Francesco Arezzo on global leadership and grassroots connections

The May edition of Rotary Unscripted, brings together three guests to discuss Rotary’s work across public health, modern slavery and sport, alongside a wider round-table conversation on the organisation’s global reach.The opening interview features Francesco Arezzo, President of Rotary International. Speaking from his home in Sicily, Francesco reflects on taking up the presidency in unexpected circumstances and the transition into leading an organisation with more than a million members worldwide.Francesco outlines his presidential message, “Unite for Good”, and how this is intended to guide Rotary clubs in different countries.He also speaks about a visit to Pakistan, where he met people affected by polio, describing the realities of the disease and the ongoing work to eradicate it.The second guest is Dave McCleary, Chair of the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery. Speaking from Atlanta, USA, Dave discusses modern slavery and human trafficking, outlining the scale of the issue and how it operates across global systems.The programme then turns to sport with Steve Martin, a past district governor and Rotary International Coordinator. Steve, a keen Liverpool fan, introduces the Rotary Fellowship of World Football, a new initiative bringing together Rotarians with an interest in the game.---You have been listening to 'Unscripted', the official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland.Unscripted is hosted by Dave King and Alicia Reade.If you’d like to find out more about Rotary or join us, visit rotarygbi.org/join and read more stories in Rotary Magazine at magazine.rotarygbi.org.You can listen to our archive wherever you found this podcast. Please follow us to get new episodes immediately downloaded to your device.If you’ve enjoyed this you can leave us a 5* review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts – it helps to spread the word.We’d love you to share this podcast with friends, family and colleagues inside and outside of Rotary.