Leading Grand Challenges: Seth Kahan on Driving Large-Scale Impact
About this episode:
Are you working on or about to embark upon a grand challenge? In this interview you will hear from Seth Ka-han, a pioneer in large-scale change and a leading expert in designing and leading Grand Challenges. With dec-ades of experience—including 13 years at the World Bank—Seth has worked at the highest levels to mobilize diverse stakeholders in tackling society’s most pressing issues.
In this interview, we’ll explore Seth’s groundbreaking work, from facilitating global knowledge-sharing initia-tives to spearheading national movements like Stop Stigma Together, which aims to eliminate the stigma sur-rounding mental health and substance use disorders. We'll also discuss his collaboration with the American As-sociation of Physicists in Medicine as they define the biggest scientific breakthroughs of the next decade.
As the author of four influential books—including the business bestseller Getting Change Right—and the host of the podcast Seth Kahan on Grand Challenges, Seth brings insight into leadership, systems thinking, and driv-ing large-scale transformation.
Join us as we uncover the strategies behind successful Grand Challenges, the lessons Seth has learned along the way, and his upcoming book that distils his expertise into a playbook for leaders seeking to create systemic change.
Don’t miss this thought-provoking interview with host Chris Cooper the founder of ‘The Elevation Collective’ which incubates and amplifies major initiatives for good and Grand Challenge expert Seth Kahan to understand how bold leadership can drive real impact at scale!
More about Seth Kahan:
Seth Kahan is a pioneer in large-scale change, renowned for his expertise in designing and leading Grand Challenges that mobilize diverse stakeholders to tackle society’s most pressing issues. With a career span-ning decades, he has worked at the highest levels of organizations, including 13 years at the World Bank, where he facilitated knowledge-sharing initiatives that connected global leaders and experts to accelerate large-scale transformation.
Seth is the author of four books, including Getting Change Right: How Leaders Transform Organizations from the Inside Out, a business bestseller praised for its practical insights into leading change. He is cur-rently working on his next book, which distills his extensive experience in designing and leading Grand Challenges into a playbook for leaders seeking to drive systemic change.
Over the years, Seth has spearheaded multiple Grand Challenges. Currently, he leads Stop Stigma To-gether (stopstigmatogether.org), a national Grand Challenge aimed at eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health and substance use disorders. By bringing together leaders in healthcare, advocacy, and pol-icy, he is working to shift public perception, improve access to care, and create a culture where mental health is treated with the same urgency and respect as physical health. He is also working with the Ameri-can Association of Physicists in Medicine to determine their biggest breakthroughs over the next ten years.
Seth also hosts the podcast Seth Kahan on Grand Challenges (listen here), where he shares insights from his work and interviews influential leaders tackling large-scale systemic change.
A sought-after speaker and strategist, Seth integrates deep experience in systems thinking, stakeholder mobilization, and dialogue facilitation. His work continues to drive innovation in leadership, social change, and impact at scale.