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Interviews with business leaders and scholars

Launched July 2022 Updated June 2025 112 interviews
Summary

These interviews have been designed to support and stimulate discussions, as the basis of assignments, or to open a path to further investigation. Every interview is based on an article or book; listeners would benefit from having first read the material, but the interviews can stand as independent resources as... read morewell.

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Economics and Business (36 Interviews)  

Audio Interview
In search of a new paradigm for innovation, free markets, and regulation
32 min
  • Prof. Daron Acemoglu
  • MIT, USA
Uncertainty and continuity: preparing for long-term changes to the global economy
38 min
  • Prof. Michael Spence
  • Stanford University, USA
In production
Audio Interview
Debts, deficits and downturns: the global economy in an era of American tariffs
43 min
  • Dr. Desmond Lachman
  • American Enterprise Institute, USA
Audio Interview
Why economic growth is not the goal
25 min
  • Ms. Kate Raworth
  • Senior Research Associate, Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University, UK
Audio Interview
Free trade, mercantilism, and manufacturing: economic and business consequences of import tariffs
34 min
  • Dr. Michael Strain
  • American Enterprise Institute, USA
Audio Interview
Capturing AI for business
38 min
  • Mr. David C. Edelman
  • Harvard Business School, USA
Audio Interview
The myth of economic self-reliance: friendshoring, globalization, and the future of trade
37 min
  • Dr. Edoardo Campanella
  • UniCredit Bank, Italy
Audio Interview
What should shareholders decide and how should their decisions be made?
24 min
  • Prof. Oliver Hart
  • Harvard University, USA
Audio Interview
Greentech bubbles and investment in a green revolution
42 min
  • Dr. William Janeway
  • University of Cambridge and Warburg Pincus, UK
Audio Interview
Behavioral economics and business: revolution or reinforcing norms?
38 min
  • Dr. Antara Haldar
  • University of Cambridge, UK
Audio Interview
China’s economic slowdown
38 min
  • Prof. Yasheng Huang
  • MIT Sloan School of Management, USA
Audio Interview
Taking a broad view of strategy: systems, scenarios, and playbooks
27 min
  • Dr. Trudi Lang
  • University of Oxford, UK
Audio Interview
Predictions and pandemics: why economies relapse before they recover
29 min
  • Dr. Stephen Roach
  • Yale University, USA
Audio Interview
India and the illusion of economic growth
33 min
  • Prof. Ashoka Mody
  • Princeton University, USA
Audio Interview
Economic shocks: reflections on behavior, recovery, and the future
21 min
  • Prof. Emeritus Koichi Hamada
  • Yale University, USA
Audio Interview
AI and the pharma industry: what companies are, and could be, doing
25 min
  • Dr. Jane Lomax
  • Head of Ontologies, SciBite, UK
Audio Interview
Productivity and growth: facing the fiscal reality
42 min
  • Prof. Michael Boskin
  • Stanford University, USA
Audio Interview
Stablecoins: illusions, claims, and facts
31 min
  • Prof. Barry Eichengreen
  • University of California, Berkeley, USA
Audio Interview
State capitalism: regulating free markets in a liberal democracy
22 min
  • Dr. Anna Grosman
  • Loughborough University, UK
Audio Interview
How and why business should embrace effective altruism
32 min
  • Prof. Peter Singer
  • Princeton University, USA
Audio Interview
The influence of climate change debate on banking policies
33 min
  • Sir Howard Davies
  • Chairman, NatWest Group, UK
Audio Interview
Measuring impact: how and why companies can meet demand for responsibility
32 min
  • Dr. Lisa Hehenberger
  • ESADE Business School, Spain
Audio Interview
Minimum wage legislation: effects on levels of employment
29 min
  • Prof. David Neumark
  • University of California, Irvine, USA
Audio Interview
Avoiding a deep recession: how governments can plan for financial stability
27 min
  • Dr. Willem H. Buiter
  • Independent Economic Advisor, USA
Audio Interview
Cryptocurrencies: potential, risk, and regulation
31 min
  • Prof. Anne Sibert
  • Birkbeck, University of London, UK
Audio Interview
Inflation: lessons in forecasting and humility
29 min
  • Prof. Jason Furman
  • Harvard University, USA
Audio Interview
Product-led growth business: why putting customers first is crucial
22 min
  • Mr. Barry Libert
  • Chairman and CEO, AIMatters, Inc., USA
Audio Interview
Deep purpose: why pursue it, and how to implement it
25 min
  • Prof. Ranjay Gulati
  • Harvard Business School, USA
Audio Interview
The green transition: a fundamental reconsideration of land rights and usage
36 min
  • Dr. Giulio Boccaletti
  • University of Oxford, UK
Audio Interview
Net Positive Manifesto: a business case for changing the world
29 min
  • Mr. Andrew Winston
  • Author and advisor, Winston Eco-Strategies, USA
Audio Interview
Duopolies in politics and business
44 min
  • Ms. Katherine Gehl
  • Founder, The Institute for Political Innovation (IPI), USA, USA
Audio Interview
The economics of healthcare
38 min
  • Prof. David Cutler
  • Harvard University, USA
Audio Interview
Predictive analytics
22 min
  • Dr. Eric Siegel
  • Founder, Predictive Analytics World, USA
Audio Interview
The fourth industrial revolution: realigning the real and digital economies
31 min
  • Dr. Mark Esposito
  • Hult International Business School & Harvard University, USA
Audio Interview
Long-term implications for business following the conflict in Ukraine
27 min
  • Prof. Nick Butler
  • Kings College London, UK
Audio Interview
Social identity and political economy: nation, class, and redistribution
24 min
  • Prof. Moses Shayo
  • Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Government and Society (32 Interviews)  

Audio Interview
The future of human progress, economic growth, and rising uncertainty
26 min
  • Prof. Emeritus Angus Deaton
  • Princeton University, USA
Audio Interview
The steady-state economy
28 min
  • Prof. Emeritus Herman Daly
  • University of Maryland, USA
Audio Interview
The US-Asia triangle: government, business, and values
25 min
  • Prof. Joseph S. Nye Jr.
  • Harvard Kennedy School, USA
Audio Interview
AI, governance, and law: how capitalism drives culture and innovation
27 min
  • Prof. Katharina Pistor
  • Columbia University, USA
Audio Interview
Confronting neoliberalism: why government is critical to lasting prosperity
30 min
  • Prof. J. Bradford DeLong
  • University of California, Berkeley, USA
Audio Interview
Cities: living and working in global business centers
17 min
  • Prof. Edward Glaeser
  • Harvard University, USA
Audio Interview
Directed improvisation: how governments can guide creative problem-solving without dictating outcomes
37 min
  • Prof. Yuen Yuen Ang
  • Johns Hopkins University, USA
Audio Interview
Transparency and sustainability: increasing the impact of The World Bank
24 min
  • Mr. Bertrand Badré
  • managing partner and founder, Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital, France
Audio Interview
Moving beyond GDP: modernizing economic indicators
29 min
  • Prof. Jayati Ghosh
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Audio Interview
Regulation, competition, and government Intervention
47 min
  • Prof. Barry Schwartz
  • University of California, Berkeley, USA
Audio Interview
Government intervention in industrial policy: how businesses should respond
31 min
  • Prof. Willy Shih
  • Harvard Business School, USA
Audio Interview
Globalization in the face of diminishing democracy
40 min
  • Prof. Grzegorz W. Kolodko
  • Kozminski University, Poland
Audio Interview
The UK and EU: Trade, employment, and business after Brexit
19 min
  • Prof. Anand Menon
  • King’s College, UK
Audio Interview
Europe's response to the Inflation Reduction Act: achieving a net zero economy
24 min
  • Ms. Eila Kreivi
  • European Investment Bank, Luxembourg
Audio Interview
Economic development in China: freedom, entrepreneurship, and government control
29 min
  • Prof. Shang-Jin Wei
  • Columbia University, USA
Audio Interview
Nuclear energy: a case for fear-defying sustainability
40 min
  • Prof. Emeritus Joshua S. Goldstein
  • American University, USA
Audio Interview
Balancing economic prudence and sustainability
25 min
  • Prof. Emerita Deirdre McCloskey
  • University of Illinois, USA
Audio Interview
Enacting social change on a major scale: the role of business
20 min
  • Prof. Rebecca Henderson
  • Harvard University, USA
Audio Interview
The role of economics in setting government policy
34 min
  • Mr. Sebastian Mallaby
  • Author and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, UK
Audio Interview
The European energy crisis
25 min
  • Dr. Anders Åslund
  • Senior Fellow, Stockholm Free World Forum, Sweden
Audio Interview
US and China: are there any winners in a trade war?
30 min
  • Mr. Martin Wolf
  • Financial Times, UK
Audio Interview
Bureaucracy and innovation: the entrepreneurial state
31 min
  • Prof. Rainer Kattel
  • University College London, UK
Audio Interview
Measuring business development in developing countries: how and why the World Bank should revise its approach
37 min
  • Dr. Mauricio Cárdenas
  • Columbia University, USA
Audio Interview
Policy-making: global crises and the role of business
35 min
  • Dr. Bill Emmott
  • Co-director, Global Commission for Post-Pandemic Policy, Ireland
Audio Interview
Inflation in the shadow of debt: growth, regulations, and reforms
32 min
  • Dr. John Cochrane
  • Stanford University, USA
Audio Interview
Why so negative? Impacts and implications of US media coverage
27 min
  • Prof. Bruce Sacerdote
  • Dartmouth College, USA
Audio Interview
Sanctions: war and economic consequences
24 min
  • Prof. Jeffrey Frankel
  • Harvard Kennedy School, USA
Audio Interview
The democratic recession and its impact on business
35 min
  • Prof. Larry Diamond
  • Stanford University, USA
Audio Interview
The purpose of public service broadcasting in a democracy
44 min
  • Prof. Emeritus Patrick Barwise
  • London Business School, UK
Audio Interview
Transformation and innovation: cities of the future
23 min
  • Prof. Carlo Ratti
  • Director at MIT Senseable City Lab, USA
Audio Interview
MAPS: the business of medical affairs
28 min
  • Dr. Danie du Plessis
  • Medical Affairs Professional Society, UK
Audio Interview
Translational medicine: the risk of failure in delay and how to reduce it
30 min
  • Prof. Martin Wehling
  • University of Heidelberg, Germany

Organisations and Leadership (38 Interviews)  

Audio Interview
Why some leaders thrive and others derail
30 min
  • Prof. Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries
  • INSEAD, France
Audio Interview
Corporate learning at Merck: strategy, performance goals, and measuring success
34 min
  • Ms. Theresa Zeller
  • Global Head of Integrated Learning Experiences, Merck Sharp & Dohme, USA
Audio Interview
Humility and empathy: critical qualities of leadership
32 min
  • Dr. John Hennessy
  • Chairman, Alphabet Inc., USA
Diversity in nonprofit boards
29 min
  • Ms. Sophia Shaw
  • Cofounder, PlanPerfect, USA
In production
Embracing the paradox: leadership, decision making, and exploring perspectives
32 min
  • Prof. Scott Anthony
  • Dartmouth College, USA
In production
Audio Interview
Collaboration in the face of uncertainty: how leaders can empower teams to collaborate successfully
25 min
  • Ms. Kathryn Landis
  • Founder and CEO, Kathryn Landis Consulting, USA
Audio Interview
Harnessing AI in the workplace: how and why boards should empower employees to use AI responsibly
25 min
  • Prof. Karim Lakhani
  • Harvard University, USA
Audio Interview
Corporate boards: why their most important duty is the hardest to achieve
31 min
  • Prof. Bill George
  • Harvard University, USA
Audio Interview
Nurturing the ability to ask impactful questions
13 min
  • Prof. Robert Langer
  • MIT, USA
Audio Interview
Unity as a lever of Influence: how to create and maintain trust in business
28 min
  • Dr. Robert Cialdini
  • Influence at Work, USA
Audio Interview
Managing networks in the digital age
38 min
  • Prof. Linda A. Hill
  • Harvard Business School, USA
Going beyond teaching and learning: excellence in higher education
26 min
  • Prof. Peter Wolstencroft
  • Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
In production
Audio Interview
Selecting a board leader
34 min
  • Prof. Michael Useem
  • University of Pennsylvania, USA
Audio Interview
Trust: how and why companies should be good places to come from
31 min
  • Prof. Sandra J. Sucher
  • Harvard Business School, USA
Audio Interview
Where questions come from: developing the capacity to enquire
35 min
  • Dr. Russ Roberts
  • Shalem College, Israel
Audio Interview
The challenges and impact of investors: what directors should do
39 min
  • Prof. Michael Useem
  • University of Pennsylvania, USA
Audio Interview
Management of generic drug development: challenges and opportunities
31 min
  • Mr. Sandeep Patil
  • Helios Glanz Pte. Ltd., Singapore
Audio Interview
Encouraging corporate learning
37 min
  • Mr. Brad Samargya
  • Tanium, USA
Audio Interview
The strategy spine: how and why you should create one
22 min
  • Prof. Rita McGrath
  • Columbia University, USA
Audio Interview
The talent marketplace: what it is, and why large companies need one
46 min
  • Mr. Donncha Carroll
  • Lotis Blue Consulting, USA
Audio Interview
Having the best board possible
39 min
  • Prof. Michael Useem
  • University of Pennsylvania, USA
Audio Interview
Machine learning, AI platforms, and biases
39 min
  • Mr. Barry Libert
  • Chairman and CEO, AIMatters, Inc., USA
Audio Interview
X-teams: why they succeed and how to nurture them
36 min
  • Prof. Deborah Ancona
  • MIT Sloan School of Management, USA
Audio Interview
Online learning: strategies, budgets, and procurements
23 min
  • Dr. Matt Bluem
  • St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, USA
Audio Interview
How leaders can get out of the way of organizational change
33 min
  • Mr. Ron Carucci
  • Co-founder & Managing Partner, Navalent, USA
Audio Interview
Cultivating a diverse leadership culture: the role of management training
31 min
  • Dr. Grace Lordan
  • London School of Economics, UK
Audio Interview
Project management: how to make projects more successful and the role of AI
26 min
  • Mr. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez
  • IE Business School, Spain
Audio Interview
In response to disruption: how and why companies should carefully assess their strategy towards new technologies
38 min
  • Prof. Julian Birkinshaw
  • London Business School, UK
Audio Interview
How Mumsnet is run
22 min
  • Ms. Justine Roberts CBE
  • Founder and CEO of Mumsnet, UK
Audio Interview
Fundamentals of being the trusted advisor
31 min
  • Mr. Anthony Vardy
  • Westbury Granville Associates Ltd., UK
Audio Interview
Collaborative innovation and the role of the innovation manager
27 min
  • Prof. Jill Perry-Smith
  • Emory University, USA
Audio Interview
Crisis leadership: what characteristics do leaders need in a crisis?
44 min
  • Dr. Raj Persaud
  • Consultant psychiatrist, UK
Audio Interview
Values that build prosperous businesses
34 min
  • Dr. Mandeep Rai
  • Journalist, author, and speaker, UK
Audio Interview
Hubris and self-focus: how to wield power without succumbing to overconfidence and egotism
37 min
  • Prof. Tiziana Casciaro
  • University of Toronto, Canada
Audio Interview
20-first: building gender balanced businesses
29 min
  • Ms. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox
  • CEO 20-first, UK
Audio Interview
Moral and ethical practice in organizations
22 min
  • Mr. Charles Wookey
  • Founder, A Blueprint for Better Business, UK
Audio Interview
SMART work: implementing better work design
31 min
  • Prof. Sharon Parker
  • Curtin University, Australia
Audio Interview
The chief compliance officer: implementing and incentivizing compliance
26 min
  • Ms. Amy S. Matsuo
  • KPMG, USA

Covid-19: Impact and Responses (10 Interviews)  

Audio Interview
Planning and response to COVID-19: lessons from China and South-East Asia
26 min
  • Prof. Annelies Wilder-Smith
  • London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
Audio Interview
The impact of COVID-19 on higher education
9 min
  • Dr. Wendy M. Purcell
  • Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA
Audio Interview
The impact of Covid-19 on psychological safety in the workplace
5 min
  • Prof. Amy C. Edmondson
  • Harvard Business School, USA
Audio Interview
The impact of Covid-19 on cybersecurity and data privacy
20 min
  • Mr. Claudiu Popa
  • Informatica Corporation, Canada
Audio Interview
The impact of Covid-19 on organizations
13 min
  • Prof. Paul J. H. Schoemaker
  • The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Audio Interview
The impact of Covid-19 on tourism
6 min
  • Mr. Robin Barker
  • Services for Tourism, UK
Audio Interview
Insolvencies in the era of COVID-19
19 min
  • Dr. Keith Pond
  • EFMD Global Network, UK
Audio Interview
Government response and economic impact during COVID-19
25 min
  • Prof. James K. Galbraith
  • The University of Texas at Austin, USA
Audio Interview
International aid for developing countries in the age of Covid-19
24 min
  • Prof. Anne Krueger
  • Johns Hopkins University, USA
Audio Interview
The impact of COVID-19 on international trade
9 min
  • Dr. Mona Chung
  • Cross Culture International, Australia