Peri Bassatne & Brita Schmidt

Catch Peri & Brita on Do Radio: It's Not About Trees with John Lunn 10-16th November 2025.

Peri Bassatne

Perihan Bassatne is a philanthropic advisor whose work focuses on supporting medical and educational institutions and non-profits, specifically for women and children in conflict-affected areas.

After stepping down from her role as Chair of Right to Play’s UK board, Perihan has been working on establishing the BB Energy Foundation, concentrating on the wellbeing, health and education of women and children.

She has extensive experience with various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and continues to serve as a Trustee at Right to Play and IMET2000. She is an active executive committee member of Give a Child a Brighter Future. She is also part of Women for Women’s Leadership Circle and a strong supporter of many other impactful charities, organisations and philanthropic endeavours. The latter included climbing Kilimanjaro in October 2023 to raise funds for three charities working with children in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Her passion for defending human rights, improving medical support and strengthening educational programmes means she travels extensively. This has included visiting families and schools in remote villages in Rwanda as well as hospitals and refugee camps in Lebanon.

Perihan is a passionate patron of the arts. She is a founding member and serves on the board of the Tate’s Middle East and North Africa Acquisitions Committee (MENAAC), where she helps cultivate and expand the museum’s MENA art collection.

Perihan was born in Saudi Arabia to a Syrian mother and Turkish father, with family ties in Egypt. She, and her two older brothers, lived in Beirut before settling in London in 1976 when the civil war broke out in Lebanon. She has since lived between London and Singapore with her husband and four children.

Her educational background is in Comparative Law focused on International Law and Legal Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Brita Fernandez Schmidt

Brita has a long history of working in international development with a specific focus on gender equality and women’s rights. For 13 years, Brita served as the Executive Director of Women for Women International – UK . She co-founded Women for Women International in Germany, in 2018. She was the Chair of the Network Gender Action for Peace and Security, the Chair of the Gender and Development Network, and previously worked as the Programmes & Policy Director at Womankind Worldwide.

Brita started her career as Policy Officer at the European Women’s Lobby. She is company director of her company Fierce Power where she works with organisations and businesses to create working cultures that are value-led, inclusive, in-powering, innovative, trauma-informed and sustainable. She is passionate about promoting alternative models of ‘leadership’ as a response to the urgent problems facing our society and world.

Brita is an advocate and promoter of our inherent power and is passionate about equality. Over the past 25 years, she has frequently written and spoken publicly about the challenges of addressing inequality worldwide. Originally from Germany, Brita attended school in Venezuela and has worked with people from numerous countries throughout her career

Theme(s): Philanthropy, systems change, gender equality, flexibility in strategy, resilience, hope, collaboration, leadership with heart

Summary:

In this episode, John speaks with Perri Bassatne, Founder and Chair of the BB Energy Foundation, and Brita Fernandez Schmidt, the Foundation’s CEO. Together, they explore how philanthropy can evolve beyond charity — becoming a strategic, flexible force for systems change.

The Foundation, built on four generations of family philanthropy, focuses on health, education, and wellbeing for women and children in countries affected by poverty and conflict. Perri and Brita describe how they’ve drawn from decades of experience in both corporate and NGO settings to build a model that blends professionalism with compassion — one that funds for impact, not dependency.

They discuss the weather metaphor — today’s forecast is “raining hard”: global aid cuts (like the recent USAID withdrawal) and geopolitical instability have created deep challenges. Yet in the shelter of strong partnerships, they see resilience, collaboration, and purpose thriving. From Rwanda to Guyana to Morocco, they highlight community-led stories where investment in women generates ripple effects of empowerment and sustainability.

Both women champion “integrity in how we work” — insisting that how you fund is as important as what you fund. Their hope for the “new dawn” lies in creating models that others can learn from — foundations that are flexible, accountable, and deeply human.

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