Water Cooler Conversations

Armin Laschet is the new leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the main political party in Germany. Why is this relevant? Because he is likely to become Angela Merkel’s successor as German Chancellor later on this year. To talk about this topic I sit down with Joshua Dario Hasenstab, General Coordinator at RAIA Group, a global politics Think Tank. Germany faces great challenges when it comes to climate change and digital transformation. It is also a key player in the EU’s foreign policy decisions. Our goal is to give an insight into Laschet’s stance on these issues and his political goals. As I have said, Laschet is leader of the CDU, this does not mean that he will also be the candidate the party put forward for the general election in September 2021. This is decided together with the Christian Social Union (CSU), their sister party. Give the episode a listen to find out who the other candidates might be!

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused greater integration within the European Union. It has also sparked up debates around the EU’s strategic autonomy, fiscal integration, U.S dependency... The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has great ambitions for Europe and he might see his European agenda accelerated due to these unprecedented changes. In this episode I sit down to talk about Macron’s plans for Europe with Jorge Gónzalez-Gallarza, who is a graduate in Economics from UCL and has worked in policy think tanks in Washington DC. Our goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the French president's plans for Europe, the complexities that arise and the effect the pandemic has had on them.

The industrial revolution brought about great progress and change in the 18th century. Today, we are experiencing a digital revolution. The use of digital technologies in every aspect of our lives has disrupted the way we work, the way we consume, the way we interact with each other… Joining me to analyse and break down the challenges of digital transformation is Miguel González-Gallarza, CEO of Onroad Spain, a digital driving school. Thanks to his first hand experience Miguel gives us great insight into the challenges digitalisation poses. We discuss the eruption of digital platforms, why digital transformation is so important to governments and institutions and how we bring about this transition.

Last September Citi announced that Jane Fraser would become CEO of the bank in February 2021. This makes her the first woman in history to become the top executive of a major Wall Street bank. However, women are still underrepresented at executive roles in the financial sector. The topic of this week’s episode is Women in Finance. I sit down with Alejandra Mazo to analyse the numbers, talk about who Jane Fraser is and if we will see any other women become CEO’s in the coming years.  Alejandra also gives us insight into her experience working in financial services and tells us why she would recommend a career in this industry.

The small nation between western Europe and Russia is going through historic times. Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s president, has been accused of rigging the last presidential elections. As a consequence we are witnessing the biggest protests in Belarusian history. Egor Kas joins me to talk about Lukashenko’s rise to power in 1994 and how he's managed to stay in it till today. We look at the country’s relationship with the West and with its main ally, Russia.  We finish up by talking about the ongoing protests, the pro-democracy opposition and what Putin’s recent financial loan to Lukashenko means for the country’s future.

Hong Kong is a vibrant metropolis where Chinese and Western influences blend. The former British colony is now a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. The region has a high degree of autonomy and is governed under the "one country, two systems" principle. However, in recent years, Chinese interference in Hong Kong affairs has rapidly grown. In this episode Maitland Murray, Alvin and Toby Purce join me to converse about the current situation and how it came to be. We look at Hong Kong's history, its current system of governance and Hong Kong identity. Furthermore, we discuss the controversial Chinese interference and why protesting is the only means Hongkongers have to fight for their liberties and democracy. We also talk through the international community's response and what we can expect moving forward.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic we have witnessed unprecedented new policies in the realm of Macroeconomics. Ignacio Jiménez is back with us to discuss the historical developments in Macroeconomics and where we stand now.  We also look at Modern Monetary Theory and whether greater fiscal emphasis is the new norm.

In this episode Pola Nachyla joins me to talk about China. We centre our discussion around China in the international arena. We touch upon the country's history, the Belt and Road Initiative, China's territorial disputes and how the Coronavirus outbreak has impacted its relations with Europe and the US. 

In this weeks episode we briefly look at the situation regarding youth unemployment within the EU. Belén de Foncuberta and Manuela Lacalle join me to talk about the importance of employability skills and values.  They explain the initiative they have created together, BYG on Campus. This programme centres around the idea of boosting young people's employability skills with a focus on values.

In this new episode of Water Cooler Conversations we discuss Ireland’s success on the global stage. In the first part of the episode we give an overview of the Irish political landscape. Who are the Irish traditional parties? What is the significance of the new Grand Coalition Government? We then go on to cover topics such as Ireland’s position within the EU, the current stage of Brexit talks regarding the Northern Ireland border and the recent seat Ireland has won in the UN Security Council.