September 29, 2025 • 26 mins
The brilliant Saeeda Ahmed joins the We Are PoWEr Podcast – bringing faith, resilience, and a bold vision for building sustainable cities that put people first. As Founder and President of Sustainable Cities Global and a trailblazer named on the global stage, Saeeda is transforming how communities are designed, governed, and grown.
From the inner cities of Bradford to international contracts across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, Saeeda’s story is one of breaking barriers and rewriting the rules. She shares how missing parts of her early education didn’t stop her from thriving at Cambridge, why her father’s wisdom still guides her today, and how her innovative model rejects “copy-and-paste” development in favour of solutions rooted in healthcare, education, and enterprise.
With honesty and conviction, Saeeda opens up about facing condescension and ridicule in male-dominated spaces, how she reframes failure as the “nuances of life,” and why she believes every single person is a living miracle. Her work is not just about sustainability—it’s about dignity, inclusion, and creating pathways so others never have to face the same barriers she did.
In this episode:
From Bradford to Cambridge: defying expectations and embracing faith
Why no city should ever be “copy-and-paste”
Building tailored, sustainable communities across three continents
Facing ridicule and turning hardship into strength
Reframing failure as life’s nuances, not setbacks
Why “you are already a success today” is Saeeda’s message to the world
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, hello and welcome to the we Are Power
podcast.
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(00:21):
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Awards, which celebrateshundreds of female role models
and advocates every year.
This is where you can hearstories from all of our awards
alumni and stay up to date witheverything MPW Awards and we Are
Power.
Well, welcome again to thisweek's podcast, and today I'm
(00:50):
joined by the just gorgeouslywonderful Zaid Ahmed, powerless
2024.
And can I say, right now, thebenefactor.
The benefactor is that theright word Of this beautiful
scarf.
Tell us theors of thisbeautiful scarf, tell us the
origin of this.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well, I'm actually working internationally on
projects which are aroundsustainable cities, and one of
the things that's reallyimportant for me is that
anything we work on must beinclusive and create
opportunities for people.
And it was actually one of thepartner organizations I work
with in Dubai called Orkan, andthey work and support a lot of
(01:32):
women-owned businesses.
And they said, saeeda, we havea gift for you.
I went over, I didn't realizethe gift would be so amazing and
they said these are scarves andarts pieces that have been
prepared by women in kyrgyzstanand they get together.
And they said we actually wentthere and we chose the silks,
(01:54):
the felt, the wool, and each ofthese are handmade pieces by
groups of women that gettogether, that socialize, and so
it's a unique piece.
But also it's so in line withwhat you're doing here, simone,
that I felt like it would be theperfect gift and and well
deserved, because it carries thestory and the legacy of what
(02:16):
you're about and that's why whenyou told me about this and I
just thought, gosh, what anamazing.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
So this morning, when I was getting ready, I was like
I need to take that.
That has a story, absolutelythat's a story that needs to be
passed on.
People need to be aware.
Uh, and it is so important andand I think that whole you know
you are the founder andpresident of sustainable cities
global.
How could you, how do youexplain that?
Explain what you do?
I don't think you can in acouple of sentences, but let's
(02:42):
give it a try yes, well, I'vecan in a couple of sentences,
but let's give it a try.
Well, I've never done a coupleof sentences.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
So I actually created Sustainable Cities Global,
primarily because I've spent thewhole of my life in the UK
designing projects and solutionsthat help not just society but
the economy and climate, andover the years, I found
(03:09):
solutions that worked, thatcould actually be transferred to
other countries, and they werelike sponges.
You know, they wanted to knowwhat we were doing in the UK.
We have so much innovation andfantastic work that goes on over
here.
But some of the things Ilearned from the UK was that,
first of all, no one city is thesame as another.
No one person is the same asanother.
(03:31):
We're all individual and ourneeds are unique, our challenges
are unique and, as a result, ifwe take a copy and paste
approach, it means it's likewe're copying and pasting so
nobody gets what they need.
So I took the models from the UKof the work I'd done and we
were very fortunate.
(03:51):
We were working with some ofthe top social entrepreneurs in
the UK.
Some of them were workinginternationally.
We looked at what was workingin the UK, but also some of the
things that a lot of reallyphenomenal social entrepreneurs
were struggling with and thought, ok, how do we tackle this in a
way where it works and weeliminate those issues before
(04:12):
they even become problems.
So, sustainable Cities Global,I was approached by UN-linked
foundations, a number ofgovernments internationally, and
they said we've heard aboutyour work and we'd like you to
come and create solutions for usand, at that time, for the UK.
I think the way one of my bestfriends has described me is that
(04:34):
, saeeda, you walk into a roomand you literally destroy it
like a hurricane.
She goes you go in and nothingfeels the same.
But she said there's a claritythat comes after you've been in
there and I think partly it'sbecause I don't work to
hierarchies and structures, Iwork to getting things done.
So Sustainable Cities Globalinternationally creates
(04:56):
sustainable cities.
We work to the model that theexperts are all out there
already in healthcare, ineducation, in micro enterprise
programs.
We need to get those expertstogether to create tailored
solutions for those cities.
So we're working in LatinAmerica, in Southeast Asia,
(05:17):
across Africa.
We're signing governmentcontracts and it's like crazy
because when I look at it, I'm awoman that had a vision that
nobody could see until everybodycould see it and they're like
wow, where where did you thinkof this from?
Speaker 1 (05:31):
so, but to your friend, you're the calm after
the storm.
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
I mean she said that if things have been done in a
certain way and they've justbeen kind of going along step by
step, she said, when you'refinished, actually you create
the clarity, but it undoes theold hierarchies and in a way
that reminds me of one of thefirst contracts I'd won.
I was doing a Europeanco-finance project with
(05:59):
Jobcentre Plus and I designed itwith some of my team members
and it was called Women WinningWork and I'd sat there and I
thought what is it that womenface as problems accessing the
labour market?
And they had two particulartarget groups that they wanted
to engage.
One was single mums and theother was women that were from
(06:22):
minority backgrounds orreturning to the labour market.
So there was all these womenthat they just didn't know how
to work with.
I designed a programme thatlooked at their first of all,
their mental and emotional needs.
Then I looked at their first ofall their mental and emotional
needs, then I looked at theirpersonal circumstances, then I
looked at their career needs,etc.
And we designed a solutionwhere we brought all these
experts together and thatprogram.
(06:44):
I still remember Jobcentre Plustelling me at the time that,
saida, you know, we do knowyou've taken this project on and
it's really ambitious, but youknow, if you don't achieve, it's
OK.
It's really good that you'vetaken this project on and it's
really ambitious, but you know,if you don't achieve it's okay.
It's really good that you'vetried.
And I remember that within twomonths I was going to hit my
(07:05):
two-year targets because it wasdesigned for women and with
women's needs in mind ratherthan designed for hierarchies
and structures.
And I still remember that thejob center um auditor at that
time came and she said well,this model, it just doesn't fit
with our in, like our nationalauditing standards and how I
said, because it wasn't designedfor that.
It was designed for women andit was designed to get them into
(07:26):
work.
And we ended up withgrandmothers who who were
training to become joiners andin in uh, there was people that
wanted to become social workersand teachers and set up their
own businesses.
And it was a really simpleprogramme.
There was nothing complex aboutit, but it was just designed
for people and just eliminatingbarriers.
(07:46):
And that's just one example ofmany.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Well, we'll be a box at this podcast now, clearly,
but you describe yourself as anabundant giver of ingredients to
lots of pies.
Yes, I love that.
Tell me what your specialingredients are to bring.
So you're clearly somebody whois successful and passionate
(08:12):
about making things successful,but with purpose.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yes, and with sustainability.
But what is that secretingredient of ingredients?
It primarily comes from thefact that many women and many
people out there who give toorganisations, they give their
(08:38):
time on a pro bono basis orvolunteer, etc.
I've often heard people say, ohwell, you've got your fingers
in lots of pies.
And I look at it and I think,well, actually I don't even
claim my expenses, so I don'tknow where that pie is and I
wouldn't mind a slice out of it.
So I thought, you know, in someinstances I thought, well,
actually let me turn it on itshead, because my ingredients are
(09:00):
making pies happen and they'remaking factories happen and pie
factories happen and there'smany people like me who actually
give so much.
So I turned it on its head as apositive rather than a negative
, and I actually it.
It was somebody I was, I wasspeaking to even yesterday and
they said, well, it looks likeyou've got a lot of um, your
(09:20):
fingers in a lot of pies.
I said, no, it's ouringredients that make the pies
happen.
They join it together,otherwise it's just flour, eggs
and whatever else that goes intoa pie.
So it's the passion in you.
It's the passion.
The other thing is, is that it'sthe ability to see past the old
way of doing things.
Unfortunately, if you look atthe education system, if you
(09:44):
look at the labour market, ifyou look at industry, we've had
a lot of innovation but we'vealso not.
So if you look at the educationsystem, you know you've got
September, october starts.
People miss that.
They're kind of having to waitmonths before they can start
their life again, and so forth.
You look at the way businessesare set up and even just today,
(10:11):
you know, I met some gentlementhat come over from London and
he started laughing.
He goes.
You're so passionate and hegoes.
I can promise you that when I'dseen you originally he goes I
didn't think that you would haveso much drive and so much
vision.
And so I think that for me it'svision, it's the big picture
and it's courage.
It's vision, it's the bigpicture and it's courage.
(10:34):
I'm not scared of going outthere and trying to go and make
a big difference, rather thanwhat I was sort of trained
through school and the earlypart of my career, where it was
like, oh, you need to startsmall and prove yourself.
And I'm thinking that's theircomfort, that they're projecting
onto me.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Do you think that's the thing it's underestimating?
Yes, even the guy today.
When I first met you, I didn'tthink, yes, what would you say?
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Don't underestimate me.
Well, the thing is that becausehe was so nice about it, he
didn't say it in a way which wasnegative.
But the last few years I've hadeverything where people's
stereotypes of me have meantthat they framed me in a certain
(11:22):
way.
I mean, I've had instanceswhere I'm working on
international projects, withfamily offices, with
international banks, working onutilising carbon markets and
climate finance to createsolutions for countries and
cities.
So I've developed a model thatworks and I've got phenomenal
(11:42):
people around me.
It's not me on my own, it's likeI represent a whole ecosystem
and it's global.
They've watched firsthand someof the people I'm working with.
They've watched firsthand someof the people I'm working with,
how I've sat in places wherepeople may really try to
condescend me, patronize me,ridicule me, even, at times,
(12:04):
tell me to be quiet because theyfeel that their opinion is
stronger.
And I've been lucky because inthose conversations, while some
of them have become openly nasty, there's also been people in
the room that said, well,actually that's not a respectful
way to talk to somebody andwe're not going to let you speak
to her like that.
So I think that you know for me, I'm quite used to people not
(12:27):
knowing what I'm going to belike.
It's the intent that comesbehind it and generally it's
nice people and they're justgenuinely surprised because
they've just seen a stereotypeof all the countries.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
You've talked about the different countries that
you've signed agreements withbrazil, papua new guinea, saudi
arabia, africa.
Is there a country that hasleft the the biggest or deepest
impression on you?
Speaker 2 (12:53):
All of them do in their own way and you know
there's a beauty in the peopleof every country you go to and
each of their traditions aredifferent.
And I think when I've gonethere, trying with my British
head on and trying to think, ohwell, you know, I want my cup of
tea first and I want this likeI go there with this thing of
expecting to, for it to be mylife over here, then you're
(13:18):
going to be disappointed.
But if you go to anothercountry and you start seeing
things from their perspectiveand the why, it's phenomenal,
like, for example, when I'd goneto Malaysia, there was a
gentleness in Malaysia andSoutheast Asia.
When I went to Brazil, thekindness of the people.
(13:42):
I think one of the funniest oneswas when I went to Tunisia and
I went there with my formalclothes because I was going to
go and meet a farmer's unionover there and I went with my
formal clothes and the farmersturned up with their kind of
farm trailer and the moment thedoor opened and the dust fell on
me, I thought, okay, thatwasn't very smart of me.
But then they took me to themountains.
(14:04):
We were picking pomegranatesand we were looking at
sustainability and andregenerative farming to help
these farmers and many women whoare working in those fields, as
a way of creating sustainablelivelihoods.
So so each one of them has,they leave their mark, but
that's the whole point is thatno two are the same right that's
(14:24):
the whole point?
Speaker 1 (14:24):
we're not.
You're not creating a cookiecutter model here, isn't it?
But let's take it, let's put afocus on you.
I know you want to go out anddo and you're a forever optimist
as well, but you went frommissing much of your early
education, didn't you?
To Cambridge doctorate.
What is the one thing that haskept you going, even when you
(14:49):
think sometimes the odds areagainst me here?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
There's something that my father and may God bless
his soul.
He passed away just over twoand a half years ago and I
actually nearly didn't apply toCambridge because I grew up in
the inner city areas of Bradfordand I missed a lot of my
schooling and I thought that,well, at that time I thought,
(15:14):
well, I missed so much, there'sno way I can even get into
university.
And I did do a degree.
I kind of scraped through myfirst degree but then, through
my social enterprise work, I wasgetting a name for myself
because I won't give up.
And also there's somethingabout if you've gone through
hardship in life.
So there's something about ifyou've gone through hardship in
(15:37):
life, you always gain somethingout of it if you're willing to
reflect and see what it is thatyou're learning.
So the fact that I missed a lotof schooling meant that my
education wasn't structured likein a lot of other children's
ways of thinking.
So I was going there and I meanthe only way I describe myself
is like I was a proper alien.
I would go to places and thinkI wonder how that works, being
(15:57):
let me try it being, you know,and in that kind of like that,
that square, peg round holescenario.
It made you think the otherthing was that my parents were
poor.
They were not.
You know my.
My dad was struggling.
You know my mum, all of us, we.
We didn't have a lot of money,so the little bit that we had,
it had to go a long way and Iwas very, very fortunate that my
(16:21):
parents, my parents, instilledin me, and my father
particularly because I thinkit's really important to
emphasise that my mother was thespirit, but my father was the
confidence and he was the shieldthat said to people that my
daughters will have an educationand they will go out there and
they will succeed.
And I didn't apply to CambridgeUniversity originally.
(16:44):
My father said to me at thattime that, saida, you're not
applying.
And I said, well, yes, dad, youknow they're not going to
accept someone from the heart ofBradford who's hardly even got
good GCSE grades.
And he said to me he said,saeeda, you're a believer in God
.
I said yes, and he goes.
You know, our faith teaches youthat you try your best and you
(17:07):
wait for the decree of theAlmighty and whatever it is.
Be grateful with that, but alsoknow that you have a piece,
that you tried your best and Iapplied.
And then I got the interview andI thought, okay, I can't leave
anything to chance here.
So I actually Googled orchecked on the internet at the
time Every single person thatwas on the course.
(17:27):
I rang them and I said what'sthis course like?
Person that was on the course,I rang them and I said what's
this course like?
And also, what about my, um,what about my experience?
Do you think I'd meet the mark?
Well, I.
They were having this executivemaster's program at Cambridge.
So they said, oh, one womanrang us from the north and they
said what she rang me.
(17:49):
I got in and I succeeded throughmy master's, but it was hard
because it was a total.
It was like a fairy tale fromsomeone who'd had barely the
basics of an education to havingto go to an institute like that
and then to join the piecestogether.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
You've been named on the independence happy list and
you say you laugh at most things, but what was the last thing
that really made you chuckle?
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Well, I think I laugh every single day at something
stupid or other.
Sometimes well, a lot of times,I laugh at myself because I
think if you take yourself tooseriously, you end up feeling
like you're a failure.
So I laugh.
I look at certain things andthink, oh, that didn't go that
well, did it Like?
I mean, just today, you know,as I was putting perfume on and
(18:39):
I left the house, I thought, ok,that stained my scarf.
That looks really good, doesn'tit?
I had like laughing about it.
I was like it is what it is.
But I think that's the thing,because if we start taking
ourselves too seriously and ifwe start seeing that we're these
fixed structures that can'tmake mistakes or we can't get it
(19:01):
wrong, we close the learningoff.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
That's one of the beauties of life.
Looking ahead, there's aheadline about you.
What would it say?
What would you want thatheadline about your legacy, my
legacy?
It can only be a short headline, because it's not a big paper,
right?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It's not an essay exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
She dared to dream and she worked her dream, and
it's happened when you've hadthose moments where things have
possibly been in the way or beenagainst you.
What is it?
Faith is it?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I think about what you talked about your parents,
the shield and the spirit yeah,is that what carries you through
that, but also I mean this youknow the projects I'm doing are
immensely hard.
You're working with financialinstitutions that have got
hundreds of years of systems andthose systems haven't been
designed, often, for people whoare suffering in society,
(20:12):
whether that's in the UK orinternationally.
They're designed to safeguardmoney and profits and
institutional accountability.
So the thing that keeps megoing is that my hardship can
save a lot of other people fromhardship.
And if I was fortunate enoughto have an education, to have
supportive parents, etc.
(20:33):
Then there's so many otherpeople that deserve that right
too.
And the thing about rising upto become leaders and to stand
in the firing line is being ableto say that we have to take
some hits for others so thatthey don't have to take them
(20:54):
Because maybe they haven't gotthe courage, maybe they haven't
got parents that support them.
So if we do it and create apath that others can walk on,
then one day, you know, theworld lifts by us collectively
rising.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Now this week, it's the first time on our we are
power podcast that we're usingour power jar.
Now, for those of you who arelistening and not watching on
youtube um, you will also havemissed on the beautiful scarf,
but please catch up on youtubeor youtube shorts.
But we are every week going toask our guest to pick out a
(21:30):
question from a previous guest.
So picking it out, not knowingwhat's coming, and answering it,
are you up for it?
Of course you are Right.
Let's go into the, as the teamcall it.
Thank you, anna and Jasmine.
The power jar.
Okay, right, let's see what wefind while you're dipping in
there.
It's the first time there we go.
(21:58):
What have you got in there?
Well, I've got two, so I'mgoing to take.
Of course, you've got twohaven't you.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Why would you not just take one?
Well, I'm taking one.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Why don't you read them out for us?
What have you got there?
Speaker 2 (22:07):
So the first one which one failure you're
actually grateful for today?
Actually, I'm going to avoidthe really controversial one,
because I think that's going toscare the life out of people.
Um, I think many, actually.
Every single failure I havetaken not as a failure, as the
(22:28):
nuances of life, and I reflectupon them and I say, okay, was
there something I could havedone differently there, or is it
what it is?
And if it is what it is, I justlearn from it, draw a line over
it and go on and I actuallylearn, not just from my own
mistakes, but actually learnfrom how things haven't worked.
(22:49):
You know, if you think aboutmost of the innovation we see
today, the technologies we seetoday, they are based on
hundreds of thousands of hoursof multiple people trying to
make things work and improve it.
If they were going to be soclosed and think, oh well, we
can't try to make this aeroplane, we can't try and fly, we
(23:10):
wouldn't have half or most ofthe industries that we celebrate
today as part of our life.
So every failure, I think, isprimarily something I welcome
and I learn from and I don't seeit as a negative.
So that's one.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Okay, and you've got two for one.
Of course, of course, but it'sthe first week you're allowed.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Well, do you know, because I'm a Northerner and my
family always say that I lovegetting.
Buy one, get second free offer100%.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Okay, so, oh, this is even better.
It's a free billboard.
So you get a free billboard.
There you go Look even betterIn the busiest spot in your city
.
What do you put on it?
What I'd put on it is it doesnot matter.
Actually, I'd rephrase that youare a success today, and your
(24:04):
previous hardships, yourchallenges, the things you think
haven't worked for you, do notreflect on who you are today.
The fact that you're standingreading that billboard is your
success, and you just rememberthat you are a living miracle
and everything you want.
You just have to keep going forit, because, apart from you,
(24:26):
nobody else can make it happenand you're going to be nobody
else's priority.
You have to be your priority,wow.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
That's going to be a big billboard, can I?
Speaker 2 (24:34):
just put that out there yeah, can we have an
extension?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
well, of course you can, because it'll be like buy
one billboard now and we'regoing to ask you as well to
write a question that we will gointo the power jar.
So for our next guest, they mayread your question.
So we will take that the powerjar.
So for our next guest, they mayread your questions.
So we will take that from you.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Well, I know you'll make it.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
We better get like an A3 piece of paper.
We'll put that on.
Thank you for taking part inour power jar.
Thank you for joining me on thesofa today.
I have to say, the last fewmonths of hanging out, having
such an amazing conversationwhen we were over at the
celebration event in Leeds,feeling your support for me
(25:17):
personally, for we Are Power forNorthern Power Women Awards you
are a generous of spirit humanand I am so grateful you're part
of this community and thank youso much for joining me today on
the couch.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Well, you're most welcome, simone, and I think I'm
only reflecting what you'regiving.
What you have created here andyour wonderful team have created
is a phenomenal community ofrecognising people out there,
whether they're entrepreneurs,whether they're working in
corporate careers or wonderfulpeople that just want to be
(25:50):
uplifted by other wonderfulpeople.
So so I'm only giving to whatyou're you've already created
and you're working on daily, soit's my total pleasure, thank
you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Thank you so much.
I knew you'd have the last word.
It's inevitable.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
I look forward to our ongoingconversations thank you
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(26:22):
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(00:21):
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Power.
Well, welcome again to thisweek's podcast, and today I'm
(00:50):
joined by the just gorgeouslywonderful Zaid Ahmed, powerless
2024.
And can I say, right now, thebenefactor.
The benefactor is that theright word Of this beautiful
scarf.
Tell us theors of thisbeautiful scarf, tell us the
origin of this.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well, I'm actually working internationally on
projects which are aroundsustainable cities, and one of
the things that's reallyimportant for me is that
anything we work on must beinclusive and create
opportunities for people.
And it was actually one of thepartner organizations I work
with in Dubai called Orkan, andthey work and support a lot of
(01:32):
women-owned businesses.
And they said, saeeda, we havea gift for you.
I went over, I didn't realizethe gift would be so amazing and
they said these are scarves andarts pieces that have been
prepared by women in kyrgyzstanand they get together.
And they said we actually wentthere and we chose the silks,
(01:54):
the felt, the wool, and each ofthese are handmade pieces by
groups of women that gettogether, that socialize, and so
it's a unique piece.
But also it's so in line withwhat you're doing here, simone,
that I felt like it would be theperfect gift and and well
deserved, because it carries thestory and the legacy of what
(02:16):
you're about and that's why whenyou told me about this and I
just thought, gosh, what anamazing.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
So this morning, when I was getting ready, I was like
I need to take that.
That has a story, absolutelythat's a story that needs to be
passed on.
People need to be aware.
Uh, and it is so important andand I think that whole you know
you are the founder andpresident of sustainable cities
global.
How could you, how do youexplain that?
Explain what you do?
I don't think you can in acouple of sentences, but let's
(02:42):
give it a try yes, well, I'vecan in a couple of sentences,
but let's give it a try.
Well, I've never done a coupleof sentences.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
So I actually created Sustainable Cities Global,
primarily because I've spent thewhole of my life in the UK
designing projects and solutionsthat help not just society but
the economy and climate, andover the years, I found
(03:09):
solutions that worked, thatcould actually be transferred to
other countries, and they werelike sponges.
You know, they wanted to knowwhat we were doing in the UK.
We have so much innovation andfantastic work that goes on over
here.
But some of the things Ilearned from the UK was that,
first of all, no one city is thesame as another.
No one person is the same asanother.
(03:31):
We're all individual and ourneeds are unique, our challenges
are unique and, as a result, ifwe take a copy and paste
approach, it means it's likewe're copying and pasting so
nobody gets what they need.
So I took the models from the UKof the work I'd done and we
were very fortunate.
(03:51):
We were working with some ofthe top social entrepreneurs in
the UK.
Some of them were workinginternationally.
We looked at what was workingin the UK, but also some of the
things that a lot of reallyphenomenal social entrepreneurs
were struggling with and thought, ok, how do we tackle this in a
way where it works and weeliminate those issues before
(04:12):
they even become problems.
So, sustainable Cities Global,I was approached by UN-linked
foundations, a number ofgovernments internationally, and
they said we've heard aboutyour work and we'd like you to
come and create solutions for usand, at that time, for the UK.
I think the way one of my bestfriends has described me is that
(04:34):
, saeeda, you walk into a roomand you literally destroy it
like a hurricane.
She goes you go in and nothingfeels the same.
But she said there's a claritythat comes after you've been in
there and I think partly it'sbecause I don't work to
hierarchies and structures, Iwork to getting things done.
So Sustainable Cities Globalinternationally creates
(04:56):
sustainable cities.
We work to the model that theexperts are all out there
already in healthcare, ineducation, in micro enterprise
programs.
We need to get those expertstogether to create tailored
solutions for those cities.
So we're working in LatinAmerica, in Southeast Asia,
(05:17):
across Africa.
We're signing governmentcontracts and it's like crazy
because when I look at it, I'm awoman that had a vision that
nobody could see until everybodycould see it and they're like
wow, where where did you thinkof this from?
Speaker 1 (05:31):
so, but to your friend, you're the calm after
the storm.
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
I mean she said that if things have been done in a
certain way and they've justbeen kind of going along step by
step, she said, when you'refinished, actually you create
the clarity, but it undoes theold hierarchies and in a way
that reminds me of one of thefirst contracts I'd won.
I was doing a Europeanco-finance project with
(05:59):
Jobcentre Plus and I designed itwith some of my team members
and it was called Women WinningWork and I'd sat there and I
thought what is it that womenface as problems accessing the
labour market?
And they had two particulartarget groups that they wanted
to engage.
One was single mums and theother was women that were from
(06:22):
minority backgrounds orreturning to the labour market.
So there was all these womenthat they just didn't know how
to work with.
I designed a programme thatlooked at their first of all,
their mental and emotional needs.
Then I looked at their first ofall their mental and emotional
needs, then I looked at theirpersonal circumstances, then I
looked at their career needs,etc.
And we designed a solutionwhere we brought all these
experts together and thatprogram.
(06:44):
I still remember Jobcentre Plustelling me at the time that,
saida, you know, we do knowyou've taken this project on and
it's really ambitious, but youknow, if you don't achieve, it's
OK.
It's really good that you'vetaken this project on and it's
really ambitious, but you know,if you don't achieve it's okay.
It's really good that you'vetried.
And I remember that within twomonths I was going to hit my
(07:05):
two-year targets because it wasdesigned for women and with
women's needs in mind ratherthan designed for hierarchies
and structures.
And I still remember that thejob center um auditor at that
time came and she said well,this model, it just doesn't fit
with our in, like our nationalauditing standards and how I
said, because it wasn't designedfor that.
It was designed for women andit was designed to get them into
(07:26):
work.
And we ended up withgrandmothers who who were
training to become joiners andin in uh, there was people that
wanted to become social workersand teachers and set up their
own businesses.
And it was a really simpleprogramme.
There was nothing complex aboutit, but it was just designed
for people and just eliminatingbarriers.
(07:46):
And that's just one example ofmany.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Well, we'll be a box at this podcast now, clearly,
but you describe yourself as anabundant giver of ingredients to
lots of pies.
Yes, I love that.
Tell me what your specialingredients are to bring.
So you're clearly somebody whois successful and passionate
(08:12):
about making things successful,but with purpose.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yes, and with sustainability.
But what is that secretingredient of ingredients?
It primarily comes from thefact that many women and many
people out there who give toorganisations, they give their
(08:38):
time on a pro bono basis orvolunteer, etc.
I've often heard people say, ohwell, you've got your fingers
in lots of pies.
And I look at it and I think,well, actually I don't even
claim my expenses, so I don'tknow where that pie is and I
wouldn't mind a slice out of it.
So I thought, you know, in someinstances I thought, well,
actually let me turn it on itshead, because my ingredients are
(09:00):
making pies happen and they'remaking factories happen and pie
factories happen and there'smany people like me who actually
give so much.
So I turned it on its head as apositive rather than a negative
, and I actually it.
It was somebody I was, I wasspeaking to even yesterday and
they said, well, it looks likeyou've got a lot of um, your
(09:20):
fingers in a lot of pies.
I said, no, it's ouringredients that make the pies
happen.
They join it together,otherwise it's just flour, eggs
and whatever else that goes intoa pie.
So it's the passion in you.
It's the passion.
The other thing is, is that it'sthe ability to see past the old
way of doing things.
Unfortunately, if you look atthe education system, if you
(09:44):
look at the labour market, ifyou look at industry, we've had
a lot of innovation but we'vealso not.
So if you look at the educationsystem, you know you've got
September, october starts.
People miss that.
They're kind of having to waitmonths before they can start
their life again, and so forth.
You look at the way businessesare set up and even just today,
(10:11):
you know, I met some gentlementhat come over from London and
he started laughing.
He goes.
You're so passionate and hegoes.
I can promise you that when I'dseen you originally he goes I
didn't think that you would haveso much drive and so much
vision.
And so I think that for me it'svision, it's the big picture
and it's courage.
It's vision, it's the bigpicture and it's courage.
(10:34):
I'm not scared of going outthere and trying to go and make
a big difference, rather thanwhat I was sort of trained
through school and the earlypart of my career, where it was
like, oh, you need to startsmall and prove yourself.
And I'm thinking that's theircomfort, that they're projecting
onto me.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Do you think that's the thing it's underestimating?
Yes, even the guy today.
When I first met you, I didn'tthink, yes, what would you say?
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Don't underestimate me.
Well, the thing is that becausehe was so nice about it, he
didn't say it in a way which wasnegative.
But the last few years I've hadeverything where people's
stereotypes of me have meantthat they framed me in a certain
(11:22):
way.
I mean, I've had instanceswhere I'm working on
international projects, withfamily offices, with
international banks, working onutilising carbon markets and
climate finance to createsolutions for countries and
cities.
So I've developed a model thatworks and I've got phenomenal
(11:42):
people around me.
It's not me on my own, it's likeI represent a whole ecosystem
and it's global.
They've watched firsthand someof the people I'm working with.
They've watched firsthand someof the people I'm working with,
how I've sat in places wherepeople may really try to
condescend me, patronize me,ridicule me, even, at times,
(12:04):
tell me to be quiet because theyfeel that their opinion is
stronger.
And I've been lucky because inthose conversations, while some
of them have become openly nasty, there's also been people in
the room that said, well,actually that's not a respectful
way to talk to somebody andwe're not going to let you speak
to her like that.
So I think that you know for me, I'm quite used to people not
(12:27):
knowing what I'm going to belike.
It's the intent that comesbehind it and generally it's
nice people and they're justgenuinely surprised because
they've just seen a stereotypeof all the countries.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
You've talked about the different countries that
you've signed agreements withbrazil, papua new guinea, saudi
arabia, africa.
Is there a country that hasleft the the biggest or deepest
impression on you?
Speaker 2 (12:53):
All of them do in their own way and you know
there's a beauty in the peopleof every country you go to and
each of their traditions aredifferent.
And I think when I've gonethere, trying with my British
head on and trying to think, ohwell, you know, I want my cup of
tea first and I want this likeI go there with this thing of
expecting to, for it to be mylife over here, then you're
(13:18):
going to be disappointed.
But if you go to anothercountry and you start seeing
things from their perspectiveand the why, it's phenomenal,
like, for example, when I'd goneto Malaysia, there was a
gentleness in Malaysia andSoutheast Asia.
When I went to Brazil, thekindness of the people.
(13:42):
I think one of the funniest oneswas when I went to Tunisia and
I went there with my formalclothes because I was going to
go and meet a farmer's unionover there and I went with my
formal clothes and the farmersturned up with their kind of
farm trailer and the moment thedoor opened and the dust fell on
me, I thought, okay, thatwasn't very smart of me.
But then they took me to themountains.
(14:04):
We were picking pomegranatesand we were looking at
sustainability and andregenerative farming to help
these farmers and many women whoare working in those fields, as
a way of creating sustainablelivelihoods.
So so each one of them has,they leave their mark, but
that's the whole point is thatno two are the same right that's
(14:24):
the whole point?
Speaker 1 (14:24):
we're not.
You're not creating a cookiecutter model here, isn't it?
But let's take it, let's put afocus on you.
I know you want to go out anddo and you're a forever optimist
as well, but you went frommissing much of your early
education, didn't you?
To Cambridge doctorate.
What is the one thing that haskept you going, even when you
(14:49):
think sometimes the odds areagainst me here?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
There's something that my father and may God bless
his soul.
He passed away just over twoand a half years ago and I
actually nearly didn't apply toCambridge because I grew up in
the inner city areas of Bradfordand I missed a lot of my
schooling and I thought that,well, at that time I thought,
(15:14):
well, I missed so much, there'sno way I can even get into
university.
And I did do a degree.
I kind of scraped through myfirst degree but then, through
my social enterprise work, I wasgetting a name for myself
because I won't give up.
And also there's somethingabout if you've gone through
hardship in life.
So there's something about ifyou've gone through hardship in
(15:37):
life, you always gain somethingout of it if you're willing to
reflect and see what it is thatyou're learning.
So the fact that I missed a lotof schooling meant that my
education wasn't structured likein a lot of other children's
ways of thinking.
So I was going there and I meanthe only way I describe myself
is like I was a proper alien.
I would go to places and thinkI wonder how that works, being
(15:57):
let me try it being, you know,and in that kind of like that,
that square, peg round holescenario.
It made you think the otherthing was that my parents were
poor.
They were not.
You know my.
My dad was struggling.
You know my mum, all of us, we.
We didn't have a lot of money,so the little bit that we had,
it had to go a long way and Iwas very, very fortunate that my
(16:21):
parents, my parents, instilledin me, and my father
particularly because I thinkit's really important to
emphasise that my mother was thespirit, but my father was the
confidence and he was the shieldthat said to people that my
daughters will have an educationand they will go out there and
they will succeed.
And I didn't apply to CambridgeUniversity originally.
(16:44):
My father said to me at thattime that, saida, you're not
applying.
And I said, well, yes, dad, youknow they're not going to
accept someone from the heart ofBradford who's hardly even got
good GCSE grades.
And he said to me he said,saeeda, you're a believer in God
.
I said yes, and he goes.
You know, our faith teaches youthat you try your best and you
(17:07):
wait for the decree of theAlmighty and whatever it is.
Be grateful with that, but alsoknow that you have a piece,
that you tried your best and Iapplied.
And then I got the interview andI thought, okay, I can't leave
anything to chance here.
So I actually Googled orchecked on the internet at the
time Every single person thatwas on the course.
(17:27):
I rang them and I said what'sthis course like?
Person that was on the course,I rang them and I said what's
this course like?
And also, what about my, um,what about my experience?
Do you think I'd meet the mark?
Well, I.
They were having this executivemaster's program at Cambridge.
So they said, oh, one womanrang us from the north and they
said what she rang me.
(17:49):
I got in and I succeeded throughmy master's, but it was hard
because it was a total.
It was like a fairy tale fromsomeone who'd had barely the
basics of an education to havingto go to an institute like that
and then to join the piecestogether.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
You've been named on the independence happy list and
you say you laugh at most things, but what was the last thing
that really made you chuckle?
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Well, I think I laugh every single day at something
stupid or other.
Sometimes well, a lot of times,I laugh at myself because I
think if you take yourself tooseriously, you end up feeling
like you're a failure.
So I laugh.
I look at certain things andthink, oh, that didn't go that
well, did it Like?
I mean, just today, you know,as I was putting perfume on and
(18:39):
I left the house, I thought, ok,that stained my scarf.
That looks really good, doesn'tit?
I had like laughing about it.
I was like it is what it is.
But I think that's the thing,because if we start taking
ourselves too seriously and ifwe start seeing that we're these
fixed structures that can'tmake mistakes or we can't get it
(19:01):
wrong, we close the learningoff.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
That's one of the beauties of life.
Looking ahead, there's aheadline about you.
What would it say?
What would you want thatheadline about your legacy, my
legacy?
It can only be a short headline, because it's not a big paper,
right?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It's not an essay exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
She dared to dream and she worked her dream, and
it's happened when you've hadthose moments where things have
possibly been in the way or beenagainst you.
What is it?
Faith is it?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I think about what you talked about your parents,
the shield and the spirit yeah,is that what carries you through
that, but also I mean this youknow the projects I'm doing are
immensely hard.
You're working with financialinstitutions that have got
hundreds of years of systems andthose systems haven't been
designed, often, for people whoare suffering in society,
(20:12):
whether that's in the UK orinternationally.
They're designed to safeguardmoney and profits and
institutional accountability.
So the thing that keeps megoing is that my hardship can
save a lot of other people fromhardship.
And if I was fortunate enoughto have an education, to have
supportive parents, etc.
(20:33):
Then there's so many otherpeople that deserve that right
too.
And the thing about rising upto become leaders and to stand
in the firing line is being ableto say that we have to take
some hits for others so thatthey don't have to take them
(20:54):
Because maybe they haven't gotthe courage, maybe they haven't
got parents that support them.
So if we do it and create apath that others can walk on,
then one day, you know, theworld lifts by us collectively
rising.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Now this week, it's the first time on our we are
power podcast that we're usingour power jar.
Now, for those of you who arelistening and not watching on
youtube um, you will also havemissed on the beautiful scarf,
but please catch up on youtubeor youtube shorts.
But we are every week going toask our guest to pick out a
(21:30):
question from a previous guest.
So picking it out, not knowingwhat's coming, and answering it,
are you up for it?
Of course you are Right.
Let's go into the, as the teamcall it.
Thank you, anna and Jasmine.
The power jar.
Okay, right, let's see what wefind while you're dipping in
there.
It's the first time there we go.
(21:58):
What have you got in there?
Well, I've got two, so I'mgoing to take.
Of course, you've got twohaven't you.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Why would you not just take one?
Well, I'm taking one.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Why don't you read them out for us?
What have you got there?
Speaker 2 (22:07):
So the first one which one failure you're
actually grateful for today?
Actually, I'm going to avoidthe really controversial one,
because I think that's going toscare the life out of people.
Um, I think many, actually.
Every single failure I havetaken not as a failure, as the
(22:28):
nuances of life, and I reflectupon them and I say, okay, was
there something I could havedone differently there, or is it
what it is?
And if it is what it is, I justlearn from it, draw a line over
it and go on and I actuallylearn, not just from my own
mistakes, but actually learnfrom how things haven't worked.
(22:49):
You know, if you think aboutmost of the innovation we see
today, the technologies we seetoday, they are based on
hundreds of thousands of hoursof multiple people trying to
make things work and improve it.
If they were going to be soclosed and think, oh well, we
can't try to make this aeroplane, we can't try and fly, we
(23:10):
wouldn't have half or most ofthe industries that we celebrate
today as part of our life.
So every failure, I think, isprimarily something I welcome
and I learn from and I don't seeit as a negative.
So that's one.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Okay, and you've got two for one.
Of course, of course, but it'sthe first week you're allowed.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Well, do you know, because I'm a Northerner and my
family always say that I lovegetting.
Buy one, get second free offer100%.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I'm with you.
I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Okay, so, oh, this is even better.
It's a free billboard.
So you get a free billboard.
There you go Look even betterIn the busiest spot in your city
.
What do you put on it?
What I'd put on it is it doesnot matter.
Actually, I'd rephrase that youare a success today, and your
(24:04):
previous hardships, yourchallenges, the things you think
haven't worked for you, do notreflect on who you are today.
The fact that you're standingreading that billboard is your
success, and you just rememberthat you are a living miracle
and everything you want.
You just have to keep going forit, because, apart from you,
(24:26):
nobody else can make it happenand you're going to be nobody
else's priority.
You have to be your priority,wow.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
That's going to be a big billboard, can I?
Speaker 2 (24:34):
just put that out there yeah, can we have an
extension?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
well, of course you can, because it'll be like buy
one billboard now and we'regoing to ask you as well to
write a question that we will gointo the power jar.
So for our next guest, they mayread your question.
So we will take that the powerjar.
So for our next guest, they mayread your questions.
So we will take that from you.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Well, I know you'll make it.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
We better get like an A3 piece of paper.
We'll put that on.
Thank you for taking part inour power jar.
Thank you for joining me on thesofa today.
I have to say, the last fewmonths of hanging out, having
such an amazing conversationwhen we were over at the
celebration event in Leeds,feeling your support for me
(25:17):
personally, for we Are Power forNorthern Power Women Awards you
are a generous of spirit humanand I am so grateful you're part
of this community and thank youso much for joining me today on
the couch.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Well, you're most welcome, simone, and I think I'm
only reflecting what you'regiving.
What you have created here andyour wonderful team have created
is a phenomenal community ofrecognising people out there,
whether they're entrepreneurs,whether they're working in
corporate careers or wonderfulpeople that just want to be
(25:50):
uplifted by other wonderfulpeople.
So so I'm only giving to whatyou're you've already created
and you're working on daily, soit's my total pleasure, thank
you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Thank you so much.
I knew you'd have the last word.
It's inevitable.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
I look forward to our ongoingconversations thank you
subscribe on YouTube, amazonmusic, spotify or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Leave us a review or follow uson socials.
We are power underscore net oninsta, tiktok and twitter, or we
(26:22):
are power on linkedin, facebookand we are underscore power on
youtube.
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