University of Birmingham launches new podcast series ‘Leadership Exchanged’

The Birmingham Leadership Institute has officially launched its brand-new podcast, ‘Leadership Exchanged’.

The six-episode podcast series investigates what kind of leadership is needed to help solve some of the world’s most complex challenges, hosting industry-leading guests across private, public and third sectors.

The podcast will be launched on 24 November at the inaugural lecture of Professor Carolyn Wilkins and Professor Christopher Pietroni, ‘Can leadership get us out of the mess we’re in?’, detailing the impact of leadership on current global challenges.

During the first episode of the podcast, Professor Christopher Pietroni, Director of the Birmingham Leadership Institute and podcast host, welcomes successful entrepreneur and British businessman, Paul Richardson. Together they discuss how and why we need to exchange society’s current approach to leadership and the importance of mentoring and developing leadership in others.

From retail to waste management, Paul holds a wealth of experience across a wide range of sectors in which he has led privatised organisations to great success, including Gymshark and HERA London.

Following Paul’s episode, upcoming podcast guests include Professor Carolyn Wilkins OBE, a fellow academic from the Birmingham Leadership Institute and Noëlla Coursaris, international model and CEO and founder of Malaika Foundation, a charity which provides education, water, and healthcare for families in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The six-part series is free to listen to and each episode entails Christopher hosting guests with a wide range of expertise across sustainability, politics, education, charity and well-being to ensure listeners are provided with a well-rounded context and insight into the topic of systemic leadership.

Professor Christopher Pietroni, Director of the Birmingham Leadership Institute at the University of Birmingham, said: 

“We are delighted to announce the official launch of the ‘Leadership Exchanged’ podcast series. The high-profile, cutting-edge ​

​guests on the podcast series provide a broad take on what kind of leadership is needed to help solve some of the world’s most complex problems to create positive and lasting change.”

“Through this brand-new podcast series, the Birmingham Leadership Institute hopes to raise awareness around the art of systemic leadership and how the modern leader focuses on practice, not position.”

Birmingham Leadership Institute was launched in 2021 to research and develop the leadership skills required for individuals to tackle key, contemporary issues across the globe. Through this, the Birmingham Leadership Institute aims to implement these learnings through education and training to put modern leadership knowledge into practice. 

The podcast will be available on channels such as Spotify, Castbox and Apple Podcasts, as well as a video version on the University of Birmingham YouTube channel. 

For further information on the podcast series, please visit: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/socsci/bli/leadership-exchanged-podcast/leadership-exchanged-podcast.aspx

Find out more here about the College of Social Sciences Inaugural Lecture Series, where Professor Carolyn Wilkins and Professor Christopher Pietroni of the Birmingham Leadership Institute deliver their joint inaugural lecture on leadership.