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

This episode is of particular interest to anyone who cares about driving forward quality education at scale in a global context. While the Lemann Foundation is based in Brazil, its work is of interest to philanthropists, NGOs and social entrepreneurs across the globe.

Denis sheds light on the Foundation’s work, ranging from operations to grant-making, and provides a solid overview of the current state of affairs in Brazil’s education system and the opportunities for improvement.

The Lemann Foundation was launched in 2002 by self-made Brazilian entrepreneur Jorge Paulo Lemann, who is one the world’s most prolific private investors and philanthropists.  Lemann’s private equity firm, 3G Capital, boasts a portfolio that includes the likes of Anheuser-Busch, Burger King, Heinz, Kraft, SABMiller, and Tim Hortons.

Visit The Do One Better! Website at Lidji.org for a full transcript of this conversation. Please click the ‘subscribe’ button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others — thank you!

David served as the youngest UK Foreign Secretary in three decades, driving advancements in human rights and representing the UK throughout the world. His accomplishments have earned him a reputation, in former President Bill Clinton's words, as "one of the ablest, most creative public servants of our time.”

David talks candidly about the invaluable work of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the plight of refugees and displaced persons, and sheds light on the differences between being the foreign minister of a permanent member of the UN Security Council and leading one of the worlds most impactful NGOs.

The IRC was founded by Albert Einstein, who was in Princeton, in the USA, when Hitler came to power. And he founded the International Rescue Committee, the Emergency Rescue Committee at the time, in the 1930s, and he founded the organisation out of a burning sense that while he was safe, so many others were not safe from the Nazis. 

The IRC is an organisation whose purpose is to help people whose lives are shattered by conflict, persecution and disaster. They work in 40 countries, in what David calls the ‘arc of crisis’, from the war zone in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, through to the internally displaced, the homeless in their own country, who have had to flee to the houses of cousins or strangers in refugee hosting states.  The IRC is an $825 million a year organisation, with 13,000 employees.

David sheds light on his journey, from UK politics to the NGO world; he delves into the differences between the two and the benefit of having experienced both.  He describes the IRC as an organisation that is about solutions rather than suffering.

For a full transcript of this conversation, visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org

Please click the ‘subscribe’ button on your favourite podcast app and please share widely with others — thank you! 

If you ever wondered how a Silicon Valley mindset rooted in social entrepreneurship can improve global education, then this episode is for you.  A fascinating look at an organisation that is quite different from traditional philanthropy.

Imaginable Futures is a philanthropic investment firm that combines impact investing and foundation grant-making in order to unleash human potential through learning.

Imaginable Futures spun out of the Omidyar Network a little over a year ago, where they were previously the Education initiative of Omidyar.  They were founded and are funded by Pam and Pierre Omidyar — who is also the Founder of eBay.

Amy worked for eBay, where she served as VP of product strategy and operations, and was previously one of PayPal’s earliest employees in the late 1990s. Today, she leads Imaginable Futures.  She provides great insight and projects very positive energy. 

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org for a full transcript of this episode. Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

"Redesigning how business could be and should be, to the benefit of society, is a very important thing."

We tackle a diverse range of topics, from climate change and inequality to his outlook on life and the observation that some people think greed is good but, longer term, generosity will always win.

This is a multifaceted and candid conversation. We hear how his potential to drive forward greater change in global development is actually stronger now than it was when he was still at Unilever. 

We also get a glimpse into his youth, where he notes without any hesitation that: "I wanted to be first a priest and then I wanted to be a doctor, I ended up with serendipity in business, I wouldn't do it again, today, I wouldn't go into business, necessarily, but I always felt more of an urge to help other people."

Paul Polman sheds light on his efforts to engage leading corporate CEOs and to bring key industries to a 'tipping point' whereby they start to embrace sustainable business. He speaks with great passion, insight and an unmistakable sense of urgency. 

This is a fascinating conversation from beginning to end -- enjoy it and take plenty of notes!

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org for a full transcript of this conversation and insight from over 100 podcast episodes on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.  Please click the ‘subscribe’ button on your favourite podcast app. Thank you!

Siya came from a challenging and humble background and, in 2018, became the first Black test player appointed Captain of the Springboks — South Africa’s national rugby team. In 2019, Siya led his team to Rugby World Cup victory.

Rachel brings a long-standing passion to serve individuals and communities across South Africa. From as early as 1990, Rachel has been involved in charitable and community development projects which have brought about transformation for many different communities.

Siya and Rachel co-founded the Kolisi Foundation exactly a year ago and are already making a huge impact in South Africa, tackling gender based violence, alleviating the hardships caused by COVID-19 and convening diverse stakeholders.

The Foundation has provided sustainable food parcels to more than 25,000 families and provided hygiene products to front-line health workers nationally, in partnership with The Nelson Mandela Foundation.

In this candid and warm conversation, both Siya and Rachel speak with great passion and articulate the nature of their work very clearly. We learn from both of them about the contexts that shaped their thinking, the challenging realities they’ve witnessed and how they’re leveraging their high-profile voices to convene partners, change attitudes and make a difference. 

For a full transcript of this fascinating conversation, visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org  — Download 100+ episodes in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please click the ‘subscribe’ button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

We hear Cherie’s personal story, from the positive influence of her mother and grandmother, to starting out as a lawyer in the 1970s when it was still rare for women to be actively involved in the workforce, to her time living in 10 Downing Street where she was lucky enough to travel the world and meet many great women across the world. 

Cherie felt that there was a gap in women's economic independence — women and girls — and if they could fill that gap by giving women skills, networks and the mentoring that they needed they  could really make a difference.  She set up the foundation in 2008 and now have reached approximately 175,000 women and girls in over 100 countries.

We hear how if women had the same opportunity to be entrepreneurs as men, global GDP could rise by about $5 trillion dollars.

Helen McEachern, the Foundation’s CEO, explains why they focus on low and middle-income countries, where the lack of economic parity is particularly pronounced. We also learn how they leverage technology to remove barriers and of the invaluable role of their global online mentoring programme.  Helen notes how the social norms that women face that hold them back are different in different countries and so they tailor their approach accordingly.

This is a fascinating conversation for anyone who cares about gender equality and embraces the entrepreneurial spirit. The conversation airs as the world marks International Women’s Day 2021.

For a full transcript of this conversation visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org  where you’ll also find 100+ thought-leadership conversations on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.  Please subscribe on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others. Thank you!

An inspiring conversation for anyone interested gender equality. The Asian University for Women (AUW) was first established in Bangladesh in 2008, with a specific mission to recruit young women who have promise and potential, regardless of their background, and to offer them high quality education. 

It's a liberal arts institution — the only one of its kind in the region. It's very global in outlook and rooted in the context and aspirations of the young people of Asia, designed to address some of the inequalities endemic to the region. 

The idea for the university grew out of the World Bank and United Nations Task Force on Higher Education and Society.

For a full transcript of this podcast, visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org  where you’ll discover more than 100 thought-leadership podcast episodes in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Please subscribe and share widely — thank you!

An insightful and candid conversation with a true champion for quality education for every girl and boy across the globe.  

Born in Wales, UK, Julia migrated with her family to Australia as a very small girl. She was educated at local government schools, literally at the end of her street.  

Her father had grown up in a coal-mining village and he left school at 14. He found his way in Australia as a psychiatric nurse. Her mother worked as a cook in a care home. 

Julia has always been conscious that her life chances have been defined by coming from a loving stable family, but also by going to great schools. Fortunately, those government schools at the end of her street were fantastic schools.  And if they hadn't been fantastic schools, her entire life would have been different. 

Today, Julia is Chair of the Global Partnership for Eduction (GPE), which can be thought of as a shared commitment to ending the world's learning crisis. 

It is the only global partnership and fund that focuses solely on school education in lower-income and middle-income countries. They have got around 20 years’ experience now working with partner countries to make sure that more girls and boys not only get access to school, but the education they have at school is a quality one. 

Their model for change is really about mobilising donors, the UN family, philanthropists, the private sector, everyone basically, behind country-led plans to transform their education system. 

They’re working in 76 countries around the world. It's a broad and a deep partnership for change.

Download this episode to hear much more about Julia’s remarkable work and story.

Visit The Do One Better! Podcast website for a full transcript of this episode, guest bios and useful links. Enjoy and learn from 100 episodes in philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship at Lidji.org

Larry has been President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation since 2012. Before joining the foundation, Larry served from 2004 to 2012 as Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School.

The Hewlett Foundation has an $11 billion dollar endowment and this conversation focuses on their work tackling climate change. Larry delves into the difference between the different approaches of adaptation vs mitigation — and he explains his preferences. 

We learn of the key players in this field today and different collaborations in place to drive change forward.  Only around 2% of global philanthropic funds are focused on climate, so there is a pressing need for more action from funders around the globe.

Larry speaks candidly about the importance of unrestricted funding where appropriate and provides his views on whether divesting from fossil fuels is the right thing for the Hewlett Foundation right now. The focus, ultimately, being about achieving most impact.

For a full transcript of this podcast episode visit The Do One Better! Podcast website at Lidji.org where you’ll be able to download guest bios, useful links and more than 100 thought-leadership conversations on philanthropy, sustainability and social entrepreneurship.  Please click the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app and share widely with others — thank you!