The Leadership Lab

Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, on the rich and uniquely complex nature of Cambridge University, and the transformative power of leading with questions.  ————————— Originally published: 10 December 2024

Dr Michael Spence, President and Provost of University College London (UCL), on his diverse leadership journey, UCL's challenger ethos, and his vision for fostering global impact through education. ————————— Originally published: 24 September 2024

Professor Larry Kramer, President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics, on his multifaceted career, philanthropic principles, and the forward-looking vision for LSE. ————————— Originally published: 27 August 2024

Lee Newman, Dean of IE Business School, on innovative leadership, and blending the worlds of storytelling and strategic decision-making to navigate the complexities of modern academia and business. ————————— Originally published: 14 March 2024

Dr Rose Patten, 34th Chancellor of the University of Toronto, on her personal leadership journey across three sectors and her new book 'Intentional Leadership: The Big 8 Capabilities Setting Leaders Apart.' ————————— Originally published: 20 February 2024

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, explores her distinguished career and the impact her leadership has had on both national and global stages. ————————— Originally published: 8 January 2024

Éloïc Peyrache, Dean & General Director at HEC Paris, on social injustice, the opportunity to have an impact on who people become, and why the world is a triangle. ————————— Originally published: 8 December 2023

Linda Doyle, the 45th (and first ever female) Provost and President of Trinity College Dublin, on the proudest day of her life, the importance of matching a sense of urgency with a sense of hope, and disrupting things (intentionally). ————————— Originally published: 22 November 2023

Christina Paxson, 19th President of Brown University, on what it means for a university to be a community, why small-minded self-serving interests make her angry, and what brings her joy. ————————— Originally published on: 1 November 2023

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone unpacks her leadership journey, daily mantra, and reveals the hardest decision she's ever had to make as a leader. ————————— Originally published: 30 August 2023

In the first episode of the Leadership Lab series, Susanna explores the complexities of leadership and its multifaceted nature with François Ortalo-Magné, former Dean of London Business School, who is steadfast in his commitment to inclusion and diversity. François is one of the few Deans at a top-class business school to lead for a second term of office. Committed to improving inclusion and diversity at LBS, he is a long-time friend and partner of the Laidlaw Foundation. ————————— Originally published: 7 July 2023

Chhavi Sharma - Laidlaw Scholar from the University of Hong Kong - discusses her research into the way augmented reality can be used for complex data visualization, and her project Change The Code, which aims to improve the gender ratio in STEM industries by encouraging more female students to take up science and technology-related fields.

Roma Agrawal - structural engineer, diversity campaigner, and author of Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures, discusses how structures can be oppressive (and inclusive!), the gender gap in STEM professions, and facing discrimination in the workplace.  

Sir David Carter shares his recipe for successful multi-academy trust leadership, such as the 5 things to focus on when turning around a failing school, the 4 most important aptitudes of a trust CEO, and how to effectively transfer best practice between schools.

Durham University Laidlaw Scholarship alumna Beth Davenport discusses her research into plant genetic engineering, climate grief, and white privilege in a global crisis. 

Composer, academic, and cultural activist Dr Shirley J. Thompson discusses the importance of constantly questioning the status quo, transforming established narratives, and how music can change the world. You can find the references, further reading suggestions and the transcript of the episode, on the Laidlaw Scholars Network.

University of Toronto Laidlaw Scholar Sanjna Ullal discusses her investigation into the double-marginalisation of dalit women in urban India, the role of personal identity in research, and her podcast, Women Advocating for Change - a space that simultaneously recognizes the struggles many women go through, and highlights their ability to effect change in dynamic ways. 

Best-selling author and Acumen Founder & CEO, Jacqueline Novogratz, and Laidlaw Foundation CEO, Susanna V. Kempe, discuss how to become a moral leader in a world that desperately needs a new model of leadership. What is a moral imagination and how do you exercise it? How do you write your own personal manifesto? And how do we redefine success to enact a moral revolution, moving away from putting profit at the centre, to prioritizing humanity and the Earth instead?

This week Nikol is joined by Ana Cuteanu - an Arts & Sciences student and former Laidlaw Scholar at University College London, to discuss Ana's research into the use of the internet in medical patients, her social enterprise project aimed at alleviating youth unemployment, and the importance of experiencing other cultures.  Send us your thoughts at contact@laidlawfoundation.com or leave a comment below! #TheGoodLeader

Dr Patricia Fara - an incredibly established and respected academic in the field of History of Science and the author of A Lab of One's Own: Science and Suffrage in the First World War - discusses her unusual leadership journey, the position of women in science throughout history, and what is wrong with the way we write female biographies. Dr Fara was a Director of Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge, the Senior Tutor at Clare College, President of the British Society for the History of Science, and currently she is an Emeritus Fellow at Clare College and President of the Antiquarian Horological Society. She has published a range of academic and popular books on the history of science, such as Science: A Four Thousand Year History, Newton: The Making of a Genius, and most recently A Lab of One's Own: Science and Suffrage in the First World War, which we will discuss in this episode. She also regularly writes for publications such as Nature, and appears on TV and radio programmes, such as In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg. You can access the transcript, references, and further reading on the Laidlaw Scholars Network: https://laidlawscholars.network/rooms/846-the-good-leader-podcast #TheGoodLeader