Episode #1: Security in Development

In this episode, I have the pleasure to chat to Liam Strang, the Global Head of Security and Crisis at Sightsavers. Sightsavers is a pretty cool organization. It's an international NGO that works to prevent and cure avoidable blindness, and it promotes equality for people with visual impairments mostly in developing countries.Now, this is obviously cool in and of itself, but what I find really interesting is because of the success in relatively stable parts of the world, their mission is now compelling them to work in increasingly riskier jurisdictions. And to cope with this Sightsavers has evolved highly integrated program and security functions. Listen as Liam shares his experience working within this sector.

In this episode I have the pleasure to be speaking to Sabrina Segal. We discuss risk assessments and Sabrina shares an alternative approach to the risk register. Sabrina is a licensed US attorney, certified fraud examiner and government specialist with almost 20 years of experience working in the risk, ethics and integrity field. Her focus is on the third sector and she has worked at every level from direct implementation of humanitarian activities in the field to the development of organizational risk and compliance environments. And she's also the host of the Tolerable Risk Podcast, which focuses on threats and opportunities in the third sector.

Our guest on this episode is a veteran of the sustainability industry with a breadth of experience from retail to mining, Jack Cunningham. Together we’ll be exploring something that is both surprisingly and yet not that surprisingly misunderstood - ESG versus Sustainability. Join us as we discuss the difference and why the distinction matters.

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) provides a solution to a global demand for more socially and environmentally responsible mining. IRMA offers true independent third-party verification and certification against a comprehensive standard for all mined materials that provides ‘one-stop coverage’ of the full range of issues related to the impacts of industrial-scale mines. Join us as we discuss the mining sector with Aimee Boulanger, IRMA Executive Director.

Rabia Nusrat is one hardcore Program Manager in the aid and development sector. And she’s our guest on this episode. Rabia has been a driving force behind women’s empowerment projects in Afghanistan, education projects in Pakistan, peacebuilding in Sri Lanka and much, much more. Operating out of the heart of Kabul for several years and with more than 15 years in the field, Rabia has a wealth of experience. Listen as she shares on-the-ground realities of running projects in extreme environments.

In this episode we’re exploring conflict sensitivity with leading peace and conflict advisor within the aid and development sector, Summer Brown. Join us as Summer guides us through the complexities of this hidden art and shares insight from a career forged in some truly challenging locations.

In this episode we discuss security risk management and duty of care within the development sector with Wayne Rautenbach the Health, Safety, Security and Wellbeing Manager for International Development at Mott MacDonald. Listen as he shares his insight into the realities and challenges facing development organisations right along the delivery pipeline from donors to subcontractors operating in extreme risk countries.