Listen to 300+ interviews on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Guests include Paul Polman, David Lynch, Siya Kolisi, Cherie Blair, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bob Moritz, David Miliband and Julia Gillard. Hosted by Alberto Lidji, Visiting Professor at Strathclyde Business School and ex-Global CEO of the Novak Djokovic Foundation. Visit Lidji.org for more information.
Episodes
Monday Apr 22, 2019
Monday Apr 22, 2019
CEO of 100 Women in Finance, Amanda Pullinger, joins Alberto Lidji to talk about their invaluable peer network, educational initiatives and philanthropy.
In this episode, Amanda provides insight into the work of 100 Women in Finance and shares her thoughts and observations on the need to inspire young women and to improve the numbers of women who hold senior positions in the finance industry – particularly in investment roles.
Founded in 2001 (originally known as 100 Women in Hedge Funds), it is a global network of professionals in the finance and alternative investment industries working together to empower women at every stage of their careers. They have a focus on peer engagement, philanthropy and educational initiatives.
The organisation enjoys royal patronage from Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, who first became patron of 100 Women UK Philanthropic Initiatives in 2009, and from The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry who also became patrons in 2012.
More than $50 million have been raised by 100 Women in Finance events in support of philanthropy.
A key focus is 100 Women in Finance’s Next Generation initiative. Amanda notes that the percentage of women who are fund managers hasn’t really shifted for the past 20 years. There are many reasons for this but she realised there was a need to overcome some of the myths about the finance industry and some of the negative press the industry has received. Indeed, while some criticisms about the industry are well founded, much of the negativity is overstated and isn’t actually accurate.
An approach of 100 Women in Finance is to showcase successful women in the finance industry and, through the use of role models, get into schools, universities and business schools, so the next generation of young women can see that there are some fantastic opportunities in the industry.
Demystifying what the finance industry does is a critical factor for the next generation – the reality is very different from what one sees in films such as the Wolf of Wall Street. There is a need to change how young women perceive the finance industry and to make them aware they can actually make a positive impact by working in finance.
Irrespective of gender, attracting millennials to the finance industry requires much more than simply underscoring how intellectually interesting or lucrative this field can be. The next generation want to know they’re making a difference to everyday men and women, and underscoring the increasing prevalence and importance of impact investing, ESG-integrated investing and sustainable investing is important in this new context.
When asked how the inclusivity landscape has changed over the last five years, Amanda provided a very telling anecdote: this year she was invited to attend 8 events in London related to International Women’s Day (she was a speaker at 4 of them) and “it felt this year like it was International Women’s Day on steroids”.
Amanda feels we’re talking about the issues more but she’s not sure that we are actually doing as much as we can to provide solutions to the issues.
A lot of what’s happened over the last 5 years is that there have been the headlines and there have been the statistics and the focus on the data, but what’s interesting is that with all the studies that have come out saying that diverse teams produce better results – across industries and across sectors – the numbers still haven’t really changed.
She worries that people are going to get bored, thinking here we go again with the unconscious bias training; and her worry is that people will tire of the talk. Consequently, Amanda’s focus has been on finding solutions and exploring how to activate these solutions so the numbers really do change.
Full episode notes and additional resources are available at Lidji.org
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
Ex-McKinsey & Company Global Director of Sustainability and Social Impact, Dorothée D'Herde, joins Alberto Lidji to talk about the business case for acting sustainably, new value pools and key trends.
Dorothée was at McKinsey for almost a decade and whether you’re a corporate CEO, a well-meaning consumer or simply trying to understand the latest thinking in this space, you’ll find this episode highly informative.
Dorothée gives listeners a succinct and powerful definition of sustainability, which simply put is about ensuring there’s “enough, for all, forever”.
Much of the conversation can be boiled down to meat, plastics and money. Diets are changing, awareness of key issues is more pronounced, and we’re about to experience the biggest intergenerational transfer of wealth – the next generation of investors are aligning investments and sustainability much more robustly than before.
What do you think of the ostensible tensions in sustainability adherence between the developed and developing world? Well, Dorothée is quick to point out she dislikes the ‘us’ vs ‘them’ mindset – we are all in this together. We all need to take action; hope alone is insufficient.
She notes that at McKinsey, much attention was paid to the ways in which CEOs can derive value from sustainability: looking at key areas such as safeguarding your license to operate; cutting your costs by using less water, less energy; and finding new ‘value pools’.
There is a strong business case for being sustainable, and this is highly encouraging.
Dorothée references the Better Business, Better World report where business opportunities and new value pools derived from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are identified to the tune of $12 trillion. Opportunities are wide-ranging, from food & agriculture and cities, to energy & materials, and health & wellbeing.
What should you do if you want your business to align with best practice in sustainability? Where do you start and who do you go to? There’s no single answer but by listening to this episode you’ll have a better idea of what your next step should look like.
Full episode notes and additional resources are available at Lidji.org
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
CEO of ActionAid UK, Girish Menon, joins Alberto Lidji on “International Women's Day” to talk about improving the lives of girls and women globally.
Learn and be inspired by the candid observations of Girish Menon, CEO of ActionAid UK. If you ever wondered how international development organisations actually work and what it takes to be a CEO in a complex organisational landscape -- where lives truly are on the line -- you'll enjoy this episode and take away several key pointers.
The Do One Better! podcast is hosted by Alberto Lidji, former Global CEO of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, and aims to inspire listeners to be more philanthropic, to think more about sustainability and to embrace social entrepreneurship. Full episode notes and additional resources are available at Lidji.org
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
Marks & Spencer’s Director of Sustainable Business, Mike Barry, joins Alberto Lidji to share key trends in sustainability and identify “the single most important, most profound change”.
Mike Barry is a trailblazer in the world of sustainability and leads sustainability at M&S, one of the world's great food and clothing retailers.
We hear him explain how “just making old capitalism less bad ain’t good enough” and gain invaluable insight as he clinically points out “the most important things that a Marks & Spencer's can do" to make the most difference in reducing carbon footprint. The shareholder base is definitely more energised and rest assured, disruption is coming!
The Do One Better! podcast is hosted by Alberto Lidji, former Global CEO of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, and aims to inspire listeners to be more philanthropic, to think more about sustainability and to embrace social entrepreneurship. Full episode notes and additional resources are available at Lidji.org
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
Managing Director of the Jacobs Foundation, Sandro Giuliani, joins Alberto Lidji to shed light on how their $7bn endowment and strategic operations improve the lives of children and youth globally.
If you ever wondered how global philanthropy works, this is the episode for you. Sandro Giuliani, Managing Director of the Jacobs Foundation, explains what it takes to achieve long-term, sustainable, system-wide change and sheds light on co-funding, intellectual partnerships, impact investing and private/public partnerships.
The Jacobs Foundation has a $7bn endowment, a robust portfolio of philanthropic initiatives, and strategic partnerships with global foundations, national and local governments, and several of the world's leading academic centres of excellence, including Berkeley, MIT, Wharton and Oxford. They drive knowledge and research forward through an incredible Fellowship program and, ultimately, focus on children and youth.
The Do One Better! podcast is hosted by Alberto Lidji, former Global CEO of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, and aims to inspire listeners to be more philanthropic, to think more about sustainability and to embrace social entrepreneurship. Full episode notes and additional resources are available at Lidji.org
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
Wednesday Apr 03, 2019
The Chair of Ernst & Young’s EY Foundation, Patrick Dunne, joins Alberto Lidji to talk social entrepreneurship, impact, employability, education in Africa and helping disadvantaged youth.
Patrick Dunne is Chair of Ernst & Young's EY Foundation and Chair of ESSA (Education Sub Saharan Africa), as well as being a serial social entrepreneur. Hear his personal story and learn from his business experience -- a journey from humble beginnings that has led to leadership positions at some truly remarkable philanthropic organisations and social enterprises.
Clarity of purpose, getting the right people and appointing first-time CEO’s – he shares plenty of tips for you to take away.
If you’re at all interested in diverse social enterprise models; helping children and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds break through and running programs in sub-Saharan Africa, this episode is for you.
The Do One Better! podcast is hosted by Alberto Lidji, former Global CEO of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, and aims to inspire listeners to be more philanthropic, think more about sustainability and embrace social entrepreneurship. Full episode notes and additional resources are available at Lidji.org