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

Latest Episodes:

Martin Allen Morales, CEO of the Institute of Imagination, on transforming our education system Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

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, designing and delivering creative workshops across the arts, sciences and digital technologies (STEAM) for children aged 5-11 years old.

Thank you for downloading this episode of the Do One Better Podcast. Visit our Knowledge Hub at Lidji.org for information on 200+ case studies and interviews with remarkable leaders in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.

Bhawani Singh Shekhawat of the Akshaya Patra Foundation on tackling classroom hunger Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

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 education, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 and 4 respectively, and the conversation provides an inspirational example of transformative change at scale.

Rachel Sandby-Thomas on skills and social mobility Aug 21, 2023

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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, regulation, large and small businesses, local growth). She joined the UK Civil Service as a lawyer from Linklaters.

Skills are essential to productivity and growth, and this episode is for everyone who wishes to understand the broader context and specific opportunities.

Liesel Pritzker Simmons (Co-Founder) and Corina Gardner (CEO) of the IDP Foundation, on building a sustainable education ecosystem Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

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 context on the state of global education (SDG4) and how they’re driving systemic change.

The IDP Foundation is an active funder and champion for the complementary role that the non-state education sector plays in supporting national education systems.

Governments are responsible for providing quality free education for all children, however in many developing countries this is not happening, despite often meeting, or exceeding, recommended UNESCO benchmarks on budget allocation.

As a funding partner and champion of the affordable non-state education sector (ANS), the IDP Foundation believes that low-fee private schools play a crucial role in increasing access to education and improving learning outcomes in low and lower-middle income countries.

They call for the global recognition, integration and support of this sector as part of a centrally-governed mixed economy of provision that embraces all hands on deck to build resilience into national education systems.

This episode will inform and inspire you, from education and policy to philanthropy and innovative finance, there is something for everyone.

George Richards, Director of Community Jameel, on J-PAL and advancing science and learning for communities to thrive Aug 07, 2023

Show notes

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 since 2005.

George explains how Community Jameel supports scientists, humanitarians, technologists and creatives to understand and address pressing human challenges. An inspiring conversation shedding light on the power of philanthropy.

Katy Talikowska, CEO of the Valuable 500, on ending disability exclusion Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

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 of disability reporting

(3) Lack of disability in leadership

On 3rd December 2025, in Tokyo, they will host the Valuable 500 Accountability Summit, where they’ll convene their 500 companies to report on their progress against the above three synchronised collective actions.

At the Valuable 500, they won’t stop until everyone is seen and valued equally.

Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Chancellor of Reach University, on their innovative apprenticeship route to becoming a teacher Jul 24, 2023

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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 local school districts’ needs.

Mallory dedicates her life's work to building equity-focused educational models. She is a Rhodes Scholar; holds a BA in Economics from Northwestern University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a PhD from Oxford University.

Whether you are passionate about education, care deeply about social mobility, or are curious to understand how economics can be leveraged to drive social impact, this episode is for you.

Paige Murphy, Head of the Wimbledon Foundation, on improving lives through sports and innovative partnerships Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

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 the Club and the Championships to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

As the Wimbledon Foundation approaches its 10th Anniversary, we learn about their trajectory; their COVID response work; and their current support of 100 local charities in the London boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, key partnerships with WaterAid and the British Red Cross, and their support of ‘Set for Success’ – an initiative delivered by the Youth Sport Trust that is also supported by Barclays – the official banking partner of the Championships.

Interestingly, the Wimbledon Foundation does not focus on tennis. Rather, their goals are to strengthen the local community, promote active and healthy lives, inspire the next generation of young people, and respond at times of need. They support their partners in diverse ways and are always thinking creatively about how to make a difference.

Rupert Abbott, Executive Director of GiveOut, on LGBTI advocacy through a human rights lens Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

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 firm Baker & McKenzie and was awarded a high commendation by the Law Society for his pro bono human rights work. He studied law at the University of Sussex and holds a BA and MA in modern history from the University of Oxford.

Paul Ronalds, CEO of Save the Children Global Ventures, on impact investing and unlocking capital Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

The CEO of Save the Children Global Ventures, Paul Ronalds, joins us to talk about the impact investing side of Save the Children – unlocking capital and backing truly interesting initiatives around health, education, child protection and climate.

Save the Children Global Ventures complements traditional grant-making and philanthropy with an increased use of innovative financing instruments, including loans, guarantees and blended finance funds. They work with a wide range of start-ups and investors, and are establishing a family of impact funds to crowd-in private sector investment to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Paul has served as a senior advisor to two Australian Prime Ministers; was Deputy CEO of World Vision Australia and, for the last nine years, served as CEO of Save the Children Australia.