CEOs behaving badly

🌍 Welcome to GameChangers, a Good Corp Bad Corp series spotlighting purpose-driven people transforming their industries from within.In Episode 5, we meet Laura Ranzato, Director of Community at Clean Creatives — the global campaign urging PR and advertising agencies to cut ties with fossil fuel clients.As COP30 unfolds in Belém, Brazil, Clean Creatives is turning up the heat on Edelman, the PR giant hired to lead summit communications while still representing Shell, Chevron and other oil majors. It’s a contradiction that’s fuelling outrage — and raising urgent questions about who gets to shape global climate narratives.Laura shares how Clean Creatives is challenging industry norms, exposing conflicts of interest, and building a movement that’s already seen thousands of creatives and agencies pledge to reject fossil fuel work. We also discuss the campaign’s origins, the power of public pressure, and why fossil fuel companies — like Big Tobacco before them — should be viewed as an ethical 'no-go' for agencies. To learn more, visit https://cleancreatives.org

This episode explores new research showing that personal misconduct ends CEO careers far more often than financial wrongdoing. Host George Theohari speaks with Michael Nalick, Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Denver, about his study Sex, Drugs and Restatements and what it reveals about reputation, accountability, and corporate culture.Topics include:Why boards respond more harshly to personal scandalsHow social media amplifies reputational riskWhat this means for succession planning and governanceListen for insights on the shifting moral expectations of corporate leaders and practical lessons for boards navigating reputational crises.

Welcome to GameChangers, a Good Corp Bad Corp series spotlighting ethical entrepreneurs transforming their industries from within.🎮 In Episode 3, we meet Declan Cassidy, CEO of Into Games — a non-profit working to make the UK’s gaming industry more inclusive, accessible, and socially mobile.While thousands of young people dream of careers in games, the path in is often stacked against them. Hyper-competition, limited entry-level roles, and deep-rooted inequality all make breaking through incredibly tough — especially for those from working-class or underrepresented backgrounds.Declan shares how Into Games is changing that — from early-stage inspiration and work experience, through to training, hiring, and their flagship Boost programme supporting job-ready candidates into paid studio roles. We also talk about the industry’s responsibilities, the limits of university degrees, and why game jams can be a powerful leveller.To find out more, visit the Into Games website, or read their 2024 Social Mobility in the UK Games Sector report.Special thanks to Declan and the Into Games team for their insight and ongoing work.Music for this episode composed by George Theohari.

Welcome to GameChangers, a Good Corp Bad Corp series spotlighting ethical entrepreneurs transforming their industries from within.In Episode 2, we meet Camille Guitteau, co-founder of Bye Bye Plastic – a non-profit turning dance floors into frontlines in the fight against plastic pollution. Alongside DJ and activist Blond:ish, Camille is helping nightclubs and festivals around the world become more planet-friendly.Five years since launch, Bye Bye Plastic has reached over 1 million dancers and helped eliminate hundreds of thousands of single-use plastic bottles and cups from music events. Camille shares the story behind the movement – from a chance connection via the global sorority network SheSaid.So, to bold new partnerships with London venues and the power of artists to influence cultural and environmental change.To find out more, visit the Bye Bye Plastic website, and read Camille’s full interview on SheSaid.So.Music for this episode – Never Walk Alone (BLOND:ISH, Stevie Appleton) – was used with the kind permission of BLOND:ISH and Bye Bye Plastic. Special thanks to Aurore Groult for her assistance.

Welcome to GameChangers, a new Good Corp Bad Corp series spotlighting ethical entrepreneurs transforming their industries from within. We kick off with India-born, Ireland-based Azhar Murtuza, founder of Born Maverick – a biotech company creating plant-based meat, fish, and innovative food solutions. Azhar left his family’s mining business to make sustainable, affordable, plant-based food accessible to all. In this episode, Azhar shares his bold vision for making sustainable food more affordable, his critiques of factory farming and certifications, and a call for urgent government action to ease regulation on food tech firms. *Brands mentioned in this episode were contacted for comment.   Responding to our segment on Arla’s Bovaer® project in the UK, an Arla Foods spokesperson, said: “As one of the biggest food producers in the UK, Arla Foods is committed to providing high quality dairy and we would never compromise on the safety of our products. Bovaer® has been researched for 15 years and is currently used in 29 countries around the world. The science tells us that it is both proven safe for consumers and effective in reducing emissions – and it does not get into the milk, so isn't in our products. Together with our farmer owners, this is an important part of our efforts to bring down the carbon footprint of the food we produce.”   ** The Swedish company that Azhar mentions, with which Born Maverick signed a licensing partnership, was Food For Progress (subsequently acquired by the US company Livekindly).

Welcome to GoodCorp, BadCorp, the podcast that explores reputational issues facing some of the world's biggest brands. In this episode –  in a break from our usual sector-focused format – we're diving deep into the evolving world of B Corp certification. First up, we hear about the B Corp experience from founders in two very different industries - Poppy Mardle of Poppy's Funerals and Jon Williams of advertising agency Liberty Guild.Then we’re joined by sustainable business experts, Ben Perkins and Liam Dystant, as we explore the wider impact of B Lab – the nonprofit network that oversees the B Corp movement.We also delve into the challenges, controversies and contradictions B Lab is forced to navigate in its mission to make ‘all business a force for good’.So whether you're curious about the future of ethical certifications, how they impact consumers or the accountability of B Lab, this episode will give you an inside look at the current state and future direction of the B Corp movement.

In this episode, three industry experts help us explore the key pressure points in the technology sector. Jemima Olchawski is Chief Executive Officer of The Fawcett Society, a UK-based charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights. As a social policy expert, Jemima has a wealth of experience working on issues surrounding women’s rights and social justice.Imran Ahmed is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Center for Countering Digital Hate and leads a team that works to counter the online harm of disinformation and hate.Paul Sutton is an Independent Social and Digital Marketing Consultant and host of the Digital Download podcast – a bi-weekly show about digital communications, social media marketing and the Internet.Good Corp, Bad Corp is produced by Speak Productions. The views expressed in this episode represent the interviewees’ own opinions and may not be shared by the podcast host or the production company. Speak Productions has no affiliation with the interviewees and has not paid guests to participate. Care was taken to ensure the accuracy of facts within the episode. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Thanks for listening to Good Corp, Bad Corp. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please remember to subscribe to our podcast, rate the episode and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. And if you have ideas for future episodes, please get in touch via LinkedIn or at [email protected].~Speak Productions’ factchecking process highlighted additional statistics or indicated potential inconsistencies between information referenced in the podcast and online sources, which have been noted below.• 01:05:38 – External sources suggest that the ‘primary’ source of social media platforms’ revenue comes from advertising, rather than a figure of 90%.• 01:17:30: Research says that Facebook’s experiment was focused on showing less political content in news feeds, not necessarily ‘negative’ content.

In this episode, three pharmaceutical industry experts help us explore the key pressure points in the sector. Joel Lexchin is a Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Health at York University in Toronto, Canada. He has authored and co-authored over 140 peer-reviewed papers on a wide range of pharmaceutical topics, from research and development to drug promotion and medicine regulation. Claudia Martínez is the Head of Research at the Access to Medicine Foundation, a non-profit organisation that seeks to address the availability and affordability of medicine to promote equitable access. Andy Powrie-Smith is the Executive Director of Communications and Partnerships at the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), a trade body representing pharmaceutical research-based firms across Europe. Good Corp, Bad Corp is produced by Speak Productions. The views expressed in this episode represent the interviewees’ own opinions and may not be shared by the podcast host or the production company. Speak Productions has no affiliation with the interviewees and has not paid guests to participate. Care was taken to ensure the accuracy of facts within the episode. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Thanks for listening to Good Corp, Bad Corp. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please remember to subscribe to our podcast, rate the episode and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. And if you have ideas for future episodes, please get in touch via LinkedIn or at [email protected]. ~ Speak Productions’ factchecking process highlighted additional statistics or indicated potential inconsistencies between information referenced in the podcast and online sources, which have been noted below. • 06:02 – External sources, including articles published in Frontiers in Public Health and the European Journal of Translational Myology, reference various figures for the prevalence of ‘orphan diseases’. • 06:22 – According to the World Health Organisation and the Community Eye Health Journal, neglected tropical diseases affect around 1 billion people. Other sources, including DNDi and Nature Portfolio, suggest that these figures could be higher. • 06:37 – This statement could only be confirmed at one source, which references 2018. • 24:38 – While one 2017 WHO report seems to support the existence of pressure on drug companies in this regard, up-to-date sources specifically confirming this trend could not be found.

In this episode, two experts who campaign on sustainability and workers’ rights help us to explore the gap between rhetoric and reality in the global fashion industry. Urška Trunk is Campaign Manager at the Changing Markets Foundation, a global campaigning organisation which addresses sustainability challenges using the power of markets.Paul Roeland is Transparency Coordinator at the Clean Clothes Campaign, a global network of unions and labour organisations focusing on working conditions in the garment industry. Good Corp, Bad Corp is produced by Speak Productions. The views expressed in this episode represent the interviewees’ own opinions and may not be shared by the podcast host or the production company. Speak Productions has no affiliation with the interviewees and has not paid guests to participate. Care was taken to ensure the accuracy of facts within the episode. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Thanks for listening to Good Corp, Bad Corp. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please remember to subscribe, rate and leave a review on your favourite podcast platform. And if you have ideas for future episodes, please get in touch via LinkedIn or at [email protected].~Speak Productions’ factchecking process highlighted additional statistics or indicated potential inconsistencies between information referenced in the podcast and online sources, which have been noted below.06:59 – McKinsey states that from 2000 to 2014, clothing production doubled and the number of garments purchased per capita increased by about 60%.12:06 – External sources, including Fashion United and Common Objective, reference various figures for the number of hours worked by garment workers per week.18:23 – According to the Changing Markets 2022 synthetics report, Burberry (alongside others) is listed as disclosing that it is investing in some form of initiative that is looking to accelerate fibre-to-fibre recycling.18:26 – The Changing Markets 2022 report suggests that in 2021, Sainsbury’s said 48% of its clothes contained synthetics.26:22 – Polyester reportedly overtook cotton as the most dominant fibre in 2002.26:54 – According to Fashion Revolution, the number of clothes purchased by the average consumer has increased 60% between 2000 and 2014, and the clothes are kept about only half as long.