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

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

The founder and director of the Sanctuary Foundation, Krish Kandiah, talks about the importance of welcoming refugees into our communities. He describes the work of the Sanctuary Foundation and shares his own personal experience of opening his home and welcoming refugees to live with his family.

Despite what the negative headlines might suggest, the British public has demonstrated great warmth and generosity, opening their homes to complete strangers who seek refuge from war and conflict in Ukraine and elsewhere.

The pendulum of public attitudes is moving in the right direction and there’s much we can do to build on this momentum. Just days after marking World Refugee Day on 20th June 2023, this episode will inform, inspire, and prompt you to do more.

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. 

Ahead of World Refugee Day on 20th June 2023, Emma Cherniavsky, UK CEO of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) joins us to discuss the refugee and displaced persons crisis.

Emma explains that World Refugee Day is a time to celebrate what refugees have brought to our countries, societies and communities. It’s a time to celebrate the courage,  resilience, and extraordinary contributions of refugees and displaced persons.

This episode provides context of the refugee and displaced persons crisis across the globe and highlights the importance of changing the negative narratives often projected in the media.

We shed light on the work of the UNHCR, both on the front lines and in host countries -- ranging from emergency, humanitarian aid to long-term initiatives focused on education, employability, and inclusion.

Our conversation also explores the wide range of partnerships with NGOs, government and other sectors in support of UNHCR’s work, and we pay specific attention to the increasing importance and relevance of the private sector in helping drive this work forward.

We conclude on a positive note, shedding light on the immense levels of public generosity and provide a range of ways in which folks can get involved.

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. 

Hilary Cottam joins us to explore the field of social design and rethinking our vertical, post-war systems so as to ensure that we are not simply putting 1950s systems online, but rather are actually embracing a digital mindset with collaboration and sharing that are front and centre, being mindful that today’s challenges are vast and urgent and we need to think about them differently and rethink how we design new social systems that are fit for purpose.

So, whether you’re a policy maker, a corporate strategist or want to glean what the future of our society could look like, today’s episode is for you.

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. 

The CEO of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, Sophie Otiende, advocates for a survivor-led environment, enabling those with lived experience to have space, use their voice and become leaders in tackling modern slavery.

Sophie was trafficked as a child and is herself a survivor-leader; she knows what it feels like to be in a policy discussion where she’s the only person in the room who’s actually experienced human trafficking and to realise that the others in that room are observers of this problem.

At the Fund, they have developed a unique toolkit to help organisations understand themselves better and develop a roadmap enabling them to bring survivors into decision-making leadership positions. You can’t just tell people that something is wrong. You need to provide them with tools and roadmaps that lead to the meaningful inclusion of those who have lived experience.

There are many facets to this, from being mindful of the language that is used so that it’s accessible to everyone –  not just policymakers or academics – to appreciating the power dynamics between funders and beneficiaries. Oftentimes, beneficiaries feel a sense of indignity and struggle to find their voice and make their views known.

In the past, most of the leaders tackling modern slavery have not had lived experience, which means most policies and programmes were defined by people who observe the problem but haven’t actually experienced it.  Lived experience provides a unique vantage point that leads to different priorities and a unique understanding.

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. 

Samhita’s Founder and CEO, Priya Naik, talks with us about sustainable livelihoods in India, social inclusiveness, gender, returnable grants and much more.

Their initial funders include the Omidyar Network and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation; their partners include the likes of Unilever, Google and Kimberly-Clark.

Samhita embraces an ecosystem mindset, and they work closely not just with individual organisations but also with a range of collectives and collaboratives who engage diverse audiences and stakeholders.

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.