Dr. Kim McLear is a liberation activist and organiser. She is a former whistleblower and State of the Union guest of honour who exposed one of the largest cover-ups of racism in U.S. military history.

Join Shereen Daniels as she introduces Dr. Kim McLear, a remarkable individual, who has courageous story. Dr. McLear reflects on her upbringing and the unexpected path that led her to a career in the Coast Guard. She opens up about the challenges she faced within the Coast Guard Academy and her efforts to address these issues, which ultimately led to her testifying against them in 2019, in Capitol Hill

In this episode, we discover how Dr. McLear's unwavering determination propelled her forward in the face of adversity. Through a series of obstacles and setbacks, she remained steadfast in her pursuit of systemic change, and has become a source of inspiration to individuals both in and outside of the military.

Dr. McLear shares valuable insights gained from her journey, offering guidance for those navigating similar challenges. Her story serves as a testament to the transformative power of resilience and collective action, that will leave listeners with a newfound sense of hope and determination.

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Nicholas Marcus Thompson is a human rights advocate and influential figure in the fight against systemic discrimination in Canada. He has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights of Black Canadians, most notably through organising the landmark $2.5 billion class action lawsuit against the federal Government of Canada, which led to profound changes in Canada’s employment legislation. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Black Class Action Secretariat. 

Nicholas shares his journey of taking bold legal action against the Canadian government, challenging the status quo and demanding accountability for institutional racism. Together with Shereen, they delve into the pressing issue of systemic anti-black racism within Canada's federal public service, such as:

• The harsh realities faced by Black Employees in Canada’s Public Service
• The need for accountability, beyond simply acknowledging harm
• The significance of disrupting systemic injustices; and
• The power of grassroots activism in driving meaningful change.

Throughout this conversation, Nicholas and Shereen emphasise the ongoing struggle against systemic racism and urge listeners to join the fight for a more equitable future. Tune in to learn more about this necessary class action lawsuit and gain inspiration to make a change in your corner of the world.

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Dr. Gillian Marcelle leads Resilience Capital Ventures LLC, (RCV), a boutique capital advisory practice specialising in blended finance. She has a proven track record in attracting investment and focuses on telecoms, fintech, renewable energy and regenerative agriculture. Dr Marcelle developed the Triple B Framework to improve flows and allocation of capital in its multiple forms; this provides a platform for engaging in the finance and investment world, where her contributions and perspectives on diversity, inclusion, accountability, and alignment with the SDGs are becoming influential.

Drawing from her background in economics and social justice, Dr Marcelle:

• challenges the fundamental assumptions of capitalism, highlighting its role in perpetuating systemic racism and inequality. She advocates for a holistic approach to addressing these issues, emphasizing the importance of diverse alliances, activism, and narrative change.
• discusses the need for a collective movement to dismantle entrenched power structures within the financial sector.
• outlines why grassroots organising, community engagement, and education is vital for fostering inclusive economic growth.

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Marcelle also shares her experiences navigating the complexities of finance and investment, offering practical strategies for challenging ignorance, and unlocking capital for marginalised communities.

If you wish to engage with Dr Marcelle's work, do check out The Levers of Change (LOC) Project. It aims to address racial and economic inequality in America by undertaking fundamental analysis of root causes, providing strategic advice to stakeholders and pursuing direct action to change systems.

The Action Agenda arising from this research study includes:

Movement building

● Bring together multiple, diverse stakeholder groups including women, people of color, workers, and other marginalized groups to address the current epoch of multiple crises, to action restructuring the economy and advancing racial and economic equity.

Engagement

● Engage the business world based on original and challenging conceptual frameworks including the Curb-Cut Effect, the Triple B Framework, and Centering Blackness. Use these approaches to systems change and new world making, to advance the agenda of restructuring and transforming business and society.

Embodied justice praxis

● Involve white-bodied leaders in transformative embodied justice practices that expose and challenge “blindspots”, change norms, and establish values that lead to social justice and freedom for all. Until mental models, values, and understandings of business in relation to other parts of society are transformed, there will be little meaningful change.

● Value all stakeholders, not only shareholders; this is a necessary shift to bring about equitable societies in which all can flourish.

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Tejal joined the SOC Investment Group in 2016 as Corporate Governance Director, where she focused on shareholder advocacy issues including the opioids crisis and racial equity audits. 

In her current role, she has worked with investor coalitions to develop strategies for issuer engagements, shareholder proposals, director accountability, and asset manager outreach.  She currently serves as a director and the Labor Constituency Co-Chair for the Council of Institutional Investors (CII) and previously served on the U.S. Asset Owners Advisory Council from 2019-2021.  She holds a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law and a MSc. from the London School of Economics. 

In this week's episode, we explore the delicate balance between setting meaningful goals and the resistance encountered when calling for a deeper, more substantial commitment to racial equity and implementing preventative measures.

We also talk about:

- Corporate accountability and what it looks like when you have an outsider influencing internal accountability and disclosures

- Translating of social issues into business risk

- The three types of resistance faced by financial institutions who are required to undergo a racial equity audit

- Pitfalls of diversity and inclusion (in the way forced or advocated by the companies themselves)

- The cost-benefit analysis of conducting racial equity audits versus facing fines for discriminatory practices. The numbers for the latter will astound you!

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In 2023, Stuart co-authored ‘The Adventure of Sustainable Performance: Beyond ESG Compliance to Leadership in the New Era’, exploring the role of leaders in shaping a new era for business and in driving performance as the world transitions to a net zero future. Stuart has led Anthesis through two rounds of private equity ownership, the latest of which was with Carlyle and Tikehau in August 2023.

In this episode, Stuart and I delve into the evolving landscape of sustainability. We begin by tracing the origins of sustainability, rooted in environmentalism, and observe its evolution into a comprehensive framework that integrates social and governance considerations. Other discussion points include:

• The pivotal role of regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in driving corporate accountability and promoting sustainable business practices.
• How organisations are navigating the shifting paradigm of ESG being treated as a of a core value rather than mere a compliance requirement.
• The significance of stakeholder engagement and transparent communication in fostering trust and credibility in sustainability efforts.
• The concept of stakeholder capitalism and its implications for businesses worldwide.
• The need for organisations to adopt a long-term perspective that prioritises environmental and social impact alongside financial returns.

Ultimately, we both advocate for organisations to integrate sustainability into their core business strategies as an opportunity to operate in fairer ways and build their 'resilience' muscles.

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For more than 15 years, Terry Thornton has been building and launching programs in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and sustainability, reaching more than 15,000 professionals worldwide.

In this episode we explore the multifaceted landscape of sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practices. They delve into key topics such as:

• How racial equity connects with sustainability using the HR rewired Racial Equity Assurance Index as an example
• The implications of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
• Navigating stakeholder relationships
• The complexities of ESG ratings and benchmarking
• Importance of aligning business goals with societal and environmental objectives and integrating sustainability into core business strategies for long-term value creation; and
• Emerging trends in sustainable finance and evolving regulatory landscape

Terry also shares valuable strategies for prioritising stakeholder engagement and discusses the evolving role of corporations in driving sustainable practices.

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To genuinely do the right thing for people and the environment, in this context, is to ask uncomfortable questions about how our business practices, the way we conduct ourselves as individuals, entities and institutions has contributed to harm.

Can we do differently just be tweaking round the edges?

What opportunities can we seize if deconstruct the ways we do business and rewrite some of the rules about who we work with to affect change on a bigger and quicker scale?

What other metrics can we use to measure how far we have done differently?

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Being an ally can be a massively rewarding experience and there is a ton of information out there about what it actually takes.

Sometimes though, it’s the practical day to day examples that can most help put allyship into context and this is what I’ve done for the penultimate episode of this season’s Advancing Racial Equity 4.0

If you’re an advocate for racial equity but aren’t in a position of influence and power within your workplace, there is still lots you can do.

Subscribe/follow on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Spotify and Audible, for more bi-weekly insightful conversations and if you feel compelled, leave us a comment as I appreciate all feedback!