The McKay Interview

Michael Møller, former United Nations Under Secretary-General and Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, returns to The McKay Interview for a hard-hitting, wide-ranging discussion. With over four decades of service across five continents, Møller offers deep insight into the challenges facing multilateralism — and the urgent reforms the United Nations must now confront.

We discuss:

• The fragmentation of geopolitics and the fa...

We speak with Professor Emerita Victoria Curzon Price of the University of Geneva, economics department, a leading thinker in international economics and an old friend of the programme. Together, we unpack the shifting global trade landscape, the resurgence of tariffs, and what it all means for Switzerland and the wider world.

We discuss:

• Why the United States is using tariffs as a strategic tool and whether Trump’s approach cont...

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), leads one of the world’s most powerful yet least-known organizations from her base in Geneva. The ITU is responsible for everything from managing global radio frequencies and satellite orbits to bringing 2.6 billion people online and shaping the digital future.

This conversation goes far beyond acronyms and infrastructure. It’s about power, i...

Michael McKay sits down with the Right Honourable Helen Clark—former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former head of the United Nations Development Programme—for a wide-ranging conversation on democracy, multilateralism, women in leadership, and global governance.

Helen Clark is widely regarded as a modern-day stateswoman, with decades of experience in public service, diplomacy, and international development. As Prime Minister of N...

Michael reconnects with veteran BBC Vatican correspondent David Willey OBE for a compelling conversation on the end of Pope Francis’ papacy and the early days of his successor, Pope Leo.

Drawing on over four decades of covering the Holy See, Willey offers a unique insider's view on the Church’s evolving leadership, the challenges it faces in a rapidly changing world, and the significance of a new, polyglot pope at the helm.

The d...

Michael McKay sits down with Professor Marcel Salathé, joint director of the EPFL AI Center in Lausanne, to explore the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence—and what it means for us all.

Professor Salathé offers a rare combination of technical insight and clear communication, making this episode essential listening for specialists and non-specialists alike. From the ethics of AI warfare to the optimism of medical innova...

Michael McKay speaks with Dr. Brian Costello, Medical Director of Mayo Clinic Global Consulting and Professor of Oncology and Urology, and Professor Jacques Bernier, Swiss Medical Network’s Chief Science Officer and Specialist in Radio-Oncology and Nuclear Medicine.

They discuss the newly launched collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Swiss Medical Network, announced at the Genolier Innovation Hub near Geneva. This in-depth conversa...

In this episode of The McKay Interview, host Michael McKay sits down with Frédéric Lelièvre, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of L’Agefi, the leading financial newspaper in French-speaking Switzerland. Speaking from Lausanne, they explore the evolving landscape of Swiss banking — from overregulation to global competitiveness, from Credit Suisse's collapse to Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Drawing on Frédéric’s decades of financial journalism, t...

In this wide-ranging and thoughtful conversation, Sir Richard Dearlove — former Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) — joins The McKay Interview to reflect on geopolitics, national security, technology, and leadership in today’s uncertain world.

Now Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of London, and formerly Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Sir Richard draws from decades of public service to o...

In this third appearance on The McKay Interview, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges returns with hard truths and strategic insight into the war in Ukraine and its global implications. Speaking from Frankfurt, the former Commander of U.S. Army Europe reflects on what’s changed — and what hasn’t — in the 15 months since his last visit.

We cover:

• The state of the battlefield in Ukraine: territory, logistics, morale, and momentum

• R...

In this episode of The McKay Interview, Michael McKay sits down with Jeremy Lack, a Geneva-based independent lawyer and one of Switzerland’s leading experts in dispute resolution. Trained as a barrister in England and admitted to the bars of New York, Geneva, and England and Wales, Jeremy has built a unique international career at the intersection of law, neuroscience, and cross-cultural conflict resolution.

Jeremy reveals how he pi...

In this episode of The McKay Interview, we discover the Genolier Innovation Hub, Switzerland’s groundbreaking medical and biotech innovation center. Located in the French-speaking canton of Vaud, the Hub is revolutionizing how medical advancements move from research labs to real-world patient care.

Joining Michael are Antoine Hubert, Founder and Chairman of the Board, and Anna Gräbner, CEO of the Genolier Innovation Hub, who share i...

In this episode of The McKay Interview, Michael McKay speaks with Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC), for an in-depth discussion on the evolving landscape of global trade and the economic forces shaping our world today.

With a career dedicated to international commerce, sustainability, and economic development, Koch Hamilton provides expert insight into the growing challenges and opp...

In this episode, Jean Daniel Ruch, a recently retired Swiss ambassador, joined us on the 7th January 2025, for an insightful discussion on diplomacy, neutrality, and global geopolitics.

With a distinguished career spanning multiple high-stakes postings—including Serbia and Montenegro, Israel, and Turkey—Ruch brings a wealth of firsthand experience from some of the world’s most complex regions. From his time advising on the Yugoslavi...

Switzerland is often described as the "hole in the EU doughnut", a country deeply intertwined with the European economy but not a member of the European Union. Today, I sit down, on January 12, 2025, with Ambassador Petros Mavromichalis, the EU’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, to discuss the complexities of this relationship.

We cover:

• Switzerland’s EU Negotiations: Why Switzerland prefers bilateral agreements over ...

Just two weeks after Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris, on the 19th November 2024, I sit down with Ambassador Jean-Arthur Regibeau, Belgium’s recently retired ambassador to the U.S. and Russia, to discuss the complex relationship between America, Russia, and Europe.

We cover:

• The U.S. Election Outcome: Why Trump’s landslide victory was both expected and surprising.
• Why the Democrats Lost: Did they lose touch with ordinary ...

In this episode, I sit down with Alexandre Fasel, Switzerland’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, at the Federal Palace in Bern on 25th November 2024. With the world in flux, we discuss Switzerland’s evolving role in global diplomacy, security, and multilateralism.

We explore:

• The war in Ukraine and European security: How Switzerland is engaging diplomatically amid rising geopolitical tensions.
• Swiss neutrality and sanctions on...

In this episode, I sit down once again with Dame Stephanie Shirley, the remarkable IT pioneer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, whose extraordinary life journey—from a Kindertransport refugee to one of Britain’s most influential businesswomen—has inspired many.

We discuss:

• From war refugee to tech trailblazer: How Dame Steve arrived in the UK as a child and went on to build a pioneering software company.
• Breaking barriers for wom...

In this episode, recorded on the 6th June 2024, I sit down with Jean Ayoub, Secretary General and CEO of International Social Services (ISS), to uncover the remarkable century-long history of this little-known yet crucial organization. While the Red Cross and Geneva Conventions are globally recognized, ISS has been quietly working across borders for 100 years, handling individual social cases that often fall through the cracks of l...