As co-chair of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates has poured billions into philanthropy projects around the world.She spoke to ITV News at Ten Presenter Julie Etchingham in central London before heading to Paris to address G7 finance ministers on funding needed to boost digital financial inclusion, which she believes can transform the lives of women living in poverty.Mrs Gates explained on the Ask A Woman digital podcast why delivering phones with digital bank accounts could add $3.7 trillion (£2.98 trillion) to emerging economies by 2025 and create 95 million more jobs.And she discussed the biggest talking point in US politics, throwing her powerful voice behind those condemning Donald Trump's attack on four congresswomen as racist, telling ITV News the US president "isn't being true" to American values.

Ask A Woman

Melinda Gates on Trump racism row and 'senseless' anti-vaxxers

Julie Etchingham speaks to Julia Lalla-Maharajh, chief executive of Orchid Project, a charity she set up with the aim of creating a world free of female genital mutilation (FGM).Julia founded the charity in 2011 after an 18-year career in the corporate sector, where she specialised in transport policy and communications. She decided to give up her 'large expense account and big corporate life' after volunteering in Ethiopia, learning about the practice of FGM, also known as female genital cutting (FGC). Julia was awarded an OBE for her work in 2017. On Thursday, ahead of International Women's Day on Friday, Prime Minister Theresa May has invited Julia to Downing Street to take part in a panel discussion on FGM.Julia talks to Julie about the 'second life' she has lived since setting up the charity, and the moment where she decided she was going to change her life to tackle the issue.Like this podcast? Subscribe to receive new episodes. #AskAWomanITV

Julia Lalla-Maharajh on giving up her corporate career to pursue mission of ending FGM

Political commentator, comedian and former Labour adviser Ayesha Hazarika talks to Julie Etchingham about why she thinks Brexit has caused public trust in politics to plunge further, why Jeremy Corbyn should back a second referendum, her journey from civil service press officer to comedian - and the impression of Ed Miliband she developed while helping to prepare the former Labour leader for Prime Minister's Questions against David Cameron. Julie also asks Ayesha about whether she has ambitions to be an MP - and who are three women she'd most like to have dinner with. Like this podcast? Subscribe to receive new episodes. #AskAWomanITV

Ayesha Hazarika

In our Ask A Woman interview series, Julie Etchingham talks to women from all walks of life about their experiences and how they got to where they are today. In this episode, Julie speaks to Labour MP Emily Thornberry, who's the party's shadow foreign secretary. She reveals to us that Labour would expect the Scottish National Party's support to get a new Brexit deal through parliament should the party enter a minority government in the coming months, Mrs Thornberry also speaks to us about overcoming her tough upbringing to become a barrister, before entering politics. Does she have ambitions to become Labour leader? She also shares who her three most inspirational women are. Like this podcast? Subscribe to receive new episodes. #AskAWomanITV

Emily Thornberry

Having any role to play in Harry and Meghan's royal wedding must have been daunting. But how did it feel to create the masterpiece cake viewed by millions and eaten by 700 guests, including the Queen and Oprah? According to Claire Ptak, the answer is: a little stressful. She is the now-famous baker from California who, one day last January, received an unexpected email request asking her east London bakery if it fancied catering desserts for the year's most high-profile nuptials. For Claire, whose other clients include celebrity chefs Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver, it has been a long journey after getting her first kitchen job at the age of 12. After working various jobs outside of cooking, Claire decided she wanted to be a baker full time and got a job in a top US restaurant. Before long she realised she wanted to be her own boss and moved to London where she set up her own cake stall at a local market and saved up until she could afford to open Violet bakery in 2010. So after the success of the royal wedding, who is on her hit list to bake a cake for? Like this podcast? Subscribe to receive new episodes. #AskAWomanITV

Claire Ptak

In our Ask A Woman interview series, Julie Etchingham talks to women from all walks of life about their experiences and the advice they would offer to young women today. In this, our first episode, Julie speaks to former EU trade negotiator and international trade lawyer Miriam González Durántez. In the interview, Ms González Durántez says Theresa May has made an 'unforgivable' mistake in her negotiations with the EU which has weakened Britain unnecessarily. Ms González Durántez, who was born in Spain and now lives in London, said that as the mother of three British children, she found Theresa's May approach 'worrying'. She is married to the former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who served as deputy prime minister in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government between 2010-2015 under Mrs May's predecessor David Cameron. As a European living in the UK - and therefore unable to vote in the EU referendum - she feels "nothing has changed but everything has changed." Speaking about the women's rights campaign #MeToo, Ms González Durántez said the only thing she had to say 'thank you' to President Trump for was his election helped spark the movement. Ms González Durántez, who is the founder of a charity called Inspiring Girls, which links up professional women to mentor schoolgirls around the world, also spoke about the lack of self-confidence in young teenage girls around the world, which she said is shocking and a big surprise. She also shares with us the three women she finds most inspiring. Like this podcast? Subscribe to receive new episodes. #AskAWomanITV

Miriam González Durántez

ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham talks to women from all walks of life about their experiences and how they got to where they are today - and the advice they would offer to young women today.

hubhopper

Ask A Woman

hubhopper