Our guest this month is Angela McConville. As Chief Executive of the NCT, the parents national charity for pregnancy, birth and early parenthood, Angela has brought her ‘spirit for change’ to the organisation. After only 9 weeks in the role, the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic forced her to make changes to the fundamental operating strategy of the organisation overnight.

In this episode Angela describes how her mother inspired her understanding of how communities can come together and how she plans to tackle the challenges that face the NCT in 2025. She also talks about her own path to leadership, how she has built a supportive network of working mums around her and her number one skill for making a success of the CEO role.

To find out more about the NCT visit: www.nct.org.uk

If you enjoyed this conversation, come back and listen to our fascinating April guest! We release new episodes on the first Monday of every month. And, we’d love you to rate, review and subscribe to Leading Lights - this helps others to find the podcast.

And, if you’re a Head of brand, marketing or creative within a charity why not join our own supportive network of senior marketers within charities at the MOREVER Meetup? Our quarterly meeting to share ideas and insights with women in similar roles from other charities.

Find out more about MOREVER - www.morever.co.uk

Abi’s guest is Michelle Thew, long standing CEO of Cruelty Free International, one of the world’s most respected animal protection organisations. It works to create a world where nobody wants or believes we need to experiment on animals.

In this episode Michelle shares her journey to leadership and her thoughts on what it’s like to be the leader of a campaigning organisation for social justice. She also discusses:

• How she was driven to this role by an overwhelming desire to work in the animal protection community.

• The reasons why the job isn’t at all what she expected it to be

and

• How she spots leadership potential in others

She also shares how she maintains her staying power and her secret sauce for managing stress in such an important, high profile role.

About Cruelty Free International

Cruelty Free International is one of the world’s longest standing and most respected animal protection organisations, it works to create a world where nobody wants or believes we need to experiment on animals.

Cruelty Free International is widely accepted as the global authority on animal testing issues, combining award-winning campaigning, political lobbying, pioneering undercover investigations and scientific and legal expertise.

Educating, challenging and inspiring others across the globe to respect and protect animals, it investigates and exposes the reality of life for animals in laboratories.

It has saved millions of animals from a life of suffering.

To find out more about Cruelty Free International you can find it at the following links:⁠

Instagram - @crueltyfreeintl / @michelle_crueltyfree

Facebook - @CrueltyFreeInternational

X - @CrueltyFreeIntl

TikTok - @crueltyfreeintl

Linkedin - @crueltyfreeinternational

Or visit: http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/

If you enjoyed this conversation, come back and listen to our fascinating March guest! We release new episodes on the first Monday of every month. And, we’d love you to rate, review and subscribe to Leading Lights - this helps others to find the podcast.

And, if you’re a Head of brand, marketing or creative within a charity, why not join us at the MOREVER Meetup to share ideas and insights with women in similar roles from other charities.

Find out more about MOREVER - www.morever.co.uk

In Episode 4, Abi’s guest is Jayne Taylor, CEO of The Elephant group, a headteacher-led charity dedicated to improving fair access to top universities.

Through collaboration with school leaders, universities, and key partners, The Elephant Group supports academically able students from non-selective state schools, helping them achieve their aspirations through tailored programmes and sector-wide initiatives.

In this episode, Jayne shares how the impact of her older brother having a serious illness when she was ten defined her childhood, and sparked a keen desire to help young people derailed by difficult circumstances to achieve their academic potential.

She also shares her thoughts on:

• The surprising similarities between becoming a parent and becoming a chief exec;

• Why she thinks teenagers are underrated;

• What she's learned about leadership from playing Roller Derby and obsessively reading about mountaineering.

This is a fascinating listen for anyone interested in the charity sector, leadership, young people, academia, achieving a balance between family life and career goals, and much more.

About The Elephant Group

The Elephant Group is a headteacher-led charity that is committed to creating fair student access to top universities by collaborating with schools, universities, and wider partner organisations.

It identifies challenges faced by schools and works with key partners to create a lasting change. Via its core programmes, Elephant Access and the Meta Method, it works with over 3,500 students from low progression areas, delivering targeted activities designed to develop lifelong skills and support capable students into the universities and career paths that they deserve.

Its model of cross-sector collaboration allows it to draw on a wide network, gathering resources, information and connections to help upskill school staff and help students to develop the skills and knowledge that they need to make an informed choice based on their aspirations.

To find out more about The Elephant Group follow it on X | LinkedIn or visit https://theelephantgroup.org/

If you enjoyed this conversation, come back and listen to our fascinating February guest! We release new episodes on the first Monday of every month. And, we’d love you to rate, review and subscribe to Leading Lights - this helps others to find the podcast.

And, if you’re a Head of brand, marketing or creative within a charity, why not join us at the MOREVER Meetup to share ideas and insights with women in similar roles from other charities.

Find out more about MOREVER - www.morever.co.uk