Lionel Barber, the former Editor of the Financial Times, is joining Britain’s biggest commercial news talk station LBC, to host a brand-new podcast series which will be available on Global Player.
In his first broadcast venture since the FT, What Next? with Lionel Barber will focus on life beyond the current pandemic. He’ll discover how the world is adapting to it, what needs to change and, most importantly, what lessons we have learnt that will shape our lives for the future.
Each week, Lionel will speak to leading influential figures from health, politics, business, technology, the arts and environment.
The 20-part series launches on 20 October, when Barber speaks to Dr Richard Hatchett, a leading co-ordinator of COVID-19 vaccines. Now CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Hatchett served on the White House Homeland Security team under U.S. Presidents Barak Obama and George W. Bush.
Future guests for What Next? include the former Prime Minister Tony Blair; Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation, ITV’s Chief Executive Dame Carolyn McCall, the author and former Chief Executive of BP, Lord Browne and Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group.
Barber was Editor of the Financial Times for 15 years and turned it into a hugely successful worldwide brand. He interviewed numerous global leaders – from U.S. President Barack Obama to Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel – as well as high profile politicians and key decision-makers.
Among his many international awards, most recently, he received the 2020 Gerald Loeb Lifetime Achievement Award – one of the highest accolades in American business journalism.
Lionel Barber said: “I am excited to join LBC’s team of top-class broadcasters, the next step in my journalistic career after the Financial Times.
“My new podcast What Next? will explore fresh thinking from leaders in politics, business, the arts and science. My goal, shared by LBC, is to contribute to an informed debate in the age of the pandemic and beyond.”
What Next? with Lionel Barber will be available to listen to on Global Player from 20 October.
