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | NutriCoach: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nutricoach.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingfour.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Benjoys Food Products: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠benjoysfoodproducts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | DBUZZ: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠d.buzz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Pareto Consulting | AltSwitch | Twala | Eplayment | Hive Energy PH START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/company/startuppodcastph⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SUPPORT THE PODCAST | Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Unionbank: 109426505649 | GCash: 09623871744 This episode is edited by the team at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tasharivera.com

we delve into the impact of the BRICS nations on the U.S. dollar and their aim towards de-dollarization. Our discussion is based on a range of references that provide comprehensive analysis and evidence, including the International Trade Centre publication, the book “Handbook of BRICS and Emerging Economies,” and several articles such as “Digital Money Options for the BRICS,” “The BRICs in North Africa: Changing the Name of the Game?” and “THE BRICS WAY TO Multilateralism AMID CRISIS.” Let's embark on this journey of exploration and understanding. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/s-i-t-t-y/support

Since 1979, Josef has worked at all levels within the medicinal plant sector; organic farming and wild collection, production of extracts, manufacturing of finished herbal medicinal products, TCM clinic, standards-setting (quality and sustainability), and consulting governmental- and intergovernmental organizations in sustainable development and biodiversity conservation projects in Africa, Asia, and South America.From 2002 to 2016, he served as International Consultant on Market Intelligence for Medicinal Plants at the International Trade Centre, the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations; 2004-2008 as a member of the International Standard for the Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP) Steering Group; and 2008-2021 as a member of the Board of Trustees of the FairWild Foundation, a standards-setting organization for sustainable wild collection of medicinal plants. He currently serves as Research Fellow for Medicinal Plants and Botanical Supply Chain at Traditional Medicinals (Sebastopol, California).He is an elected member of the United States Pharmacopoeia Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Expert Committee. At the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, he advises on commercial sources & handling and international regulatory status. He also serves as an Advisory Board member of the American Botanical Council and an Advisory Group member of ABC's Sustainable Herbs Program. In 2016, he received a Doctor of Humane Letters in Healing and Sustainability honoris causa from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and California Institute of Integral Studies.In this episode, Josef paints a challenging picture of how the climate crisis is impacting herbal medicine. From insights on quality and sustainability to farming challenges, this discussion highlights why ecological and socially responsible herbs are so important. Joseph talks on:The current state of herbal medicine as an industry. The impacts of the Climate Crisis on farming.Climate adaption and changing plant chemistry.The importance of transparency in herb origins.The role of pharmacopoeia & quality grading.Ideas around global herb conservation. Rhodiola Rosea CITES listing.Commercial cultivation of herbs.You can read more about Josef's research in the following papers:Applequist WL, Brinckmann JA, Cunningham AB, Hart RE, Heinrich M, Katerere DR & van Andel T. Scientists ʼ Warning on Climate Change and Medicinal Plants. Planta Medica, 2020; 86(01): 10-18. Available at: https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-1041-3406Brinckmann JA, Cunningham AB, Harter DEV. Running out of time to smell the roseroots: Reviewing threats and trade in wild Rhodiola rosea L. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2021;269: 113710, Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874120335984Brinckmann JA. 2022. How climate change is affecting medicinal plants: A phenological, physiological and phytochemical analysis. Herbal Reality. 16 May 2022. Available at: https://www.herbalreality.com/herbalism/sustainability-social-welfare/climate-change-medicinal-plants-analysis/ Brinckmann JA, Kathe W, Berkhoudt K, Harter DEV, Schippmann U. 2022. A New...

Jennifer Jane Young is an Intuitive Business & Leadership Advisor, Founder of The School of Intuitive Leadership and former United Nations Consultant. She helps entrepreneurs & leaders find the path of least resistance, make the biggest impact and create sustainable, aligned success through right brain/intuitive leadership. She brings together the last 13 years of her experience, coaching, advising and managing start ups to multi-6 and 7-figure businesses, her background in Yogatherapy and experience leading a community of entrepreneurs for the United Nations of 5000+ members, in partnership with the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. Jennifer facilitates growth, flow, and transformation for heart-centered, impact-driven entrepreneurs and businesses. She helps her clients translate their visions & intuitive guidance into practical actions and helps them find the most intuitive and aligned solutions and path forward to success. Jennifer is the author of her upcoming book "Say YES to your YES: How to trust your gut and take the leap in business & life" and the host of her podcast "Finding Your Flow" and soon to be author of her new book "Say YES to your YES: How to trust your gut and take the leap in business (and life). She is currently living her Caribbean dream life in Mexico with her two rescue dogs. Check out her latest book at https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/say-yes-to-your-yes-book-launch/ Please support and follow Jennifer Jane Young online; https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/https://www.instagram.com/jennifer.jane.young/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-jane-young/https://twitter.com/jennyjaneyounghttps://theschoolofintuitiveleadership.com/https://www.instagram.com/theschoolofintuitiveleadershiphttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-intuitive-leadershiphttps://www.facebook.com/theschoolofintuitiveleadership/https://www.pinterest.ca/theschoolofintuitiveleadership/ For more information on how you can Own Your Awkward with Andy Vargo, check out https://www.awkwardcareer.com/#podcast #awkward #ownyourawkward #acceptance #authentiicity #motivation #inspiration #Tacoma #intuition #leadership #school #community --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/own-your-awkward/support

Jennifer Jane Young is an Intuitive Business & Leadership Advisor, Founder of The School of Intuitive Leadership and former United Nations Consultant. She helps entrepreneurs & leaders find the path of least resistance, make the biggest impact and create sustainable, aligned success through right brain/intuitive leadership. She brings together the last 13 years of her experience, coaching, advising and managing start ups to multi-6 and 7-figure businesses, her background in Yogatherapy and experience leading a community of entrepreneurs for the United Nations of 5000+ members, in partnership with the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. Jennifer facilitates growth, flow, and transformation for heart-centered, impact-driven entrepreneurs and businesses. She helps her clients translate their visions & intuitive guidance into practical actions and helps them find the most intuitive and aligned solutions and path forward to success. Jennifer is the author of her upcoming book "Say YES to your YES: How to trust your gut and take the leap in business & life" and the host of her podcast "Finding Your Flow" and soon to be author of her new book "Say YES to your YES: How to trust your gut and take the leap in business (and life). She is currently living her Caribbean dream life in Mexico with her two rescue dogs. Check out her latest book at https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/say-yes-to-your-yes-book-launch/ Please support and follow Jennifer Jane Young online; https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/https://www.instagram.com/jennifer.jane.young/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-jane-young/https://twitter.com/jennyjaneyounghttps://theschoolofintuitiveleadership.com/https://www.instagram.com/theschoolofintuitiveleadershiphttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-intuitive-leadershiphttps://www.facebook.com/theschoolofintuitiveleadership/https://www.pinterest.ca/theschoolofintuitiveleadership/ For more information on how you can Own Your Awkward with Andy Vargo, check out https://www.awkwardcareer.com/#podcast #awkward #ownyourawkward #acceptance #authentiicity #motivation #inspiration #Tacoma #intuition #leadership #school #community --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/own-your-awkward/support

Danica Octa is the Founder and CEO at Metamorphosis Group. Building your life, starting with your career. Metamorphosis Group is a tech-enabled career consultancy firm, dedicated to promoting career development in the Philippines. Metamorphosis Group is part of QBO Innovation Hub's QMMUNITY and one of the top 12 finalists of the Arise Plus Ye! Accelerator Program co-implemented by IdeaSpace, QBO, DTI, and the International Trade Centre. IN THIS EPISODE | 01:02 Ano ang Metamorphosis Group? | 03:50 Pag-usapan muna natin ang issue ng quiet quitting! As the CEO & Founder of a career coaching startup, what is your opinion on this? :-) | 14:23 What really is career coaching and how does Metamorphosis Group provide services to help people upskill and develop their careers? | 19:42 How do you aim to resonate with clients who may want to avail of career coaching? Maybe we can also hear some success stories! | 30:42. Can we know more about the team and other career coaches at Metamorphosis Group? Let us know some backstories! | 37:20  So how does this all work? If someone wants to have a career coach, where does he/she start at Metamorphosis Group? | 42:54 How can listeners know more about Metamorphosis Group? METAMORPHOSIS GROUP | Website: www.metamorphosis-group.co | Facebook: www.facebook.com/metamorphosisgroupph OFFICIAL E-LEARNING PARTNER | Ask Lex PH Academy: www.asklexph.com (Self Paced Courses) or www.asklexph.com/events (Live Online Classes) | Get 5% discount by using the promo code: ALPHAXSUP CHECK OUT THESE STARTUPS & MSME'S (PATRONS) | Pinoy IP Works: www.pinoyipworks.com | Packetworx: www.packetworx.com | NutriCoach: www.nutricoach.com | LookingFour Buy & Sell Online: www.lookingfour.com | Benjoys Food Products: www.benjoysfoodproducts.com | 8CHAIN: www.8chain.io START UP PODCAST PH | YouTube: www.youtube.com/StartUpPodcastPH | Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6BObuPvMfoZzdlJeb1XXVa | Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/start-up-podcast/id1576462394 | Facebook: www.facebook.com/startuppodcastph | Instagram: www.instagram.com/startuppodcastph SUPPORT THE PODCAST | Patreon: www.patreon.com/StartUpPodcastPH | Eplayment: payments.epaygames.com/eplayment/@StartUpPodcastPH | Unionbank: 109426505649 | GCash: 09623871744 CREDITS | Intro and outro thanks to: wyrmpres.wordpress.com | This episode is edited by the team at: tasharivera.com

Your Circle Is Critical To Your Success To achieve what we want in life we often must consult with our inner circle to find support and guidance when we feel lost or confused. Conversely if these people do not encourage your personal success and drain you it is time to shed these people and seek out those who will grow with you. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Jennifer Jane Young discuss the importance of one's inner circle and how these people encourage growth and make you feel appreciated. Highlights The importance of treating others like they're human and making them laugh. Thoughtfulness and compassion can shape and inspire. Slow down and enjoy the privilege of selecting what you want. Quotes “We don't realize the impact we have on others just by honoring who we are and showing up as ourselves.” “When someone holds space for you in a way that makes you feel safe, seen, heard, understood, and with someone who can show you a path forward -your path forward- magic can happen.” About Jennifer Jane Young Jennifer Jane Young is an Intuitive Business Advisor, Founder of The School of Intuitive Leadership and United Nations Consultant. She help entrepreneurs & leaders find the path of least resistance, make the biggest impact and create more exponential success through right brain/intuitive leadership.   She brings together the last 12+ years of her experience, coaching, advising and managing start ups to multi-6 and 7-figure businesses, her background in Yoga therapy and experience leading a community for the United Nations of 5000+ members, in partnership with the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.   Jennifer facilitates growth, flow, and transformation for heart-centered, impact-driven entrepreneurs and businesses. She helps her clients translate their visions & intuitive guidance into practical actions and helps them find the most intuitive and aligned solutions and path forward to success.   Jennifer is the host of her podcast "Finding Your Flow" and soon to be author of her new book "Say YES to your YES: How to trust your gut and take the leap in business (and life).   She is currently living her Caribbean dream life in Mexico with her two rescue dogs.   Check out her Instagram, LinkedIn, and her websites Jennifer Jane Young Say Yes to your Yes The School of Intuitive Leadership and her Podcast Finding Your Flow About Sarah Elkins "Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision." In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I've realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don't realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they're sharing them with. My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home. The audiobook, Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available! Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana. Show notes by Chinook Bromlie  

We are excited to be back for a third series of the Ethical Fashion Podcast, this time addressing ESG and how the fashion industry can be more sustainable. Explore the issues driving the biggest topic in fashion conversation today with your hosts UN officer Simone Cipriani and sustainable fashion journalist Clare Press. Hit Subscribe or Follow in your favourite podcast app to make sure you get all the new episodes. Follow is on Instagram @ethicalfashion   The Ethical Fashion Initiative is a programme of the International Trade Centre,a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation. Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi. This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey Olivia,   I met this week's podcast guest, Jennifer Faust, during our interview process for her to join the Aruna Board of Directors. Aruna is a non-profit I have had the privilege to serve on the Board of Directors for the last few years. Aruna provides sustainable employment to women freed from sex trafficking in India. These freed women make incredible bags, purses and headbands that sell very well in the US. Go check them out here :)​ Well, when we had the chance to interview Jennifer, it was a slam dunk that she should join the board. Jennifer has spent her career in international work, raising capital, as well as the fashion industry - so a perfect combination. Jennifer has been a liaison for the US Government and the United Nations throughout her career. Currently, she acts as an International Advisor to the United Nations and World Trade Organization's joint agency – the International Trade Centre. Even though she has a demanding job as CEO of Faust Global Partners, she is an active mom of 3 kids, plus a spouse to a successful husband who also has a demanding job. This podcast episode is great as we go 'behind the scenes' on how she manages all the pieces. In this episode, you'll discover...   Key trait to win at both work and home (2:52) How are you authentic at home with your family? (4:23) How do you recalibrate after getting knocked down? (9:16) What is a time you have had to hand over your story for a greater story? (14:36) What are some tips for when you are taking a bold step in your company? (24:56)   Jennifer's Bio Jennifer has over twenty years of investment and business advisory experience. Founded in 2010, she is the Founder & Managing Partner of Faust Global Partners (“FGP”) – an international business advisory firm that provides clients with strategic advice on ESG & Sustainability, private equity, venture capital, impact investing, and development finance. FGP also provides advisory services in business development, investor relations and capital raising. FGP clients are both domestic and international and include investment firms, funds, DFIs, the United Nations, the U.S. Government, family offices and businesses. Jennifer currently serves as a Managing Director with Bankers without Boundaries (“BwB”), a non-for-profit, finance innovation organization powered by former investment bankers to assist high impact projects that benefit the environment and social good. BwB works with governments, institutions, cities, and foundations to provide advisory and research services to mobilize capital. She also acts as an International Advisor to the United Nations and World Trade Organization's joint agency – the International Trade Centre.  Key programs include the Ethical Fashion Initiative (“EFI”) and Alliance 4 Action (“A4A”) which focus on sustainability in fashion and agriculture, respectively, in emerging markets.  You can learn more at https://www.faustglobal.com/jennifer-faust/ What's Next?  Are you crushing it at work but struggling at home? If you want to learn how to win at home, then go to https://CoryMCarlson.com/subscribe and download your free copy of “10 Ways To Win At Home.” If you're looking for a resource to help you with these times when your work is now in your home, check out my book Win At Home First on Amazon. Forbes Magazine rated it one of 7 books everyone on your team should read.

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to the the Deputy Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC), which is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, Ms Dorothy Tembo. She shares pivotal moments in her career and life, that have charted her path from Zambia to Switzerland. We discuss some of the core goals of the ITC, which works towards creating ‘trade impact for good', and highlight some of the ITC's initiatives in relation to women in Africa. For example the SheTrades initiative has connected three million women to market, and continues to expand its hubs into different countries.  We remark on evolving culture and tradition to progress gender equality and women's empowerment. Tune in for more.

Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road. Stewart Brand Guest: Batool Aamir Batool Aamir is a 19-year-old entrepreneur and Founder of Oval NFT. Through NFT she is working on blockchain technology which is one of the most disruptive technology in this day and age. Her startup Oval NFT has been awarded "The Most Innovative Startup Award" in Startup Early Entrepreneurship Challenge by Unilever. Her startup has been featured by Express Tribune, International Trade Centre, She Loves Tech, and U.S Consulate General. Don't forget to subscribe our YT channel so that we can keep doing what we're doing! https://www.youtube.com/c/MudassirRaza

Their mission is to change the status quo and leverage the talent of Women in Produce to close the industry's gender divide by inspiring, connecting and empowering women around the world. And their mission matters more than ever. Today, women account for 80% of purchasing decisions, but only 20% of the voices guiding decisions in the boardroom. What's more, is that by 2030 we'll need the equivalent of two planets to feed a growing world population of 10 billion people – half of them female. Our industry is being called upon to feed the world more humanely, sustainably and efficiently – and more female leadership is a critical part of the answer. Beanstalk Global has partnered up with Global Women Fresh to create a unique monthly Broadcast interview series. This to further promote the great work they do, to gain them more members ongoing and additional corporate sponsorship as well as to assist them to make a long-term difference in the Global Fresh Produce sectors. In the very successful “Coffee and Tea with Global Women Fresh” series, for November we are very excited to assist Global Women Fresh to launch their international “Micro-Finance” pilot program. The microfinance intervention by the Global Women Fresh is part of the SheTrades Rwanda project, part of the project to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of export growth initiatives (EGI project) led by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Rwanda (MINICOM). The SheTrades Rwanda project is implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) SheTrades Initiative and funded by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF). The majority of the world's poor share one profession: farming. Most of these farmers cultivate less than 10 acres of land, far away from paved roads and with limited access to the improved seed and fertilizer they need to produce good harvests. Most of these farmers also lack access to financial services that could help them buy that seed and fertilizer. If the global microfinance industry seeks to have a long-term impact on global poverty, it must address the needs of smallholder farmers. Most microfinance institutions are focused in urban and peri-urban areas, but a few offer products specifically targeted at farmers. There has been fast-growing interest in the farm microfinance sector in the last few years. The World Bank estimates that agricultural development is “two to four times more effective in raising incomes among the very poor than growth in other sectors.” Not only is this a high-impact sector, it's also a large one. Farmers account for more than 30% of the global working-age population, and most of them live in poor countries. And a significant portion are women. Global Women Fresh are going to brief and inform us all of their own “Micro-Finance” pilot program and to assist, we will have key speakers and businesses including: Liz Becerra / International Trade Centre. Julie Escobar / President of Global Women Fresh. Immaculee Mukamana / Nyamurinda Coffee – Rwanda Sakina Usengimana / Afrifoods Ltd – Rwanda Gisele Umuhoza / National Coordinator SheTrades – Rwanda 

Trade used to be about efficiency and growth. But those goals are being overtaken by others, from security to environmentalism. Our Britain economics editor Soumaya Keynes and host Rachana Shanbhogue investigate how the blurring of economic and political concerns is driving—and destabilising—trade relationships, with global consequences.We hear from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation, about the WTO's complicated history and contested future. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai explains where she thinks the current rules-based system falls short, particularly when it comes to China. And Pamela Coke-Hamilton, head of the International Trade Centre, identifies the winners and losers of this new era.Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at economist.com/moneytalks For full access to print, digital and audio editions, subscribe to The Economist at www.economist.com/podcastoffer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Trade used to be about efficiency and growth. But those goals are being overtaken by others, from security to environmentalism. Our Britain economics editor Soumaya Keynes and host Rachana Shanbhogue investigate how the blurring of economic and political concerns is driving—and destabilising—trade relationships, with global consequences.We hear from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation, about the WTO's complicated history and contested future. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai explains where she thinks the current rules-based system falls short, particularly when it comes to China. And Pamela Coke-Hamilton, head of the International Trade Centre, identifies the winners and losers of this new era.Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at economist.com/moneytalks For full access to print, digital and audio editions, subscribe to The Economist at www.economist.com/podcastoffer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Listen in to hear our host, Mr. Axel M. Addy, former Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chief Negotiator for WTO accession of Liberia, speak with two trade for peace champions making strides in Liberia's tourism and energy sectors.   In this episode, Ms. Hesta Baker, National Tourism Consultant at the International Trade Centre, shares her views on the challenges prevalent in the tourism industry in Liberia as well as its many opportunities that can be harnessed through collaboration between the government, private sector, and development partners. Mr. Mahmud Johnson, Founder and CEO of J-Palm offers insights into the structural barriers facing entrepreneurs in fragile and conflict-affected countries and how business and trade can spark positive change in Liberia. Both guests provide a compelling perspective on the impact of WTO membership on economic growth and sustainable peace five years following Liberia's accession to the WTO.                        Guests: - Ms. Hesta Baker, National Tourism Consultant, International Trade Centre - Mr. Mahmud Johnson, Founder and CEO, J-Palm, Liberia Host: - Mr. Axel M. Addy, Former Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chief Negotiator of Liberia's accession to the WTO

How do you provide a global platform for traditional artisans, sustainably?  My guest here in Episode 39 is Teni Majekodunmi, the founder of Eclectic Chique. Teni founded the business to raise the bar for African products internationally, with a clear focus on developing the craft industry in Nigeria and empowering women whilst doing so.  In this conversation, Teni explains:  - How her business actually started as her own therapy after a family tragedy  - Her mission to showcase the products of African artisans to the world and to change perceptions along the way  - What products she started with and how she gained a first major client  - The business' values and why they matter  - The impact the platform she's created has had and how she's worked with partners like the International Trade Centre to amplify her influence  - How asking for external help can enable you to progress faster  Teni's best advice is to start small.  Enjoy! 

The International Trade Centre conducted a survey on Covid-19 impact among businesses in 136 countries and the survey has shown that 60% of micro and 57% of small businesses were strongly affected by the pandemic, compared with 43% of large firms. One of the factors that contributed to surviving the crisis was the resilience of businesses. For example, during COVID-19, only 16% of resilient companies reported laying off employees, compared to 76% of companies with a lower index of resilience. As SMEs account for about 90% of businesses and more than 50 of employment worldwide, their demise has disastrous social and economic consequences. What lessons can we capture from the COVID-19 response to ensure that MSMEs are resilient to the looming climate crisis, and are drivers of an inclusive transition towards more sustainable economies? Listen to Raphaël Dard, Head of the SME Trade Academy of the International Trade Centre, as he shares important insights from his work at ITC, illustrating some of the recent SME Competitiveness Outlook 2021 findings: i.e. why women-led and youth-led businesses were the most impacted during the pandemic and what can we do about it. Hear about some lessons and resources that MSMEs can use to help build a more resilient and competitive business during the green recovery. Want to learn more about sustainable development and learning? Subscribe to SDG Learncast. Visit UN SDG:Learn website at www.unsdglearn.org to get the latest learning offers on the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. The transcript of the podcast is available at https://www.unsdglearn.org/podcast/. The opinions expressed in the SDG Learncast podcasts are solely those of the authors. They do not reflect the opinions or views of UN SDG:Learn, its Joint Secretariat, and partners.

Access to reliable and affordable internet connection is the backbone of today's interconnected global economy. Yet across Africa, internet penetration remains at just 39.2%. Sub-Saharan Africans continue to pay some of the highest monthly fees for internet.   To help us learn more about SMEs and startups' important role in making digital connectivity more affordable, reliable, and accessible for Africans, we have with us Emeka Ebo and Joseph de Durfort, the co-winners of the International Trade Centre's #FastTrackTech challenge.

Hailing from the island of Jamaica, Pamela Coke-Hamilton took the helm of the International Trade Centre in October 2020 in the middle of a semi-lockdown in Geneva. Her career in trade spans more than 3 decades and has taken her from the Caribbean to the United States to Switzerland. Formerly at UNCTAD as the Director of International Trade and Commodities and as Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Pamela is accustomed to taking the lead.  In the first episode of our second season, Pamela shares her story, her perspectives and the mark she wants to make on the world of international trade.

This episode is focused on how small and growing businesses can explore and move into international markets. We speak to Martha Mbewe of UBUCHI who shares her business's experience exporting honey out of Zambia, and international consultant Ko Goma who breaks down what businesses should consider when going international. Our Guests: Martha Mbewe is the Quality Control Manager at UBUCHI, a Zambian business that processes and sells pure organic honey locally and internationally. Kô Goma is an International Consultant at the ITC Fast-Tracking Digital Entrepreneurship program in Africa. His work involves building, and deploying innovative growth strategies, training, and market insights to support tech startups' internationalization in Africa. The #FastTrackTech program is implemented by the International Trade Centre to support digital entrepreneurs who aspire to international growth in Africa thanks to targeted coaching and training offers as well as matchmaking with potential clients and investors. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bongohive/message

Join as we have an amazing discussion with Prof. Dr Andrew Sharman, Dr Sven Timm and Tim Eldridge about how to apply vision zero and marginal gains to improve workplace safety to become 1% safer each day! We also share more about One Percent Safer, the book AND details on our LIVE & DIRECT Conference coming April 28, 2021. Register here! https://register.safeopedia.com/one-percent-safer-live-and-direct-virtual-conference In Partnership with One Percent Safer Our Guests https://www.linkedin.com/in/adsharman/ (Prof Dr Andrew Sharman), Managing Partner athttps://www.rmsswitzerland.com/ ( RMS), Professor at CEDEP Andrew is the Managing Partner of RMS, a global consultancy specializing in culture and leadership supporting organizations around the world through industry sectors including mining, construction, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and FMCG. His personal consulting experience spans over 120 countries with a broad range of clients from FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 organizations including Amazon, Apple, BASF, Bridgestone, Burberry, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, DHL, Glencore, Heineken, IKEA, L’Oreal, MercedesBenz, MarsWrigley, MolsonCoors, Nike, PepsiCo, Sanofi, Skanska, Sodexo, Solvay and Tata to Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) including the United Nations, the International Trade Centre, and the World Health Organization. Andrew has Masters degrees in International Health & Safety Law and Environmental Law, in Occupational Psychology and Organizational Behaviour, and a Doctorate in Leadership and Culture Transformation. He's a Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health (‘IOSH’ - for whom he served as President in 2019-2020), a Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management, a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership & Management, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, and a Member of the Health & Safety Lawyers Association. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adsharman/ One Percent Safer: https://onepercentsafer.com/ (https://onepercentsafer.com/) Website: https://www.rmsswitzerland.com/ (https://www.rmsswitzerland.com) https://www.linkedin.com/in/sven-timm-a4936757/ (Dr. Sven Timm), https://www.dguv.de/corona/index.jsp (German Social Accident Insurance DGUV), Head of Central Prevention Division Vice-President / International Section of the ISSA on Information for Prevention Dr. Sven Timm is a Geologist, PhD, Co-ordinator for Works on Contaminated Sites, Environmental Protection and Industrial Hygiene specialist, German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) – Head of “Central Prevention Division” at DGUV since 2019; Head of Section “Strategic Cooperation” since 2007. Vice President of the International Section of the ISSA on Information for Prevention since 2016, and Vice President of the International Section of the ISSA on a Culture of Prevention since 2019. He has been involved in International co-operation in prevention with EU COM, EUOSHA, IALI, ICOH, ILO, ISSA, WHO, etc.. Dr. Timms has also been a Lecturer, Trainer and Senior Expert for ISSA, ILO ITC, EU COM, TAIEX etc., Leader of several international OSH projects; Information/communication/campaigning programmes and OSH strategies, and the Chief organiser of the "XX World Congress on Safety and Health at Work 2014” in Frankfurt. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sven-timm-a4936757/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sven-timm-a4936757/) Website: https://www.dguv.de/corona/index.jsp (https://www.dguv.de/corona/index.jsp) https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-eldridge-16981323/ (Tim Eldridge), Global Head of Health and Safety, https://www.hsbc.com/ (HSBC plc) Tim has over 25 years’ experience managing health and safety, working in the UK, Middle East and Australia. He is also Vice-President and a Chartered Member of IOSH. Tim is currently the Global Head of Health and Safety for HSBC bank, leading an international team of health and safety professionals...

Global Women Fresh. Their mission is to change the status quo and leverage the talent of Women in Produce to close the industry's gender divide by inspiring, connecting and empowering women around the world. And their mission matters more than ever. Today, women account for 80% of purchasing decisions, but only 20% of the voices guiding decisions in the boardroom. What's more, is that by 2030 we'll need the equivalent of two planets to feed a growing world population of 10 billion people – half of them female. Our industry is being called upon to feed the world more humanely, sustainably and efficiently – and more female leadership is a critical part of the answer. Beanstalk Global has partnered up with Global Women Fresh to create a unique monthly Broadcast interview series. This to further promote the great work they do & to make a long-term difference in the Global Fresh Produce sectors. In this our next Broadcast with GWF, we are very proud to be showing the work of the International Trade Centre with their work in fruit & Veg as well as the SheTrades Commonwealth programme and its activities and results. We hear from some great examples of their teams with personal and in-depth experiences and insights. On our Broadcast, we had in person: Frederine Derlot – Fresh Fruits and Vegetables expert for the International Trade Centre (ITC) Susan Mugure – Agriculture Sector Specialist for Kenya at the International Trade Centre's SheTrades Commonwealth project Purity Naisho – Co-Founder and Director of Marketing for Interveg Exports Limited Grace Kariuki – Co-founder and CEO of Origen Group EPZ Limited   International Trade Centre – https://www.intracen.org/ (https://www.intracen.org/) SheTrades – https://www.shetrades.com/en (https://www.shetrades.com/en) To join the Global Women Fresh movement, visit their website – http://www.globalwomenfresh.com/ (www.globalwomenfresh.com)

Matthew Wilson, Chief of Staff at the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland joins the Trade Splainers to discuss how small island states are dealing with COVID and climate change, why he's still giving the WTO a chance, why Rihanna is still the greatest....and where he learned to dance to Beyonce's Single Ladies

Matthew Wilson, Chief of Staff at the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland joins the Trade Splainers to discuss how small island states are dealing with COVID and climate change, why he's still giving the WTO a chance...and why Rihanna is still the greatest.In this episode we discuss:Recapping the biggest trends of 2020, and what to look out for in 2021Amazon, WTO, Brexit, Fishery Subsidies and moreWhy taking care of Small Island States says alot about who we areWhat kind of solutions do we need to address these problemsWhy Prince Harry and Megan Markle are on the TradeSplainers naughty list

We chat with Alessandra Rojas about her work as the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Manager @ Tech4Impact EPFL Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Supporting tech for good in developing countries, Alessandra Rojas, Sustainable Entrepreneurship Irish Tech News · Supporting tech for good in developing countries, Alessandra Rojas, Sustainable Entrepreneurship More about Ale I am part of the team of EPFL Tech4Impact. The EPFL is one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and at Tech4Impact we are focused in how we can use technology for sustainable impact and the UN 2030 agenda. We work with students, researchers, professors, NGOs and corporates to try to build an ecosystem around it. The GSIV program specifically is part of our efforts to collaborate with NGOs and international bodies in Geneva to further push the developing of technology specifically by supporting Global South initiatives. We actually run a second initiative called Tech4Dev grants in which we pair Global South NGOs with researchers at EPFL to develop impactful technologies. Developed and managing the new EPFL Changemakers programme! Check it out here Alessandra Rojas works as the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Manager at EPFL Tech4Impact where she aims to foster sustainable entrepreneurship amongst the EPFL community and the region. In her current role, she leads the partnership with the Growth Stage Impact Venture program with UNDP, develops and manages the EPFL Changemakers program, and further supports initiatives that foster impact-driven entrepreneurs. Prior to her work at EPFL, Alessandra worked for the International Trade Centre in Geneva, the German social venture capital BonVenture and as a consultant for social businesses. She holds a Master’s Degree in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute Geneva and a Bachelor in Technology and Management from the Technical University of Munich. EPFL tweeted: Dès cette semaine, une plateforme et différents événements virtuels permettent de découvrir, de réagir et de contribuer au futur #PlanClimat Campus de l’EPFL. Contribuez à la plateforme participative: #ourclimate #yourcampus Durabilité EPFL Zero Emission Group More about Irish Tech News and Business Showcase here. FYI the ROI for you is => Irish Tech News now gets over 1.5 million monthly views, and up to 900k monthly unique visitors, from over 160 countries. We have over 860,000 relevant followers on Twitter on our various accounts & were recently described as Ireland’s leading online tech news site and Ireland’s answer to TechCrunch, so we can offer you a good audience! Since introducing desktop notifications a short time ago, which notify readers directly in their browser of new articles being published, over 50,000 people have now signed up to receive them ensuring they are instantly kept up to date on all our latest content. Desktop notifications offer a unique method of serving content directly to verified readers and bypass the issue of content getting lost in people’s crowded news feeds. Drop us a line if you want to be featured, guest post, suggest a possible interview or just let us know what you would like to see more of in our future articles. We’re always open to new and interesting suggestions for informative and different articles. If you would like to be featured in our podcast series drop us a line & don’t forget to sign up for notifications for our latest episodes and follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, SoundCloud, iTunes or your own favourite podcast platform. Contact us, by email, twitter or whatever social media works for you and hopefully, we can share your story too and reach our global audience. We are agile, responsive, quick and talented, we look forward to working with you! If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking

“Empowering women to trade benefits everyone.”Liz Becerra (5:19-5:22)   The SheTrades Initiative is on a mission to help connect three million women entrepreneurs in Agriculture by 2021.   The United Nations and World Trade Organization have come together to create the SheTrades initiative in order to create a sustainable economic impact globally. By helping women entrepreneurs, buyers and partners connect, collaborate and develop lasting relationships, SheTrade can empower women with the resources they need to overcome gender inequality in our food supply market.   We had the pleasure of sitting down with three powerful women who are helping spearhead this Initiative, Susan Mugure Wambugu, Frederine Derlot, and Lizbeth Becerra.    Susan is the Agriculture Sector Specialist for SheTrades in the Commonwealth at  the International Trade Centre in Kenya where she helps small and medium sized enterprises owned by women in Kenya connect with international buyers and markets.    Frédérine is the fresh fruits and vegetables expert for the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland and specializes in market linkages, coaching and connecting exporters from developing countries to international buyers and markets. She's worked for 15 years as an international buyer for the European food industry and is very involved with trade related technical assistance projects.   Lizbeth is an Associate Programme Officer at the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland and helps monitor and evaluate the project implementation with SheTrades Initiative.     “[Women] are 50% of the agriculture workforce and it's even higher in Africa, for example, where 70% of food production is done by women, and 80-90% of processing and storage is done by women .” - Frédérine Derlot (9:20)   Clearly, women are a critical part in farming around the world, but the agricultural ecosystem is suffering in developing countries because women aren't given the same opportunities as men. With SheTrades, women are able to connect virtually with other women owned businesses, mentors, and women in the supply chain so they can have the knowledge and support necessary to grow their businesses.    Women entrepreneurs from all over the world are welcome to join and they'll gain access to quality data, help gaining government contracts, networking opportunities to create business deals and assistance starting and growing their business. This is the fostering women need to exchange new ideas, and get support with important decisions like handling difficult customers, production issues and specific transactions.    Why focus on women? Women are key components and agents of change in food production and farming. Gender equality is more than essential for the security, production, nutrition and supply of our food globally. The United Nations has 17 sustainable goals, one of them being gender equality, which act as a blueprint for our collective sustainable future. Women and children are at the center of this agenda, not only because children are our future, but many countries are not reaching key performance metrics primarily because women don't have equal access there.    Gender equality isn't the only UN Sustainable Goal SheTrades helps achieve. Other goals include: No poverty Zero hunger Good health and wellbeing Quality education Gender equality Clean water and sanitization Affordable and clean energy Decent work and economic growth Industry, innovation and infrastructure Reduced inequalities Sustainable cities and communities Responsible consumption and production Climate action Life below water Life on land Peace, justice and strong institutions Partnerships   Because of COVID-19, the global, regional and local demand completely collapsed for food service.    Not only has the safety and quality been at risk for our health, planting and harvesting haven't been happening properly because of import and export delays, farmers getting sick and cash flow becoming scarce. Transport of food products has been hurt without as many passenger planes flying, coffee farmers haven't been able to get their coffee into ports and many farmers have been at risk because of their age.   Our experts estimate that it will take months for agriculture to recover which is where SheTrades comes in handy, teaching members everything from cash flow management, how to effectively lead during a crisis and helping women create partnerships that will create prosperous ripple effects in economies globally.    The great thing for the women involved in SheTrades is that everything is right at their fingertips virtually, so although the global economy has been affected, the learning, growth, and networking of women in agriculture hasn't slowed down.    “Women invest 90% of their income back into their families, compared to only 35% from men.” - Frédérine Derlot (25:30)   What Susan, Frederine and Liz want to help women understand is that even if you're not professionally involved in food and farming, you create just as much of an impact when you make informed shopping decisions. By understanding where your food is shipped from, where your products are created and the developing countries you are supporting with your purchases, you can make a difference. Your choices act as your voice of what global economies you support, and even the smallest purchase can impact developing families and communities.    How to get involved Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.    If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

How can fashion be a force for good? Goodbye fast fashion! Hello to a better way that focuses on social and environmental justice, inclusivity and sustainable development. The UN's Ethical Fashion Initiative acts as a bridge, connecting marginalised artisan communities, in challenging & remote locations, with some of the biggest names in international fashion.  Explore the issues driving the ethical fashion conversation with your hosts UN officer Simone Cipriani and sustainable fashion journalist Clare Press. The Ethical Fashion Initiative is a programme of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation.       This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julie Escobar, co-founder of industry association Global Women Fresh, believes the entire fresh produce business has a vital role to play in creating better opportunities for women across the world. Speaking in the latest episode of Fruitnet's interview series Fruitbox, Escobar talks about the organisation's ambitious plans to inspire and empower women during the months and years ahead. Established in 2019 to connect, inspire and empower women in the fresh produce business worldwide. the organisation is now working with the United Nations to empower 3m women, mainly in under-developed economies of Africa and Asia, by 2021. A recent project established in Kenya, for example, as part of the International Trade Centre's SheTrades initiative is helping female entrepreneurs develop production and exports of fresh avocados. “So far we have provided one-on-one business coaching to more than 50 small businesses in Africa,” Escobar reveals. “We also just completed a set of webinars where we educated 200 women on global supply chain, global marketing, leadership strategy and how to navigate through the difficult times of Covid.” Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis. Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry. To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, email chris@fruitnet.com. To learn about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, email advertising@fruitnet.com.

Most businesses in the world – up to 95% – are small businesses. The coronavirus pandemic has left many of them behind: most will not have enough cash to survive a month-long break during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, businesses are being forced to behave in extraordinary ways.But every cloud has a silver lining, and while this crisis has a tremendous impact, it will also provide a trigger for innovation. To learn how small businesses are adapting and reinventing themselves, we hear from two businesses, Artisan.Fashion from Kenya and MaiyaMuna from The Gambia. For more info, check out the International Trade Centre's efforts to support youth through its ITC Youth Empowerment Project and the fashion industry through ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative.

DOROTHY TEMBO, THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE, EXPLAINS HOW COVID-19 IS IMPACTING SMALLAND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESSES IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES…AND WHAT STEPS GOVERNMENTS CAN TAKE TO ASSIST THEM.

How can farmers produce more – in a way that’s good for people and planet – to feed the booming global population? And how can agriculture attract young people? Fact: Most farmers are close to retirement age.To answer these questions and more, we talk to agriculture expert Samuel Adimado, Managing Director of Kuapa Kokoo, a cooperative of cocoa farmers in Ghana and a leading producer of ethical cocoa beans.For more info, check out the International Trade Centre's efforts to support farmers and improve sustainability in global value chains through the Alliances for Actions Initiative. 

Digital is changing how business is done. How can entrepreneurs succeed online… at scale? That's an 'invisible' role that business support organizations play. In this episode, we ask Christian Jekinnou, the former Executive Manager of Afric’Innov, an innovation programme dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship in Africa, how accelerators, incubators, fablabs and other business support organizations can boost entrepreneurship.Learn more about Afric'Innov here. You can also check out the International Trade Centre's efforts to support digital entrepreneurship through the Digital Entrepreneurship Initiative in Africa.

What’s next on the frontier of trade and development? In this episode, we ask Arancha González, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, about the upcoming trade trends. How are current trade tensions different from what we have seen before? Tune in to find out more!

Did you know there are more Fortune 500 CEOs named John than there are women? How can trade help tackle this gender imbalance? In this episode, Professor Stephanie Barrientos from the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester joins us to explore how women can benefit from the way trade is evolving. If you want to know more, check out Professor Barrientos' latest book, Gender and Work in Global Value Chains. You can also have a look at the work of the International Trade Centre on women empowerment through e-commerce in Central America and the SheTrades programme.   

How do you picture young innovators? What is the role of youth in global trade? We talk to Charles Ofori Antipem, co-founder of the global award-winning Ghanaian start-up Dext Technology, who shares his ideas on what it means to be a young boss. His goal is to innovate to see more scientists rise from Africa. Hear his inspiring story. Learn more about Dext Technology and their Science Set. You can also check out the International Trade Centre's efforts to support young people through the Youth and Trade Programme. 

https://sites.google.com/view/vhjonline #vhj #vhjonline #GODOGOOD #VeganYogaPeople #VHJNEWS #VeganHumanJournalist http://stijn.online http://www.chocoa.nl Meet the makers, smell the beans, taste the Freshness and Quality of the Chocolat. Tastings, Get to know the story, flavours and experiences Talk about texture and mouth feel Like it or Don't like it. Get more aware. More mindful thinking about chocolat. Veganism is on the rise. CHOCOA 2019 AMSTERDAM Prince Kamara for International Trade Centre Sierra Leone http://www.intracen.org/country/sierra-leone/

Lusaka-based gemstone company Jewel of Africa is taking aim at the Chinese market after establishing exports to the US, pushing their “home-grown” precious stones. The family-run business runs its own mines, cuts and polishes gems and runs retail outlets, employing around 100 locals. The Zambian jeweller is looking to further its expansion into the lucrative Chinese market. “People are getting to know more about gemstones and about the quality and value of Zambian gemstones,” Sandra Kasaby, Jewel of Africa’s marketing and operations manager told RFI at the recent World Export Development Forum. Jewel of Africa uses gemstones such as garnet and tourmaline. “We like to say that we have the best amethysts,” says Kasaby, pointing out that their emeralds are also very popular. The Zambian firm produces showcase jewellery worth over 100,000 US dollars in value and at the bottom of the range from 50 US dollars upwards. “We cater to all walks of life,” says Kasaby, describing clients including the Moroccan King, diplomats as well as young gentlemen looking to propose to their girlfriends. The jeweller prides itself on taking precious stones direct from the earth straight to their workshop. “Our slogan is ‘mine to you’, so we are at every step of the chain,” says Kasaby. “We mine, we cut, we polish, we jewellery manufacture, we retail and resize, repair and also certify jewellery and gems.” Export Jewel of Africa has already taken advantage of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) which enables countries in sub-Saharan Africa to access the US market tariff-free. “Thanks to that we are able to export to the US,” says Kasaby, outlining the trade shows they attend and the buyers they have in different US cities. The next step is to further their appeal in China. “We have a lot of Chinese coming to Jewel of Africa to buy our gemstones, especially emeralds,” says Kasaby. “We see that as an opportunity to market that,” she adds. Jewel of Africa has recently been chosen by the Chinese embassy in Zambia to represent the country at exhibitions in China. Consumers in China are becoming “more knowledgeable about gemstones and jewellery, and more astute in their purchases”, according to a report by the Gemological Institute of America. The report describes China as the second-largest jewellery consumer in the world. Constraints The business does, however, face some headwinds. Finance can be a problem and trade policy in Zambia also creates some obstacles. “Mining is very expensive and it’s difficult to get access to credit here in Zambia,” says Kasaby. The company sometimes teams up with foreign partners to try and access lower interest rates. The other issue relates to the ATA Carnet system which provides a framework for temporary import-export. Zambia is not a member of the system, impacting the ability of Jewel of Africa to bring jewellery for exhibitions duty-free and tax-free. To visit trade fairs with expensive jewellery this often means putting down a large deposit with customs, which can affect cash flow, according to Kasaby. The company is one of a kind in Zambia, says Kasaby - nobody both mines and produces jewellery. Their biggest competition on the African continent comes from South Africa, she says. Most of their competitors in South Africa are focused on diamonds, leaving Jewel of Africa to specialise in coloured gemstones. The company is proud to provide “opportunities for people to grow”, says Kasaby, outlining the training Jewel of Africa gives to new employees whether in sales or manufacture. “Coming from three to over 100 people in 25 years is a pretty good accomplishment,” she adds. Reporting assignment supported by the International Trade Centre

Could a trade war escalate between the US and some of its trading partners? It’s not an easy time to be involved in international trade, with the world’s two biggest economies- the US and China trading insults and imposing tariffs on each other. Beijing says it is reporting Washington to the World Trade Organisation. The current tensions were sparked by President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on billions of dollars on imports from China, the EU, Canada and Mexico. HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, which is co-owned by the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. Her mandate is to help small and medium businesses in developing countries participate in global trade. But with an international trading system that some believe is discredited and outmoded, is she pursuing the wrong ambitions?

Could a trade war escalate between the US and some of its trading partners? It’s not an easy time to be involved in international trade, with the world’s two biggest economies- the US and China trading insults and imposing tariffs on each other. Beijing says it is reporting Washington to the World Trade Organisation. The current tensions were sparked by President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on billions of dollars on imports from China, the EU, Canada and Mexico. HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, which is co-owned by the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. Her mandate is to help small and medium businesses in developing countries participate in global trade. But with an international trading system that some believe is discredited and outmoded, is she pursuing the wrong ambitions?

How can fashion aristanship empower women? What does a fair work accessories factory look like, and how do the workers see value in the setup? How about in community hubs, where skilled artisans can work as collectives? This is the second installment of a 2-part series about the UN’s Ethical Fashion Initiative, a flagship programme of the International Trade Centre. The EFI connects skilled artisans in places like Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Haiti and Afghanistan, to the international value chain of fashion, working with the likes of Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Adidas and the Australian accessories house MIMCO. In this Episode - recorded on the ground in Nairobi, Kenya - we get to hear from the artisans themselves, and discover why Artisan Fashion now runs the organisation here as a social enterprise. And we learn how fair work can empower women - from the women themselves. This show is brought to you by MIMCO Follow them on Instagram   Follow Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspress Love the podcast? We have a Patreon page - every little helps! We are always grateful for ratings and reviews on iTunes. You can find us on Spotify now too.

Meet Simone Cipriani, founder of the UN’s Ethical Fashion Initiative, a flagship programme of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the UN and World Trade Organization. The EFI connects skilled artisans in places like Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Haiti and now Afghanistan, to the international value chain of fashion, working with the likes of Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Adidas and the Australian accessories house MIMCO. Simone sees luxury fashion as a vehicle for development. He talks about ethics and aesthetics and says Sweatshops and workers trapped in an endless cycle of creating cheap fast-fashion is not true fashion. Simone believes responsibly produced fashion can help change the world  for the better. Actually, he knows it can, because he started this endeavour in 2009, and nearly a decade later it's thriving and has seen thousands of people find fair and ongoing work opportunities. This is part 1 of a 2-part series. Next week, we’ll be bringing you the podcast Clare recorded in Nairobi, Kenya with the Ethical Fashion Initiative artisans. This show is brought to you by MIMCO Follow them on Instagram   Follow Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspress Love the podcast? We have a Patreon page - every little helps! We are always grateful for ratings and reviews on iTunes. You can find us on Spotify now too.

The leaders of more than 40 African countries have signed a deal to create one of the world's largest free trade blocs, promising to bring prosperity to more than 1.2 billion people. But some of the continent's biggest economies, including Nigeria and South Africa, have so far refused to join. And with more than 80% of African trade currently done outside the continent, what impact will the new deal actually have in Africa?Some people on the streets of Kampala, Uganda, tell us they fear increased competition from neighbouring Kenya, and we ask Tonye Cole, billionaire co-founder of power and infrastructure giant Sahara Group, why his native Nigeria has decided not to take part.Plus, we hear words of optimism from Ghana's trade minister, Alan Kyerematen, and Arancha González, executive director of the International Trade Centre. (Picture: Workers at a clothing factory in South Africa. Credit: Rodger Bosch, Getty Images)

Ryan Heath and Florian Eder bring you the latest from the World Economic Forum in Davos in POLITICO’s special daily pop-up podcast. Ryan talks to Arancha González, executive director of the International Trade Centre, who says the world needs to up its game when it comes to trade talks. He also catches up with Brett Solomon, a digital rights advocate who explains why he’s come to Davos this year. Ryan and Florian also discuss who’s battling for an audience with Donald Trump and share some behind-the-scenes gossip.

While the slowing global economy has pushed countries to explore a new cadre of sometimes unproven policies in the quest for growth, many have not yet fully committed to the full participation of women as economic actors. On 6 April, the Lowy Institute hosted an address from Arancha González, the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, who spoke on women’s empowerment, the power of women as economic actors and the importance of investment in women.