Épisodes

  • Bridging the trust gap: rebuilding legitimacy through place and community

    Bridging the trust gap: rebuilding legitimacy through place and community
    Jan 22 2026
    Guests
    Professor Mike Kenny, Head of Department at the Bennett School of Public Policy, University of Cambridge
    Jacinta Koolmatrie, Aboriginal heritage practitioner (Adnyamathanha and Ngarrindjeri)

    Episode overview
    Across many societies, trust between communities and institutions has fractured. People feel decisions are remote, economies no longer work for them, and institutions do not recognise their on-the-ground realities. In this episode, Lindsay Hooper and Marc Kahn explore how trust and legitimacy can be rebuilt through place-based, community-led approaches, and why listening only matters when institutions are prepared to change how power is exercised.

    Professor Mike Kenny examines how economic transition, geographical polarisation and centralised governance have weakened the relationship between citizens and the state, creating deep place-based grievances. Jacinta Koolmatrie provides a grounded perspective from Aboriginal communities, where trust in institutions often never existed in the first place, and explains why consultation fails when institutions are unwilling to relinquish control, slow down, and work with communities on their own terms.

    The conversation explores what actually works: community wealth building, experimental and deliberative policy approaches, Indigenous-led responses during COVID, and the role of time, iteration and tacit knowledge. It also examines the risks of “one-size-fits-all” engagement, and the power of narrative and nostalgia in rebuilding legitimacy without falling into populist politics.

    Key Takeaways
    Place matters in practice as well as sentiment: policy outcomes vary with local history, networks, capacity and constraints, so design and implementation cannot be separated.

    Community engagement improves decisions by revealing tacit, experience-based knowledge that is not captured in formal data or models.

    Experimental, test-and-learn approaches that allow priorities to be set locally and adjusted over time produce more workable and legitimate outcomes than fixed, top-down programmes.

    Selected quotes
    “The listening [by those inpower] is more of like a show to the world that they’re doing something, but they’re not actually doing something….They realise that they’re going to lose power if they do anything past the listening part.” Jacinta Koolmatrie

    “Unless you really have a deeper understanding of how people feel and think about particular issues, the solutions you may try and impose just may well not fly, they may well not work or indeed be counterproductive.” Professor Mike Kenny

    Credits
    Presented by:
    Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive, CISL
    Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Investec
    Produced by: Carl Homer (Cambridge TV) & Alexa Sellwood
    Executive Producer: Gillian Secrett
    In partnership with: Investec

    Listen and Subscribe:
    Available on all major podcast platforms or visit the Leadership Hub on the CISL website or Investec Focus for more episodes and insights.

    Disclaimer:
    The views in this podcast are those of the contributors, and don’t necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge, or Investec, and should not be taken as advice or a recommendation. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · Investec · CISL Leadership Hub · Investec Focus Radio
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    52 min
  • Making the Transition Investable: Policy Certainty, Capital, and Coordination with Marina Grossi, Sang-Hyup Kim & Helena

    Making the Transition Investable: Policy Certainty, Capital, and Coordination with Marina Grossi, Sang-Hyup Kim & Helena
    Jan 20 2026
    Clean and green growth has moved from ambition to execution, but the challenge is one of pace. Investment conditions are key: predictable rules, credible pathways, and coordination across value chains, finance and government.

    Helena Norrman describes what this looks like inside one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise – steel - including the reality of upfront capital investment, permitting and policy risk, and the mismatch between industrial timelines and market expectations. Marina Grossi argues that confidence is rebuilt through delivery, evidence of real world outcomes, and coalitions and coordination to make progress investable. Sang-Hyup Kim explains why transition policy now sits at the centre of industrial strategy, competitiveness and geopolitics, and how “mini multilateralism” and practical platforms (including carbon markets and hydrogen) can unlock scale even when global cooperation is strained.

    Across steel, green growth policy and Brazil’s business-led coalitions, the episode sets out a practical playbook for leaders who want to move beyond isolated initiatives and accelerate delivery at scale.

    Guests
    Helena Norrman: Executive Vice President and Head of Group Communications, Global Steel Company, SSAB (Svenskt Stål AB) [Swedish Steel, Limited]

    Sang-Hyup Kim: Executive Director, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

    Marina Grossi: President, Conselho Empresarial Brasileiro para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável (CEBDS) [Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development]

    Key takeaways
    1. Make the transition investable: prioritise predictability and credible pathways that survive political cycles.
    2. Treat transition policy as industrial strategy, because energy, infrastructure, finance and skills move together.
    3. Build coalitions that align incentives across value chains and jurisdictions, because isolated action does not scale.
    4. Rebuild confidence through delivery: scale proven projects and remove bottlenecks (permitting, infrastructure, standards).
    5. Lead for execution: focus, be pragmatic and prioritise, act under uncertainty, and manage short-term results alongside long-term commitments.

    Selected Quotes
    “Leadership now needs super pragmatic business focus, operational excellence driven leadership -because that can actually generate strong enough results to allow for the transformation to happen - and then you need to stay the course and that take guts.” Helena Norrman

    “Markets don’t shift because one leader moves first. They shift when coalitions align incentives across value chains, sectors and jurisdictions.” Marina Grossi

    “If global multilateral corporation is not easy to achieve, then we can start with mini multilateralism by working with like-minded countries together” Sang-Hyup Kim

    Credits
    Presented by:
    Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive, CISL
    Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Investec
    Produced by: Carl Homer (Cambridge TV) & Alexa Sellwood
    Executive Producer: Gillian Secrett
    In partnership with: Investec

    Listen and Subscribe:
    Available on all major podcast platforms or visit the Leadership Hub on the CISL website or Investec Focus for more episodes and insights.

    Disclaimer:
    The views in this podcast are those of the contributors, and don’t necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge, or Investec, and should not be taken as advice or a recommendation. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · Investec · CISL Leadership Hub · Investec Focus Radio
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    36 min
  • Reclaiming the Future from the Algorithm

    Reclaiming the Future from the Algorithm
    Jan 15 2026
    Guest:
    Vilas Dhar – President, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation; philanthropist, technologist and advocate for human-centred AI

    What Next? Leadership Conversations for a Better Future explores how leaders can help build future-fit economies, bringing fresh perspectives, provocative questions and conversations with leaders shaping the future of markets, business and society.

    Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping economies, societies and power structures — yet much of the conversation has swung between uncritical optimism and existential fear.

    In this episode of What Next? Lindsay Hooper and Marc Kahn explore how leaders can reclaim agency over the future of AI, ensuring it serves human progress rather than narrow commercial or political interests. Vilas Dhar argues that the real challenge is not whether AI will become uncontrollable (this is the realm of Sci-Fi), but whether societies can adapt quickly enough to its social, economic and cultural impacts. He makes the case for shifting the focus away from hype and dominance towards participation, institutional imagination and moral courage — and for designing AI systems that restore human agency and democratic participation, while supporting inclusion and long-term resilience.

    Key Takeaways
    1. The greatest risk of AI is social disruption, loss of human agency and participation.
    2. AI must be shaped as a societal project, not left to markets or geopolitics alone.
    3. Civil society, government and business all have roles as co-architects of the future – but civil society has not yet stepped up.
    4. Leadership today requires moral courage, humility and long-term thinking.
    5. A better AI future is possible — but only if participation replaces passivity.

    Selected Quotes
    “I’m not worried about an AI system 100 years from now that decides that humans are bad. I’m worried about 10 years from now, whether we have the capacity to deal with what happens when millions of people feel not just displaced, but fully kicked out of a social contract that hasn’t really worked for them for decades.”
    — Vilas Dhar

    “Inertia does not equal inevitability. Because we’re on that path doesn’t mean that we can’t do better.”
    — Vilas Dhar

    “The question becomes who will hold the moral courage to say that whatever it is that we create has to work for everyone.”
    — Vilas Dhar

    Credits
    Presented by:
    Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive, CISL
    Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Investec
    Produced by: Carl Homer (Cambridge TV) & Alexa Sellwood
    Executive Producer: Gillian Secrett
    In partnership with: Investec

    Listen and Subscribe:
    Available on all major podcast platforms or visit the Leadership Hub on the CISL website or Investec Focus for more episodes and insights.

    Disclaimer:
    The views in this podcast are those of the contributors, and don’t necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge, or Investec, and should not be taken as advice or a recommendation. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · Investec · CISL Leadership Hub · Investec Focus Radio
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    39 min
  • Changing Minds, Changing Markets

    Changing Minds, Changing Markets
    Jan 13 2026
    Guests:
    Michael Liebreich – Managing Partner, EcoPragma Capital & CEO, Liebreich Associates
    Rory Sutherland – Vice Chairman, Ogilvy UK; behavioural science commentator

    What Next? Leadership Conversations for a Better Future explores how leaders can help build future-fit economies, bringing fresh perspectives, provocative questions and conversations with leaders shaping the future of markets, business and society.

    As the climate and energy transition enters a more contested phase, public confidence and political support are becoming harder to sustain. In this episode of What Next?, Lindsay Hooper and Marc Kahn explore why changing markets now requires changing minds.

    Michael Liebreich and Rory Sutherland bring together energy systems thinking and behavioural science to unpack why backlash has emerged, how misinformation and poor incentives undermine progress, and why leadership must shift from moral persuasion to practical delivery. They argue that loss of trust has been driven not only by political polarisation, but also by unrealistic narratives, absolutist thinking and the promotion of costly or ineffective solutions. The conversation highlights the importance of affordability, credibility and human behaviour in building momentum for the transition - and why pragmatic, market-shaping solutions matter more than ever.

    Key Takeaways:
    1. Changing markets depends on changing minds as much as changing technologies.
    2. Climate action succeeds when it is affordable, practical and trusted.
    3. Transitions work by scaling the new before shutting down the old.
    4. Behavioural insight is as important as engineering in designing solutions.
    5. Leaders must focus on credible delivery, not performative signals.

    Quotes
    “The transition isn’t dead — it’s slow, uneven and exactly how real transitions have always worked.” Michael Liebreich

    “If you present people with a deal where they are only a loser, don’t be surprised when they reject it.” Rory Sutherland

    Credits
    Presented by: Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive, CISL and Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Investec
    Produced by: Carl Homer (Cambridge TV) & Alexa Sellwood
    Executive Producer: Gillian Secrett
    In partnership with: Investec

    Listen and Subscribe:
    Available on all major podcast platforms or visit the Leadership Hub on the CISL website or Investec Focus for more episodes and insights.

    Disclaimer:
    The views in this podcast are those of the contributors, and don’t necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge, or Investec, and should not be taken as advice or a recommendation. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · Investec · CISL Leadership Hub · Investec Focus Radio
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    45 min
  • Backing the Future: Can Philanthropy Drive Systemic Change? with Peter Bennett & Leslie Johnston

    Backing the Future: Can Philanthropy Drive Systemic Change? with Peter Bennett & Leslie Johnston
    Dec 18 2025
    In this episode our hosts explore the role of philanthropy in shaping cleaner, fairer and more resilient economies. Philanthropy funds much of the world’s high-risk innovation, early-stage ideas and new economic thinking — often long before markets or governments are able to act.

    Hosts Lindsay Hooper and Marc Kahn are joined by two leaders reshaping the field:
    • Peter Bennett — founder of the Bennett Foundation, supporting institutions such as the Bennett Institute for Public Policy and the Bennett Innovation Lab at the Whittle Laboratory
    • Leslie Johnston — founding CEO of the Laudes Foundation, working with more than 300 organisations to accelerate a green, fair and inclusive global economy.

    Together, they explore how philanthropy can move beyond individual projects to spark system change — shaping incentives, narratives and the enabling conditions that determine whether economies become cleaner, fairer and more resilient.
    The guests offer two complementary perspectives on how philanthropy can drive systemic change. Peter reflects on backing exceptional people and strong institutions that can generate ideas with multi-decade impact. Leslie shares how strategic philanthropy works to catalyse market mechanisms, shift mindsets and power dynamics, and create incentives for climate-positive and people-positive outcomes.

    Together, they paint a picture of philanthropy as a crucial part of the wider ecosystem — not replacing business or government, but enabling experimentation, supporting innovation, and helping shape the rules and narratives that accelerate the transition to a sustainable and inclusive global economy.

    In partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Investec.

    “Philanthropy works best when it catalyses the market mechanism—sparking something new, creating momentum, and then letting business, government and civil society take it to scale.” Leslie Johnston
    “I back really smart people in institutions that can still be here in decades or centuries. That’s how you create long-term impact—by investing in ideas that endure.” Peter Bennett

    Key Takeaways
    • Philanthropy’s unique value is the freedom to take long-term, risky and innovative bets
    • System change requires shifting incentives and power dynamics, not just fixing problems at the edges
    • Funding institutions, not only projects, creates lasting impact
    • Blended finance and mission-related investments unlock solutions traditional capital won’t back
    • Progress should be measured by contribution to system shifts, not ownership of isolated outcomes

    Credits
    Presented by:
    • Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive, CISL
    • Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Investec
    Produced by: Carl Homer (Cambridge TV) & Alexa Sellwood
    Executive Producer: Gillian Secrett
    In partnership with: Investec

    Listen and Subscribe:
    Available on all major podcast platforms or visit the Leadership Hub on the CISL website or Investec Focus for more episodes and insights.

    Disclaimer:
    The views in this podcast are those of the contributors, and don’t necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge, or Investec, and should not be taken as advice or a recommendation. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · Investec · CISL Leadership Hub · Investec Focus Radio
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    41 min
  • Rewiring Finance for a better future with Sarah Kemmitt, Nina Seega and Jose Vinals

    Rewiring Finance for a better future with Sarah Kemmitt, Nina Seega and Jose Vinals
    Dec 16 2025
    In this episode, Lindsay Hooper and Marc Kahn examine a critical question: what will it take to align global capital with a cleaner, fairer, more resilient global economy?

    At a time when sustainable finance momentum has slowed, the discussion looks beyond the ESG “hype cycle”, to the underlying barriers to progress – and the priorities for action now. The guests analyse why finance has struggled to back real-world transition at scale, and outline the shifts needed to connect capital to what should be a huge financing opportunity.

    From addressing the mispricing of climate and nature risk, to correcting market distortions, tackling permitting bottlenecks and supporting coherent policy, the conversation highlights the enabling conditions for capital to flow. The guests share deep, practical insights from the frontlines of banking, regulation and global development.

    Hosts Lindsay Hooper (CISL) and Marc Kahn (Investec) are joined by:
    • José Viñals, former Group Chairman, Standard Chartered
    • Dr Nina Seega, Director, CISL Centre for Sustainable Finance
    • Sarah Kemmitt, former lead of the UN Net Zero Banking Alliance
    In partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Investec.

    Key Takeaways
    1. Leadership must focus on system design, not just pledges. Good intentions do not mobilise capital; rules, incentives and market structure do.
    2. Finance has become too focused on what to stop, rather than what to build: The biggest opportunities lie in infrastructure, resilience and emerging markets, but outdated financial architecture blocks capital from reaching them.
    3. Leaders must drive a shift from short-term, narrow financial modeling to real-world, system-level risk assessment: This means pricing in physical, transition, and social risks—and recognizing that the cost of inaction is far higher than the cost of action.
    4. Unlocking accelerated transition requires modernising financial models, standardising transactions and removing structural barriers—supported by clear national policies and stable incentive frameworks.

    Quotes
    “The opportunity is huge, but unless we redesign the system so the incentives point in the right direction, the capital will never flow at scale.” José Viñals

    “If we don’t price climate and nature into our core models, we’re building the entire financial system on a version of reality that no longer exists.” Dr Nina Seega

    “We don’t need to cling to the language of net zero — what matters is moving the transition forward in ways that are fair, science-based and achievable.” Sarah Kemmitt

    Credits
    Presented by:
    • Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive, CISL
    • Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Investec
    Produced by: Carl Homer (Cambridge TV) & Alexa Sellwood
    Executive Producer: Gillian Secrett
    In partnership with: Investec

    Listen and Subscribe:
    Available on all major podcast platforms or visit the Leadership Hub on the CISL website or Investec Focus for more episodes and insights.

    Disclaimer:
    The views in this podcast are those of the contributors, and don’t necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge, or Investec, and should not be taken as advice or a recommendation. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · Investec · CISL Leadership Hub · Investec Focus Radio
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    49 min
  • The New Fault Line: How U.S. Polarisation Is Reshaping Global Sustainability with Gillian Tett and Professor Bob Eccles

    The New Fault Line: How U.S. Polarisation Is Reshaping Global Sustainability with Gillian Tett and Professor Bob Eccles
    Dec 11 2025
    The U.S. has become the centre of a global sustainability fault line: it hosts the world’s most advanced innovation ecosystem and deepest pools of private capital—yet remains locked in intensifying political polarisation, regulatory rollbacks, and an anti-ESG backlash. These tensions are reshaping climate policy, capital flows, and global markets.

    To understand this moment, Lindsay Hooper and Marc Kahn speak with two globally respected interpreters of political economy and corporate purpose:
    Gillian Tett, Provost of King’s College Cambridge and acclaimed FT journalist, and Professor Bob Eccles, leading thinker on corporate reporting and political consensus-building. Together they explore how the U.S. arrived here, how companies are responding on the ground, what this means for global action, and how leaders can navigate the fragmented landscape.

    Key Quotes
    “Most people aren’t extreme. They’re exhausted. The challenge is creating a narrative that speaks to the middle again.” — Bob Eccles

    “Many companies are simply carrying on as before; the rhetoric has changed more than the practice.” Gillian Tett

    Key Takeaways
    1. Despite the political backlash, most companies continue advancing sustainability quietly because the underlying economic and risk drivers remain strong.

    2. The real divide is not left versus right, but public rhetoric versus on-the-ground reality, where pragmatic climate action is still progressing.

    3. Reframing sustainability through language around nature, resilience, stewardship and cost savings can rebuild common ground.

    4. Leaders must clearly separate material value creation from virtue signalling to regain trust and reduce polarisation.

    5. Adaptation and shared local impacts offer a unifying entry point that resonates across political and social divides.

    Credits

    Presented by:
    Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive, CISL
    Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Investec

    Produced by: Carl Homer (Cambridge TV) & Alexa Sellwood
    Executive Producer: Gillian Secrett
    In partnership with: Investec

    Listen and Subscribe:
    Available on all major podcast platforms or visit the Leadership Hub on the CISL website or Investec Focus for more episodes and insights.

    Disclaimer:
    The views in this podcast are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge or Investec and should not be taken as advice. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · Investec · CISL Leadership Hub · Investec Focus Radio
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    40 min
  • The Meaning Deficit and Why It Matters to Leadership with Sudhanshu Palsule, Richard Springer and Gillian Secrett

    The Meaning Deficit and Why It Matters to Leadership with Sudhanshu Palsule, Richard Springer and Gillian Secrett
    Dec 9 2025
    This episode examines the emerging “meaning deficit” – the collapse of coherence, trust and belonging that is driving anxiety, polarisation and disengagement across societies. Lindsay Hooper and Marc Kahn ask a blunt question: why are so many people struggling to find meaning, and what does that imply for leaders operating in fractured systems?

    The guests explore how meaning is routinely distorted or weaponised – through consumerism, identity politics, polarised narratives and corporate purpose statements designed more for control than authenticity. They discuss why meaning has become a n instrument of manipulation, and why leaders can no longer rely on abstract mission statements or moral appeals.

    At the same time, they argue that meaning can be rebuilt – but only through grounded, experience-based connection: shared spaces, honest dialogue, and engagement that starts with people’s real constraints and self-interest. The conversation challenges leaders to see themselves as designers of the conditions in which genuine purpose, agency and accountability can emerge.

    In partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Investec.

    Key Quotes

    “Meaning is a human need, not a luxury - and leaders ignore it at their peril.” - Lindsay Hooper
    “We’re meaning-making creatures, but today much of the meaning we create is strangely self-destructive.” - Sudhanshu Palsule
    “People move when they experience the issue inside their own lives - not because someone tells them what should matter.” - Richard Springer
    “Leadership is the craft of creating spaces where people can connect, feel seen, and take accountability together.” - Gillian SecrettShape

    Key Takeaways
    1. Meaning is a human need – and vacuums get filled dangerously.
    When people lack genuine meaning, they reach for substitutes that can become socially harmful. Leaders who ignore this create space for cynicism, fragmentation and manipulation.
    2. Corporate purpose is often performative – and people see through it.
    Purpose becomes meaningful only when it reflects real choices, empathy and accountability. Otherwise it functions as managerial control dressed up as inspiration.
    3. Self-interest drives behaviour – and must be treated as legitimate.
    People engage when issues connect to their lived experience, not abstract ideals. Understanding real constraints, motivations and identities is essential to unlocking collective action.
    4. Shared meaning requires shared space – supported by rules and dialogue.
    Rebuilding connection across difference depends on structured engagement where people can challenge, be challenged and still stay in the conversation.
    5. Change builds from winnable actions – and leadership’s role is to enable them. Momentum comes from tangible wins at local or organisational level. Leaders’ work is to create the conditions for agency, connection and co-created purpose – not to impose a narrative.

    Credits
    Presented by:
    Lindsay Hooper, Chief Executive, CISL
    Marc Kahn, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Investec
    Produced by: Carl Homer (Cambridge TV) & Alexa Sellwood
    Executive Producer: Gillian Secrett
    In partnership with: Investec

    Listen and Subscribe:
    Available on all major podcast platforms or visit the Leadership Hub on the CISL website or Investec Focus for more episodes and insights.

    Disclaimer:
    The views in this podcast are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of CISL, the University of Cambridge or Investec and should not be taken as advice. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership · Investec · CISL Leadership Hub · Investec Focus Radio
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    33 min