Exploring Alternative Solutions

Recommended reading! She RISES: a framework for caring cities Cities often mirror the inequalities embedded in society. She RISES: A Framework for Caring Cities, developed by surabhi tandon mehrotra, Kalpana Viswanath, Ankita Kapoor and Rwitee Mandal from Safetipin, brings this imbalance into sharp focus. It exposes how urban design and governance frequently overlook the gendered dimensions of city life, especially the invisible role of care work in sustaining urban systems. The framework is built around four core principles: Responsive, Inclusive, Safe and Equitable Spaces. Together they form an integrated approach to gender transformation through four streams of action. The first stream focuses on public spaces and infrastructure. Well-lit streets, obstacle-free pavements, safe public toilets and mixed-use neighbourhoods are presented as essential design features that enable women’s participation in urban life. The second stream addresses services and amenities, highlighting the need for childcare facilities, housing for single women, and access to affordable health care. Recognising and redistributing care work across communities, markets and the state is seen as a cornerstone of an equitable city. The third stream targets mobility and public transport. Women’s complex travel patterns, shaped by care duties and multiple destinations, require safe, affordable and well-connected systems. Gender-disaggregated data and inclusive recruitment policies in the transport sector are proposed as practical tools for change. The fourth stream concerns responses to gender-based violence, emphasising the implementation of existing laws, the establishment of crisis hubs, and public campaigns that reshape social attitudes. The She RISES framework is both analytical and operational. It is intended for planners, policy makers and urban managers who aim to embed gender sensitivity into every layer of urban governance. The report also serves as a reminder that the care economy is not peripheral but foundational to the functioning of cities. Safetipin, the social enterprise behind this work, has been collecting and analysing safety data in more than forty-five cities across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Their evidence confirms that cities designed with care in mind not only improve safety for women but also strengthen social cohesion and economic resilience for all. #GenderEquality #UrbanDevelopment #InclusiveCities #UrbanPlanning #PublicSpace #CaringCities

I keep coming back to this because it exposes the difference between performing gender work and actually doing it. Most programming stalls at the "Sensitive" or "Responsive" levels, accommodating differences without ever challenging the status quo. But recognising a gap is not the same as dismantling the power structure that created it. Here's a quick breakdown of 5 levels of gender integration that has shaped how I think about gender programming 👇 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝 — The program doesn't consider gender at all. It assumes everyone has the same needs and experiences. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 — You recognise that gender matters, but it stops at acknowledgement. No action follows. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 — You accommodate gender differences. You see them, you plan around them, but you're not yet challenging them. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 — Now we're shifting. The program actively addresses gender inequalities and works to reduce them. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 — This is where we tackle root causes: power, norms, structures, not just symptoms. The jump from Responsive to Transformative is where it gets uncomfortable because it asks us to look at power. At norms. At the structures our programmes often depend on to function. Where does your programme actually sit? That's the question worth sitting with. Save this and share it with your network. #GenderTransformative #GenderEquality #GenderMainstreaming #SystemsChange #SocialImpact

Rethinking the world’s protein 🥩🥚🐟🍗 After decades spent protecting forests, fighting for human rights, and shaping climate policy, Nigel Sizer has turned his attention to what’s on our plates. As the new CEO of the The Good Food Institute (GFI), he argues that how humanity produces meat may determine the future of both the planet and public health. “Our food system drives many crises,” he told me in September, “but it also has huge potential to be part of the solution.” He believes alternative proteins—made from plants, fermentation, or cultivated animal cells—can relieve pressure on forests, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases. Sizer brings the instincts of a coalition builder. At the World Resources Institute, he helped launch Global Forest Watch, a pioneering satellite tool for tracking deforestation. At GFI, he will apply that same skill to uniting farmers, scientists, regulators, and investors around a shared goal: transforming protein production into an engine of climate resilience and economic opportunity. His early priorities are pragmatic. Internally, he is learning the machinery of GFI’s global operations. Externally, he is urging governments and development banks to back alternative protein projects with the kind of public investment that once jump-started renewable energy. Such funding, he argues, would create jobs, improve nutrition, and protect biodiversity long before crises strike. Sizer also wants to bring farmers and producers into the transition. Diversifying crops and supply chains, he says, can strengthen rural economies while reducing waste and emissions. He knows the challenge is vast, but so is the prize. “The future of meat,” Sizer says, “is not just about taste or price. It’s about reshaping an entire system.” The interview: https://lnkd.in/gUBwe8qT

An Indian landmark that RoW could emulate! The Supreme Court of India making menstrual health a part of Fundamental Right to life isn't just an occasional 'good news,' amid these rather rough times dominated by geopolitics and ruptures but is a paradigm shift in global jurisprudence, gender equality, gender economics & public policy. India’s Blueprint for Global GenderJustice: The Supreme Court of India has just delivered a masterclass in transformative constitutionalism. By linking menstrual hygiene management to Article 21 (The Right to Life and Liberty), the Court has moved period dignity from a "welfare benefit" to an absolute Fundamental Right. Why this is a Model for the World? While advanced economies have made strides, India’s approach offers a unique legal "teeth" that many Western and East Asian models lack: -- vs. The West: While countries like Scotland and the UK focus on affordability (scrapping the tampon tax), India is focusing on infrastructure. By mandating free pads and separate toilets in all schools, the Court is tackling the root cause of female school dropouts in emerging economies. -- vs. East Asia: Countries like Japan and South Korea have long pioneered "Menstrual Leave" in the workplace. However, India’s ruling starts earlier—protecting the adolescent girl—ensuring that her education isn't compromised by biological reality. - Constitutional vs. Statutory: Unlike simple government policies that can change with an election, this is now a Constitutional Mandate. Schools face de-recognition if they fail to comply. - A Blueprint for Emerging Asia & Africa: For regions facing similar hurdles with school absenteeism and social stigma, the "Indian Model" proves that progress doesn't require high-tech solutions; it requires legal courage. By specifically mandating biodegradable pads, the Court also balances public health with environmental sustainability—a crucial lesson for any developing nation. Thus, the key message that shows up is that Menstrual health is not a "women's issue"—it is a human rights necessity. When we remove the biological tax on education, we unlock the full potential of our workforce and our future. Kudos to the Indian judiciary for setting a gold standard that the rest of the world can—and should—emulate. #GenderEquality #SupremeCourt #India #MenstrualHygiene #HumanRights #PublicPolicy #GenderEconomics #GlobalDevelopment

Sometimes, finding a compelling problem instantly inspires possibilities. Other times, crickets. Rather than waiting around for lightning to strike, we recommend that teams take a more proactive approach, and deliberately provoke their own imaginations. One of the most effective, powerful, and fun tools we have created for such self-provocation missions is what we call “Analogous Exploration.” Building upon the extensive research demonstrating the power of unexpected new combinations, we encourage folks to seek radically unexpected sources of inspiration to provoke their thinking. This means not only leaving the room, and not only leaving the building, but also leaving the industry and the conventional definition of “competitor set” behind. Analogous Exploration is not benchmarking. One early application of this radical tool was with a struggling Semiconductor Company whose sales organization had been refined over time to cater predominantly to its largest customers (who ordered hundreds of millions of units annually). The company’s senior leaders felt they needed to “reinvent the customer experience for smaller customers,” and asked for our help. (Story too long for LinkedIn tldr: they instituted a radical new information-sharing agreement with their largest distribution partner, which they believe is one of the largest supply chain innovations in their industry in the last 50 years.) The COO of the company jokingly confided later that they had been watching the competition closely… but the competition didn’t know how to solve their problems either! By deliberately seeking out unexpected sources of inspiration, the organization was able to jump-start revolutionary innovations that serve the smaller businesses every bit as well as they already did the large customers. Getting out of the box like this will not feel efficient. But it is effective. We have since seen Australian financial services organizations glean insights for how to establish trust with new customers from a barber shops & tattoo parlor (those are fascinating stories), Israeli tech companies learn from farmers’ markets, New Zealand fisheries take notes from prominent tea purveyors and bespoke coffee shops, and Japanese conglomerates attracting top-tier millennial talent based on insights from a rock climbing studio and a belly dancing instructor. Despite their differences, one critical commonality among each of these environments is that the teams positioned to solve the newly-defined problem lacked the requisite inputs to trigger fresh ideas. Imagination is fueled by fresh input, and yet all too often, teams are stuck in a conference room, post-it pads in hand, banging their heads against an all-too-ironically spotless whiteboard. Analogous Exploration is a tool to help folks get out of their context on purpose, with intention, to come back with the inspiration they need to fuel fresh thinking.

How I grew a startup from unknown to a Sunday Times Tech Track 100 company with 25% brand awareness and customer growth equalling a new pharmacy every 2.5 days (plus a successful exit): 🌟 Diversifying Channels for Maximum Impact We took a risk on TV ads (in Jan, for cost-efficiency). When the first ad aired, I felt crippling imposter syndrome. But there followed a surge of interest. To capitalise on this, we immediately increased the spend on the deployed targeted digital and direct mail campaigns, converting that interest into registrations. This diversified approach became our secret weapon for exponential growth. 💡 Startup lesson: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Experiment with diverse channels and find unique combinations that work for your audience and funnel. 📊 Data-Driven Decisions We obsessively tracked brand awareness against customer registrations and cost per acquisition. This allowed us to maintain brand-building momentum while hitting customer acquisition targets. By digging into conversion paths, we uncovered valuable insights about how prospects became customers. This data helped us fine-tune our marketing mix for maximum impact. 💡 Startup lesson: Let data guide your strategy. Track everything and be prepared to pivot based on what the numbers tell you. 🎯 Audience Needs Come First Focus groups revealed an unexpected audience: people with mental health challenges that made leaving home difficult. We quickly pivoted, tailoring our messaging and partnering with mental health charities. This opened up a valuable new market segment, significantly boosting our growth trajectory. 💡 Startup lesson: Never assume you know your full audience. Keep exploring and be ready to serve unexpected needs. 🔑 The Key to Startup Success The path from startup to Sunday Times Tech Track 100 isn't a straight line. It's a series of experiments, flops, data-driven pivots, and obsessive customer focus. A roller-coaster ride of brutal lows and ecstatic highs. Which, if you’re a startup founder, I don’t have to tell you about 😅 P.S.   What's the most unconventional strategy you've used to grow your business? Share your story, and let's uncover some hidden growth hacks together!

LAUNCH: Policy Paper on Gender-Responsive and Disability-Inclusive Transformative Care and Support Advancing and strengthening gender-transformative and disability-inclusive care and support systems is fundamental to the full and effective enjoyment of human rights. Efforts to transform care and support systems must actively and systematically advance non-discrimination and gender equality across society. Achieving this requires identifying who is excluded or discriminated against, understanding how and why, and recognizing those experiencing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. It also requires pinpointing inequalities in care and support outcomes and opportunities, as well as patterns of discrimination in laws, policies, and practices. The goal is to prioritize these efforts to support the hard-to-reach and make the invisible visible. Following an intense collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and her team (Special Procedures, UN Human Rights Council), with peer review and peer assist support provided by a number of UN Funds, Programmes and Agencies including OHCHR, UNDP, and, UN Women HQ units, Regional and Country Offices within and beyond the scope of the ongoing global joint programme on Unpaid Care, Disability, and Gender Transformative Programme, supported by the Global Disability Fund (GDF), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), Cross-regional Networks of Women with Disabilities, we are very pleased to launch today the Policy Paper ‘Towards a Better Future: Strengthening Gender Responsive and Disability Inclusive Transformative Care and Support. This policy paper provides key insights into the intersection of gender and disability within care and support environments. It emphasizes that developing comprehensive and inclusive care systems is essential for promoting gender equality and protecting the rights of both care recipients and caregivers, especially persons with disabilities. Acknowledging that care needs evolve throughout a person’s life, the brief underscores the importance of adopting a life-course approach when designing and implementing care systems. Care and support systems should adopt an intersectional and human rights–based approach and promote shared responsibility across genders and among households, families, communities, the State, and the private sector. Recognizing that needs evolve across life stages, care and support systems must incorporate a life-course approach. Please do not hesitate to share your feedback and suggestion as to how we can take this forward in both policy, programming, UN member states and civic engagements, and UN coordination across UN system and beyond.

Great companies have been built by founders refusing to take “no” as an answer. But for every one that succeeds, there are countless startups that fail because founders were unwilling to listen, collaborate, or adapt. Founders who challenge the status quo often appear disagreeable because they defy conventional norms. They drive change by questioning existing patterns and persuading others to embrace new ways of thinking and acting. But the paradox is clear: while disagreeableness fuels innovation, being 'uncoachable' can cripple startups. Striking the right balance is key: - 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝. Question assumptions but stay open to feedback. It’s not about opposing everything—just the things that need to change. - 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝, 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲. Push boundaries, but keep your team on your side. Innovation happens when the team feels empowered, not alienated. Get their buy-in to drive change. - 𝐏𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. Stay committed, but be flexible. Disagreeableness should help cut through complacency, not reject every new idea. Be coachable—know when to pivot or double down based on feedback. - 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. Don’t oppose for the sake of it. Understand why industry norms exist, and challenge the ones that limit growth with clear reasons. --- Find balance between being disagreeable and coachable. Challenge old ways, but also listen, learn, and lead with your team. Innovation is about more than breaking rules—it’s about knowing when to take feedback and transform together.

Yesterday, A trampoline launched a car onto a roof. Today I realized why this matters for product leaders. This isn't a movie stunt - it's real life. Yesterday in Germany, a car crashed through a hedge, hit a trampoline, and somehow ended up lodged in a barn roof. Two people were seriously injured, but miraculously survived this impossible scenario. Sometimes the most valuable lessons come from the most improbable situations. Recently, I was advising a startup founder whose B2B payment solution was targeting SMEs. Their carefully researched roadmap was crystal clear - or so they thought. Three months post-launch, they discovered something extraordinary: 40% of their users were freelancers and gig workers, not traditional SMEs. They were using the corporate invoicing feature as a personal income tracker. Their initial reaction? "They're using it wrong." But then I posed the crucial question: "What if they're using it exactly right?" That "accidental" user behavior became the foundation for their most successful product pivot - a freelancer financial management platform that generated 300% more revenue than their original B2B offering. This is the power of what I've witnessed across 20+ years in fintech and countless advisory engagements: the most transformational breakthroughs often emerge from the spaces between intention and reality. Here's how senior product leaders can turn unexpected outcomes into strategic advantages: 1/ Resist the Correction Reflex: When users deviate from your intended path, investigate before you course-correct. 2/ Mine the Anomalies: The most disruptive innovations often hide in the "edge cases" your team initially wants to ignore. 3/ Embrace Strategic Ambiguity: Sometimes the best product strategy is being deliberately unclear about your boundaries. 4/ Build for Emergence: Design systems that can evolve with user behavior rather than constraining it. Here's my question for you: Have you ever had a meticulously planned feature fail spectacularly, while an "accidental" capability became your biggest competitive advantage? What did that teach you about the nature of product innovation? 👉 For VP-level product leaders: The next wave of fintech disruption won't come from following playbooks - it will emerge from leaders bold enough to architect products that thrive on uncertainty. 👉 For seasoned product executives navigating complex pivots, platform scaling, or organizational transformation: The patterns that separate good product leaders from transformational ones often emerge in these moments of strategic ambiguity. If you're facing strategic inflection points where traditional frameworks fall short, let's explore how to architect resilience into your product organization. DM me to discuss your unique challenges. #fintech #productleadership #productmanagement #payments #mentoring

We need "Entrepreneurial Leaders"; not just entrepreneurs or leaders. I meet many founders & business leaders and observe one aspect, that if changed can create huge benefits for the business world. Not all entrepreneurs are leaders. Not all leaders are entrepreneurial. Entrepreneurs are often idea machines; they dream big, move fast, break things, build things. But not all of them know how to lead people, build culture, or scale sustainably. Leaders, on the other hand, are great with people, process, and progress.They inspire, align, and are expert at driving execution. But many aren’t wired to take risks, challenge norms, or act with the urgency that innovation demands. The impact we see on both sides, Startups led by entrepreneurs grow fast but burn out even faster.They crash from chaos, teams burn out or tune out. Whereas corporates led by traditional leaders may stay stable but become irrelevant. They get stuck in comfort zones, growth slows, Innovation dies. But what if we foster mindset shift that creates "Entrepreneurial Leaders." People who can: - Think like a founder - Lead like a coach - Move like a startup - Build like a strategist One can certainly see that, it's the mindset problem, not DNA and hence can be altered. In my view here's how entrepreneurs & leaders can drive the shift; in thinking & in actions- Mindset shift for entrepreneurs: From “I’ll do whatever it takes” → to “I’ll build systems that scale without me.” From “It’s my vision” → to “It’s our shared mission.” From “Speed at any cost” → to “Sustainable, repeatable growth.” Mindset shift for leaders: From “Let’s avoid risk” → to “Let’s manage risk while trying new things.” From “Here’s the plan” → to “Let’s experiment and iterate.” From “Keep the business stable” → to “Let’s challenge the status quo.” Businesses, startups or small, medium & large corporates will see higher success & sustainable future when entrepreneurs will learn to lead & leaders will learn to think like entrepreneurs. I firmly believe that the future belongs to those who can both invent and inspire, build and lead, dream and deliver. So whether you're a founder, CXO, or functional leader, ask yourself: How can I build the muscle to be an entrepreneurial leader? #entrepreneurs #leaders #mindset #growth #success