#006 Martha Lane Fox, Entreprenuer, Internet Activist & Public Servant - Serendipity - a podcast by Ann Hiatt

Martha Lane Fox is a British entrepreneur, philanthropist, internet activist and public servant. 



In this episode we cover topics like Serendipity and The Triple Bottom Line, as well as how the Digital World, like many of us, is having a midlife crisis and what we can do to increase our chances of coming out the other side better off for it. 



Martha knows because she has experienced this rollercoaster a few times over in her career. 



In 1998 Martha co-founded Europe’s largest travel and leisure website, lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman. They took it public in 2000 and sold it in 2005 in a historically successful exit.



Martha became a crossbench peer in the UK House of Lords in March 2013 as it’s youngest female member and she was awarded a CBE (which is the highest ranking Order of the British Empire award given to recognise a positive impact made in her work.) 



In March 2014 she was appointed Chancellor of the Open University and in 2017 she was appointed a member of the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy.



Martha is a member of Twitter’s Board of Directors and Non Executive Director for Chanel. She is also a non executive director of Queens Commonwealth Trust.



She founded Doteveryone in 2015 which is a charity fighting for a fairer internet and building a movement for responsible technology.



In short, Martha is a remarkable human being and a fascinating example of true leadership. 



You’ll want to stay tuned all the way to the end when Martha offers a surprising tip about how we can find solace, empathy and inspiration through Hinterland - which is expanding our depth and breadth of knowledge.



You’re going to want to grab a paper and pen! There’s a lot of good stuff in here!

Minute-by-minute summary:

03:30: What led you towards the digital space in the beginning?

05:20: What took you from the consulting firm to lastminute.com?

06:50: What was the beginning of your journey like?

09:16: What was the process of your exit like?

12:30: Martha walks us through where she chose to place her journey after lastminute.com

15:40: Will we look back in 10 years and be proud of the solutions we’ve created?

18:40: The triple bottom line, focusing on planet.

22:00: How have you seen your voice uniquely influence some top of mind decisions?

25:00: Are we using the gifts of modern technology to empower the changes that we need?

27:30: How can we become advocates for digital inclusion?

32:00: What do you see in the future of education?

36:40: The importance of education

43:00: Finding the joy in doing hard things

46:40: What gives you hope for the future?

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