By Radhika Churiwala, MFA2025
Shaping Conversations That Matter – Behind the Mic at EQUALL 2025
As cliché as it sounds, before I even received my offer from London Business School, I already knew the one club I wanted to be part of: Women in Business.
Last year, I tuned into a WiB fireside chat with Leena Nair, Global CEO of Chanel. I was an undergrad in India, still months away from arriving in London, but watching that conversation – anchored in vision, leadership, and purpose – made something clear: one day, I want to make something like this happen.
When I joined LBS, like most other students, I applied to the Women in Business Executive Committee and was selected to join the EQUALL Speakers Team – trusted with organising one of the largest student-led gender equality conferences in Europe. From the outset, I was focused on contributing meaningfully to the agenda and shaping conversations that moved beyond optics toward real substance. But it came with a side of intimidation as I found myself being the only Graduate Masters students in a room full of incredibly strong, experienced, and articulate MBAs.
From Pitch to Panel
One of the earliest ideas I proposed became a mainstage panel:
Beyond the Bottom Line: Building a New Era of Purpose-Driven Finance.
The goal was to shift the conversation around ESG and DEI from marketing language to strategy – focusing on how leaders across private equity, venture capital, and strategy, are redefining value through inclusion, accountability, and long-term thinking.
Together with the team, many emails and calls later, I was able to bring on four extraordinary leaders: Noor Sweid (Founder & Managing Partner, Global Ventures), Erin Platts (CEO, Octopus Ventures), Rachel Barton (Global Private Equity Lead, Accenture Strategy), and Dr. Bijna Kotak Dasani, MBE (VC founder and former investment banker). What united them wasn’t just their titles, but a shared belief: that excellence should speak louder than gender. They exemplified excellence first, not just representation.
Moderating this panel was more than a speaking role. It was an editorial, strategic, and intellectual challenge. These are voices that lead industries – and my responsibility was to design a discussion that honoured their depth while also pushing for insight, clarity, and momentum.
The Work You Don’t See
What unfolded on stage took under an hour. What led up to it took months.
From researching each speaker’s background and investment thesis, to designing a narrative arc for the session, I worked across speaker calls, prep decks, and evolving logistics to ensure the conversation landed. I conducted briefings with each panellist, navigating time zones and competing schedules while holding a high bar for structure and quality.
The behind-the-scenes work was multifaceted – intellectually demanding and logistically intense. It required switching between moderator, project manager, agenda editor, and relationship builder. And in those hours, I honed not just communication skills, but judgment, design thinking, and the discipline of clarity.
The Team That Made It Possible
Much of what made this experience exceptional was the team I worked with.
As someone from a Graduate Masters programme, I was surrounded by MBAs with deep industry experience and sharp strategic thinking. Rather than feeling the need to prove myself, I focused on delivering work that matched the ambition of the group – and was met with collaboration, trust, and mutual respect.
They brought rigour and intention to every conversation. They challenged ideas with grace, championed intersectionality with precision, and elevated the standard for what meaningful dialogue can look like. I learned a great deal from their leadership – not by watching from the sidelines, but by working shoulder to shoulder with them.
More than anything, EQUALL became a place where I found my people. The women I was once intimidated by – Deb, Jenny, Manali, Clara, Victoria, Manvi – soon became my biggest champions and friends for life. It reminded me that true community is built when people lift each other up, push each other to do better, and make space for everyone at the table.
What EQUALL Taught Me
Moderating a mainstage panel with global C-suite leaders pushed me to engage with my professional interests – finance, inclusion, and strategy – in a deeper, more deliberate way.
It taught me that designing great conversations is its own form of leadership: it requires listening carefully, structuring intentionally, and guiding with presence. It also reminded me that inclusion isn’t just about who’s at the table – but how that table is set, and what stories are given weight.
EQUALL gave me more than a line on my CV. It gave me friendships across programmes, and a front-row seat to what leadership can look like when it’s inclusive, thoughtful, and fierce.
It proved that impact isn’t always loud – it’s often built quietly, behind the scenes, one slide, one email, one decision at a time. It reminded me that the rooms that once felt out of reach become most meaningful when you step in with intent.
And sometimes, those rooms have a stage.
And sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get to be the one holding the mic.