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The Pacific Islands, a disparate group of tiny nations with a combined population of just over 2 million people scattered over an area equivalent to 15% of the earth’s surface, has become a geopolitical football. China has drastically increased investment in infrastructure and aid donations across the region in recent years, while U.S. soft diplomacy is at a post-World War II peak. Amid fears of militarisation of the region, its future has been endlessly debated by Western powers and thinktanks. Pacific Island leaders have their own priorities, most notably climate change, that will determine who holds influence over the region in coming years.

Technological and scientific innovations are shaking up how we move, work, communicate, transact and even protect ourselves. Founders and leaders tell us about what it is like to lead companies built to up-end the established ways of doing things.

The pandemic has hit the travel, leisure and retail sectors hard. Some changes to consumers’ behaviour will be temporary and other changes will stick. How are companies adapting their business models? Business leaders and entrepreneurs tell us about their journey.

Are you ready for the metaverse? Encompassing a multitude of shared virtual world environments which people can access via the internet, the metaverse is a fluid and fast-growing concept. From gaming to social media and fashion, we speak to some of the companies heading the charge into the great unknown.

The pandemic has hit the travel, leisure and retail sectors hard. Some changes to consumers’ behaviour will be temporary and other changes will stick. How are companies adapting their business models? Business leaders and entrepreneurs tell us about their journey.

On World Aids Day Winnie Byanyima – director of UNAIDS – discusses how COVID-19 has helped and hindered progress for people living with AIDS and how vaccine nationalism and the lack of access to COVID-19 vaccines in low-income countries has impacted HIV/AIDS patients.

Persistently low interest rates, a rise in digital banking and young customers’ penchant for non-conventional credit players are eroding banks’ profit, threatening the survival of their brick-and-mortar networks and undermining their business model. How can traditional banks re-invent themselves? Bankers and disruptors discuss their strategies.

Activist owners and institutional shareholders are pushing companies to embrace greener and healthier businesses. How easy is it for giant listed companies to change course? Executives and corporate innovators explain what it takes.

Kate Bingham, the British venture capitalist who was tasked with finding and funding vaccines at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, joins us to talk about the lessons that can be learned from giving business leaders free rein.

Many Democrats say the opposition party is using tactics to seize power that Biden’s White House and Congress are not fighting effectively ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Stacey Abrams – lawyer, entrepreneur, novelist and Georgia politician – discusses how effective get-out-the-vote tactics can help counter naked power grabs and other initiatives the Biden administration should employ.

Technological and scientific innovations are shaking up how we move, work, communicate, transact and even protect ourselves. Founders and leaders tell us about what it is like to lead companies built to up-end the established ways of doing things.

As the workforce returns to normal, how can we sustain advances made toward a higher minimum wage? Can the huge pay discrepancy between CEOs and workers be reduced in the new normal? And how can we bridge the gender gap in pay for women who are disproportionately represented in low wage sectors with few benefits and the least job security?

With a record $1 trillion of dry powder, North American private equity firms flush with cash are poised to snap up assets. Yet, not all sectors will be equally attractive in the post-pandemic world.

In all regions of the world democracy is facing both traditional and emerging threats. We speak to some of those with direct experience and ask what can be done to defend democracy in the modern world?

Americans started a new COVID-19 related fundraiser on GoFundMe every two minute during the pandemic seeking support for charities, first responders and for help covering basic needs. Tim Cadogan, CEO of GoFundMe, discusses the role crowdfunding and private companies should play in supporting society during difficult times.

Activist owners and institutional shareholders are pushing companies to embrace greener and healthier businesses. How easy is it for giant listed companies to change course? Executives and corporate innovators explain what it ps.

Michael Holding - former West Indies cricketer, sports broadcaster and author of Why We Kneel, How We Rise – joins us for a conversation about history, sports, racism and striving for equality and justice.

Black women in the U.S. are three to four times more likely to die from complications surrounding pregnancy and childbirth than white women. Being Black and pregnant carries significant risk and we will examine what needs to change to amplify the conversation around Black maternal health and improve the outcomes.

On International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, we consider how countries can export and import labor to accelerate development, without resorting to exploitation and feeding corruption. What changes are needed for a more equal balance in the rights of employers and immigrant workers?

Southeast Asia’s digital economy is the fastest growing in the world, beating out other expanding markets like Brazil, China, and India. We look at the tech and platforms enabling this rapid growth.

How can under-represented communities claim their equal right to be portrayed accurately, in fully fleshed out roles, instead of stereotypical bit parts that reinforce racism? Dive into ways to create, produce and distribute the breadth and depth of stories overlooked in today’s media landscape.

We examine what supports must be put in place by the government and the private sector to ensure women can return to the workforce after falling out if it in record numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine what the biggest impacts are that COVID-19 has had on gender equality and look for ways to recover with a focus on the evolving work place, caregiving, decision making and what is needed from men.

What is the next frontier in inclusivity, equality and equity in the workplace? How can employers create environments and policies that embrace and support LGBTQIA+ employees’ physical, mental and social health as well as career growth?

Activist owners and institutional shareholders are pushing companies to embrace greener and healthier businesses. How easy is it for giant listed companies to change course? Executives and corporate innovators explain what it takes.

Central banks around the world face a new set of risks as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic: Inflation is rising and the ocean of cheap liquidity needs draining. How will central banks respond, and what can emerging economies do to avoid taking the pain of the developed world’s decisions?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world have had to implement policies they never thought possible, from lockdowns in liberty-loving nations, furlough schemes among the fiscally conservative, and mass vaccination of sceptical citizens. Yet, for the most part, these policies have been accepted (and in some cases embraced) – why? What lessons can be taken from the way the world has adapted to life in a pandemic, and what does it mean for future policymaking?

The music world has changed radically as listeners shift from buying singles and albums to playing endless music on streaming platforms. And those platforms are inundated with 60,000 new tracks uploaded to Spotify every day. Where is the value now for musicians and songwriters? How can artists break through? What are the new business models that could reset the industry?

In an age of visual, interactive and multimedia journalism, how can information be gathered and curated to bring greater insight into complex issues, beyond good-bad and black-white? How can news coverage avoid pandering to audiences' biases, and expand boundaries by being more diverse, inclusive and representative of our full experiences?

How can under-represented communities claim their equal right to be portrayed accurately, in fully fleshed out roles, instead of stereotypical bit parts that reinforce racism? We will dive into ways to create, produce and distribute the breadth and depth of stories overlooked in today’s media landscape.

The iconic cartoon show was set in 2062, but the reality of flying cars and other innovations to ease urban congestion could arrive even sooner.

Persistently low interest rates, a rise in digital banking and young customers’ penchant for non-conventional credit players are eroding banks’ profit, threatening the survival of their brick-and-mortar networks and undermining their business model. How can traditional banks re-invent themselves? Bankers and disruptors discuss their strategies.