Podcasts

I host and appear in a number of podcasts, which you can listen to below. Click here for my Grow the Pie Podcast with Professor Alex Edmans of London Business School and click here for my Conversations series for the European Corporate Governance Institute where I interview leading academics on issues relating to Responsible Capitalism.

Can investors save the planet?

I spoke with Jason Mitchell of Man Group about the limitations of investor action on climate, tensions with fiduciary duty, but how it is still possible for investors to help create the conditions for better climate outcomes to be achieved.

Heat pumps

In the second part of my discussion with Dilyara Salakhova we do a deep dive into one of my favourite topics: heats pumps and their role in decarbonising home heating.

ESG Incentives and the Zone of Discretion

I spoke to Julian Kölbel of St Gallen University on his Innovations in Sustainable Finance podcast about the opportunities and perils of linking pay to ESG targets. 

ESG, pay, and fiduciary duty

I spoke to Isabel Verkes on the ESG Book podcast about linking pay to ESG, 1.5C-aligned investing, and fiduciary duties.

How oil company boards think about global warming

In this conversation with David Jackson, former company secretary of BP, we discuss directors duties and how these affect the actions of oil company boards in response to climate change.

Conversations on climate

I spoke with Christopher Caldwell for this podcast produced by United Renewables in collaboration with the London Business School Alumni Energy Club. We discuss personal efforts on climate change, fiduciary duties and stewardship, and executive pay.

Diversity and Decisions: things you don’t normally hear from a D&I advocate…

I spoke with Paul Richards and Joe Wiggins on the Decision Nerds podcast about what the academic evidence does and does not say about the benefit of diversity, where we should be focussing our efforts, and questions on D&I that don’t get enough attention.

A middle class approach to decarbonisation

Since 2019 we’ve been on a path to try to halve our family’s carbon footprint. In this podcast I have a candid discussion with Dilyara Salakhova about the successes and failures along the way and what I’ve learned from them. There have been some clear wins, but other climate topics end up being much more complicated than you first thought when you get into them.

Fiduciary duty and the limitations of GFANZ Part 2

In this second part of my conversation with John Teahan on the CFA podcast series we discuss climate handle, GFANZ, fiduciary duty, and what investors can usefully do in the fight against climate change. 

The Sainsbury’s living wage resolution Part 1

In part 1 of my conversation with John Teahan of the CFA we spoke about the framework we developed with the Investor Forum to help asset managers decide which ESG issues they should act upon in their engagement with companies. We discuss the framework in the context of the living wage resolution co-filed at Sainsbury’s by ShareAction.

Governance and Innovation – The Academic’s View

I spoke to Chris Hodge about what the academic evidence has to say about the link between corporate governance and innovation as part of the inquiry into governance and innovation by the Institute of Directors

How Boards of the Future Can Effectively Harness the Power of Diversity

I spoke to Randall Peterson and Vyla Rollins from the Leadership Institute at London Business School about their research into board diversity and board effectiveness, conducted for the Financial Reporting Council. We discuss how boards define diversity, how nomination committee processes can support development of diverse board pipelines, the challenges and potential unintended consequences of increasing board diversity, and the critical role of the chair in ensuring diverse boards are also effective.

How stewardship leads to long term value

I talked to Yolanda Courtines, co-manager of Wellington Management’s Global Stewards Fund about stewardship and long-term value on this London Business School podcast. We discuss the nature of stewardship, how it differs from ESG, and her views on the topical issues of ESG ratings, climate change, and diversity. Yolanda also highlights the key factors investors should look for in an asset manager if they want to make a difference with their money.

How business can be a force for good

I spoke to André Hoffmann, Vice Chairman of Roche and renowned environmentalist, about how business needs to take account of its relationship with nature in how value is created. We talk about natural capitals accounting and how business education needs to develop to equip leaders of the future.

How long-term investors think about sustainability

I talked to Andy Brown, Founder and CEO of Cedar Rock Capital about sustainable investing. We discuss how Andy builds sustainability into his firm’s investment approach, how growing concerns about sustainability and social issues impact investment strategy and long-term value creation, and what sustainability does and doesn’t mean in the consumer goods and tobacco sectors.

CEO Compensation: Evidence from the Field

I spoke to Andrew Jennings of Brooklyn Law School about my latest research on how boards and investors set CEO pay. We talk about the constraints they face that prevent them maximising shareholder value and discuss the importance of fairness in motivation of executives I highlight implications for the future direction of academic research on CEO pay.

Part 2

In part two of my discussion with the ICAEW’s Iain Wright and a panel of experts we discuss trust in business. Is trust in business declining, and if so what role does corporate governance reform have to play in rebuilding or maintaining trust?

Part 1

I joined the ICAEW’s Iain Wright and a panel of experts to discuss the reforms to the Financial Reporting Council and the creation of ARGA – the new Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority. In this part 1 we discuss what led to the formation of ARGA and whether it’s remit will adequately address the perceived shortcomings of the FRC.

Grow the Pie

In this podcast series I interview Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance at London Business School and author of “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit”. We explore complex challenges facing responsible business, and take a critical look at what the evidence says, and does not say, about the concept of ‘doing well by doing good’.

Click here for other podcasts I’ve appeared in

Episode 10

New insights on responsible business

I talk to Alex Edmans about the new paperback edition of his book Grow the Pie: How Great Businesses Deliver Both Purpose and Profit, which has been fully updated with new evidence and insight from the pandemic. We discuss the role of purpose in private business and start-ups, how asset owners and asset managers can apply Pieconomics to their scrutiny of the companies they invest in, and what the pandemic has to tell us about purposeful business.

Episode 9

ESG investing

In this episode we discuss ESG investing. What is it? Is it true that ESG investing outperforms? What ESG investing strategies have the best real-world outcomes? And is Tariq Fancy right that ESG investing is a dangerous placebo?

Episode 8

What can we learn from Milton Friedman?

In this episode we mark the 50th anniversary of Milton Friedman’s infamous essay on the social responsibility of business. We discuss what Friedman got right, but, importantly, why he was wrong.

Episode 7

How can citizens make a difference?

In this episode we discuss Pieconomics means for citizens as they make decisions in their everyday lives as consumers, investors, advocates. We also discuss the implications of a pie growing mindset for personal development and career choice.

Episode 6

What is purpose and how can companies embrace it?

In this episode we discuss what makes for a good purpose and how investors and companies can embed it. We also discuss the idea of a Say on Purpose, where investors and companies can developed a shared understanding and mandate for pursuing a purpose that goes beyond narrow shareholder value maximisation.

Episode 5

Do investors promote the long-term success of companies?

Investors are frequently accused of having a short-term outlook, driving companies to maximise share price today at the expense of long-term value. In this episode we look at the evidence for this point of view and find that in may cases investors help to grow the pie for all stakeholders.

Episode 4

How should a responsible business pay its CEO?

In this episode we discuss the controversial issue of executive pay. How should a responsible business think about the level and structure of pay for its CEO? Do performance measures grow the pie or incentivise CEOs to shrink it? The answers are sometimes surprising.

Episode 3

Can paying shareholders really serve society?

In this episode we explore dividends and share buybacks. Are these symptoms of short-term corporate behaviour driven by executives looking to increase their pay packages? Or do shareholder distributions help to grow the pie rather than shrinking it?

Episode 2

Is the evidence for responsible business really so clear cut?

In this episode we dig into evidence – beginning with how to distinguish it from data, using it to consider alternative explanations and avoiding cognitive bias. Together they investigate what evidence tells us about the relationship between responsible business and performance, and crucially, what the counter evidence can teach us.

Episode 1 

The tough questions for responsible business

In this episode Alex and I discuss what responsible business actually means, and explore the concept of "Pieconomics" and whether the pursuit of purpose and profit can be reconciled.