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

Delphine Moralis, CEO of Philea (Philanthropy Europe Association), speaks with Alberto Lidji on the evolving landscape of philanthropy in Europe. We explore Philea's mission to foster pluralistic, just, and resilient societies that prioritise people and the planet. We delve into recent trends in philanthropy, highlighting the shift towards trust-based approaches, unrestricted funding, and particip...

Tim Dixon, Co-Founder of More in Common: Bridging Divides in a Polarized World.  Tim discusses the organization's core mission to understand and address the growing polarization in societies worldwide. Through their innovative approach, More in Common leverages the insights of social psychology and extensive public opinion research. Their aim is to unravel the complex dynamics of societal attitude...

Larry Kramer, incoming President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics (LSE), joins Alberto Lidji on the Do One Better Podcast to reflect on his 10+ years as President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, discuss key lessons in philanthropy, and shed light on his aspirations for the LSE. The Hewlett Foundation is one of the world's largest philanthropic foundations and was...

Maya Ziswiler, CEO of the UBS Optimus Foundation, delves into the transformative role of philanthropy in creating an impact economy. The Foundation, celebrating its 25th anniversary, focuses on education, health, and environmental initiatives. Under Maya's leadership, the Foundation has seen considerable growth, and we explore its innovative approach in blending traditional grant-making with socia...

Jim McCormick, CEO of the Robertson Trust, discusses the organization's move into impact investing while maintaining its core mission of combating poverty and trauma in Scotland. Founded in 1961 from the philanthropic efforts of the Robertson sisters, the Trust has a rich history of community support, primarily funded through dividends from the family's globally renowned whisky business, Edrington...

Nora Bavey, Founder and General Partner of Unconventional Ventures (UV), joins us from Stockholm, Sweden, to discuss diversity within an impact investing context. UV stands out as Europe's pioneering impact fund with a diversity lens, focusing on startups led by diverse founders committed to scalable impact tech in the Nordics and beyond. Key Discussions: Unconventional Ventures - A New Impact Par...

In this inspiring episode of the Do One Better Podcast, we welcome Andrea Rasca, the visionary Chief Executive Officer of Mercato Metropolitano. As a social enterprise advocate, Rasca shares the profound philosophy that food is a human right, emphasizing the importance of healthy, sustainable, and community-centric food systems. Throughout the conversation, we delve into Mercato Metropolitano's im...

The CEO of Kokoro, Jules Chappell, talks about their strategic work connecting, scaling and championing support of mental health. By 2035, they want to see global momentum behind a shared understanding of what a mentally healthy world looks like. Leaders will have the evidence for how positive mental health contributes to our individual, collective and planetary health, and will be taking action a...

Chiwetel Ejiofor is an Oscar-nominated actor and engaged philanthropist, collaborating closely with the Geanco Foundation as they drive forward education, health and gender equity in Nigeria. Chiwetel shares his journey into philanthropy, influenced by his family's medical background and his own passion for education and healthcare. He discusses his collaboration with Afam Onyema, CEO of the Geanc...

Sharath Jeevan OBE, author of the upcoming book 'Inflection' joins us to discuss how to navigate inflection moments in leadership. Sharath, an expert in intrinsic motivation, delved deep into the concept of 'inflection points' in leadership. These moments, as he described, are not just challenging times but are critical opportunities for leaders to reassess their direction, understand the potentia...

Prof Steve Evans of the Sustainability and Conservation Research Hub at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge delves into the multifaceted approach of the Hub, which transcends traditional academic boundaries to address critical environmental challenges. At the heart of the Hub's philosophy is the concept of a 'living lab' — a dynamic space where students, academics, alumni and various stakehol...

Enlightening conversation with Daniela Barone Soares, the visionary CEO of Snowball Impact Investment. Discover how Snowball is reshaping the landscape of finance to foster prosperity for people and the planet. Redefining Investment: Learn how every investment impacts the world, and why recognizing this is crucial for sustainable finance. Snowball's Unique Approach: Explore Snowball's innovative,...

In this enlightening episode, we delve into the world of sustainability and carbon footprint management with Elisa Moscolin, the Executive Vice President of Sustainability at Sage and the Sage Foundation. Elisa brings to the table a wealth of knowledge on aiding small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in navigating the complexities of carbon footprint accounting and sustainability practices. She...

The CEO of Village Enterprise, Dianne Calvi, joins us to discuss their focus on ending extreme poverty in rural Africa  through entrepreneurship, innovation, and collective action.  We flesh out anecdotes and delve into the statistically rigorous insights from the randomized control trials (RCTs) they’ve run to assess impact on improving lives. We also look at the development impact bond (DIB) the...

Conciliation Resources' Executive Director, Jonathan Cohen, provides a candid look at the world of peacebuilding. We explore the ways peacebuilding happens, the investments required, and the different types of organisations that are involved -- from analysis, to on-the-ground mediation, diplomacy and more. Conciliation Resources works with people impacted by war and violence, bringing diverse voic...

JP Morgan Private Bank’s Oliver Gregson provides an insightful look at leveraging resources for social good. The conversation is wide-ranging and delves into clients’ changing approach to doing good, the bank’s work, and  Oliver’s personal narrative that includes social good, the environment and finance. Sustainability, climate and the environment are personal passions for Oliver. Since his days a...

Matt Hyde OBE, the Chief Executive of Scouts UK, shares his insights on the transformative power of volunteering and the successful initiative "The Big Help Out."   Matt discusses the genesis of the initiative, the challenges faced, and the remarkable results achieved. He emphasizes the importance of fostering cross-sector collaborations, the impact of innovative public engagement campaigns, and t...

The President of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, Daniel F. Wilhelm, explains why it’s important to create and disseminate knowledge against violence. At the Foundation, they support research across all forms of violence, including war, crime, and human aggression, with the aim of understanding the causes of violence, how it manifests itself and how to control it. They inform policymakers an...

Between 2010 and 2015, David served in the UK’s Coalition Government as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Schools Minister, and Cabinet Office Minister. Whilst Schools Minister he was responsible for policy areas including all capital and revenue funding, the Pupil Premium, accountability and policy on teachers and leadership.  Since 2015, David has been Chairman of the Education Policy Institute....

The Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, Enver Solomon, joins us to discuss the refugee crisis and shed light on the work of the Refugee Council and the context in which they operate. Every day, refugees are risking their lives by coming on boats from Continental Europe to the UK, and we see a political response of building walls and enforceability. We explore the realities on the ground and th...

The UK Supreme Court’s CEO, Vicky Fox, sheds light into her fascinating work and a range of initiatives focused on community outreach, education, and driving forward more diversity, accessibility and transparency. Many people do not know the UK Supreme Court has a CEO and, indeed, many other countries' top courts also have CEOs. The Court does much international work and Vicky has met her counterp...

Martin Frick is the Director of the World Food Programme’s Global Office in Berlin. We look at the global food crisis, how it relates to climate change and biodiversity, and explore how to move social drivers to empower people to make a positive difference. The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation with 24,000 colleagues all over the world, particularly in the tough...

The CEO of the Institute of Imagination, Martin Allen Morales, joins us to discuss creativity and imagination. Imagination is a critical life skill and in this episode we explore how to unlock imagination in our children, encourage teachers to embrace this topic, and inform policy-makers so we transform an education system that often stifles imagination. The Institute of Imagination is a pioneerin...

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the world’s largest and perhaps most celebrated school meals programmes, currently serving 2.5 million children every day, in India and the UK, having served nearly 4 billion meals. Bhawani Singh Shekhawat sits on the Board of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, advocates for cross-sector collaboration and provides insight into his personal journey, transitioning f...

Rachel Sandby-Thomas sits on the UK Labour Party’s Council of Skills Advisors and is the Registrar of the University of Warwick. This episode focuses on skills and social mobility and explores resilience, soft skills, the impact of AI, the power of mentorship, and more. Rachel has had a long career in the UK Civil Service, the last 8 years of which were as a Director General in the Department of B...