Adarsh Ramchurn, Founder of Ethnically, a Platform to Amplify the Voices of Ethnic Minorities in Social Impact

Adarsh Ramchurn is a driven and innovative leader: Founder of Ethnically, a platform launched in June 2024 to amplify the voices of ethnic minorities in social impact. Through his initiative and passion for social justice, Adarsh aims to rewrite narratives of success and boost representation for diverse communities. His work with ‘The Ethnically Podcast’ has featured influential guests such as Linda Attram, Vik Verma, Rohit Sagoo, and Isabella Mascarenhas.

Adarsh’s career began with a Degree Apprenticeship at The Royal Society of Arts, where he earned a First Class Degree in Business Management with Social Change from Queen Mary University of London. During his apprenticeship, he contributed to spearheading the ‘Catalyst’ Awards programme, supported the recruitment of 3,000 new Fellows, and co-led the design and launch of the RSA’s Corporate Membership programme. He produced data-driven reports, curated fund reviews, and developed pitch decks and proposals.

He is a Trustee at The Mix, supporting the strategic direction and health of the charity, and an Ark School Governor at Isaac Newton Academy, where he supports the direction of the academy and promotes career opportunities to students. As a podcaster for the Global Sports Podcast Network (GSPN), he speaks on the Daily Liverpool podcast, developing his articulation, analysis, and collaboration skills.

Adarsh’s achievements include winning the School of Business & Management Entrepreneur Workshop and QMUL Try-It Awards in 2023, as well as the Blueprint For All Innovation Award. He managed sports activities for the NHSF QMUL Hindu Society and developed a partnership with OKO mentoring to sponsor sports teams. Adarsh has also spoken on BBC Asian Network and Third Sector Podcast about the importance of degree apprenticeships and has written blogs for Khulisa to promote awareness of the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on young people in employment.

His public speaking abilities has allowed him to speak at a range of events, including Anthropy 2023, Ark Apprenticeship Fairs and School Career Days, where he leverages his experiences of Degree Apprenticeships, Youth Activism, Social Change and Diversity & Inclusion to inspire a wide range of audiences. 

Tell us about your upbringing.

I’m Adarsh, a 24 year old Entrepreneur and Founder based in Ilford, London. I grew up with an incredibly loving mother and father, alongside my older sister and younger brother – in an extremely supportive, caring and warm family that I am so grateful for. 

My parents were born and raised in Mauritius, and moved to the UK aged 21 to train and work as nurses in the NHS. I think their stories of hardship, sacrifice and dedication makes social justice so important to me. They’ve had to work incredibly hard to provide for me and my siblings, and sacrifice a lot to get to where they are. I find their careers remarkable, yet, they often share stories of injustice, discrimination and systemic racism that exists in society and in the workplace, which frustrates me even till this day. So their story, their background and hardships makes my social enterprise extremely relevant to today and fighting inequality. 

In terms of my own experience, there have been times in my life where I’ve felt and experienced injustice. I’d say examples include being called certain names due to the ‘darkness’ of my skin, some micro aggressions in the workplace, where my passion for the work is deemed as ‘aggressive’, or more obvious racist experiences, such as at football matches or at airports – two places where I feel the most uncomfortable as someone from an ethnically diverse background. I find that not only do I experience things like this, but a lot of my peers, friends and family. And whilst these aren’t pleasant experiences, I use these as motivation and don’t let this affect me or my life trajectory, and try to educate others, share stories and inspire change through Ethnically, and that’s what I aim to do. 

You launched The Ethically Podcast in June of 2024. What is your aim for the podcast? 

The aim of the podcast is to amplify diverse ethnic voices across all industries in society, in order to create a more representative, inclusive narrative of ethnicity. Ethnically celebrates the journeys of those who defied expectations and carved their own path. We delve into the unique experiences of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and the incredible things they’ve achieved to leave their lasting positive impact on the world. I sit down with inspiring individuals who are breaking barriers and redefining success, sharing their stories of resilience, innovation, and the power of community. 

In the long term, I want Ethnically to be the biggest… the no.1 podcast for diversity, equity and inclusion, working with big companies and huge guest speakers to share as many empowering stories and impactful lessons as possible.

You have featured influential guests such as Linda Attram, Vik Verma, Rohit Sagoo, and Isabella Mascarenhas. What makes your podcast unique?

I believe what makes my podcast unique is that sense of storytelling and really unpacking the reasons why people do what they do; understanding how they got to where they got to. A lot of people, including my guests, rarely get to have these conversations and speak in their own authentic way about who they are, their role models, what needs to change in their industry in order to be truly inclusive for everyone. That sense of togetherness and solidarity that I’ve built with my guests and listeners is truly unique and inspiring I would say. 

I’d also refer to the fact that I’ve spoken to guests from diverse backgrounds, but that come from a range of different industries, including healthcare, mental health, design, animation, sustainability, the arts, spoken word, coaching, parenting, IT, entrepreneurship… The list goes on! I think speaking about the theme of diversity, equity and inclusion in so many industries, and unpacking the barriers and issues in each of them, before diving into ways we can address them, really inspires listeners to be a part of the change. One podcast episode in 

particular that really resonated was speaking to Ogor Ozor, a spoken word artist studying at university. She shared how her experiences of bullying and racism had a huge impact on her becoming a spoken word artist, and how a spoken word piece she performed encouraged a little girl to come up to her afterwards and hug her! It’s stories like Ogor’s that give me immense pride and power to continue having these important conversations, and that’s what I’d say makes Ethnically so unique. 

What have you enjoyed the most?

I’ve enjoyed this so much! I think turning the concept into a successful platform has been the process I’ve enjoyed enormously. I say that because I think the first step as an entrepreneur is always the hardest and taking what’s in your head and creating a product or service is much more difficult than people think. So I’m so proud of the fact I’ve been able to kick start Ethnically, first and foremost. 

I’ve also enjoyed being able to chair challenging but important conversations with some of the most respected, established and thought-provoking entrepreneurs and leaders in the industry, and understanding the things that make them tick, what society needs to do to improve, and providing advice for the next generation. I really feel a lot of responsibility in hosting these conversations, but it’s a weight on my shoulders that I enjoy tremendously and that allows me to inform our audience in the most engaging way. 

I’m currently looking to book guests for January and February, ahead of Season 2 of The Ethnically Podcast being released in March. So if you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, please get in touch!

Who would you like to see on your show? 

It’s funny you ask this question, because I have a spreadsheet of some DREAM guests that I’d love to interview on Ethnically. I guess in terms of industries, I’d love to get guests from the worlds of football, sport, acting, music, fashion and social media. I feel these are the industries that my predominantly Gen Z audience would love to hear more from, especially ethnic experiences of stepping foot in these industries, and how to break down the barriers to entry. 

From the UK… I’d say Akala – purely his ingenuity, wisdom and knowledge on the social construct of Britain would be a fascinating discussion. I’d say from an acting point of view, Riz Ahmed stands out to me as someone I’d love to have on the podcast. As a huge ambassador for British Asians in the acting industry, I think his story would be great to unpack on a podcast, and I think he’d bring great energy to the episode. 

And as I look to break into the US, I’d pick Michelle Obama. I think she’s such an incredible inspiration and her charisma and personality would be amazing for the podcast. Also, my mum is a huge admirer of her, so I think she’d want to hear her story and tips for success. And I’d also pick, from the entrepreneurship point of view, Payal Kadakia Pujji – Founder of ClassPass – would be an incredible guest to get on the podcast, as I’d love to know first hand her backgrounds, her influences and inspirations behind breaking into the fitness industry. 

You are a well-known public speaker. Tell us about your topics and speaking engagements. 

As a public speaker who loves to share my story and background, I’ve discussed and shared a lot at the speaking engagements I’ve had. Prior to founding Ethnically, I did a few speaking engagements around the importance and power of doing an apprenticeship, and why it’s a valued alternative route to university. I was involved in speaking engagements and talks at events such as Anthropy 2023, as well as being asked to speak for organisations such as Ark, Chartered Management Institute and The Mix. 

Since I launched Ethnically, I spoke at Queen Mary University of London, to share my journey of founding the start-up and what it takes to become an entrepreneur. This was one of my favourite talks, as I had students come up to me asking questions about entrepreneurship, podcasting and my inspirations which made me feel a sense of immense pride and fulfilment, knowing that I am having an impact on the people I’m talking to. 

In terms of other topics I love talking about in my speaking engagements, my personal journey; diversity and inclusion, and entrepreneurship are the areas that I am most passionate about speaking on. I’d love to speak at more events, conferences and workshops, to share my experience, knowledge and journey, so please do reach out to me if you need a speaker!

Please share your website and social media links. 

Our website for ethnically is currently being built, as we are still an early stage startup! However, if you want to learn more about me, Adarsh Ramchurn, then you can visit my personal website, www.adarshramchurn.com 

Ethnically is present on social media, so please follow us on LinkedIn (Ethnically), and on Instagram and TikTok. We are @ethnicallypodcast on both those platforms!