Naomi Partridge co-founded Holos Kombucha after a life-changing trip volunteering with women who were being exploited on the streets of Cambodia.
A former HR manager, she’d already left the corporate world behind to become CEO of The Sophie Hayes Foundation, supporting women in London safehouses to enter employment. The programme she set up there has now helped hundreds of women across the UK.
Naomi was one of four people behind the 2018 launch of Holos Kombucha. The drinks brand is renowned for its sparkling tea and organic kombucha but perhaps more importantly for its social impact. Behind the scenes, it offers paid work placements and grants to survivors of exploitation and trauma.
Naomi, who’s also a leadership coach, epitomises and breathes thinking differently. Hers is a story of the role of purpose and courage, plus the importance of playing a part in changing the world around us.
The drinks sector is one of the most competitive consumer goods categories there is. Dominated by big names with massive marketing budgets, launching into it demands resilience, creativity and originality.
The four founders of Holos Kombucha were undaunted, but still they wanted to achieve even more. Their determination to start a successful brand that also made a social impact demanded a very different way of thinking.
Naomi will share leadership lessons from the inside of a challenger brand, extracting what she’s learned and revealing her plans for the future.
