In Context

In this episode, Karin talks to RUSI Trustee and leading QC Alison Levitt. Alison discusses her career as one of the leading criminal barristers in the UK, including several of her high profile cases. She also talks about gender, inclusivity and diversity, and even shares her favourite lockdown recipe!

In this episode, Jan Hall talks to Karin about her career as one of the UK’s top headhunters, identifying and matching the appropriate people for some of the most demanding executive positions in FTSE’s major companies. Hers is the story of not only enterprise, but also of the challenges of driving diversity on corporation boards, and on combining a life in the commercial sector with a dedication to non-for-profit activities. 

In this episode, Karin talks to the new Chair of the Institute, the Rt. Hon Sir David Lidington, KCB, CBE. Sir David discusses his career from the early days as a special adviser to eventually becoming Prime Minister Theresa May’s de facto deputy, as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Sir David will also be reflecting on the difficult choice of leaving government and on the poetry that best reflects the mood of 2020.

Welcome back to Season Two of our podcast. In this episode Karin talks to Sir Mark Rowley. A RUSI Distinguished Fellow, Sir Mark talks through his incredible career in the police force and the changes he has seen in the culture and practice of policing. Sir Mark served as the National Police Lead for Counter Terrorism and Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service from August 2014 to 2018.

In this episode Karin talks to Sir John Scarlett about his career in the British Secret Intelligence Service, including his time as Chief. They discuss the collapse of the Soviet Union, 9/11 and even green ink, among other issues!

This episode Karin sits down with The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. A Labour politician who was both the 10th Secretary General of NATO and the Secretary of State for Defence. 

Recently appointed as the new UK High Commissioner to Nairobi, Jane Marriott joins Karin for the In Context podcast to discuss her varied career, including working in hot spots such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen and her service as Director of the Joint International Counter-Terrorism Unit.

Karin talks to Lord Ricketts, former Senior Diplomat and Life Peer. Lord Ricketts talks about his time in the Foreign Office, working in London, New York, Paris and Hong Kong. He went on to serve as Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and established the National Security Council.  

Karin talks to Alexander Downer, Australia’s longest serving Minister for Foreign Affairs and former leader of the Liberal Party. He shares his views on Brexit, Iraq and international trade as well as opening up on how his secret meeting with the F.B.I sparked the Trump — Russia inquiry.  

Her Excellency Ms Janice Charette is High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is the Permanent Representative of Canada to the International Maritime Organisation.  She was the second woman in Canadian history to serve as Clerk of the Privy Council, the highest non-elected office in Canada. Two years ago she came here to London to become High Commissioner.

General the Lord Houghton of Richmond spent over four decades in the British Army, including tours in Ireland and Iraq, with his last appointment being the military’s highest as Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). In this episode Lord Houghton shares his insights about UK defence, populism, his long career in the military, and his role as the Constable of the Tower of London, following (not too closely) in the footsteps of RUSI’s founder, the Duke of Wellington!

Sir Malcolm Rifkind is a major figure in UK defence and security, having served as defence secretary, foreign secretary and most recently as chair of the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee. Sir Malcolm talks to Karin about his career under Margaret Thatcher and John Major.  

Nik Gowing has spent his career breaking news: in this episode he and Karin sit down and explore some of the most incredible stories Nik has reported on. His new book, ‘Thinking the Unthinkable’, tackles the conformity of the political system. 

Karin von Hippel, Director General of RUSI speaks to Kori Schake, Deputy-Director General of the IISS. They discuss Kori’s role in US politics: from the Pentagon to the State Department and onwards as a senior policy adviser to the McCain-Palin 2008 presidential campaign.  

Karin talks to Mona Juul, a diplomat and current Norwegian Ambassador to the UK who, along with her husband, played a key role in the Oslo Accords, the landmark agreement that attempted to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This was dramatised in a widely-praised Broadway play.

This time Karin von Hippel talks to the European Union’s former foreign policy chief, Baroness Cathy Ashton. We’ll be talking about the EU, the Iran Deal and... Daleks. 

For the first In Context podcast, RUSI Director-General Dr Karin von Hippel talks to Chris DiBona, Director of Open Source at Google. Chris has witnessed the rise of one of the biggest tech firms on the planet that is making an impact on everyday life. Chris shares with us his assessment on digital security, privacy and hacking.