Francisco Santos: Defend Democracy, Defend Freedom | EDGE 2026
Leadership
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05-Jun-2026
In this EDGE - Beyond The Stage 1:1, Francisco Santos shares how surviving kidnapping reshaped his view of leadership, resilience, and the true cost of freedom. He explains why protecting public discourse matters in the age of social media and cancel culture, and why democracy is being challenged globally. His call to leaders is clear: assume responsibility when things go wrong, give credit when things go right, and speak up to defend democracy and the institutions that protect freedom.
Takeaways:
• Being chained” taught him that freedom has a cost and must be defended.
• Leadership builds trust by assuming responsibility and giving credit to others.
• Democracy is “being challenged” and leaders need to “Defend democracy, defend institutions”.
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