Joanna Wardlaw, CBE, MD, FRCP, FRSE, FMedSci, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, discusses the objectives of ESOC 2022, highlighting the benefits of the meeting’s hybrid format. As conference chair, Prof. Wardlaw is pleased to see an increasingly balanced platform of male-female speakers at ESOC 2022, as well as representation of countries throughout Europe. The meeting also aims to spotlight stroke amongst marginalized or disadvantaged communities. This interview took place at ESOC 2022 in Lyon, France.