Pullman Voices

Feng Chen Wang is a Chinese, London-based fashion designer who embodies what it means to update tradition. Her eponymous brand creates pieces that are deeply personal yet globally resonant, merging traditional Chinese references with modern tailoring, sportswear influences and futuristic silhouettes. As her brand marks a decade of boundary-pushing design, Wang reflects on her upbringing in Fujian,...

Ole Scheeren is the award-winning German architect behind some of the world’s most ambitious and unconventional buildings. From tech campuses in Asian megacities to residential apartment blocks in Vancouver, Scheeren’s designs seamlessly bridge opposing aesthetics and functionalities. In this episode he tells us about the power of cross-cultural collaboration and how this can enrich th...

What does it take to grow ambitious start-ups into impactful businesses and foster diverse, inclusive leadership from the start? Roxanne Varza is director of Paris’s Station F, the world’s largest start-up campus. Previously head of Microsoft’s French start-up activity and named by Business Insider as one of tech’s 30 most influential women under 30, she tells Monocle&rsquo...

Could the circular economy be the answer to climate change? Monocle’s correspondent in New Delhi, Lyndee Prickitt, meets India’s foremost expert on the circular economy, Shalini Goyal Bhalla. She is the managing director of think-tank International Council for Circular Economy and has written books on the subject. She tells us about the opportunities that moving towards a circular mode...

Former chef Amelia Christie-Miller has long been obsessed with brands that have the power to shape consumer behaviour. In 2021 she created Bold Bean Co to change the perception of beans, encouraging people to see them as more than a mere pantry ingredient. In this conversation with Monocle’s Tom Edwards, Christie-Miller discusses how she disrupted the food industry by shifting age-old narrat...

Charles Landry is an international adviser on the use of imagination and creativity in urban change. He has written many books on the subject, including ‘The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators’. His work seeks to help cities unlock their potential and become resilient, self-sustaining places. In this episode he speaks to Tom Edwards about how intentional design can nurture c...

When it comes to good leadership, professor John Amaechi knows a thing or two. Amaechi is an organisational psychologist and founder of APS Intelligence, a consultancy dedicated to helping organisations cultivate high-performance, ethical workplace cultures. He also happens to be a former basketball star and the first Briton to ever play in the NBA. John Amaechi talks to Tom Edwards about the mome...

Julia Hobsbawm is an author and the CEO of global work trends and change network Workathon. In this episode she shares how to build a healthier relationship with our online lives and offers a blueprint for navigating digital spaces with decency and respect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Hieatt is the founder of Hiut Denim Co and The Do Lectures, an idea- sharing platform featuring some of the world’s most interesting thinkers. He has previously worked for some of the biggest advertising agencies in the world and was the founder of sportswear brand Howie’s. Hieatt didn’t have the most traditional path into his career. Despite not finishing his education, th...

Monocle’s Tom Edwards is joined by serial entrepreneur Dumi Oburota to discuss the power of being present and of meaningful exchange. From his experiences in the music industry, nurturing the career of acclaimed British rapper Tinie Tempah to closing deals on his newly founded drinks brand Severan, Oburota tells us why he’s a firm believer in the magic of human connection. See omnystud...

In the first episode of Monocle’s collaboration with Pullman Hotels, Monocle’s Tom Edwards is in Dubai to meet the architect and founder of design practice Roar, Pallavi Dean. A seasoned globe-trotter, Dean is no stranger to new geographies and beginnings. We ask her how activating change can help to breed the resilience and agility needed to grow. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...