Christine Hodgson CBE: “Creating an environment where everyone can thrive”

Christine Hodgson CBE is Chair of Severn Trent Plc, and before that spent more than 20 years as Chair of Capgemini UK. She has a portfolio of non-executive roles in the private, charity and education sectors. She’s a senior independent director at Standard Chartered Bank, Chair of the Careers and Enterprise Company, Chair of the Blackpool Pride of Place Partnership, and works with the Prince of Wales charity Business in the Community. Through her work in Blackpool, Christine has learnt the importance of a ‘place-based approach’ when tackling social mobility, and in this episode explains why efforts should be focussed on improving areas of the country which are holding people back. Highlighting her support of degree apprenticeships, Christine describes the essential role both first-class education and work life preparation play in supporting the futures of young people. Christine has faith in education’s power to break the cycle of socioeconomic disadvantage, and says any businesses failing to tackle the issue are setting themselves up for failure - “We all have to play our part in the communities in which we live and work”. Your host is Tunde Banjoko OBE, founder of Making The Leap.