That's My Name

In this episode, Professor Funke Abimbola MBE shares her experiences with being asked if someone can call her 'Dave', Yoruba naming traditions and her reflections on progressing society and self-promotion.

Professor Funke Abimbola is a London-based Partner at Korn Ferry, a global organisational consultancy. She focuses on delivering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) solutions to clients across the EMEA region. Her professional experience spans over 20 years with a first career as a corporate lawyer in the UK and subsequent careers in C-suite leadership roles within global pharmaceutical companies alongside providing DEI expertise.

The impact of Funke's inclusive leadership and DEI work has been recognised by the UK’s Prime Minister and the Financial Times. She was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s 2017 birthday honours list for services to diversity and young people. The University of Hertfordshire and the University of Kent have both awarded Funke honorary doctorates to recognise the impact of her leadership and her alma mater, Newcastle University, appointed her as Professor of Practice for her DEI efforts, impact and contributions. Funke is the proud mother of a 20-year-old son who is a future software engineer studying Computer Science at university. Together, they host a podcast series called The Power of Privilege and Allyship podcast, showcasing exceptional role models who have used their privilege to maximise the impact of their allyship to transform lives.

In this episode, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Siwan Smith, discusses her experiences with having a Welsh first name despite being Liverpudlian, the issues of making assumptions based on a name, growing up with her name being persistently mispronounced, and the story of the Welsh Princess, Siwan (Joan) of Wales.

Siwan is an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager for Arup, a multinational organisation within the built environment sector. Outside of Arup, Siwan also holds the role of Associate Director for Diversity & Inclusion at Anchored In, working to make innovation more inclusive within the UK, and volunteers time to support LMF Network. 

Previously holding roles as Head of Diversity, Equality & Inclusion for Merseyside Police, and Knowledge Transfer Manager - Diversity & Inclusion for KTN, leading on activities for Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation and Young Innovators programmes, Siwan is passionate about enabling and empowering underrepresented groups into business, innovation and employment, and ensuring equitable treatment for all. 

In 2021, Siwan was announced as a winner in WeAreTheCity's Rising Star Awards for Diversity, and as runner up for Women's Business Club Diversity & Inclusion Award, and in 2022 Siwan was shortlisted as a Finalist for the Ladies First Inspirational Woman Award, and was recognised in Diversein's 130 Women Who Break The Bias list 2022.

In this episode, Alistair shares his decision to combine his surname with his partner's surname, his experiences with legally changing his surname in the UK, and his personal reflections as a gay man in the UK and the increased focus on diversity & inclusion in the workplace. 

Alistair is a vibrant event professional with over 9 years’ experience in producing meetings and conferences. His main passion is to help independent brands deliver impactful Virtual Events and Meetings delivered with three core principals in mind: Planning, Production and Pride. Having gained event experience within the pharmaceutical and medical sectors, Alistair prides himself on attention to detail and compliance for regulations, whilst being able to inject unique creativity. Alistair lives life by the mantra: every day is an event, so put on a show and learn or teach something new.

In this episode, Phil Ossai shares his experiences with feeling guilty about having an English first name, his reflections on being a Black founder and entrepreneur, and his views on using your difference as your superpower.

Phil runs OSSAI agency, a personal branding agency for founders and CEOs. For the last 7 years, Phil has been helping brands and founders, especially from underrepresented backgrounds, by building their communities on various social platforms, most specifically LinkedIn, TikTok & Instagram. All with the aim to create opportunities to improve their businesses and careers.

In this episode, learn about naming restrictions in Iran, cultural and political views towards different ethnic groups in Iran, Farzin's experiences with his name, and him deciding to use the name 'Frank' at Starbucks.

Farzin is the founder of Critical Equity Consulting, LLC, a boutique Organizational Justice consulting firm focused on helping organizations rebuild with a primary focus on creating equitable outcomes and seeking justice, and a Global DEIB Strategist and Trainer at PowerToFly. With experience working with higher education institutions, trade associations, local government, and the private sector; Farzin has broad experience tailoring DEI strategies to organizational design and structure.

Holding two master’s degrees in international affairs and diplomacy as well as a certificate in conflict resolution skills, Farzin leverages his unique academic background, extensive travel experience, and experiential knowledge to provide comprehensive, thought-provoking local and global approaches to his work. In addition to training and education, Farzin is a seasoned project manager with expertise in developing strategies that build equitable workplace environments and government services, along with building internal capacity that makes programming stick.

This episode discusses Baiba's journey with the spelling of her name, how she ties her name to her identity and sense of belonging, and her family's history and the changing spelling of her family member's names. Over the 10 years of living in the UK and catering for the Brit’s comfort, Baiba's name has been butchered beyond recognition a number of times. After a decade, she finally and unapologetically reclaimed the original spelling of my name. I was inspired by Thandiwe Newton’s story and realised that she also allowed others to mispronounce her name for too long.

Baiba is a connector. She connects people, ideas and past to the future like dots, and is fearless in challenging the status quo and conventional thinking and certainly is someone you can count on to inspire you to think differently. Baiba is originally from Latvia, but have spent the past decade living in the UK. Over this time she has worked with FTSE100, NYSE listed corporates, Tech startups, and government organisations where has been involved in various global initiatives concerning People, Workplace Culture, Digital Transformation, Sustainability and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Today Baiba is the Founder & CEO of Lakehouse Consulting, where her key focus is evolving the global state of leadership to create more sustainable, equitable and inclusive ecosystems. She works with leadership teams to assess and optimise the impact of them.

In this episode, learn more about Zimbabwean naming traditions, specifically focused on the Shona tribe.

Tino Chakadonha is a senior account manager at Veritone - an Enteprise AI company. His professional interest lies at the intersection of technology and humanity. As a British-Zimbabwean, Tino has experienced the introspection that comes from feeling that you don't quite belong anywhere and the advantages/disadvantages that come with that, day to day and long term.

Aira Gonzales moved to the UK when she was 7 and since starting school, her name has always been something she's been hyper aware of. Whether it’s a teacher assuming she was Spanish because of her last name and greeting her in Spanish, her name warranting a pause during the register because the teacher was unsure of how to pronounce it, and the name being mispronounced or spelled wrong despite it being in her email signature.

The most striking thing for Aira is the fact that she's had to explain why as a visibly non-white, South East Asian woman, has a Spanish last name. A lot of people mean well when they ask out of curiosity but sometimes Aira notices people getting uncomfortable when she tells them that her last name is down to colonialism. The Philippines, where Aira was born and raised until moving to the UK, was claimed by explorer Francis Magellan in 1521 as part of the Spanish Empire. It wasn’t until 1898 that the Philippines became independent, but at that point, a lot of the culture of the Philippines became heavily mixed with Spanish influences. For example, last names. It was made strictly mandatory for Filipinos to take on a last name from a catalogue of names, many of which, were Spanish. On paper, this was because traditionally surnames in the Philippines weren’t governed but of course, taking on a Spanish last name meant stronger colonial rule. To this day, it remains ingrained in Filipino identity. Even though to some, it’s just a name, to Aira, it’s also a reminder of the colonisation of our country by the Spanish and the effects colonisation had on our culture and society.

This episode explores Greg Bunbury's complex and intricate relationship with his name and its links with the transatlantic slave trade and his work within the DE&I space.

Greg Bunbury is a Graphic Designer, Creative Consultant and D&I consultant. His mission is to change the world by design, enabling purpose-driven businesses and organisations to connect with diverse communities, through creativity & inclusion. Greg is also the founder of Black Outdoor Art, a project that uses outdoor advertising space as a platform for creative Black expression, and hosts the Design For The People podcast, spotlighting creatives working towards positive social change.

In this episode, listen to WuQing Hipsh share her story of how she chose to be known by her birth name, WuQing, aged just 2.5 years old, after being adopted from China as a baby, growing up in New York, the meanings behind her names, and the history behind her surname, Hipsh.

In this episode, listen to Masruba Tasnim, Inclusive Leadership and Talent Consultant, share experiences with shortening her name to just one syllable to accommodate others, the meaning of her names and the story behind why she doesn't share her surname with the rest of her family.

Masruba's experience spans across the private, not-for-profit and public sectors. She has extensive experience in D&I, Learning & Development, HR Operations and Corporate Social Responsibility. She supports leaders to create impactful change and realise the potential of socially and ethnically diverse talent, for their organisations.

In this International Women's Day 2022 special (pt2), Ana, Florence and Winnie discuss their decisions to take their husbands' surname when they got married, or not. While the episode focuses mainly on heterosexual marriages, That's My Name would be interested in exploring the experiences of same sex and non binary marriages, and how names are considered.

Winnie Annan-Forson is an award-winning Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, UK, Europe and Middle East at a Financial Services firm and is passionate about creating inclusive and equitable spaces for underrepresented groups. She is also a coach, speaker and serial mumpreneur, a co- founder of Excellerate Black Futures and founder of Mumpreneurs Matter and In Its Own Time, all focussed around helping individuals thrive in their careers, businesses and lives

Florence Bavanandan is an accredited Executive Coach and Mediator. She has turned “soft skills” into hard benefits for companies such as Apple, HSBC and the Prince’s Trust. She is passionate about communication being the key to solving problems and finding win-win solutions for all and specialises in female advocacy in the workplace.

Ana Xhemalaj is a multi-lingual and high-achieving Business Manager with six years of Corporate Banking experience. Beyond her day role, she is an active member of the Barclays Citizenship and Sustainability Working Group. Gender equality has been an area of passionate focus for her inspired by the inequality witnessed in her home country, Albania. She is committed to use her platform, network and knowledge of the Finance Industry to incentivise more product innovation and cross-collaboration between the private and public sector in order to enhance gender equity through Lending.

Got a story to share? DM us at @thatsmyname_pod on Instagram to share your story.

In this International Women's Day 2022 special (pt1), Caitlin and Maya discuss the British tradition of women taking their husband's surname when they get married. The episode also covers different rules about surnames after getting married in different countries, and Caitlin's own perspectives of the tradition. While the episode focuses mainly on heterosexual marriage conventions, it includes some insight into same sex marriages. That's My Name would be interested in exploring the experiences of same sex and non binary marriages, and how names are considered.

Caitlin Rozario is the co-founder of interlude, a new way for businesses and workers to supercharge their productivity through the power of high-quality work breaks. Caitlin is determined to drive positive change in workplace culture and ultimately make work days better. A content marketer by trade, Caitlin graduated from Cambridge and UCL and is now also working towards her MBA.

Got a story to share? DM us at @thatsmyname_pod to share your story.

DeLisha is an author, writer, and social change agent. DeLisha received her master's degree in Organizational Management at Ashford University, where she focused her attention on Leadership and Media Management. During this time, she began using her knowledge within the #SayHerName movement to help others become a catalyst for change. With a focal point of Black women, she believes that “Black women and their stories are ignored. They become whispers in the background, ghosts in the night.” She has spoken at Harvard University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Maryland on social justice, black women, and intersectionality. Her commitment to amplifying Black women's narratives is showcased in her curated space, Black Superwoman Chronicles, which amplifies the different modes of storytelling of Black women. DeLisha is currently a doctoral student at The University of Dayton in their Doctor of Education, Leadership for Change. Within that program, she looks to tackle the lack of diversity and inclusion in leadership within nonprofits. In today’s episode, DeLisha and Maya discuss her experiences with a name that may invoke certain connotations, becoming comfortable with her name, and becoming comfortable in her skin.

Toni Kent is a professional speaker, compere and stand up with a specific focus on social mobility. Using her own journey as a rich seam of material and humour as a means to diffuse what can be a tricky topic, Toni’s performed for audiences that range from corporate insurers and tech firms to local hospices and hundreds of Women’s Institute members.

In today's episode, Toni discusses how her name was chosen, her funny experiences with having a confusing first name, having to learn her husband's friend's actual names and nicknames, and identity associated with being a parent.

Sho is a LinkedIn Top Voice for Job Search & Careers and the founder of his career coaching & training company, Workhap. He has helped thousands get hired with the best companies in the world and his work has been featured in HR Magazine, Jumpstart Media, and Pixl Media.

In today’s minisode, Sho discusses his experiences of being asked if he has an English name by a client and being asked to use a different (more English-sounding) name at work in order to increase his sales.

This episode covers Princess' experiences with having a unique name, only discovering her first name during secondary school, and altering her name during job applications. It also explores the meaning of Princess' full name and touches on Ghanaian naming traditions.

That’s My Name is a podcast all about names. Rihanna, Eminem, Destiny’s Child and other prolific artists have rapped or sung about them. Names can be steeped in history and enriched with meaning. We all have one and they form part of our identity. Each episode will feature a guest, in conversation with podcast host, Maya, to discuss a particular topic related to the theme of names. Subscribe to this podcast to hear discussions about names with guests from all walks of life.