Intelligence Squared: Business

No Bullsh*t Leadership is our straight-talking podcast that cuts to the chase about leadership.  In this episode, Chris speaks to Lord Karan Bilimoria, one of this country’s leading entrepreneurs, a business leader, and politician. He was born in Hyderabad, India in 1961, but moved to London in the 1980s, where he qualified as a chartered accountant and subsequently studied law at Cambridge. In 19...

Expanding our global electricity networks is key to unlocking a renewable future, especially in the United States: the world’s largest economy that produces 14 percent of global emissions.  The Inflation Reduction Act, signed last August, aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 – America’s largest ever investment to fight climate change.  However, one serious obstacle could stymie the...

Expanding our global electricity networks is key to unlocking a renewable future. But, traditional grids need to adapt too. They don’t just need to be bigger; they need to be smarter and more efficient.  Much of the equipment on the electric grid was built decades ago and needs to be upgraded. Our energy infrastructure was designed for a world in which electricity flowed in one direction – from th...

Expanding our global electricity networks is the key to unlocking a renewable future. In the US alone, the electric grid will need to expand by at least 60% by 2030 to ensure renewable energy can make its way into our homes and businesses, and the UK’s networks are also in dire need of regeneration. To implement such a project will require seismic policy change, innovative thinking and massive inv...

Not many of us can claim to have hunted with the Bushmen of the Kalahari; been detained for spying by the KGB; or smuggled ourselves over a border into an active war zone under the floorboards of an ambulance. Yet, for our latest guests on the Futureverse, this is all in a day’s work.  The Sunday Times’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Christina Lamb, who has been covering conflict around the globe for...

In this straight-talking podcast brought to you by Intelligence Squared, Chris Hirst cuts through the bullshit and gets to the heart of modern leadership.  In this episode, Chris speaks to theatre director Sir Nicholas Hytner. Previously Artistic Director of the National Theatre, his major successes include Miss Saigon, The History Boys, and One Man, Two Guvnors. Under Hytner’s leadership, the Nat...

In this straight-talking podcast brought to you by Intelligence Squared, Chris Hirst cuts through the bullshit and gets to the heart of modern leadership.  In this episode, Chris speaks to Kate Mosse, the award winning novelist, playwright and non-fiction writer. She is the author of nine novels and short story collections, and her books have been translated into 38 languages and published in 40 d...

On the face of it, Michael Welch OBE seems to have it all: he’s the President and CEO of America’s largest tire distributor, and he sold his previous business – Blackcircles – to Michelin for £50 million in 2015.  But, Michael’s start in life was not straightforward. Adopted as a baby and stymied by dyslexia and dyscalculia, he ended up working in a local garage, having left school at fifteen with...

In this straight-talking podcast brought to you by Intelligence Squared, Chris Hirst cuts through the bullshit and gets to the heart of modern leadership.  In this episode, Chris speaks to Justine Roberts, the founder and CEO of Mumsnet to talk about the journey of building Mumsnet into the phenomenon it is today, along with the unique challenges of leading a community driven business.  Chris Hirs...

What is financial risk? Why is it important to set a financial risk level? What is your financial risk level? These are questions we often assume are best avoided – many of us go through life burying our heads in the sand, giving any kind of financial risk as wide a berth as possible.   But, in investing, risk is crucial. In this episode, Harriet Johnston Y TREE’s Head of Brand and Marketing is jo...

New from Intelligence Squared. Introducing VS, a light-hearted podcast about the little debates that are always a big deal to someone. Arsenal VS Spurs. McDonald’s VS KFC. Peep Show VS The Office. 80s VS 90s. And many more. Our host Coco Khan invites experts and fans to go head-to-head on the timeless debates that form the lifeblood of friendships. Who wins? You decide with our weekly vote. Tune i...

Today we bring you Episode 1, Season Four of No Bullsh*t Leadership. In this straight-talking podcast brought to you by Intelligence Squared, Chris Hirst cuts through the bullshit and gets to the heart of modern leadership.  In this episode, Chris speaks to Bruce Daisley, a bestselling author and technology leader. Bruce is regarded as one of the most respected thought leaders on the subject of wo...

The episode is part two of our live event, System Error: Should We Fix Capitalism or Abandon It? Here Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, Martin Wolf and Greek politician and Economist Yanis Varoufakis continue their debate on the future of capitalism. In his new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, Wolf argues that democratic capitalism remains the best system for human flou...

In the UK, more than a third of us struggle to talk to anyone about money, with one in ten not even willing to discuss finances with their partner. Yet, opening up conversations about money, learning the tools and techniques for making these conversations productive, and understanding the pressure points around an individual’s financial situation can be totally life-changing. Wealth gaps between f...

This episode brings you part one of our live event, System Error: Should We Fix Capitalism or Abandon It? Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, Martin Wolf, and Greek Politician and Economist, Yanis Varoufakis, debate their views on the future of capitalism. In his new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, Wolf argues that democratic capitalism remains the best system for human...

Married couples often comprise a CFO spouse and a non-CFO spouse. That’s how the wealth management industry has historically approached things: one partner, more often than not, the man, is responsible for the family’s finances; the other, more often than not, the woman, is sidelined. As a result, women have traditionally felt unwelcome in the wealth management space.  In this episode, Y TREE’s He...

The literal translation of amateur is ‘lover of’ so why is it a word so often steeped in derogatory overtones? Why, when we’re asked for our hobbies, are we inclined to diminish their status in our lives? Our hobbies make us human. From pottery, to geo-guessing; orienteering to stamp collecting; it is in these small, often quiet, building blocks of life that we so often find true meaning and conne...

Senator Bernie Sanders is seen by many as the leader of the progressive movement in the United States. On this episode of the podcast, recorded in central London, he spoke to BBC broadcaster Justin Webb about corporate greed, identity politics and the direction of America today. Sanders' new book It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism is available now. This podcast was produced by Conor Boyle with e...

So, you’ve decided you want to begin donating to charity. But how?  In this episode, Kamal Ahmed speaks to Anna Josse, the CEO and Founder of Prism the Gift Fund, a registered charity which administers the giving of significant gifts to charities all over the world, and David Duke MBE, the Founder and CEO of Street Soccer Scotland and Street Soccer London, non-profit social enterprises that use fo...

What if the solution to solving extreme poverty was as simple as giving cash to those who need it?  GiveDirectly, the fastest growing NGO founded this century, does just that. By allowing donors to send money directly to the world’s poorest, it has revolutionised the aid sector. In the last decade, GiveDirectly has delivered $580M+ to over 1.37 million people across eleven countries. Cash in hand,...

Some of the richest people in the world have decided against bequeathing their fortunes to their children; from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, to Daniel Craig and Michael Sheen. The proponents of this view offer many arguments, including the idea that inheriting huge wealth can detrimentally impact children, distorting anything they might do with their life. They also argue that the wealthy are mo...

This is the third and final episode of The Great Energy Transition, a series from Intelligence Squared in partnership with Cummins and we're asking what is the role of corporations in the energy transition? To discuss how the complex partnerships between corporations and governments might shape our futures, we’re joined by Jennifer Rumsey, President and CEO of Cummins; Gillian Tett, Chairman of th...

We live in a world which is completely dependent on the technology of microchips, which are made up of millions of transistors which are so small, about one thousandth of the size of a red blood cell. Making something this small and this complex is not something that can be easily replicated, meaning the world relies on just a handful of companies and countries to supply these chips. So how did we...

Can advertising’s immense power to change behaviour be used for good? In this brand new podcast, produced by Intelligence Squared, Myra Nussbaum, President and Chief Creative Officer at Havas Chicago and Dan Lucey, Chief Creative Officer at Havas New York, talk to the people who are harnessing the power of advertising to help people and the planet. This week, Dan and Myra were joined by the VP of...

On this edition of Intelligence Squared Business, we meet the minds behind Y TREE. It was founded in 2017 to give its clients insight and advice about money and life. They call this Financial Life Intelligence. At the heart of this idea sits a vision of a world where wealth is defined by how you live, not what you have. Y TREE unlocks value for its clients that goes beyond the financial. In doing...