Steward Leadership: Maximum Purpose, Maximum Profit

Pooja Jaiswal, COO of Last Mile Care, sits down with Rajeev to discuss bridging the massive healthcare access gap for underserved populations in India. Their two-time Steward Leadership 25 award-winning project Kavach, meaning shield, deploys “physigital units” that combine on-ground infrastructure with digital health IDs to provide health screenings and doctor consultations in industrial areas.Unwilling to grow dependent on grants and subsidies, Pooja focused on building financially sustainable and scalable B2B and B2B2C models. By working directly with organisations to offer bundled health services as well as government systems to ensure health data integration, Last Mile Care ensures a win-win-win solution for employers, workers and society. Despite difficulties working in rural regions, convincing doctors to join non-urban markets and building patient trust, through a firm leadership philosophy of patience and persistence, Pooja shares how their centres have reached profitability and their ambitious plans for future expansion. Join us for an inspiring case study on the healthcare sector, identifying gaps in current infrastructure and, most importantly, building for sustainable and scalable impact.

From being the first woman in her community to attend university to shaping global trade policy, Tan Sri Dr. Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, Former Executive Director, APEC Secretariat, Singapore; Director, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, shares her remarkable journey and insights on leadership, economic integration, and the future of ASEAN. She discusses ASEAN’s unique position and approach to trade, sharing why the future is full of possibilities. Rajeev and Dr Rebecca debate some of the most pressing issues of the day, including the rise of AI and the competitiveness of global trade.With a strong belief in evidence-based policy, collaboration, and flexibility, Dr Rebecca advocates for more inclusive far-reaching partnerships, flexible mindsets in a shifting global world order and how governments can better empower SMEs. Join us for a dynamic conversation on rising above labels, leading with integrity, and building a brighter, united future.

Dasho Karma Tshiteem, Member of the Core Working Group for the Gelephu Mindfulness City, joins Rajeev to explore a different side of leadership - one that treats happiness and meaning as fundamental. He shares why happiness isn’t about contentment, but about living with meaning and fulfilling the many roles we hold in life with purpose.Despite a storied public-facing career leading civil and government institutions, Dasho Karma emphasizes that great leadership begins with the self. Drawing on the wisdom of His Majesty the King, he shares three core tenets: being a good human being, taking meaningful action, and committing to a lifelong journey of service. Rajeev and Dasho Karma also discuss Bhutan’s focus on happiness versus progress, global leadership in sustainability, the vision of the Gelephu Mindfulness City, and the importance of building an economy that empowers and engages its youth.Join us for an inspiring example of state stewardship, mastery of the self and the powerful reminder that we shouldn’t wait for change - we should take the leap ourselves and create a purposeful future.

Bhargav Sri Prakash, Founder & CEO of FriendsLearn, joins Rajeev a year after their first podcast together to share how his ambitious “digital vaccines” could redefine global health and disease prevention.  Built on 12 years of scientific research and international collaboration, Bhargav’s team, together with Carnegie Mellon University, has developed a patented neuro-cognitive training technology that activates the body’s natural immune system through non-invasive digital interventions. Rajeev and Bhargav dive into how AI, when built and deployed responsibly, can be a force for good - amplifying health outcomes rather than exploiting vulnerabilities.  At the heart of FriendsLearn’s mission is a belief that purpose and profit not only can coexist, but can accelerate one another. Tune in to learn how digital vaccines, responsible AI, and purpose-led entrepreneurship can shape a healthier, more resilient world.

Edward Booty, Founder of reach52, sits down with Rajeev to discuss healthcare access for the 52% of the world left behind by traditional systems. Drawing on his experience and knowledge from a career working with consulting firms and pharmaceuticals, Ed designed a model that delivers essential medicines and education to rural and last mile communities, maximising both purpose and profit. reach52 demonstrates how equitable healthcare can be delivered at scale in markets often overlooked by conventional systems.  By combining tech-enabled solutions, health-worker training, public campaigns, and affordable medicine distribution across India, Africa, and Southeast Asia, reach52 has created a sustainable loop where social impact drives commercial viability.  Rajeev and Ed also explore how purpose-driven business can further close gaps in universal health coverage, the challenges and opportunities of expanding to other regions and how innovation must be used for good.  Tune in to learn more about inclusive healthcare, social impact, and building sustainable models for change.

Benjamin Towell, Executive Director of OCBC’s Wholesale Banking Sustainability Office, helps shape the bank’s net‑zero roadmap for the built environment, drives innovative finance solutions for customers with a special focus on SMEs, and contributes to global efforts like CRREM and the World Green Building Council to ensure credible 1.5 °C aligned pathways.Benjamin explains OCBC’s SL25-award winning SME Energy Efficiency Assessment (SMEEA) tool: what it is, how it works, and why it was developed. We explore why OCBC has expanded SMEEA across markets and how the tool's flexibility accounts for differing climates, regulations and market norms. Success stories with SMEEA helps fuel OCBC’s sustainable financing practice and serves as a model for financial institutions. Sharing his perspective and advice for other financial professionals and SMEs, Benjamin also digs into what motivated him, as an architect, to join a financial services institution and mobilise capital for good. Tune in to learn about how financial innovation and cross‑sector expertise at OCBC are bringing SMEs into the heart of the net‑zero transition.

Steve Willis and Jan Lee, authors of Fairhaven: A Novel of Climate Optimism, imagine a hopeful climate future. Drawing on their backgrounds in engineering, sustainability and journalism, they chose to use fiction as a force for good, crafting a novel that inspired and galvanised its readers to take charge of the future.By researching real innovations like rigs‑to‑reef and Arctic refreezing as well as how traditional energy sectors might become part of the solution, they leverage human innovation to demonstrate the possibilities. Fairhaven shows what individual agency looks like in the midst of systemic challenges. Rajeev, Steve and Jan explore how storytelling can deepen emotional connection to climate issues, what makes scaling climate solutions hard in practice, and whether readers are being stirred to action. Tune in to learn more about storytelling, motivation and inspiring action.

Dr. Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director of Ujala Cygnus, shares the powerful mission behind his healthcare network: to ensure that no one is denied quality medical care due to financial, geographic, or social barriers.At Ujala Cygnus Kashmir, turning away a patient for financial reasons is a fireable offense, a testament to the organisation’s unwavering commitment to healthcare equity.Dr. Bajaj dives into their cross-subsidy model, which enables the hospital to sustain a high-cost, low-volume approach while delivering affordable, high-quality care, even in underserved regions like Kashmir and India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.He also shares how his purpose-driven leadership fuels efforts to attract and retain top medical talent in regions that are often overlooked and why true impact lies not in scale alone, but in deep, personal commitment to the people being served.Join us for an inspiring conversation on healthcare as a human right, and what it really takes to build systems that leave no one behind.

Eugenia Koh, Global Head of Sustainable Finance, Wealth and Retail Banking at Standard Chartered, discusses the bank's strategic initiatives to empower women entrepreneurs and drive inclusive economic growth, including the SC WIN program, which has provided $300 million in financing to women-led SMEs and aims to reach $1 billion by 2028. Eugenia also delves into the Women in Entrepreneurship program, part of the Futuremakers initiative, which targets the creation and sustenance of 140,000 jobs by 2030, focusing on women and people with disabilities. By offering mentorship and strategic support for women entrepreneurs, the programme addresses the unique challenges some women entrepreneurs face - we hear a success story of a chemotherapy food business that benefited from the bank's initiatives. Standard Chartered's move to assist SMEs in business growth, sustainability and strategy, signals the incredible impact that large corporations can enable. Join us for an insightful conversation on how inclusive and sustainable finance can drive positive change in society, empowering women entrepreneurs to thrive in today's dynamic business landscape.

Mariam Omar, Group Head of Corporate Communications at Brandix, delves into the company's remarkable journey from a textile trading firm to a global leader in sustainable apparel manufacturing. Joining Brandix in 2020, Mariam brings a unique perspective, blending her background in mechanical engineering and social enterprise with a passion for innovation and social impact. She guided the company's holistic approach to sustainability, focusing on environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and community engagement. She highlights going beyond the typical corporate engagement, championing infrastructure initiatives to promote access to clean drinking water, implementing energy-efficient technologies, and fostering a culture of employee empowerment and collective responsibility. Mariam also shares her vision for the future, emphasizing the importance of social mobility and improving the livelihoods of the communities Brandix employs - investing in people is fundamental to driving their mission forward.

What's the secret to lasting 150 years in business? In this inspiring episode, Rajeev Peshawaria sits down with Dr. Harald Link, Chairman of B.Grimm, to uncover the formula behind the company’s remarkable journey. From its humble beginnings bringing European medicines to Thailand, B.Grimm has reinvented and evolved into a powerhouse across energy, real estate, and pharmaceuticals—without ever compromising its core values. Dr. Link shares his commitment to compassion leadership, and how he prizes it over competition. By building a culture of compassion, institutionalising it in the business and grooming the next generation of leaders, he has confidence in the longevity of the organisation. Beyond compassion, B.Grimm's focus on social impact and long-term partnerships has also shaped its identity and sustained its success. A strong advocate of purpose-driven profit, Dr. Link shares how the company balances different priorities. Their next big bet is a bold move into renewable energy, aiming to serve the international market as they have served Thailand.

Why would an investment banker leave Wall Street to join a renewable energy company? For Filipa Ricciardi, Executive Director at EDP Renewables APAC, the answer lies in purpose.In this third episode of our Maximum Purpose, Maximum Profit podcast, Rajeev Peshawaria sits down with Filipa Ricciardi, Executive Director of EDP Renewables APAC, to explore how businesses can lead the clean energy transition without compromising on profit. They unpack how EDP, already 95% green, is driving innovation through technologies like vanadium flow batteries and solar green roofs, and how its micro-grid project in Singapore slashed diesel use by up to 90%.Together, they examine what it takes to build a sustainable future, and why now is the time for bold leadership rooted in purpose.

Dr Stephen Cave, Director of the Institute for Technology and Humanity at Cambridge University sits down with Rajeev to discuss the intersection of technology, ethics and leadership. Exposing the dual nature of AI, Dr Stephen emphasises both its opportunities and challenges, sharing how we can best leverage the technology for the greater good. Through a discussion of the ethical implications of AI, the history of intelligence as a tool for justifying dominance, and the societal impacts of life extension.To understand AI, Dr Stephen and Rajeev go back to its roots: the evolution of intelligence testing, its biases, and how it was used to support harmful ideologies like eugenics. The conversation shifts to the present-day concerns around AI, touching on issues like job displacement, autonomous weapons, and the responsible development of emerging technologies. Stephen also explores the fascinating—and sometimes alarming—potential for radical life extension, including the effects on society and the environment.With this engaging discussion, we call upon both optimists and pessimists to play a role in shaping the future of technological progress, ensuring that it benefits humanity and the planet rather than harms it.Join us for a compelling conversation on the ethics of technology and the pressing need for steward leadership to govern and guide our future.

Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO of Stewardship Asia Centre, and Neil Humphreys, author and journalist, kick off the first episode of Stewardship Asia Centre's new series Steward Leadership: Maximum Purpose, Maximum Profit. Inspired by his book Sustainable Sustainability, Rajeev shares thought-provoking ideas on how to balance profitability with social and environmental responsibility.Rajeev and Neil interview Dr. Kiran Bedi, former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, a formidable trailblazer who shares her experiences in state government and as the first female officer of the Indian police. Through case studies of her work addressing water shortage and prison reform, we learn how public-private partnerships can be leveraged for greater public good. For example, by using local companies to clean up irrigation canals in Puducherry, she improved groundwater levels and created a better water supply for the community. Local collaboration to achieve low-cost solutions were key to long-term sustainable results. As a public official, she was able to use her position and influence to achieve a social purpose and create economic opportunity for local businesses. Dr. Kiran's personal conviction shines through and underscore how leadership choices can transform society and create lasting change.