How to Lead a Sustainable Business with Alannah Weston

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to leaders who are driving systems change to reinvent their sectors for a future that is regenerative and just.   This week is a special episode: rather than exploring an economic sector, Alannah looks at the possibility of rethinking race in conversation with Emma Dabiri.   Emma is an academic, broadcaster and author of two highly acclaimed books on the subject: Don't Touch My Hair and What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship to Coalition. She offers a clear-thinking analysis of the construction of race and how through coalition and solidarity we might dismantle this system and build one that benefits both people and planet.   How to Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoy this episode, please take a moment to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to business leaders who are reinventing their sectors for a sustainable and just future. This episode explores the shocking world of food waste. More than a third of the world's food is thrown away and in the developed world, half of food waste takes place at home. Tessa Clarke, CEO of OLIO, an app that redistributes food that would otherwise be wasted, discusses how her business galvanised 50,000 volunteers to tackle waste, and the ways in which society needs to re-think its relationship with food if we are to win the race to net zero. How to Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoy this episode, please take a moment to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to business leaders who are reinventing their sectors for a sustainable and just future. In this episode, she is joined by Christian Benimana, Senior Principal and Managing Director of MASS Design Group in Rwanda. Its mission is to research, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. MASS believes that architecture has a critical role to play in supporting communities to confront history, shape new narratives, collectively heal and project new possibilities for the future.  Christian introduces a new concept of beauty, one that moves beyond the aesthetic and only really blossoms when it brings social and environmental value to communities.  How to Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoy this episode, please take a moment to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to leaders who are driving transformational change towards sustainable industry. In this episode, Alannah is joined by Leslie Johnston, CEO of the Laudes Foundation, which catalyses systems change in the worlds of fashion, finance and the built environment, towards a new economy that values all people and nature. Leslie discusses the twin motivators of fear and inspiration when trying to change mindsets, and explains why the second is the more effective tool. She talks about the complexity of changing systems but outlines that it is possible to make a climate-positive transition without leaving behind the people whose livelihoods rely on systems which are currently damaging our planet. How to Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoy this episode, please take a moment to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to leaders who are driving transformational change towards sustainable industry. In this episode, Alannah is joined by the person behind the first B-Corp certified luxury fashion house, Riccardo Bellini, CEO of Chloé. Riccardo lifts the lid on how to turn positive intention into concrete reality, with insight into how Chloé overhauled its supply chain to move away from PVC and champion low-impact regenerative raw materials, and to work with partners that have a transformation social impact on the group at the heart of Chloé's purpose - women. How to Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to leaders who are driving transformational change. In this episode, Alannah is joined by her friend colleague and long-time collaborator, Anne Pitcher, Managing Director of Selfridges Group. They share their experiences of the company's sustainability journey from fur to fish, from Project Ocean to Project Earth. Anne reflects on what it takes to embed a vision and purpose deep inside an organisation, and how the most powerful partnerships are not always the ones you expect. How to Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoy this episode, please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Back for a third series, Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders driving transformational systems change to put sustainability at the heart of their businesses. In this episode, Alannah is joined by Andy Cato, co-founder of Wildfarmed. Andy is a Grammy-nominated musician, one half of the incredible Groove Armada. In 2006, he read an article about the dire state of industrial food production, which ended with the line “If you don't like the system, don't depend on it.” Andy sold his music rights, bought a farm, and has spent his life since finding a more restorative and sustainable way of growing food. Together, they discuss how following natural systems for soil health leads to abundance and how it can transform our ailing agricultural system. How to Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoy this episode, please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

In this COP26 Special, Alannah is joined by Henry Dimbleby. Henry spent time as a journalist, cook and management consultant, before co-founding the healthy fast-food restaurant chain, Leon. He created the Sustainable Restaurants Association and London Union, a network of some of London's largest street food markets. His philanthropic work includes campaigning tirelessly for healthy meals for school children, and he set up the Hackney School of Food. Most recently Henry was appointed lead non-executive board member at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), where he has led the National Food Strategy, publishing a ground-breaking review of the UK food system in 2020. Together they reflect on the Glasgow summit and discuss the role of government in combating the climate crisis.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core.  In this episode, Alannah is joined by Andrew Waugh, a founding partner of Waugh Thistleton Architects. He has designed award winning schemes from synagogues to social housing and is one of the world experts on timber construction. They discuss the merits of wood for human and environmental reasons and how it can transform the entire system of building. Together they consider whether steel and cement are the fossil fuels of the future.  How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. 

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core.  In this episode Alannah is joined by Safia Qureshi, founder and CEO of CLUBZERO, an award-winning returnable packaging system for food and beverage brands globally. Safia is an architect, designer and innovator who decided to take on the redesign of one of the most challenging aspects of the food service industry system: the lowly single use coffee cup. She speaks to Alannah about disrupting single use plastics, the role of legislation in regulating packaging and the challenges women in leadership positions face.   How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core.  In this episode Alannah is joined by Jesper Brodin, CEO of IKEA and its parent company Ingka Group, the world's largest home furnishing retailer. IKEA welcomes over 700 million visitors to their stores and 3.6 billion visits to their website every year. Jesper's career with IKEA spans over 25 years and he speaks to Alannah about IKEA's vision, the importance of scaling businesses to build a sustainable economy and the relationship between sustainability and affordability.  How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core.  In this episode Alannah is joined by Sally Jewell, a business executive who was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the 51st United States Secretary of the Interior. She was previously the CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc. and interim CEO of the Nature Conservancy. They speak about the relationship between government and business, the challenges of regulation regulating industries and working together to find solutions.  How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core.  In this episode Alannah is joined by Charlie Burrell, a conservationist and founder of Knepp Wildland, the first large-scale lowland rewilding project in England. He transformed his family's 3,500 acre estate from being a dairy and arable farm into a rewilding project which now has its own ecosystem boasting the largest concentrations of nightingales in the UK and the biggest breeding population of rare purple emperor butterflies. They speak about disrupting the agriculture industry, stakeholder management, regenerative farming and how land can be reinvented through biodiversity. How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. 

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core. In this episode Alannah is joined by Dame Vivian Hunt, a senior partner at the global management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company. She served as managing partner of McKinsey's UK and Ireland offices from 2013-2020 and is a thought leader on productivity, leadership and diversity. She was previously named as one of the top ten “most influential black people in Britain” by the Powerlist Foundation, and The Financial Times identified her “one of the 30 most influential people in the City of London”. She speaks to Alannah about the importance of businesses being open to innovation, stakeholder capitalism and the value of a diverse workforce. How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core.  In this episode Alannah is joined by Sir Dave Lewis, Chair of the leading conservation charity, World Wildlife Fund for Nature. Dave worked at Unilever for nearly 30 years before becoming CEO of Tesco where he led the company's turnaround at the same time as embedding sustainability into its strategy. He tells Alannah how he led transformational change in Tesco, the importance of partnering with NGOs and other key stakeholders, and why ‘followership' is just as important as leadership.  How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core.  In this episode, Alannah is joined by Victoria Prew, CEO of Hurr - the UK's first peer to peer fashion rental platform. Her business has been described as the ‘Airbnb of fashion' by Forbes magazine. They discuss the rental revolution, a guilt-free approach to shopping and how Victoria is disrupting the fashion system by bringing the circular economy to life for customers through tech innovation. How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridge Group, speaks to inspiring leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out what it takes to lead change and how businesses can put sustainability at their core.  In this episode Alannah is joined by Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, the world's first green energy company. 25 years ago, the concept of ‘green energy' didn't exist. Starting with one windmill, he  kick-started the disruption of the fossil fuel industry. Dale shares his journey from New Age traveller to eco-entrepreneur and U.N. Climate Change Champion. He tells Alannah how he took Forest Green Rovers' Football Club vegan and his next ambition to mine diamonds from the sky. How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. 

In this special edition of the podcast, the tables are turned on our host as she is put in the hot seat. Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, is interviewed by The Times journalist and broadcaster Manveen Rana. In this episode, Alannah reflects on the sustainability journey Selfridges Group has been on, the future of fashion, and what she's looking forward to exploring in Season 2 of the podcast.  How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoyed this episode please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. 

Join Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, for Season 2 of How To Lead a Sustainable Business. In this podcast series, Alannah continues her mission of finding out how businesses can innovate and transform to put sustainability at their core. Each week she will be joined by an inspirational business leader driving change in their field – whether it's football, fashion, food or furniture. Upcoming guests include Jesper Brodin, CEO of IKEA; Dale Vince, Founder of Ecotricity; Dame Vivian Hunt, Senior Partner at McKinsey; Sir Dave Lewis, Chair of WWF and former CEO of Tesco; and Sally Jewell, President Obama's Secretary of the Interior. How To Lead a Sustainable Business is brought to you by Selfridges Group and Intelligence Squared. If you enjoy this series please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. 

How can we expect the leaders of the future to tackle the complex issues we face with an education system trapped in the mindset of the past?   In this episode, Alannah speaks with activist and student politician, Zamzam Ibrahim. Zamzam is the former President of the National Union of Students and currently serves as the President of the charity Students Organising for Sustainability, which was created by the NUS in response to the climate and ecological crisis.  Her campaigns have highlighted that the climate crisis is deeply intertwined with issues of social justice and inequality. And that what is needed, is a fundamental shift in the education system, to give young people the tools and agency they need to fight for a greener, fairer future.

In a moment of profound despair about the environment, how can we cultivate hope that our generation has the opportunity to shape a green future?   In this episode, Alannah speaks with Christiana Figueres, the internationally recognized climate change negotiator, and campaigner. In 2015, she spearheaded the Paris Agreement which saw nearly every country in the world commit to reducing emissions and move towards a sustainable economy.   She speaks to Alannah about how she is both outraged and optimistic about what is arguably the most consequential moment in human history, and how business leaders urgently need to chart their path to halving emissions.

A quick update about the mid-season break in the series. We'll be back soon with guests including Christiana Figueres, Zamzam Ibrahim and Mariana Mazzucato.

How can purpose driven businesses pave the way for opportunity in the new green economy?   In this episode Alannah speaks with acclaimed scholar and Harvard Business School professor Rebecca Henderson. Rebecca is one of the world’s most influential scholars focused on driving large-scale change. Her research explores purpose-driven capitalism and the ways in which the private sector can help build a more sustainable economy. Rebecca’s latest book, Reimagining Capitalism: How Business Can Save the World, lays out a pragmatic roadmap on how business can help catalyse the systemic change we need to build an economy that works for everyone.    Rebecca talks to Alannah about how to marry purpose with clarity of strategy, the importance of redefining growth to include measures of wellbeing and offers insight into why business leaders find transformational change so difficult.

What if you could get the best return on capital by investing in companies that place people and the planet at their heart?   In this episode, Alannah sits down with one of the leaders in sustainable investing, David Blood. In 2004 David co-founded Generation Investment Management alongside Vice President Al Gore. David has helped shift the dial towards long term sustainable investing, not merely because it’s the ethical thing to do, but because it has an undeniably robust business case.   When David speaks about moving towards a sustainable world, he’s not just talking about emissions or plastic. He’s talking about tackling equality, poverty, social justice, health, and governance challenges that are tightly interlinked with climate change and will drive future economies.

What does it take to be a leader in a world where climate change turns capitalism inside out?   In this episode Alannah speaks with John Elkington, a world authority on corporate responsibility and one of the founders of the global sustainability movement. As the Co-Founder and Chief Pollinator at Volans, he works closely with governments and business leaders to achieve transformational change.   John has been a central voice on these issues for more than four decades and has written 20 books on the subject, including the bestselling Green Consumer Guide and his latest book Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism.   John talks to Alannah about the kind of leadership we’ll need for businesses to become part of the solution to climate change, and to be better businesses as a result.

How can we mobilise mindsets to turn anxiety about the climate crisis into action?   In this episode, Alannah speaks with activist Clover Hogan, the 21-year-old founder of ‘Force Of Nature’ - a youth-led organisation empowering Gen Z to step up, rather than shut down in the face of the climate crisis.  Clover has passionately highlighted one of the hidden side effects of the climate crisis, the rise in eco-anxiety. At age 16, as she was lobbying decision-makers at the Paris climate meeting, she realised that the threat greater even than climate change was the universal feeling of powerlessness in the face of it.    After graduating from the Green School in Indonesia, Clover worked with Impossible Foods on national youth strategy and consulted multinationals at Volans. She has worked alongside the world’s leading authorities on sustainability and consulted within the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies.   Clover shares with Alannah her remarkable journey and her mission to wake business leaders up and inspire them to take action. 

In this inspiring new podcast, you can join Alannah Weston, Chairman of Selfridges Group, as she speaks with thought leaders at the forefront of sustainability and business to find out how we can make transformational change. 

What does it take to be a sustainable leader?   In this episode, Alannah speaks with Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever. Early in his tenure, Paul realised that capitalism as it was being practised did not meet the challenges of today. In 2010 he launched Unilever’s audacious Sustainable Living Plan, designed to decouple growth from their environmental footprint while increasing positive social impact. Widely hailed as a game-changer, Unilever under Paul’s leadership proved that sustainable businesses are the future. Here, we hear about how Paul brought about these changes and how they continue to benefit both the business and our planet.