Do One Better with Alberto Lidji in Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Entrepreneurship

  Asia Philanthropy Circle’s (APC) new climate collective is launching now and we hear from three philanthropists who have very different experiences and expertise — from long track-records to NextGen perspectives — who share a passion for tackling the climate crisis. APC is about learning, exchanging ideas and collaborating. It’s about taking joint action to do more and to do better. Climate is o...

  A strong case is made by John Rendel in support of unrestricted funding, encouraging grant-makers to embrace this approach to giving and calling on recipient organisations to fight for the cause of unrestricted funding as well. John’s advice is that if you, as a grant-maker, don’t trust the organisation you’re supporting, then don’t trust a restricted grant to that organisation. And, if you do t...

Learn what one of the world’s great campaigning organisations is doing to engage with its audiences more effectively, in a manner that is inclusive and empowering.  Stefan has been with Greenpeace since 1993 and has been driving Mindworks over the past few years. He describes Mindworks as a bit of a garage project within Greenpeace, with freedom to innovate and create new ways of working.  At Mind...

  The Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI) is a global not-for-profit advisory organisation set up in Australia in 2016 with offices in Singapore, the UK and Australia.  They are a social enterprise subsidiary of Save the Children.   CEI is a mission-driven organisation dedicated to seeing the best evidence implemented in policy and practice to improve the lives of vulnerable people. They...

  A warm conversation with Ricardo Lagos, a towering figure of Latin American politics who played a highly consequential role during Chile’s transition to democracy in the 1980s and later on as President of Chile in the 2000s. Ricardo Lagos was President of Chile from 2000 to 2006.  He left office with a remarkably high approval rating of c. 70%.   He served for the centre-left Concertación de Par...

  AVPN is a platform and network of investors and social funders who deploy capital for impact across Asia. Members deploy resources across a wide continuum of capital, from grant-making to impact investing, ESG and other variations. Members are both based in Asia and, also, some are global but have an interest in Asia.  AVPN is based in Singapore.   We hear of the drive for scale and the importan...

  In many ways, Carmine is part of the American dream. He was born in Italy and when he was just three years old his family moved to the US. With no prior family history of higher education, Carmine completed his MBA at NYU, joined EY in 1985 and rose through the ranks to lead one of the world’s largest professional services organisations that employs around 300,000 people and operates in more tha...

  Great Britain is very strong on the global stage of wheelchair basketball. The men’s team are currently the reigning World Champions and European Champions, and the women’s team are the Silver World Medalists and European Silver Medalists. The teams are very excited about the prospects and opportunities at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. In the UK there are around 17,000 people who play wheelchai...

  We start the conversation by getting Jack’s views on the cut in UK foreign aid from 0.7% of National Income to 0.5% and this month’s House of Commons vote  on the matter. He notes that every other G7 country is increasing its foreign aid this year, not decreasing it, and if there was ever a case for the UK to decrease its foreign aid it's not in the year of a global pandemic and the most importa...

  In this episode we talk about the climate crisis and learn about ‘Peers for the Planet’ which is the House of Lords’ Climate and Biodiversity Action Group, launched in 2020 — bringing together more than 120 Members of the House of Lords who want to put the need for an urgent response to climate change and biodiversity loss at the top of the political agenda. We also look at international knowled...

  The India Climate Collaborative (ICC) is an India-led platform founded in 2018 by a group of philanthropies interested in continuing to accelerate India’s development, while also exceeding its climate goals.  The Tata Trusts is one of India’s leading philanthropic foundations and an instrumental actor in driving the ICC forward. In this episode, we learn of the fight against climate change withi...

Partners for a New Economy is a donor collaborative founded by the Oak, MAVA, Marisla and KR foundations, and today also includes the Ford Foundation and Laudes Foundation. This conversation is for anyone who believes existing economic systems need to be improved if society is to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Jo Swinson is the former lead...

  This is a conversation full of fascinating details, insight and observations that present the listener with invaluable context on what’s required if we are to avoid a climate catastrophe, achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure we don’t leave large segments of society behind. We hear how, ultimately, no matter how good the policymaking, nor how innovative the new technolog...

If you want a front-row seat to see and understand how large corporates are approaching stakeholder capitalism and ESG, this episode is most certainly for you.   On 15th June 2021, PwC announced a massive ESG push. They’ll be investing $12bn and creating 100,000 new jobs to boost ESG expertise for clients. So, this podcast interview isn’t just theoretical; there’s real consequence to everything yo...

A must-listen episode for anyone who is interested in social entrepreneurship and combining for-profit activities with social good. ComplyAdvantage is a market leader in the use of technology, machine learning and big data to automate and scale solutions that help organisations and individuals mitigate ESG (environmental, social, governance) risk; in the process helping to tackle money laundering,...

  We discuss access to justice in developing countries; the current state of affairs in specific countries in Africa and opportunities for improvement.   The Sudreau Global Justice Institute ("SGJI") is an international human rights organization NGO based out of Pepperdine University. SGJI partners with governments around the world to advance the rule of law and provide access to justice to vulner...

  A must-listen episode for anyone who seeks truly innovative and collaborative thinking in philanthropy.   Lever for Change is a new nonprofit affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation, created to accelerate large-scale social change around the world. The organization develops and manages customized, open and transparent competitions that connect donors with bold solutions to global challenges, while...

  If you have to work with boards this episode is for you.  We tackle highly topical questions:   • What are some of the main challenges with boards?…  • What’s the relationship between the chief executive and the board?….  • Is there much of a difference between board members within a for-profit context vs a nonprofit context?…  • What about recruiting new board members?… • More... Patrick is an...

  This episode is an absolute must-listen for fans of David Lynch and those craving wellbeing through meditation. David speaks from the heart, with abundant passion and an infectious self-assuredness about consciousness and the power of Transcendental Meditation to do away with the negatives in one's life while letting in boundless positivity. We learn about the work of the David Lynch Foundation,...

  Anita sheds light on Facebook’s COVID Information Center, where people can access authoritative information about COVID-19 vaccines, and she goes on to explain how they have been partnering with the World Health Organisation (WHO), non-profit organisations and governments around the world to make sure there is accurate and credible information for people about COVID-19 vaccines. The discussion a...

Sir Peter was Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2009 to 2018, serving three Prime Ministers: John Key, Bill English and Jacinda Ardern. He’s also the Director of Koi Tū — the Centre for Informed Futures — a New Zealand based think tank looking at some of the most pressing issues impacting our world. In this episode we talk about the role of chief science advisors, how...

  Together for Girls is a global, public-private partnership dedicated to ending violence against children, especially sexual violence against girls. The partnership includes five UN agencies, the governments of the United States and Canada, several private sector organisations and more than 20 country governments in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, working together to generate compr...

  This episode is of particular interest to anyone who cares about driving forward quality education at scale in a global context. While the Lemann Foundation is based in Brazil, its work is of interest to philanthropists, NGOs and social entrepreneurs across the globe. Denis sheds light on the Foundation’s work, ranging from operations to grant-making, and provides a solid overview of the current...

  David served as the youngest UK Foreign Secretary in three decades, driving advancements in human rights and representing the UK throughout the world. His accomplishments have earned him a reputation, in former President Bill Clinton's words, as "one of the ablest, most creative public servants of our time.” David talks candidly about the invaluable work of the International Rescue Committee (IR...

  If you ever wondered how a Silicon Valley mindset rooted in social entrepreneurship can improve global education, then this episode is for you.  A fascinating look at an organisation that is quite different from traditional philanthropy. Imaginable Futures is a philanthropic investment firm that combines impact investing and foundation grant-making in order to unleash human potential through lea...