In this episode of Think: Business Futures, we dive headfirst into the shifting tides of women’s surfing. 

We are joined by two changemakers making serious waves: Dr AJ Kaya, Senior Lecturer at UTS Business School and co-author of the landmark report Waves of Change: Women and Surfing in Australia, and Shanice Ryder from Surfing Australia, who’s leading the charge to support women and girls in the sport.

Together, we unpack the deep-rooted barriers women have faced in surfing - from being sidelined in the lineup to fighting for equal prize money and leadership roles. We spotlight the grassroots programs, research, and local clubs that are flipping the script and shaping a more inclusive surf culture.

What does it take to carve out space in a sport that wasn’t built for you?




Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

In this episode of Think: Business Futures, we dive headfirst into the shifting tides of women’s surfing. 
We are joined by two changemakers making serious waves: Dr AJ Kaya, Senior Lecturer at UTS Business School and co-author of the landmark report Waves of Change: Women and Surfing in Australia, and Shanice Ryder from Surfing Australia, who’s leading the charge to support women and girls in the sport.
Together, we unpack the deep-rooted barriers women have faced in surfing - from being sidelined in the lineup to fighting for equal prize money and leadership roles. We spotlight the grassroots programs, research, and local clubs that are flipping the script and shaping a more inclusive surf culture.
What does it take to carve out space in a sport that wasn’t built for you?
 
Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

Think: Business Futures finds the movers and shakers in business, and brings them together to unpack the issues of the day.

Think: Business Futures is supported by UTS Business School.

Think: Business Futures&nbsp;finds the movers and shakers in business, and brings them together to unpack the issues of the day.
Think: Business Futures&nbsp;is supported by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/about/uts-business-school/news">UTS Business School.</a>

Think: Business Futures

Executive Producer Veronika Aleshina finds the people who are the movers and shakers in business, and brings them together to get to the essence of the financial issues of the day.
Produced by Cody Giunta.

Waves of Change: Women, Surfing, and the Fight for Equity

What happens when you finish your degree, full of hope and ambition - only to find that the job you trained for doesn’t exist, or isn’t hiring? 

In the final episode of this series, Think: Business Futures explores the difficult and often disheartening journey that many young graduates face in low-income contexts, particularly in West Africa.

Host Ali Aitken is joined by three expert guests from UTS in a candid conversation that spans continents, cultures, and career paths. From public sector dreams to entrepreneurial pivots, they look at the optimism gap, mismatched expectations, limited opportunities, and systems that don’t always support the transition from education to employment - and how these challenges compare to the Australian landscape.

They are:
Dr Esther Mirjam Girsberger, Senior Lecturer, Economics Discipline Group at the UTS Business School. Esther Mirjam currently runs a study on young graduates and their labour market opportunities in Cote d'Ivoire (West Africa). Esther Mirjam and her team surveyed more than 2,000 high school and university graduates about how they search for jobs and how they perceive the labour market to learn more about why they face high unemployment rates. 
Dr Rebecca Addo, Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE), and
Professor Jua Cilliers,  Associate Dean of Research at the Faculty of Design and Society.

What can we learn from each other? And how can we build systems that support young people, wherever they are?




Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

What happens when you finish your degree, full of hope and ambition - only to find that the job you trained for doesn’t exist, or isn’t hiring? 
In the final episode of this series, Think: Business Futures explores the difficult and often disheartening journey that many young graduates face in low-income contexts, particularly in West Africa.
Host Ali Aitken is joined by three expert guests from UTS in a candid conversation that spans continents, cultures, and career paths. From public sector dreams to entrepreneurial pivots, they look at the optimism gap, mismatched expectations, limited opportunities, and systems that don’t always support the transition from education to employment - and how these challenges compare to the Australian landscape.
They are:
<ul>
 <li>Dr Esther Mirjam Girsberger, Senior Lecturer, Economics Discipline Group at the UTS Business School. Esther Mirjam currently runs a study on young graduates and their labour market opportunities in Cote d'Ivoire (West Africa). Esther Mirjam and her team surveyed more than 2,000 high school and university graduates about how they search for jobs and how they perceive the labour market to learn more about why they face high unemployment rates. </li>
 <li>Dr Rebecca Addo, Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE), and</li>
 <li>Professor Jua Cilliers,  Associate Dean of Research at the Faculty of Design and Society.</li>
</ul>
What can we learn from each other? And how can we build systems that support young people, wherever they are?
 
Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

Degrees, Dreams & Detours: Rethinking Graduate Employment

What if the way we invest money could either destroy ecosystems or help regenerate them?

In this episode of Think Business Futures, we’re taking a look at the urgent and complex challenge of the biodiversity crisis. But this isn’t just a story about endangered species or vanishing rainforests. It’s about the invisible threads that connect nature to our economy, our wellbeing, and our future.

We are joined by Madeline Combe, a PhD researcher at UTS whose work explores how systems change happens and how we can transition to a biodiversity-positive funds management system; and Mayleah House, Business Development Manager at Fremantle Seaweed and former Head of Stewardship at Ethical Partners Fund Management, who brings deep insight into the barriers and breakthroughs happening in the industry today.

Find out how our financial systems - shaped by Western capitalist paradigms - have contributed to biodiversity loss, and what it will take to reverse the damage.

From the concept of “super wicked problems” to the role of retail investors and the need for paradigm shifts in governance and fiduciary duties, this important conversation challenges conventional thinking and offers a hopeful, action-oriented vision for change. 

Whether you're in finance, policy, or simply care about the planet, this episode will leave you thinking differently about the power of money, and the stories we tell about value.




Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

What if the way we invest money could either destroy ecosystems or help regenerate them?
In this episode of Think Business Futures, we’re taking a look at the urgent and complex challenge of the biodiversity crisis. But this isn’t just a story about endangered species or vanishing rainforests. It’s about the invisible threads that connect nature to our economy, our wellbeing, and our future.
We are joined by Madeline Combe, a PhD researcher at UTS whose work explores how systems change happens and how we can transition to a biodiversity-positive funds management system; and Mayleah House, Business Development Manager at Fremantle Seaweed and former Head of Stewardship at Ethical Partners Fund Management, who brings deep insight into the barriers and breakthroughs happening in the industry today.
Find out how our financial systems - shaped by Western capitalist paradigms - have contributed to biodiversity loss, and what it will take to reverse the damage.
From the concept of “super wicked problems” to the role of retail investors and the need for paradigm shifts in governance and fiduciary duties, this important conversation challenges conventional thinking and offers a hopeful, action-oriented vision for change. 
Whether you're in finance, policy, or simply care about the planet, this episode will leave you thinking differently about the power of money, and the stories we tell about value.
 
Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

The Nature of Change: Biodiversity, Power, and Financial Systems

Gambling is no longer just a weekend activity, it’s embedded in our daily lives. 

In this episode, Think: Business Futures talks to Professor Ross Gordon, Director of the Change for Good Research Centre and professor of Behaviour and Social Change At UTS Business School, about the growing normalisation of gambling and the strategic marketing tactics driving it.

From sports betting apps to ‘bet with mates’ features, Ross explains how gambling is being embedded into Australian culture, especially among young men. He shares insights from his research on the cumulative harm caused by low and moderate risk gamblers, the lobbying power of the gambling industry, and the urgent need for policy reform.

We also explore the role of banks, the parallels with tobacco and alcohol marketing, and what it will take to shift the narrative from public health campaigns to behaviour change programs.




Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken 

Gambling is no longer just a weekend activity, it’s embedded in our daily lives. 
In this episode, Think: Business Futures talks to Professor Ross Gordon, Director of the Change for Good Research Centre and professor of Behaviour and Social Change At UTS Business School, about the growing normalisation of gambling and the strategic marketing tactics driving it.
From sports betting apps to ‘bet with mates’ features, Ross explains how gambling is being embedded into Australian culture, especially among young men. He shares insights from his research on the cumulative harm caused by low and moderate risk gamblers, the lobbying power of the gambling industry, and the urgent need for policy reform.
We also explore the role of banks, the parallels with tobacco and alcohol marketing, and what it will take to shift the narrative from public health campaigns to behaviour change programs.
 
Hosted and produced by Ali Aitken

Waves of Change: Women, Surfing, and the Fight for Equity

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