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 impact across London, discussing the challenges of securing funding and finding like-minded...

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 against agreed targets and milestones. This episode is for anyone who’s keen on learning more...

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 Geanco Foundation, and how this partnership has led to significant advancements in education and...

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 potential of their teams, and redefine their goals. The essence of his message was clear: leadership is...

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 stakeholders converge to brainstorm, innovate, and implement sustainable solutions. This approach fosters...

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, diversified global fund that focuses on solving critical environmental and social issues through...

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 emphasizes the integral role of SMBs in achieving global net zero targets and the...

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) they’ve done with the likes of USAid and FCDO; and hear about their upcoming work with the Rwandan...

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 voices together to make change that lasts. They connect the views of people on the ground with...

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 at the University of Nottingham where Oliver graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science in...

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 the significance of pro-social behaviors in building a cohesive society.   Matt delves...

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 and practitioners, and drive public discourse. We get insight into their various partnerships,...

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. In this episode we focus on narrowing the education gap between rich and poor and delve into...

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 the electoral challenges faced by policymakers, within a backdrop of heightened economic insecurity...

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 counterparts in the USA, Canada, France, and Germany. Vicky is in charge of all the non-judicial...

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 toughest regions of the planet – working with almost 1,000 NGOs and active in places where often times...

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 pioneering education charity, working with parents, teachers, youth and community leaders, and academics,...

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 from corporate success to non-profit social impact. This episode focuses on nutrition and...

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 Business, Innovation and Skills where she covered legal, corporate services and policy (skills,...

Liesel Pritzker Simmons brings us into the origins of the IDP Foundation, which she co-founded with her mother, Irene Pritzker. The foundation’s mission: To participate in building a sustainable education ecosystem that embraces a mixed economy of provision, and caters for all children through access to finance for low-fee private schools, quality interventions and advocacy in Africa and beyond. Corina Gardner joined the IDP Foundation as its CEO in 2020 and she starts by providing a broader...

Community Jameel’s Director, George Richards, talks about their support of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and numerous other initiatives supporting bright talent beyond the lab and across the globe. In 2019, the Nobel Prize for Economics was awarded to J-PAL’s co-founders, Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, and long-time J-PAL affiliate Michael Kremer, for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.  Community Jameel has supported and partnered with J-PAL...

The CEO of the Valuable 500, Katy Talikowska, advocates for synchronised collective action; using the power of business to drive lasting change for the 1.3 billion people around the world who are living with a disability. The Valuable 500 is a collective of 500 businesses, representing 22 million employees,  chaired by Paul Polman, who are innovating for disability inclusion. Through synchronised collective action, they are tackling three systems barriers: (1) Lack of representation (2) Lack...

The Chancellor of Reach University, Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, joins us to discuss teacher shortages in the USA and their innovative apprenticeship route helping those from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds join the teaching profession.  Reach University’s approach addresses and tackles the hurdles that often stand in the way of people’s dreams of studying to become a teacher. From a lack of childcare and high costs, to geographic distances and poor alignment between subjects studied and...

The Head of the Wimbledon Foundation, Paige Murphy, talks with Alberto Lidji, former CEO of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, about the charitable work of the Wimbledon Foundation, their key partnerships and the invaluable role of sports in providing essential skills for education and employment. The Wimbledon Foundation is the official charity of the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the Championships. Their mission is to champion opportunity for all, and they aim to leverage the resources of...

GiveOut’s Executive Director, Rupert Abbott, joins us to discuss the LGBTI movement through a human rights lens, and GiveOut’s work enabling the LGBTI community and its allies to give in one place to support this cause. We also explore GiveOut’s drive to increase philanthropic funding and the increasing importance of corporate support. GiveOut is an international LGBTQI community foundation working closely with many grassroots organisations. Rupert Abbott qualified as a lawyer at the global...