Mike Davis has been the CEO of Global Witness since 2020, having previously served as Director of Campaigns, Planning and Evaluation for three years. During this time Mike has overseen the development of a new Global Witness strategy with a strong emphasis on abuses of power driving climate crisis. Mike first joined Global Witness in 2003, holding numerous roles, including exposing corruption in the Myanmar jade business and writing two ground-breaking exposes on corruption in Cambodia, both of which were banned by the Cambodian Government.

MIKE DAVIS

As an organization, Global Witness has to take security risks extremely seriously. We encounter quite a range of threats to our work and some of those take the form of cyberattacks, we’re regularly threatened with lawsuits by powerful companies and individuals who don’t like the scrutiny we place them under, but far and away the most serious category of threats is to those we work with in fragile and sometimes dangerous parts of the world.

This interview was conducted by Mia Funk & Pierson Brown with the participation of collaborating universities and students. Associate Interviews Producer on this podcast was Pierson Brown. Digital Media Coordinator is Hannah Story Brown.