Welcoming Gary Stannett MBE to Purposely Podcast, Chief Executive of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, the UK charity that uses sport and the creative arts to open up opportunities for young people in communities that have historically been overlooked and underinvested.

Gary came into this work through youth work and community sports development, not through a career plan. He built programmes from the ground up in South London, earned his qualifications alongside the work, and has spent nearly 30 years getting better at something he never expected to turn into a career. That experience shapes how he leads and how the foundation operates.

The Rio Ferdinand Foundation was set up around 15 years ago, inspired in part by Rio's mother Janice, who was deeply embedded in community life in Peckham and served as the foundation's chair until her death in 2017. It started with a focus on education and training for young people in London and Manchester, and has since grown to deliver work in Belfast, Derry, Sligo and across the UK and Ireland through partnerships with other organisations.

In this conversation, Gary and Mark get into what it actually means to run a charity with a famous name attached to it. The brand opens doors but it does not conjure funding. Every partnership still has to be earned, every impact still has to be evidenced, and there is a constant discipline required to make sure people are engaging with the foundation for the right reasons and not just for access to Rio. Gary is clear-eyed about all of it.

He talks about the foundation's model, using football and youth culture as a way in, then moving young people through personal development, accredited training and real pathways into careers. The goal is not a quick programme but a longer journey, connecting young people with industries and employers they might never otherwise encounter, and building the networks and confidence that social mobility actually requires.

Gary also reflects on what he has learned about leadership over time, becoming less harsh on himself, stepping back more, and bringing people on the journey rather than pushing them towards a vision they do not yet share. And he talks about young people today, the very real weight of poverty, housing costs, debt and a changing jobs market, alongside the energy, talent and resilience he sees every day that keeps him showing up.

Find out more about the Rio Ferdinand Foundation at rioferdinandfoundation.org

This episode of Purposely is brought to you by Benevity and Trust Investments NZ.