In this teaser episode, we speak with Soraiya Verjee. Soraiya has been a Director at Every1Mobile for the past 7 years, working to deliver digital solutions to drive social change in communities across sub-Saharan Africa. In this conversation, Soraiya shares her journey over 15 years of international business experience, ranging from technology to financial services to social impact. We talk about the major shifts in her life that brought her from a childhood in Kenya to the bank of Barclay’s in London, and finally how she ended up at Every1Mobile. This episode touches on her work building unusual partnerships between the public and private sector; how a business and corporate background prepared her for building sustainable systems; and the unpredictable twists and turns of life that can somehow land a person in a career that never existed before.
Show Notes
- Every1Mobile – Where Soraiya worked to deliver digital solutions for social change
- Unilever’s approach to Profit with Purpose – Soraiya describes her collaboration with Unilever in order to increase market access by informal shopkeepers in Kenya
- Sea Monster – Soraiya will be joining Sea Monster, an animation studio focused on storytelling, communication and behaviour change
- Mark Schoeman of Genesis Analytics – Soraiya’s shoutout to another mover and shaker in this sector goes to Mark Schoeman, and in his particular his work to increase digital skills among youth in South Africa
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
– Soraiya’s first book recommendation
- The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
– A book on how to tackle challenges as opportunities
- The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
– A book of poetry covering multiple aspects of life from work to charity to marriage
- The Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, The Aga Khan Health Services – Some of the early organizations Soraiya supported
- Barclays Bank – Where Soraiya worked in London
- SMS refers to text messages exchanged between phones
– Soraiya’s first book recommendation
– A book on how to tackle challenges as opportunities
– A book of poetry covering multiple aspects of life from work to charity to marriageAugust 18, 2020