Sheeraz shares the story behind Reject the Rejections, People Like Us’ campaign calling for greater transparency and accountability in automated recruitment. The conversation explores how AI and automated screening are being used in recruitment, where bias can enter these systems, and what happens when candidates do not know how they have been assessed.

We also discuss the impact on identity and confidence, including why some jobseekers feel compelled to change or hide aspects of themselves on their CVs, as well as the importance of transparency, independent bias audits and the potential right to request human review of an automated decision. 

The conversation also looks beyond the campaign itself: from People Like Us’ earlier work on pay and workplace inequality, to the role of research, creative campaigning and policy in turning evidence into action. 

Chapters 

00:00 – Introduction 
00:53 – Meet Sheeraz Gulsher and People Like Us 
04:58 – From workplace inequality to systemic change 
09:40 – From research to campaigns: making complex issues accessible 
12:59 – The research behind Reject the Rejections 
14:21 – Do you have a right to human review? 
16:19 – Human bias, technology and independent audits 
18:19 – When jobseekers feel forced to hide their identity 
20:07 – Behind the Reject the Rejections campaign film 
22:13 – What systemic change could look like 
25:13 – Closing 

About Sheeraz Gulsher 

Sheeraz Gulsher is Co-Founder of People Like Us, a community and campaigning organisation focused on workplace equity, representation and access to opportunity. 

Through research, campaigns and community-led work, People Like Us has challenged issues including ethnicity and class pay gaps, name bias and, most recently, automated recruitment through Reject the Rejections. 

About Influencers of Change 

Influencers of Change is hosted by Sayali Waghmare and explores the people, power and decisions shaping transformation across policy, communications, education, business and culture. 

Through long-form conversations, the podcast looks beyond the headline to understand how meaningful change actually happens. 

🎙️ Guest: Sheeraz Gulsher, Co-Founder, People Like Us 

🎧 Podcast: Influencers of Change 

Pioneering a new blueprint for growth, technology, and collective prosperity. 

India is authoring one of the most dynamic transformation stories in modern history lifting millions into prosperity, driving rapid urban innovation, and demonstrating world-class capability in digital public infrastructure. 

As the nation scales, it faces a defining opportunity: to build a growth model uniquely its own. Rather than repeating the legacy industrial paths of the West, India has the chance to pioneer a resource-smart development paradigm where economic ambition and environmental systems reinforce each other. 

In this episode, public policy researcher and communicator Pavan Srinath (The WELL Labs Show) joins us to explore how India can achieve durable prosperity at scale. Using water systems and infrastructure as a strategic lens, Srinath highlights how aligning world-class engineering with local governance can unlock immense potential. The key lies in channeling India’s remarkable individual dynamism into collective stewardship empowering communities, modernising public systems, and designing institutions built for long-term resilience. 

Dive into the full episode to see why the future of India's development hinges on community agency and institutional design.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Meet Pavan Srinath
• 01:15 What Progress Really Means
• 03:20 Individual Change vs. Collective Change
• 07:25 Why Local Governance Matters
• 10:10 The Raichur Water Story
• 19:45 Listening to Communities First
• 26:45 Turning Wastewater Into a Resource
• 28:35 Tech That Fits the Problem
• 33:50 Government, Private Sector, and Public Good
• 36:50 Development With Environment
• 39:20 India’s Own Path to Prosperity
• 42:05 Dignity, Excellence, and Hope
  

Tune into the full conversation:

👉 [Watch the full episode on YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts]

#PublicPolicy #Sustainability #IndiaGrowth #WaterSystems #LocalGovernance #ClimateAction #SustainableDevelopment #UrbanPlanning #Infrastructure #WELLLabs #CollectiveAction #Podcast

Today, that definition is changing.

In a world shaped by AI, fragmented media, misinformation, and shifting public expectations, influence is no longer earned simply by being seen. It's earned by being credible, authentic, and trusted.

In this episode of Influencers of Change, I speak with Adrian Ma, Founder & Partner at Fanclub PR and Humankind Communications, about how PR is evolving and what that means for communicators, business leaders, and brands navigating an increasingly complex world.

Together, we explore: 
• Why traditional PR models are no longer enough 
• The growing challenge of misinformation and the responsibility of communicators 
• Why storytelling changes behaviour more effectively than facts alone 
• The award-winning Mount Recyclemore campaign and what made it resonate globally  

• Why brands need "the receipts" before communicating purpose 
• The future of PR, AI, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), and the skills the next generation of communicators will need 

One insight from Adrian perfectly captures the conversation: 

"People rarely remember the statistics. They remember the story." 

Perhaps that's the biggest shift facing our profession. 

Whether you're a communications professional, marketer, founder, policymaker, or student, this conversation offers practical insights into the changing role of influence in today's world.

Chapters 

00:00 Introduction 

01:29 How PR Has Changed Over the Last 15 Years 

03:55 Why Traditional PR Models No Longer Work 

06:06 Misinformation, AI & PR's Responsibility 

09:19 Why Influence Is Often Misunderstood 

10:58 Why Stories Matter More Than Statistics 

11:19 Case Study: Mount Recyclemore 

18:12 Storytelling Beyond Technology 

19:25 Purpose, Profit & Authenticity 

22:11 Avoiding Performative Communications 

25:00 Building Trust Through Action 

26:31 The Responsibility of PR Leaders 

28:08 The Future of PR in the Age of AI 

30:53 What Communicators Need to Unlearn 

33:41 Closing Thoughts 
 
What do you think will define the future of PR, attention, influence, or trust? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Subscribe for more conversations with leaders exploring the influence and infrastructure behind the major global shifts.


#PublicRelations #PR #StrategicCommunications #Storytelling #BrandTrust #CorporateCommunications #Leadership #AI #Influence #Trust #ReputationManagement #Podcast 

It depends on an institution's ability to communicate clearly, build trust, and influence behaviour without losing public confidence. In an increasingly complex world, communication is not simply about explaining decisions; it shapes how people understand, engage with, and respond to the systems around them. 

In this episode of Influencers of Change, Sayali Waghmare is joined by Angela Balakrishnan, Senior Director of Communications and Public Affairs at the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), to explore how communication shapes public behaviour, builds institutional trust, and translates complex regulation into meaningful action. 

From protecting vulnerable communities from predatory scams to changing how organisations think about sensitive personal data, Angela shares how strategic storytelling and clear messaging can create real-world impact beyond headlines and metrics.

This conversation explores: 
• Why trust sits at the heart of privacy and transparency. 
• How communications can influence behaviour at scale. 
• The role of storytelling in making complex issues accessible. 
• Why practice change matters more than vanity metrics. 
• How organisations can build credibility through clarity.

If communication is more than messaging, what responsibility comes with shaping public understanding? 

🎙️ Hosted by Sayali Waghmare. 
 
 
Follow and subscribe to stay updated with upcoming conversations across platforms. 
YouTube | Spotify  |  Apple Podcasts. | LinkedIn. | Instagram 
 
 

#InfluencersOfChange #StrategicCommunications #Leadership #Trust #DataProtection #PublicAffairs #Storytelling #Governance #ICO

This conversation goes far beyond arts education. It explores how institutions design the conditions for collaboration, resilience, cultural legitimacy, and long-term systems change.

We discuss:

• Why traditional educational hierarchies are increasingly failing
• What it means to treat education as infrastructure, not curriculum
• The invisible work behind institutional redesign
• How creativity, communication, and power intersect globally
• Why the future may depend more on how we educate than what we teach
  

This is a conversation about systems, influence, and the structures shaping the next generation of leadership.

Hosted by Sayali Waghmare.