AND is the Future Ilham Kadri

Did you know that sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12) can bring a lot of growth and economic benefits? Ilham sits down with Jorge Laguna-Celis who leads the One Planet Network, part of the UN Environment Programme, to talk about the importance of SDG 12; the One Planet Network’s global strategy for sustainable consumption and production; how businesses can grow and thrive by achieving SDG 12, and much more! 

Timestamps 
1:22 - Upbringing and passion for sustainable development
2:36 - Focus on SDG 12 and the 10 year framework of programs on sustainable consumption and production
5:14 - What has been achieved and still left to achieve since Rio 20?
8:43 - Release of One Planet Network’s Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production
13:51 - Circularity and business mindshifts, and reducing inequality
20:25 - Harmonizing frameworks
15:46 - What was achieved at COP 27?
29:59 - What about COP 15 on biodiversity?
33:12 - Love of music and playing the guitar

Jorge Laguna-Celis is a diplomat, an author and internationally renowned expert on global sustainable development policies. Jorge leads the One Planet Network, part of the UN Environment Programme. In this role, he's responsible for driving exciting new actions for achieving SDG 12 to enable sustainable consumption and production. 

He is the author of numerous columns and publications on issues related to international affairs and sustainable development. His latest book entitled "From Rio+20 to a New Development Agenda: Building a Bridge to a Sustainable Future", was published in 2014 by Routledge.
For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.solvay.com/podcast

Did you watch the Netflix documentary Return to Space? Then you will remember one of the stars of the show, former NASA astronaut Doug Hurley! Ilham sits down with Doug to discuss his amazing flight in the SpaceX Dragon rocket, what sparked his passion for flight, the launch of Artemis I, when we’ll see humans on Mars, and, most importantly, what businesses can learn from space exploration.

While at NASA Doug went to space three times: In 2009, Doug piloted the NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour, and in 2011 he piloted the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which was the final flight of NASA’s Space Shuttle program. But that wasn’t Doug’s final flight: in 2020, he returned to space aboard the SpaceX Dragon rocket. After clocking more than 92 days in space, Doug retired from NASA and now works for Northrop Grumman, which built the two towering motors that powered NASA’s Artemis rocket to the moon. In January 2023, Doug was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by Vice President Kamala Harris for his significant contributions to American space programs.
Time stamps
1: 46 - Spark for passion for flight
3:24 - Experience going to space
4: 59 - The SpaceX Dragon mission
9: 32 - Focus on safety
12:50 - Friendship with fellow astronaut Bob Behnken
16:38 - SpaceX ascent and re-entry/splash down
19:46 - Bringing hope during covid-19
23:05 - Launch of Artemis I
27:32 - When will we put humans on Mars?
31:26 - Work at Northrop Grumman
36:27 - Diversity, equity and inclusion in space exploration
39:25 - What can businesses learn from space exploration?
41:56 - Devotion to family
For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.solvay.com/podcast

When Michelle Brown started her first teaching job at a low income school in Mississippi, she was confronted by the deep inequities in the system and decided to do something about it. Michelle went on to found CommonLit, a non-profit technology company with a mission to close the opportunity gap in education through literacy. 

Ilham sits down with Michelle to discuss her journey from teacher to tech entrepreneur, and the impact of CommonLit, which is doing so much to improve literacy for students, especially those in low income schools. 
Time stamps
1:32 - Upbringing and inspiration to pursue education
3: 32 - First teaching job
5:53 - From teacher to tech entrepreneur
10:10 - What is CommonLit?
14:03 - Impact of CommonLit
20:00 - Growth of the program
23:33 - Diversity, equity and inclusion 
25:48 - What’s next? 
27:08 - Advice for young entrepreneurs
28:13 - Hobbies 


About Michelle Brown
Michelle Brown is the founder and CEO of CommonLit, an innovative and free online educational program that reinvents the way students learn to read. Under Michelle’s leadership, CommonLit has grown to over 20 million users and it's having a profound impact on improving literacy across the United States, particularly in low income schools. She is an experienced classroom teacher who has taught in urban and rural environments, and at the university level as a professor of Spanish.


For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.solvay.com/podcast

Famed explorer Bertrand Piccard reminds us that if everyone tells you that something is possible, that means your dreams are not big enough! Bertrand made history by flying around the world, first non-stop in a balloon, and more recently in a solar-powered airplane without burning a single drop of fuel. 

In this podcast, Ilham sits down with Bertrand to discuss his upbringing and what sparked his passion for exploring the unknown, his flight around the world in a solar powered plane, the future of emissions free flight, solutions that are sustainable AND profitable, his advice for you young explorers and entrepreneurs, and most importantly, how to make the impossible possible! 

Time stamps: 
1:26 - Rapid fire questions
5:24 - Upbringing and passion for exploring
8:10 - Inspiration from his grandfather Auguste Piccard
11:16 - Flight in a solar plane around the world
17:39 - The future of flight
21:32 - Next adventures
23:13 - Solar Impulse solutions that are sustainable AND profitable
26:11 - Bertrand’s latest book: logical AND ecological
29:02 - Pret a voter: making legislation and regulation work for sustainable and profitable solutions
32:43 - Experience as a psychologist
34:04 - Advice for young explorers and entrepreneurs
36:28 - Love of kitesurfing
For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.solvay.com/podcast

Is the world better off because your business is in it? Paul Polman, one of the top leaders advocating for sustainable businesses, speaks with Ilham about what it takes to build a Net Positive company; how leaders can unlock a company’s soul; why empathetic leadership is the key to success; the power of partnerships; the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, and so much more.  
Timestamps 
1:22 - Background and passion for sustainable business
5:10 - How to be a Net Positive company
8:42 - Purpose: unlocking a company’s soul
13:36 - Power of partnerships
19:07 - Empathetic leadership
25:30 - Leaving a better world for the next generation
27:32 - What can business learn from the arts?


Paul Polman is the former CEO of Unilever and one of the foremost leaders in the effort to create sustainable and profitable businesses. While at Unilever he increased his shareholders' returns by 300% while ensuring the company ranked #1 in the world for sustainability for eleven years running. He now runs an organization called Imagine, which advocates for businesses becoming a true force for good. Paul is also the author of Net Positive How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take.
For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.solvay.com/podcast

Professor Katalin Karikó’s research led to the creation of the messenger RNA Covid-19 vaccine, which has saved so many lives and helped curb the impact of the pandemic. She has quite literally changed the world! Ilham sits down with Professor Karikó to talk about her invaluable research; her passion for science; her upbringing in Hungary; women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers; her advice for young scientists, and much more

1:42 - Upbringing in Hungary
5:26 - Move to the United States
7:43 - Development of the Covid-19 vaccine
11:23 - mRNA technology as a potential solution for other diseases
13:49 - Receiving the covid-19 vaccine - the results of her work
15:19 - Story of resilience and determination amid challenges
21:15 - Adjusting to almost overnight fame
22:50 - Educating the public
24:06 - Championing women scientists
24:44 - Role models
28:28 - Advice to young scientists
Professor Katalin Karikó is an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked for 24 years before joining BioNTech SE in 2013 as a senior VP. She is also professor at University of Szeged, Hungary from where she received her PhD in biochemistry in 1982. For decades, her research has focused on RNA-mediated mechanisms with the ultimate goal of developing mRNA for protein therapy. She investigated RNA-mediated immune activation and together with Drew Weissman discovered that nucleoside modifications suppress the immunogenicity of RNA, which widened the therapeutic potentials of mRNA. Her patent, co-invented with Drew Weissman, was used to create the FDA-approved covid-19 mRNA vaccines by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna. 
Her groundbreaking contribution was to use chemistry to modify the mRNA so that it wouldn't be rejected by the immune system. In the future, her research could be applied to many other diseases such as cancer, influenza, malaria, tuberculosis, and so much more. 
Professor Karikó has won numerous awards for her incredible work, including the Solvay Prize. 
For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.solvay.com/podcast