Social Capital Matters Podcast Returns With Fresh Insights For How Leaders Can Navigate An Increasingly Fractured World

A former White House staffer and the UN Goodwill Ambassador who sparked Thailand’s own MeToo movement – #DontTellMeHowToDress – are among the guests on the second season of Baldwin Boyle Group’s Social Capital Matters podcast.

The podcast, first launched in July 2023, takes a deep dive into the complex web of critical issues that business leaders face such as climate change, just transition, diversity and equity, geopolitics, and the role technology can play in holding businesses to account. While there is never a single answer to such complex challenges, Social Capital Matters aims to build understanding around these issues and the impact they can have through in-depth conversations with guests who draw on their deep experience and expertise, said Kylie Taylor, group managing director of Baldwin Boyle Group, who returns as host.

“Every business needs to focus on how it can build its social capital with stakeholders in an increasingly polarised and complex world where one misstep amplified by the power of social media can leave your company’s reputation in tatters,” said Ms Taylor. “Our guests on Social Capital Matters season 2 have made one point very clear – a leader who does not stay informed on critical issues is asleep at the wheel. Business leaders must find a way to stay on top of what matters to their business and stakeholders today while keeping an eye on the emerging issues of tomorrow. Fortunately, our guests provide an excellent contribution to that conversation.”

Guests on Social Capital Matters season 2 include thought leaders, disruptors and innovators who provide nuanced insights into some of the biggest challenges and reputational risks decisionmakers face today across seven episodes:

· Xenia Wickett, director of Wickett Advisory, draws on her career as an advisor to the White House and clients ranging from petroleum multinationals to NGOs to impart practical lessons on how businesses can keep on top of complex geopolitical issues.

· Cindy Bishop, television host, actor, model, and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, discusses how a single social media post helped her spark the #DontTellMeHowToDress movement in Thailand which has helped raise awareness and foster dialogue around sexual violence across the country’s communities, schools and boardrooms.

· Dylan Tanner, co-founder of InfluenceMap, a platform that empowers stakeholders to analyse the role companies play in corporate lobbying for climate change regulations, explains why information transparency is critical to holding companies to account.

· Sacha Winzenried, a PwC veteran who has spent 24 years in Indonesia finding solutions for complex problems around energy, climate change and economics, explores the importance of just transition and the significant opportunities to create value that exist for companies who are prepared to invest in this area.

· Rachna Sharma, CEO of Climate Ready Leaders and a communications veteran, speaks about how leaders must learn to communicate complex climate issues in simple terms to build confidence among stakeholders at a time when climate transition is emerging as both the greatest disruptor, and the largest opportunity, since the creation of the internet.

· Vanessa Gavan, founder of Maximus International, discusses the importance of companies focusing more on how they can adapt their culture to make the workplace more welcoming to millennials and gen Z, who when engaged can play a central role in building a shared company purpose that resonates with employees and customers.

· Marko Jelicic, Communications & Advocacy for South East Asia at BASF Pte. Ltd., shares his experience of the complex challenges in building a sustainability culture at a multinational that employs 110,000 people across 91 countries.

Social Capital Matters explores how the world is facing unprecedented changes and challenges, some of which, such as global boiling, present an existential risk to the global ecosystem. It also highlights how the right response to these challenges can create new opportunities for bold leaders and the companies that they run, said Ms Taylor.

“I was struck by how optimistic all of our guests were despite the really challenging, and sometimes harrowing, issues that we discussed,” she said. “Whether we were talking about how to reduce gender-based violence, or the energy issues facing Southeast Asia, a region whose people are currently dependent on fossil fuels for affordable electricity, the conversation always gravitated towards the positive steps we can take to deliver tangible change. Smart organisations will see business as usual is not an option – the opportunity to create value will come from leading the change.”

Catch up on season one or listen to all seven episodes of season two on our website www.baldwinboyle.com/podcasts or follow the links on the page for the audio version, available wherever you find your podcasts.

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