Best International Rescue Committee UK Podcasts (2024)

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Ep 48. Cherie Blair CBE KC, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: Enabling economic gender justice 55:58

2M ago55:58

55:58

“There is a problem! Business has a problem, the world has a problem, because we are just not utilising the talents, the ambitions, the drive of half the world’s population (the female half)... Economic gender justice is essential both for women’s freedom and equality, but also for the development of the world.” We are honoured to have on the podca…

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Ep 47. Karen Burgess, Founder & CEO Petals, with Alice Bailey: Life after Baby Loss 1:00:15

6M ago1:00:15

1:00:15

Trigger warning: This episode explores and talks about miscarriage, stillbirth and baby loss. Baby loss and miscarriage is something that many parents face and yet it is still something that is not openly talked about in today’s society. In this very special episode, I speak with Karen Burgess, Founder & CEO of the charity Petals, that provides cou…

1
Ep 46. Nisha Anand, CEO Dream.Org: Finding common ground with unlikely allies 49:57

7M ago49:57

49:57

“The humanity that connects us is stronger than what has been created to divide us”. Nisha Anand is the CEO of Dream.Org, a nonprofit organization that brings people together across racial, social and partisan lines to solve society’s toughest problems. A born change-maker, Nisha was arrested in 1998 while handing out pro-democracy leaflets in the …

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Ep 45. Laura Kyrke-Smith, Executive Director International Rescue Committee UK: Re-settlement for Success 41:29

8M ago41:29

41:29

“It was thanks to this country that lots of those rights and protections that exist for refugees are in place … but now… you get that sense in lots of parts of the world, frankly, that the UK isn’t playing the active role that it has played historically.” The International Rescue Committee is a global organisation that helps people affected by huma…

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Ep 44. Ruth Marvel, CEO The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: A vision for young people 47:16

9M ago47:16

47:16

“Deceptively simple, but devastatingly effective” This is how Ruth Marvel, Chief Executive of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the UK, describes the Award. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was started by His Royal Highness the late Prince Philip in 1956 to provide young men with development opportunities to acquire self-confidence, gain a sense of pur…

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Ep 43. Mark Russell, CEO The Children’s Society: Fighting for Hope and Happiness 35:20

10M ago35:20

35:20

“You change the world, when you change the lives of children… It is better for society to build stronger children, than fix broken adults.” The Children’s Society believes that every young person deserves a good childhood. Reflecting on the current context for young people in the UK today, is Mark Russell, CEO of The Children’s Society. Mark tells …

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Ep 42. Areeba Hamid and Will McCallum co-Executive Directors, Greenpeace UK: Co-leading for Change 51:25

11M ago51:25

51:25

“We have won the war on climate denial… (but) we cannot underestimate what an enormous fight this is… the climate movement being mainstream doesn’t mean we have the power to make change happen yet.” In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with not one, but two impressive non-profit leaders: Areeba Hamid and Will McCallum, co-Executive Dir…

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Ep 41. Anna Josse, Founder & CEO Prism the Gift Fund: The Joy of Giving, without the hassle of admin! 40:09

12M ago40:09

40:09

“Gift Aid, yes people know about it (but) they still dont understand it… there is about £750m unclaimed in Gift Aid every year, split between smaller charities unable to claim or dont have the skills to do it and higher rate tax-payers not really understanding … how they could be claiming an additional 25% on the gross (donation) in their tax retur…

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Ep 40. Ella Gudwin, CEO VisionSpring: Enabling a billion people to see 48:52

1y ago48:52

48:52

“Creating One VisionSpring is anchored in what we do, so our mission and our social enterprise models, and its anchored in how we do it, and that is in the values that are at the heart of our teamwork… I cant emphasise enough how much values are critical to our success.” There are over a billion people in the world who don’t have the eye-glasses th…

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Ep 39. Siobhan McCarthy Morton, CEO Adventure Ashram: A small but mighty force against human trafficking 46:48

1y ago46:48

46:48

There are 8 million people affected by human trafficking in India every year, and over 50 million globally. According to the UN, 79% of human trafficking is for sexual exploitation and 20% of all trafficking victims are children. Adventure Ashram is a small but mighty charity that is looking to change this! Driven by a spirit of adventure and freed…

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Ep 38. Alex Day, Managing Director Big Give: The Generosity Multiplier! 37:26

1+ y ago37:26

37:26

“What we have learned throughout the years of running the Big Give… is that Match Funding is a great way to get more people to give, and people to give more.” The Big Give is the UK’s leading online match funding platform. The Big Give Christmas Challenge took place from the 29th of November to the 6th of December 2022 and in that one week, raised …

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Ep 37. Bejal Shah, CEO ReachOut and Verena Hefti MBE, CEO Leaders Plus: The Power of Mentoring! 46:09

1+ y ago46:09

46:09

“In a way what we are doing, is we’re engineering social and cultural capital for those who don’t have it… that’s what mentoring is” In this episode we explore a new format for the show. Two charity CEOs having a panel discussion on the topic of mentoring: Bejal Shah, CEO of ReachOut and Verena Hefti, Founder and CEO of Leaders Plus. ReachOut is a …

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Ep 36. Jean-Michel Grand, CEO Action Against Hunger UK: No child should die of hunger! 58:24

1+ y ago58:24

58:24

“No child should die from hunger… we have the treatment… this treatment has 95% cure rate… and (yet) only 20% of the severely malnourished children in the world have access to this (life-saving) treatment” In a world where enough food is produced to feed everyone on earth, how is it that nearly 3 billion people - over a third of the world’s populat…

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Ep 35. Chris Bird, CEO The Raheem Sterling Foundation: Mindset of a Champion! 44:32

1+ y ago44:32

44:32

“Everybody’s got a talent, but not everybody gets the opportunity. And thats what we’re about; we’re about opening that door and getting people through that door… that’s what’s missing in a lot of communities and society today… There’s a lot of talented young people out there… The Raheem Sterling Foundation is about capturing that (talent) and maki…

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Ep 34. Mita Desai, CEO Young Trustees Movement: What is the role of charity Governance? (and what Boards must do to get it right!) 36:53

1+ y ago36:53

36:53

“It’s not the role of a Trustee to know all the answers; it’s asking great questions. And if we only have a homogeneous group of people on (a) Board, it lowers your ability to ask really great questions from different perspectives, which lowers our ability to manage risk.” Mita Desai is the Chief Executive of the Young Trustees Movement. The Young …

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Ep 33. Barbara-Anne Walker, CEO Ashgate Hospice: Changing the conversation about death and dying 56:48

1+ y ago56:48

56:48

“Part of Ashgate’s ambition is to change the conversation about death and dying… to enable conversations to happen in daylight, in general conversation, about death and dying. We’re all going to die, its not something that any of us can avoid… ” Barbara-Anne Walker is the Chief Executive of Ashgate Hospice. Ashgate Hospice is a specialist hospice, …

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Ep 32. Sarah Woolnough, CEO Asthma + Lung UK: Breath is life! 30:53

2y ago30:53

30:53

“It’s terrifying not being able to breathe… and that’s informed a lot of our strategic thinking and our positioning, because nobody should have to struggle to breathe and we can do so much better for people with lung conditions.” Sarah Woolnough is the CEO of the newly rebranded charity Asthma + Lung UK. Poor lung health is the 3rd biggest killer i…

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Ep 31. Suzanne Ehlers, CEO Malala Fund: Amplifying girls' voices! 47:07

2y ago47:07

47:07

“Believe in yourself. Believe that you do have the power to make the change… (Malala) believes in an individual’s ability and power to make the change that they so desire… she tells young women everywhere… believe in your story and believe in your own capacity to catalyse that change and make that impact.” The world knows the story of Malala Yousaf…

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Ep 30. Charlotte Hill OBE, CEO The Felix Project: The Food Rescuers! 41:41

2y ago41:41

41:41

“A big piece of what we are trying to do is work with the partners to get the food to where it’s working hardest… food is (just one) part of breaking the cycle of food insecurity.” Charlotte Hill is the new Chief Executive of The Felix Project, a charity dedicated to redistributing food and fighting food poverty in London. The Felix Project believe…

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Ep 29. Shirah Mansaray, Founder & CEO I Am Somebody’s Child Soldier: Being part of the solution 37:12

2y ago37:12

37:12

“Technology has an incredible role to play in helping us deal with the challenges of children not being able to access education … but its (impact) is only in how we harness that technology and ensure that it’s grounded in local contexts and local needs.” Shirah Mansaray is the Founder and CEO of the charity, I Am Somebody’s Child Soldier. Having r…

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Ep 28. Tim Howarth, Founding CEO United World Schools: Believing in the power of education to transform lives 43:08

2+ y ago43:08

43:08

“If there’s one over-riding feature that has really driven success in the last 10 years, it really is that complete and utter belief in the Mission... (and) linking up with people who share that commitment, to the power of education to transform lives.” Today’s is a very special episode: I am speaking with Tim Howarth, my predecessor at United Worl…

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Ep 27. Sarah Vibert, CEO National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): Culture change is not linear 38:18

2+ y ago38:18

38:18

“This is about structural issues in society and structural issues in the sector… Diversity and inclusion is a problem right across the sector… (and) the sector is about social justice and so there is an urgency for us as a sector to get this right. Culture change is not a linear process… real culture change takes a long time… trust and healing is t…

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Ep 26. Alasdair Harris, Executive Director Blue Ventures: Conservation by communities, for communities 46:33

2+ y ago46:33

46:33

“The real disruption in our work has come about as a result of our impact model which is (about) turning conventional approaches to conservation upside down and grounding management of the sea in secure local tenure… management by communities for communities” Alasdair Harris is Founder and Executive Director of the marine conservation organisation,…

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Ep 25. Michelle Mitchell OBE, CEO Cancer Research UK: Cancer care, COVID-19 and the power of collaboration 49:00

2+ y ago49:00

49:00

“Leaders who can convene and collaborate are going to be best placed to navigate the challenges of the post-pandemic world… No one (single) person, no one organisation, in fact no one country can beat cancer... we go faster when we collaborate and partner.” Michelle Mitchell epitomises her organisation’s strap-line: Together we will beat cancer. Dr…

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Ep 24. Darren Cormack, CEO Mines Advisory Group (MAG): Leadership by deliberate action 43:05

2+ y ago43:05

43:05

“Be curious and communicate… Find the tension between reflection and action. (As a leader) you can equip yourself and you can develop in particular ways by deliberate action.” Darren Cormack is Chief Executive of the Mines Advisory Group, also known as MAG International. Since its establishment in 1989, MAG has helped over 20 million people in more…

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Ep 23. Leonor Stjepic, CEO Montessori Group: A values-based approach to education, life and leadership 40:55

2+ y ago40:55

40:55

“To be able to say, in a small way, I moved the needle to make (someone else’s) life better, is actually something that money cant buy...” Leonor Stjepic is Chief Executive of the Montessori Group. Montessori education was created by Dr Maria Montessori over 100 years ago. Leonor talks about Montessori education being an approach rather than a curr…

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Ep 22. Sharath Jeevan OBE, Founder & Chair, Intrinsic Labs: Leaders as nurturers of purpose and impact 45:11

2+ y ago45:11

45:11

“(For leaders) it’s about being able to ask the right question at the right time… that’s classic talent nurturing behaviour… trying to help everyone on your team become the best versions of themselves. The trick is to help create the space for us all to reflect on what really motivates each one of us in our unique context, giving us all the courage…

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Ep 21. Alice Dearing & Danielle Obe, Co-Founders & Chair, Black Swimming Association: Representation and creating Olympic history! 38:57

2+ y ago38:57

38:57

“The BSA (Black Swimming Association) is set up as a bridge… building bridges into disenfranchised and disengaged communities.” Alice Dearing made history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as the first black female swimmer to represent Team GB at an Olympic Games. Danielle Obe is Chair of the Black Swimming Association, a charity that she co-founded alon…

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Ep 20. Frank Fletcher, CEO Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust: Sailing through the Pandemic 51:46

3y ago51:46

51:46

“The partnership puts young people at the centre and not brand … we should all be working together to achieve Mission, rather than brand awareness or the size of our turnover or how many staff we employ.” Frank Fletcher is CEO of The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. The Trust supports young people with cancer, engaging them in outdoor activities, to h…

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Ep 19. Baroness Delyth Morgan, CEO Breast Cancer Now: Achieving more through Collaboration 49:21

3y ago49:21

49:21

“Providing support for today and hope for tomorrow.” Baroness Delyth Morgan is the CEO of Breast Cancer Now. Delyth has been leading the charge in the breast cancer space for many years. She is widely credited with achieving consolidation in the sector, having presided over the merger of Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer in 2015…

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Ep 18. Helen Moulinos, CEO POhWER: What are our Human Rights? 43:33

3y ago43:33

43:33

“Being your authentic self makes you a happier person and a better leader.” Helen Moulinos is the Chief Executive of POhWER, Britain’s largest human rights advocacy charity. POhWER was established in 1996 by a group of people with disabilities who were fighting social injustice and challenges in their lives. Today POhWER still operates with these r…

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Ep 17. Kate Lee, CEO Alzheimer’s Society: Care Deeply and Be Honest 48:05

3y ago48:05

48:05

“(As a leader) if your head isn’t above the parapet, it’s in the sand” Kate Lee is CEO of Alzheimer’s Society. In this interview we talk about how the organisation supports people with dementia and her own experience of dementia with her mother, who has been living with the disease for over 16 years. We also explore the principle of Radical Candor,…

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Ep 16. Catharine Brown, CEO Designability: Doing Important Work! 48:40

3y ago48:40

48:40

“Despite all the discrimination legislation that exists and despite the equality, diversity and inclusion that we are (all) talking about, the needs of disabled people are not routinely met...” From using augmented reality to help dementia patients make a cup of tea, to building electric powered wheelchairs (the Wizzybug!) for physically disabled c…

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Ep 15. Angela McConville, CEO National Childbirth Trust: Creating a Movement for Change 46:53

3y ago46:53

46:53

“Great Chief Executives... they are not (necessarily) the innovators; they might be the change-makers... its about creating the conditions for the team to thrive and for the movement to thrive...” Angela McConville is the CEO of the National Childbirth Trust, also known as the NCT Charity. In this episode we explore how NCT has created a grass-root…

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Ep 14. Kirsty Schneeberger MBE, CEO Synchronicity Earth: Going forward to Better 51:31

3y ago51:31

51:31

“COVID-19 has been this reset moment... it has really forced us to pause, to take a breath and to re-evaluate... what do we want to leave behind after the pandemic and what do we want to take forward.” Kirsty Schneeberger was CEO of Synchronicity Earth between December 2019 and March 2021, helping to steer the organisation through some of the unpre…

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Ep 13. Girish Menon, CEO STiR Education: Transforming the lives of 60 million children 48:46

3y ago48:46

48:46

“Education systems are failing (to prepare) children to face a world of unknown unknowns.” 53% of children coming out of world education systems are ‘learning poor’. STiR Education is striving to create a world where every child develops a love for life-long learning, through reigniting intrinsic motivation in teachers and building supportive educa…

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Ep 12. Susan Daniels OBE, CEO National Deaf Children’s Society: Driving Change and Dreaming Big! 40:26

3y ago40:26

40:26

“Our vision is a world without barriers for every deaf child... Our job as an organisation is to challenge the culture of low expectations (for deaf children)” There are over 50,000 deaf children in the UK and more than 34 million deaf children worldwide. It is important to encourage them – and their families – to dream big. Susan Daniels is the CE…

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Ep 11. Debra Allcock Tyler, CEO Directory of Social Change: Leadership of Courage and Hope 57:08

3y ago57:08

57:08

“You learn to be courageous by stepping out of your comfort zone; being absolutely terrified and doing it anyway… courage is about being beaten back but then taking a step forward.” Debra Allcock Tyler is the CEO of the Directory of Social Change, an organisation that provides resources, training and support to enable all charities to be successful…

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Ep 10. Mark Longbottom, CEO Heart Kids New Zealand: People, Purpose and Podcasting! 41:17

3y ago41:17

41:17

“Less about egos and logos and let’s think more about mission and (those) whose lives we are trying to help and change... People first, Mission always.” With 12 babies every week born with Congenital Heart Defects in New Zealand and just one specialist hospital in the entire country that can provide treatment, Heart Kids New Zealand provides a life…

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Ep 9. Julie Bentley, CEO Samaritans: Learning, Leadership and Listening 40:57

3+ y ago40:57

40:57

“You don't need to have all the answers, you don't need to have solutions... you just need to be able to listen.” Julie Bentley is CEO of Samaritans, the suicide prevention charity. In this episode Julie shares life and leadership lessons, from being a post-lady early in her career, to how she grappled with the gremlins of Imposter Syndrome. She hi…

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Ep 8. Paul Evans, CEO Leadership Through Sport & Business: Youth unemployment and the risky business of changing the world 38:06

3+ y ago38:06

38:06

“Our core purpose as charities isn’t to manage risk assessment and excel sheets ... our core purpose is to change the world, is to make change happen. That’s what we’re here for.” Paul Evans is CEO of Leadership Through Sport & Business, a social mobility charity that prepares and supports bright young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into rol…

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Ep 7. Sophie Livingstone MBE, Managing Director, Trustees Unlimited: Making Governance sexy! 42:04

3+ y ago42:04

42:04

“Your job as a Trustee is to be a custodian of the higher purpose of the mission and vision of the organisation.” ‘Sexy’ is not normally a word one associates with charity governance. This conversation is about how the function of governance can be truly inspirational and what organisations can do to attract more diverse talent to their Trustee Boa…

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Ep 6. Bhawani Singh Shekhawat, CEO The Akshaya Patra Foundation UK: The Indian disrupter tackling food poverty in schools 40:41

3+ y ago40:41

40:41

“We are all born geniuses and the purpose of human life is to find an interface for that genius... and food can truly be the catalyst for that interface.” 3.5 BILLION meals and counting... Bhawani Singh Shekhawat is the Chief Executive of The Akshaya Patra Foundation UK. The Foundation started 20 years ago in India, to tackle the dual issues of cla…

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Ep 5. Charlotte Hill OBE (Part 2), Founding CEO of Step Up To Serve: Leadership, babies and the intricacies of Maternity Leave! 31:32

3+ y ago31:32

31:32

“The Chief Execs who I really admire are those who wear their heart on their sleeve and are open and honest and themselves.... they are their authentic selves... no matter where you see them and no matter who they are talking to, they are themselves.” In this episode, Part 2, of my conversation with Charlotte Hill, we talk about the joys and the ch…

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Ep 4. Charlotte Hill OBE (Part 1), Executive Director, BBC Children in Need: Pandemic impact on young people and the power of collective action - #iwill Campaign 32:26

3+ y ago32:26

32:26

“If we can get young people becoming Trustees and volunteers as young people, that’s when they form habits, and so they will then be volunteers and fundraisers and Trustees ... for the rest of their lives ... So it’s a great investment in our society more broadly and in civil society if we can get them engaged at a young age.” My guest this episode…

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Ep 3. Sarah Mitchell, CEO Heart of the City: Corporate Social Responsibility and the future of charity partnerships 31:46

3+ y ago31:46

31:46

“There is a move away from the more traditional charity partnerships... (towards) a kind of main-streaming of responsible business.” In this episode I speak with Sarah Mitchell, CEO of Heart of the City, a charity working with small to medium sized companies to help them to develop a purpose beyond profit. We discuss the changing face of corporate …

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Ep 2. Gemma Peters, CEO Blood Cancer UK (Part 2): Implications of Black Lives Matter - What does Diversity, Equity and Inclusion really mean? 29:52

3+ y ago29:52

29:52

“It cannot possibly be true that we have the best scientists working on blood cancer, if that scientific community only represents one bit of the population.” In Part 2 of our conversation with Gemma Peters, CEO of Blood Cancer UK, we delve in to what Diversity, Equity and Inclusion really means for the charity sector. Gemma shares the responsibili…

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Ep 1. Gemma Peters, CEO Blood Cancer UK (Part 1): Leading through the pandemic - Impact on cancer communities and the charity sector 56:32

3+ y ago56:32

56:32

“We do really need the government to acknowledge that this (research) investment is critical. It’s critical to patients, but it’s also critical to the UK as an entity. The UK’s strength in medical research is something that we are all so proud of.” In this very first episode of The Charity CEO Podcast we speak with Gemma Peters, CEO of Blood Cancer…

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International Rescue Committee UK Podcast #1: Refugee Week 2016 14:37

8y ago14:37

14:37

In this first podcast from the International Rescue Committee UK, we explore unique artefacts from the British Museum, ranging from cooking pots to amulets, hailing from distant locations such as Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and Greece. The stories that accompany them will delve into one of the greatest challenges the world faces today; the global refugee …

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International Rescue Committee UK Podcasts

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