When I was a teenager at an all girl's school I remember spending hours decorating our homework books. Alongside the 'I love yous', my more intrepid peers would write ‘Sex' in large bubble letters followed by ‘now I have your attention'. When Sam Roddick's title was proposed similar response rippled through the Young Foundation office.

But in fact the lunchtime discussion revolved around some weighty issues. Roddick, 38, proved to be a thoughtful commentator on current social trends. Her insights are gleaned partly from 10 years spent on the shop floor of Coco de Mer, the sex shop or 'emporium of erotica', that she launched a decade ago). Her personal interest in sex arises because, in her view, our attitudes to carnal matters hold a mirror to society.

As well as a successful social enterprise and a darling of the fashion world, she describes her boutique as a "unique platform" to talk about some of the most sensitive issues in today's society: gender, consumerism, family, mental health and the West's plundering of the developing world.

Why is it for example that most men who came to her shop sought advice on how to make their partners feel desirable? Do men need to partake in a conversation about their sexuality on a similar scale to that shared by women since the launch of feminism and before? How can we address the attitudes of young women who seem all too prepared to be exploited by their sexual partners, ironically, in a bid to seem more empowered? And how to tackle women trafficking by reaching the so-called ‘consumers' of their services (apparently 80% of men in Spain have engaged with some form of prostitution)?

From the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war to the production of dildos with toxic substances banned in children's toys and animal products, Roddick also demonstrated her sharp eye for a good campaign (before becoming a successful social entrepreneur she served her apprenticeships as a campaigner aged 16 defending tribal rights in the Amazon, moving on to anti-capitalism): focusing on a single issue which raises much broader and deeper questions about responsibilities, values and our priorities as a society. focusing on a single issue which raises much broader and deeper questions about responsibilities, values and our priorities as a society.

Sam Roddick's lunchtime seminar in full (AUDIO).