The Merri-Cast: Celebrating The Life and Ideas of Charles Handy

Aug 19, 2025

After a short Summer break, we’re back with a very special episode of The Merri-Cast. We depart from our usual format to pay tribute to the late, great Charles Handy – social philosopher, visionary thinker and one of the most influential voices in leadership and management of our times.

Charles’s insights heavily shaped my own journalistic and entrepreneurial journey. And his books, including The Age of Unreason, The Elephant and The Flea, and The Second Curve, continue to inspire entrepreneurs, leaders and anyone curious about the world in which they live.

To honour his extraordinary life and legacy, I’m joined by three fantastic guests:
• Kate Handy – Charles’s daughter, who shares both personal memories and fascinating insights on his work.
• Mark Goyder – Founder of Tomorrow’s Company, a champion of purposeful business and a long-time admirer of Charles’s forward-thinking ideas.
• Andrew Hill – Senior Business Writer at the Financial Times, who offers brilliant perspectives into Charles’s enduring relevance to today’s challenges.

From the value of curiosity, to championing hybrid working decades ahead of everyone else, to keeping organisations human in an age of technology and AI – we explore the man behind the ideas and, crucially, why his thinking matters now more than ever.

🎧 Listen to the full episode HERE.