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Connected Leadership Gold: Nigel Kershaw, Chairman of The Big Issue

  1. Connected Leadership Gold: Nigel Kershaw, Chairman of The Big Issue Evergreen Podcasts 46:57

In this episode of The Connected Leadership Podcast, Andy Lopata talks to Nigel Kershaw, Chairman of the Big Issue, Big Issue Invest and Big Issue Exchange. They discuss the startup of the Big Issue by Lord John Bird and its mission to get the homeless off the streets. Seen as a business solution rather than a charity, Andy and Nigel discuss the interdependency between the vendors and the teams and the Relationships between the vendors and their clients. They also look at the obstacles they faced and how they have changed the perception of homeless people.

As the business has grown and in the current circumstances, digital changes and Innovation have been made introducing cashless on the street to protect and help vendors. Big Issue Invest and Big Issue Exchange are an extension of the original mission.

Andy Lopata Author, Podcast Host and Speaker on Professional Relationships Strategy

Andy Lopata is a specialist speaker on professional relationships, mentoring, networking, and social media strategy. He is a firm believer that professional relationships underpin our success in business, our roles, and our careers. The right relationships with the right people can lead to new business opportunities, investment, collaborative working, innovation, and career progress. We just need to be comfortable approaching those relationships strategically, without making people feel ‘networked’ by us.

Andy has worked in the field of networking and professional relationships for 25 years, working with global giants such as Paypal, GSK, AstraZeneca, Wella, HSBC, Wembley Stadium, the BBC, and the Prime Minister’s Office of the UAE, among many others during that time. He has also worked with leading universities including NYU, Duke University, and Oxford University’s Said Business School.

A regular blogger for Psychology Today, Andy has been quoted in The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian, as well as many other national and regional newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written or co-authored six books on networking and professional relationships, with his sixth book, "The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring," being published in Spring 2024. He is also the host of The Connected Leadership Podcast and has interviewed globally recognized names in business, academia, sports, and entertainment for the show.

Andy has been inducted into the PSAE Hall of Fame – the Professional Speaking Association Award of Excellence, which was held by only 21 other speakers at the time it was presented. He is a Fellow and a former President of the Fellows’ Community of the Professional Speaking Association (PSA), a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI), and a Member of the Association of Business Mentors and the Meetings Industry Association.