Conversation

Abdulaziz is the Deputy CEO and Chief Operations Officer of the Dubai Future Foundation. We spoke to Abdulaziz about The DNA of Dubai.

Adrián is Associate Professor of Latin American History at the University of Cambridge, specialising on the history on the Amazon Rainforest, the Andes and Brazil.

Aleix is the Chief Strategy Officer at Summa Branding. Aleix was the head of the strategic team involved in the 2018 Barcelona City Narrative. You can listen to our conversation with Aleix in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Barcelona.

Alex is a Professor of Practice in Urban & Regional Planning and Policy in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. Alex is also a Trustee of Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, a Non Executive Director of Placemaking NSW, St George Community Housing and TBH, and she is a member of the NSW Independent Planning Commission. Alex was previously Group Deputy Secretary of Place Design and Public Space for NSW Government and has also held senior executive roles as a policy maker. In 2022, she founded Sustainable Solutions Advisory, an independent strategic consultancy that works with clients to unlock the potential for positive impact through sustainability and place-based solutions, leadership and stakeholder engagement, strategy and policy. We were honoured to interview Alex in 2020 and you can listen to the conversation now in our three-part mini-series exploring The DNA of Sydney.

Ali is a Professor of Sociology at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and is a curator, writer and critic. You can listen to our conversation with Ali in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Istanbul.

Alice is Director of Cities, Planning and Design at Arup. Her work focuses on sustainability, climate change, resilience, mobility and progressive transformations in the built environment of cities across the world. You can listen to our conversation with Alice in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Ana Elena is an independent curator and she is Professor in the School of Architecture, Art and Design in the Mexico City Campus of Tecnológico de Monterrey. Ana Elena is also an author of several books on Mexican design and its history. She has served as consultant, adviser, deputy director and head of preservation in some of the most important cultural institutions in Mexico and she has curated exhibitions across Europe and the US.

We loved learning about Ana Elena's perspectives in our mini-series on The DNA of Mexico City. 

Ana is an architect. She is the Daniel Rose Visiting Assistant Professor at Yale University, a Doctoral Candidate at UCLA and she is the co-founder of EstudioA0.

Andrew is an international expert on urban and economic development and partnering for systems change. He has been involved in urban governance, economic development and transition processes in South Africa in a wide range of capacities for over four decades. You can hear our conversation with Andrew in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Andy is the Mayor of Greater Manchester. Andy shares how he celebrates The DNA of Greater Manchester in his role as Mayor. This conversation is a Leader Keynote as part of our work on The DNA of Manchester. 

Avi is the former Chairman of JLL Turkey, a leading real estate and property company and he is the founder of Alkaş Consulting. You can listen to our conversation with Avi in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Istanbul.

Billy Cobbett is an international expert in urban development and he is the former Director of Cities Alliance, a global partnership fighting urban poverty hosted within the United Nations. You can hear our conversation with Billy in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Brian is a journalist and an expert in British regional and national affairs. He was the Assistant Editor of the Financial Times and he was formerly the Editor of Scotland on Sunday. Brian is the author of Made in Manchester: A people's history of the city that made the modern world (Harper Collins, 2024) and Northeners: A History (Harper Collins, 2022). We spoke to Brian about The DNA of Manchester.

Carlo is an architect and urbanist, and he is the founder of Urban Purpose where he works with organisations in cities to articulate visions and build capacity to deliver transformations. He is also the Co-Chair of the Infrastructure and Urban Development Council at ULI UK. You can hear our conversation with Carlo in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Claudio is the President of Ingaí Incorporadora S/A, a real estate company based in São Paulo. He is also a regular columnist at Folha de São Paulo and a leading contributor to major debates about the city's future. You can hear our fascinating conversation with Claudio in two episodes on The DNA of São Paulo. 

Consol is an expert in branding and strategic communication with over 25 years of experience. She is a brand and communications consultant, a Councillor of the Observatori Dona Empresa Economia think tank and she teaches strategic communication at ESCI-UPF University. Consol led the city branding project at Barcelona City Council for five years. You can listen to our conversation with Consol in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Barcelona.

Councillor Aitken is the leader of Glasgow City Council and the co-chair of the Glasgow Economic Leadership board. We spoke to Councillor Aitken about her perspectives on The DNA of Glasgow.

Councillor Craig was elected as the Leader of Manchester City Council in 2021. Cllr Craig is the first woman to hold this role in Manchester City Council's history. We were honoured to spend time with her learning about her perspectives on The DNA of Manchester. 

Danièle is the Founder and Director of Djinjama, an award-winning spatial design and research practice that foregrounds Aboriginal understandings of Country in their approach to working in and with Australian built environments. We enormously enjoyed our conversation with Danièle and you can listen to this interview now in our three-part mini-series exploring The DNA of Sydney.

David Brownlee is the Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor Emeritus in the Department of the History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania. We spoke to David about The DNA of Philadelphia.

David is the Member of Parliament for Tottenham, a neighbourhood in the north of London and he is now the Foreign Secretary of State. We spoke to David about his perspectives on The DNA of London.

Denys is the Advisor to the Chief Information Officer at Kyiv City Council. Denys invited us to include Kyiv in our work on The DNA of Cities and was instrumental in bringing together the local experts you hear across our two episodes on The DNA of Kyiv.

Dr Alfonso Vegara is the Founder and Honorary President of Fundación Metropoli. His son, also Dr Alfonso Vergara, joined us too for a conversation about The DNA of Cities.

Dr Liu is currently the Chair of Morrow Architects & Planners. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Development Board, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and former Director of RSP Architects, Planners and Engineers. You can listen to our conversation with Dr Liu in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Singapore.

Dr Shi Nan is the Executive Vice President and Secretary General of Urban Planning Society of China. You can listen to our conversation with Shi Nan in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes. 

Eamon is the CEO of Committee for Sydney, an urban policy think tank that advocates for the Greater Sydney region. We learnt so much from our conversation with Eamon and you can listen to it now in our three-part mini-series exploring The DNA of Sydney.

Eda is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Istanbul Technical University. You can listen to our conversation with Eda in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Istanbul.

Edgar is a Professor in the Department of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics at the University of Cape Town and he is the Founding Director of the African Centre for Cities. You can listen to our conversation with Edgar in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Eduardo is Professor of Archaeology at the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for the University of São Paulo. He has researched the Amazon for over thirty years and has unearthed archaeological evidence that proves that the Amazon has been settled for millennia, countering the destructive but pervasive myth that this was ever an "empty place”.

Elisabete is the Executive Director of the Mananciais Program at the Housing Department of the City of São Paulo and she is Professor of Architecture at Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP).  Elisabete has held pivotal roles in São Paulo's public offices since the 1990s and she is widely respected for her involvement in housing, environmental recovery and mobility. We were honoured to speak to Elisabete about The DNA of São Paulo.

Ellie is Associate Professor at University College London where she researches innovative approaches to inclusive urban policy. She is also the Director of Publica’s not-for-profit company which champions gender inclusive public space. You can listen to our conversation with Ellie in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Ester is a Professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science and is the Director of the Urban and Social Policy Program at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. You can listen to our conversation with Ester in two podcast episodes on The DNA of New York.

Eytan is an entrepreneur and an expert in the field of urban innovation and ecosystem building. Having completed 15 years of senior management positions at the Tel Aviv Municipality, Eytan was pivotal in the global transformation of the city and its positioning as an international centre of technological creativity. We spoke to Eytan about The DNA of Tel Aviv.

Felipe is a renowned architect and urbanist based in New York City. He is the founder of Somatic Collaborative and he is the Director of the Urban Prosperity Institute in New York City. Felipe is the author of several books and he is the editor of 'Mexico City: Between Geometry and Geography' (2014).

We were honoured to speak to Felipe about several of the cities featured in Season 2 of The DNA of Cities podcast – this is the transcript of our conversation about The DNA of Mexico City. 

Felipe is a renowned architect and urbanist based in New York City. He is the founder of Somatic Collaborative, a design and research practice based in New York City and he is the Director of the Urban Prosperity Institute. He was the Vincent and Eleanor Shea Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Virginia. Felipe is the author of several books and he is the editor of São Paulo: A Graphic Biography (2018) which brings together extensive research, archival material, photographs and architectural drawings in its exploration of the city's extensive urbanisation.

We were honoured to speak to Felipe about several of the cities featured in Season 2 of The DNA of Cities podcast – here is our conversation about São Paulo.

Felipe is a renowned architect and urbanist based in New York City. He is the founder of Somatic Collaborative, a design and research practice based in New York City and he is the Director of the Urban Prosperity Institute. He was the Vincent and Eleanor Shea Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Virginia. We were honoured to speak to Felipe about several of the cities featured in Season 2 of The DNA of Cities podcast – here is our conversation about Amazonian Cities.

Gabriela is a writer, translator and editor. Gabriela has written several novels, including ‘Feral’ which won the Mexican National Fine Arts Award for fiction, and she has authored short story collections.

We enormously enjoyed speaking with Gabriela about her perspectives on The DNA of Mexico City. 

Gabriella is the founder and CEO of Experimentalista, an organisation that forges creative and experimental partnerships with urban governance agencies around the world. She is also a Visiting Professor of Practice at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Previously, Gabriella was the Chief Creative Officer of Mexico City. You can hear our conversation with Gabriella in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Gabrielle is the founder of interdisplinary design studio Buscada and she is the author of The Cities We Need (MIT Press, 2024). We were honoured to have Gabrielle as our second Keynote guest.

Gonzalo is Global CEO at Interbrand. He leads the day-to-day operations of the global brand consultancy, spearheading the growth agenda and supporting marketing and consulting efforts in all the regions. Gonzalo is a trusted partner of a diverse array of leading global companies, and public institutions, managing strategic projects across every aspect of branding, marketing and communication. In this Keynote, Gonzalo tells us about how he decodes the uniqueness of cities and how place shapes branding strategy and activation. He also reveals how city branding compares to national branding or corporate branding.

Her Excellency Hala Badri is the Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. We spoke to Hala about The DNA of Dubai.

Idoia Postigo is the Executive Director of Bilbao Metropoli 30, a public private partnership designed to foster development and regeneration across the metropolitan area of Bilbao. You can hear our conversation with Idoia in our episodes with Our Listeners.

In today's Keynote episode, we are so excited to meet Anna Campbell-Jones. Anna is an interior designer, broadcaster and educator. She is the founder of residential interior design practice Habitus and she is the founder of her eponymous retail store, annacampbelljones.com. You may also recognise Anna as a judge on BBC Scotland’s Home of The Year.

Isabel is a Doctoral Researcher in City and Regional Planning in the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. She is also the host of Sur-Urbano, the podcast that showcases scholarship on Latin American cities.

Jaana is an economist and when we spoke to her for this podcast, she was leading the McKinsey Global Institute's work on cities. Since our interview, Jaana has retired and is volunteering as a search and rescue K9 handler. You can listen to our conversation with Jaana in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Jane is the Director of European Engagement at Destinations International, the global association for destination professionals and the conference, tourism and travel industries. Her expertise is based on over two decades of experience across the global meetings industry. You can hear our conversation with Jane in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Jenny is Associate Professor of Critical Studies in the University of Southern California’s Roski School of Art and Design. She is the author of Above Sea: Contemporary Art, Urban Culture, and the Fashioning of Global Shanghai. We spoke to Jenny about The DNA of Shanghai.

Jessica is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Impact at Bruntwood, a commercial property and she is also a member of the Board at Bruntwood Group She is also on the Board of Manchester Baroque, a professional ensemble that performs music from the 17th and 18th Centuries using instruments from the same period. Jessica was previously the Head of City Policy at Manchester City Council and she held several roles at Whitehall. You can listen to this conversation with Jessica in The DNA of Manchester and she previously joined us in Our Listeners episodes.

Jessica is the Director of Strategy at Bruntwood and she is a member of the Bruntwood Group Board. She works in and with cities across the UK, and previously held roles at Manchester City Council and at the UK Government in Whitehall. You can hear this conversation with Jessica in our episodes with Our Listeners.

John is the Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Factory International. John is responsible for the artistic and strategic vision for the biennial Manchester International Festival and the year-round programming at Aviva Studios, the landmark arts and cultural venue that is the permanent home of Factory International. We spoke to John about his perspectives on The DNA of Manchester, and where he sees this reflected in the Festival.

Juan Villoro is an internationally critically acclaimed narrator, playwright, essayist, journalist and columnist. He is one of the leading voices in Latin American literature. Juan has taught literature at a number of universities in the United States and Spain, including UNAM, Yale and a Universidad Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona. Juan is the author of several books, including ‘Horizontal Vertigo: A City Called Mexico’ which his tour of the city. We enormously enjoyed our conversation with Juan, learning about his perspectives on The DNA of Mexico City.

Karissa is a structural biologist and an expert in epigenetics. Karissa leads the Sanbonmatsu team at the Los Alamost National Laboratory. She has shared her research in a TED Talk on the biology of gender and TEDx talk on epigenetics and love. You can listen to our conversation with Karissa in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Keisha is a writer, performance artist and producer and she is the Programme Manager for the Legacies of Enslavement programme at The Guardian/Scott Trust. We were honoured to hear about Keisha's work in our exploration into The DNA of Manchester.

Lael is an expert in urban economic development in cities and in particular, she has played a pivotal role in governing development in Johannesburg. She is currently the Chief of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance affairs at Sedibelo Resources. You can hear our conversation with Lael in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Laura is the CEO of London’s international promotion agency. We spoke to Laura about her perspectives on The DNA of London.

Li is a Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. We spoke to Li about The DNA of Shanghai.

Lorena is Co-Coordinator of the Global Platform for the Right to the City and former President of the Habitat International Coalition. She has been involved in tge World Charter on the Right to the City, the Mexico City Human Rights Program, and the Mexico City Charter for the Right to the City. Internationally, Lorena has collaborated closely with UN Offices on the right to adequate housing and on human rights. Lorena is widely published on issues related to housing rights, social production, of habitat and the right to the city.

We were very honoured to learn about Lorena's inside-out and outside-in perspectives on The DNA of Mexico City.

Lyn is the CEO of Business Events Sydney (BESydney), the non-profit that works in partnership with public and private sectors, and in tandem with government priorities, to attract impactful international business events to Sydney. We were honoured to interview Lyn in 2020 and you can listen to this conversation now as part of our three-part mini-series exploring The DNA of Sydney.

Magali is an architect and she is the Project Lead for Placemaking at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Her expertise is based on over two decades of experience in architecture and urban design, with a focus on education, healthcare and well-being. You can hear our conversation with Magali in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Maoz is a Professor of Cultural Geography at the University of Haifa and is the author of Tel Aviv: Mythography of a City. We spoke to Maoz about The DNA of Tel Aviv.

Maria served as the Vice Mayor of Vienna for nine years and she now helps cities around the world to design and implement urban transformations through her organisation, Vienna Solutions. We spoke to Maria with Eugen Antalovsky about their perspectives on The DNA of Vienna.

Mariana is the Founding Partner of Cidades 21, a communications agency specialising in urban issues and developing content strategies for businesses in real estate, architecture and design. As a journalist, she has worked in some of Brazil's most prestigious newsrooms and she has also held roles at the City of São Paulo. You can hear our conversation with Mariana in two podcast episodes about The DNA of São Paulo.

Mateu was the founding CEO of Barcelona Global, a private and non-profit association that advocates for the future of Barcelona on behalf of 100 of the city's leading companies, research centers, entrepreneurs, professionals. You can listen to our conversation with Mateu in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Barcelona.

Matti is the Director of Wien Museum. Matti is the author of Symptoms of Modernity: Jews and Queers in Late-Twentieth-Century Vienna, Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia: Hatreds Old and New in Europe and In Search of a Lost Avant-Garde: An Anthropologist Investigates the Contemporary Art Museum. We spoke to Matti about his perspectives on The DNA of Vienna. 

Maya is an assistant editor at The Guardian and she the editorial lead of the Legacies of Enslavement Team and the Cotton Capital series. We were honoured to hear Maya's perspectives in our three-part exploration into The DNA of Manchester.

Michael has authored a number of books on Glasgow history, culture, society and humour. He is the author of Glasgow: A History. We spoke to Michael about his perspectives on The DNA of Glasgow. 

Michael is an Emeritus Professor of Planning at The Bartlett School of Planning at University College London and he is the Chair of the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA). You can listen to our conversation with Michael in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Michael is the Chair of Committee for Sydney, an urban policy think tank that advocates for the Greater Sydney region. He is also involved with a number of organisations focused on urban infrastructure, urban policy and place making for Sydney. He is Chair of Greater Sydney Parklands and Chair of Northwest Rapid Transit. Michael also sits on the advisory boards of the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building at UTS and the Cities Institute at UNSW. We were honoured to interview Michael in 2020 and you can listen to this conversation now as part of our three-part exploration into The DNA of Sydney.

Michele is the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement at the University of Bristol, where he is also Professor of Urban Resilience. When we first spoke to Michele about The DNA of Cities, he was the Director of the Melbourne Centre for Cities at the University of Melbourne. You can listen to our conversation with Michele in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Michelle is a brand expert and roller-dancer based in Barcelona, she runs the BCN Roller Dance talent agency and the annual Skate Love Barcelona festival. You can listen to our conversation with Michelle in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Barcelona.

Miguel is Professor in the Escola Politécnica at Universidade de São Paulo in the Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering. He has held several roles in public offices in São Paulo, including former appointments as the Head of the Technical Advisory Board for Urban Planning and as the Municipal Secretary for Urban Development. Miguel has advised urban and regional planning in several cities, including New York and Moscow, and he contributed as a specialist to the creation of UN Habitat's New Urban Agenda. You can hear our conversation with Miguel in two episodes on The DNA of São Paulo.

Mike is the Founding Director of Metro Dynamics and he was previously the Chief Executive of New Economy Manchester, which played a core role in Manchester's growth and devolution. Mike is also the Chair of Trustees at Manchester Baroque, a professional ensemble that performs music from the 17th and 18th Centuries using instruments from the same period. We spoke to Mike about The DNA of Manchester.

Miquel is the Deputy Director of La Vanguardia newspaper and he is the author of Proyecto Barcelona. You can listen to our conversation with Miquel in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Barcelona.

Monica is the CEO of the City of Sydney. Since she was appointed to this role in 2006, Monica has led the transformation of the city's central activity zone. Monica is a widely respected public leader and advocate for the people of Sydney – it was an honour to interview her as part of The DNA of Cities podcast and you can hear to this conversation in our three-part mini-series exploring The DNA of Sydney.

Murat is the Editor of Iletisim Publishing House and Head of the Department of Comparative Literature at Istanbul Bilgi University. You can listen to our conversation with Murat in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Istanbul.

Onésimo is the Director of Infrastructures for Mobility at Mota-Engil Mexico. He is the founder of Jetty.mx, a transportation start-up in Mexico City and Covive, a co-living start-up operating in Mexico City and Monterrey. We were very honoured to speak to Onésimo about The DNA of Mexico City.

Ozdemir is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning in the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Istanbul Ticaret University. You can listen to our conversation with Ozdemir in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Istanbul.

Pete is Professor of Urban and Regional Economy in the Department of Land Economy the University of Cambridge. You can listen to our conversation with Pete in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Philip is a historian of theology and spirituality. He is a Senior Research Fellow at The Cambridge Theological Federation at the University of Cambridge and he is the Director of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality at Oblate School of Theology.

Professor Cheong is the Chair of the Centre for Liveable Cities Advisory Panel at Ministry for National Development, and she is the Chair of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. You can listen to our conversation with Professor Cheong in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Singapore.

Professor Khoo is the Practice Professor and Director of NUS Cities at the National University of Singapore, and he is a Fellow at the Centre for Liveable Cities Singapore. You can listen to our conversation with Professor Khoo in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Singapore.

Professor Mahbubani is the Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore and the author of a number of books including Can Singapore Survive? You can listen to our conversation with Professor Mahbubani in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Singapore.

Professor Peter Read AM is a historian specialising in Australia's Indigenous history. He lectured for over 30 years at The Australian National University. Peter has published widely on the histories of Aboriginal Sydney and he spoke to us about his long-term project A History of Aboriginal Sydney. We are very grateful to Peter for such an enriching conversation and you can listen to this now as part of our three-part mini-series exploring The DNA of Sydney.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald is the Principle of Strathclyde University and the co-chair of the Glasgow Economic Leadership board. We spoke to Professor McDonald about his perspectives on The DNA of Glasgow. 

Rassem is a Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Haifa. We spoke to Rassem about The DNA of Jaffa and Tel Aviv.

Rebecca is the Programme Director for the Arts and Humanities Research Council Place-Based Research Programme. We spoke to Rebecca about her perspectives on The DNA of Glasgow. 

Ricky is a Professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics and he is the Director of LSE Cities. You can listen to our conversation with Ricky in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

Rob is an Industry Professor in Macquarie University's Law School and he is a former senior minister in the New South Wales Government. We initially interviewed Rob in 2020 and we caught up with him again in December 2024. You can now listen to Rob's tremendous insights in our three-part mini-series exploring The DNA of Sydney.

Rosemary is a Professor of History at Fordham University, where she is also the Director of the Urban Studies Programme. Rosemary is a renowned expert on urban history. We were delighted to hear during this conversation about some of her recently published global comparisons from her book The Worlds of Victor Sassoon (The University of Chicago Press, 2025). Rosemary is also the current President of the Global Urban History Project, which brings together scholars at all stages of their careers, from around the world, with common interests in researching at the intersection of urban history and global history.

Sadhana Manthapuri is a doctoral researcher at the Virginia Tech School of Public Policy and International Affairs, where she is developing ways of modelling urban DNA for use in planning practice. You can hear our conversation with Sadhana in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Sarah is an Executive Project Director of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. We were honoured to interview Sarah in 2020, when she was the CEO of the Greater Cities Commission in Sydney, and you can listen to this conversation now as part of our three-part exploration into The DNA of Sydney.

Sarah is the Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of the City of New York. You can listen to our conversation with Sarah in two podcast episodes on The DNA of New York.

Scott is the Founder and CEO of Active Things, a collection of products and services designed to make active travel in cities easier and more accessible. He is an Associate at the Connected Places Catapult and the Bicycle Association, and he is an Honorary Fellow at The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA). You can hear our conversation with Scott in our episodes with Our Listeners.

Serhy is the Professor of Germanic and Slavic Studies at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and he is the President of the Canadian Association for Ukrainian Studies. Serhy's writing on the history of Ukraine is highly acclaimed and widely published, including Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know. We were incredibly fortunate to speak with Serhy about The DNA of Kyiv.

Shams is the Human Rights Commissioner of the Human Rights Office at the City of Vienna. We spoke to Shams about her perspectives on The DNA of Vienna. 

Sharon is the CEO of Tel Aviv Global. We spoke to Sharon about The DNA of Tel Aviv.

Sir Richard was the Leader of Manchester City Council for 25 years from 1996 to 2021. Sir Richard and the Council's former CEO, the late Sir Howard Bernstein, are widely credited for their visionary long-term leadership of Manchester, particularly in its recovery from industrial decline. Sir Richard is now the Chair of NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care which provides a connected system of health services to people living across Greater Manchester's ten boroughs. We were honoured to hear Sir Richard's perspectives on The DNA of Manchester.

Stan is the Vice-Rector for International Relations and Development at the Academician Yuriy Bugay International Science and Technology University in Kyiv. You can hear our conversation with Stan in The DNA of Kyiv - Part II.

Stella is the author of Shanghai: The Rise and Fall of a Decadent City. We spoke to Stella about The DNA of Shanghai.

Stuart is the Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. We spoke to Stuart about his perspectives on The DNA of Glasgow. 

Susie is the Programme Director for Glasgow City of Science and Innovation. We spoke to Susie about her perspectives on The DNA of Glasgow. 

Tatiana is the Chief of the Amazon Coordination Unit at the Inter-American Development Bank.

Tom is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Plan Association, an independent planning and advocacy organisation in the Metro New York area (the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region). You can listen to our conversation with Tom in two podcast episodes on The DNA of New York.

Tony is a Professor in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and he is the Director of LSE London. We spoke to Tony about his perspectives on The DNA of London.

Until 2021, Eugen was the managing director of Urban Innovation Vienna where he supported decision-makers at a political and administrative level to create and implement urban innovations in the city. We spoke to Eugen with Maria Vassilakou about their perspectives on The DNA of Vienna. 

Vanessa is Emeritus Professor of London History at Birkbeck, University of London. She is also Chair of the Historic Towns Trust. We spoke to Vanessa about her perspectives on The DNA of London.

Victoria is the Chief Information Officer at Kyiv City Council and she is Director of the Council’s IT Department. You can hear our conversation with Victoria in two episodes on The DNA of Kyiv.

Wangui is Assistant Director at the American University Nairobi Abroad Program and an Honorary Research Associate at the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town. We had a fantastic time learning from Wangui about The DNA of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, and she also enlightened us about her starting points for understanding the uniqueness of cities as an urban anthropologist.

We were very honoured to have Abha as an interviewee on this podcast. Abha was the Director of Cities and Urbanisation at The World Bank and has many friends all over the world in cities who have benefitted from her friendship and expertise. Abha sadly passed away in September 2021 and we dedicate this series to her with love and affection. You can listen to our conversation with Abha in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

When we spoke to Berkan, he was a researcher at Istanbul Planning Agency’s Vision 2050 Office. You can listen to our conversation with Berkan in two podcast episodes on The DNA of Istanbul.

When we spoke to Eleanor, she was the Deputy Director for Planning and Zoning at the City of Philadelphia. We spoke to Eleanor about The DNA of Philadelphia.

When we spoke to Geerte about The DNA of Cities, she was the CEO of amsterdam&partners. Her team worked in collaboration with local and international partners to discover the DNA of Amsterdam and distill it through the iamsterdam brand. You can listen to our conversation with Alice in our Introduction and Conclusion episodes.

When we spoke to Sylvie and Lauren, they were part of the leadership of the Department of Commerce at the City of Philadelphia. Sylvie is now the Founder and CEO of Equitable Cities Consulting. Lauren is the CEO and President of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. We spoke to Sylvie and Lauren about The DNA of Philadelphia.

Yasser is an Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University and a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C. We spoke to Yasser about The DNA of Dubai.

Yulia is a prominent tour guide in Kyiv and describes herself as the ‘Manager of Kyiv’. For over ten years she has been creating cultural and historical projects that develop and deepen the relationship between Kyivans, visitors and the city. Due to the possibility of air raid sirens and power blackouts, Yulia opted to record her answers to our questions and sent them to us. You can hear Yulia in two episodes on The DNA of Kyiv.