[Podcast] Fresh Eyes in Grey Rooms: Rethinking Boardrooms for a Survivable Future with Paul Smith

Board Futurist Paul Smith: Why your boardroom is the next Kodak. How "outsiders" save companies from AI disruption. Plus - what it's really like drinking whiskey with Jane Goodall ("like your grandma, but with stories that blow your mind")

Author

Hilary Callaghan
June 26, 2025

Company boardrooms are some of the most powerful—and most overlooked—rooms in the world. Decisions made inside them shape everything, from climate policy to corporate layoffs, and from community wellbeing to long-term planetary survival. But too often, these rooms are grey: dominated by sameness, risk aversion, short-term thinking, and a lack of self-awareness.

In this episode of Chasing Financial Equality, we sit down with Paul Smith, Board Futurist and founder of Future Directors, to ask a radical question: what if we reimagined the boardroom as a place of colour, curiosity, and long-term vision? What if it was a place of excitement—where boundaries were pushed, and people were encouraged to step up to the challenges around us, not succumb to a position of mitigating the liability for the damage their inaction causes?

Paul shares his personal journey from feeling misunderstood to becoming a global provocateur for better governance. We unpack why decades of experience aren't always a strength, how inaccessible education keeps fresh voices out, and why true boardroom transformation means rethinking not just who is at the table—but how they think. From AI-enhanced decision-making to the emotional intelligence of diverse teams, this episode is a bold call to action for anyone who believes the future deserves better stewards.

Along the way, Paul reflects on sharing whisky with Jane Goodall, and we revisit Eleanor Roosevelt’s tradition of radical salons—spaces for unfiltered dialogue and shared imagination. Because if we want a survivable future, we need to change the rooms where it’s decided.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Watch on YouTube and join the conversation on LinkedIn.

Paul's latest book: The Artificially Intelligent Boardroom - The indispensable book for any leader committed to better governance in the age of AI can be supported, and pre-ordered on Kickstarter

In case you missed it