Why I Call It Ownership: John Bird

Lord John Bird MBE, Crossbench Peer in the UK’s House of Lords and co-founder of The Big Issue, sits down with hosts Karen Blackett CBE and Katie Lloyd.

Lord Bird opens up about his upbringing in Notting Hill, his experience navigating homelessness and prison, and how mentorship helped change his trajectory. He discusses how he redefined leadership into a shared model of “ownership,” built The Big Issue into a global social enterprise, and why true leadership relies on trust, empowerment, and continuous learning.

1. 0:00Intro: Lord John Bird
2. 2:42“I don’t deal in leadership”: collegiate leadership
3. 3:59Eight families, one toilet: growing up in Notting Hill
4. 6:04The probation officer who read him Kipling
5. 8:28Gordon Roddick: “he believed in me when I didn’t”
6. 11:58The origin story of The Big Issue
7. 15:2135 years on: “I’ve kept it relevant by keeping out of it”
8. 19:20Ownership, not leadership: advice for the next generation
9. 22:47Quick-fire round: “get off your arse”