BOOTS: Purpose-driven business: meaningful partnerships and unique personal journeys

In this episode of The Lens our host Oli Barrett MBE sits down for a conversation with Elizabeth Fagan, Non-Executive Chair at Boots — winner of Business in the Community’s Responsible Business of the Year 2019 Award — and Jonah Ogbuneke CEO and Founder of Love for The Streets, a non-profit organisation connecting students and social activism with local charities working to combat homelessness. This episode covers partnerships, purpose-driven business, personal journeys and cause-related marketing. We hear what it takes to develop and build an interdisciplinary career across a single business, across decades, from shop floor to the company chair, and we learn how a would-be brain surgeon discovered his passion for the charity sector and what he plans to do next. Let’s get to the conversation... Our GuestsElizabeth Fagan has enjoyed a long and unique relationship with Boots, moving between roles as the company’s Group Buyer and Marketing Director to Managing Director of International Retail for Walgreens Boots Alliance and more recently, Senior Vice President. In her conversation with Oli, she recalls her first steps into the world of work, which included a job in a news agents and, of course, a retail role in her local branch of Boots.Jonah Ogbuneke, from Manchester, is the CEO and Founder of Love For The Streets, a CIC is a profit-for-purpose Social Change Platform that connects brands, young people and causes. A platform for young people, by young people on a mission to work with organisations to remove the barriers that the 5 million young people across the UK face in having a secure future, in work and in their local communities. Utilising expertise in social media marketing, the ambition is to become a catalyst for social change in society. Love For The Streets works towards a 3-point vision: 1. Rebrand volunteering. 2. Make business more impactful. 3. Break the imbalance in the non-profit sector.Time Stamps[00:30] Our host Oli Barrett MBE introduces our guests, Elizabeth Fagan, Non-Executive Chair of Boots and Jonah Ogbuneke, Founder and CEO of Love For The Streets. [02:00] Oli details the history of Boots — BITC’s Responsible Business of the Year 2019 — and introduces the Wallgreens Boots Alliance. [03:00] Elizabeth recalls her first ever job in a newsagents and later, a retail job at Boots, describing the full circle of her employment history. [04:30] Oli asks about the many roles and insights Elizabeth has experienced and accrued in her time with the company and Elizabeth takes us on a whistlestop tour of her career. [07:20] Oli then asks Elizabeth how her insights have affected the scope of Boots’ partnerships, especially those with charity sector organisations. Elizabeth describes the work Boots does with Macmillan in detail [09:10] and gives examples of the benefits and projects to arise from this collaboration. [10:50] Elizabeth also details Boots’ fundraising efforts and how the company works to support Macmillan and other charities.[13:14] Addressing Jonah, Oli asks how important authenticity is to a younger audience when it comes to building a relationship within a brand. [13:50] Oli then asks Jonah about his journey, what prompts him to get out of bed in the morning and how he moved from studying medicine to founding an impactful charitable organisation of his own. [15:10] Jonah tells Oli and Elizabeth about his passion for affecting positive change on a large scale and how this motivated him to do what he now does with Love For The Streets. [16:29] Jonah then details the statistics, organisations and happenings that solidified his interest in not-for-profit careers and projects.[18:00] Oli and Jonah discuss ‘cause-related marketing’ [18:30] Jonah explains the function of Love For The Streets, what the organisation stands for and what it does. [18:53] Elizabeth shares her thoughts on doing good business, campaigning and treating others the way you want to be treated in a company and within a community, creating sustainable brands, not just for today but for the future. [23:00] Oli and our guests discuss optimising healthy and rewarding partnerships between the private sector and the charity sector and Oli follows up with a selection of quick fire questions. [27:42] Our guests then put their own questions to one another and Oli asks, as always, which living person they would each like to meet for coffee, their book recommendations and their advice for their younger selves. [39:49] Oli thanks our guests for joining us for this episode of The Lens and thanks our sponsors and supporters.The Lens Reading ListElizabeth recommends the fiction works of American crime writer Patricia Cornwell and Jonah nominates Leaders: Myth and Reality by Jeff Eggers, Jason Mangone and Stanley A. McChrystal as his inspiring read of choice.loveforthestreets.comboots.comBoots UK support for the “A Million and Me” programmeBoots UK and Macmillan Cancer SupportBoots UK and The Prince’s TrustBoots UK working with WEbitc.org.uk#thelenspodcastThe Lens PodcastPowered by Fujitsu, supported by McCann and in partnership with One Young World, The Lens represents the breadth, diversity and priorities of the responsible business agenda. From gender equality to zero hours contracts, learning on the factory floor to activist businesses, The Lens covers a range of topics from a host of varying perspectives. Each episode brings together a business and future leader to foster disruptive conversations and fresh connections. Innovators and CEOs join Oli Barrett in the studio for a unique conversation covering their journeys, lessons learned, advice, insight and of course, the inspirational person they’d most like to meet for coffee. Business in the Community is The Prince's Responsible Business Network. We convene a unique network of purposeful leaders to share insight, expertise and create innovative programmes that deliver impact. Together our ambition is to make the UK the world leader at responsible business. Don’t forget to follow The Lens on Instagram and to rate, review and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. instagram.com/thelenspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.