Record numbers for Global Leadership Summit
World-class speakers drive business debate
A record 720 business delegates turned out to hear an impressive line-up of speakers at London Business School's fifth annual Global Leadership Summit on Monday 2 July.
Professor Niall Ferguson launched the event with an explosive historical analysis of geo-political risk prompting a rather doom and gloom outlook for the economic future, saying that war was "less improbable than we assume". He pulled no punches on the subject of the United States either, saying its biggest weakness was its "financial deficit, manpower deficit and attention deficit," and later predicted Al Qaeda may soon realise there's more money to be made in private equity than the usual money-maker Afghan opium.
Visiting Professor of Strategic and International Management Gary Hamel looked to the power of the internet in his presentation on the future of management, saying traditional management orthodoxies must be challenged. The web was central to innovation as it creates an "ideas democracy" where everyone has a voice and all ideas are equal, he said.
Participants divided and re-grouped throughout the day for break-out sessions led by London Business School faculty, covering timely business topics including trends in marketing, globalisation and the emerging division of labour, and better measurement in HR.
Professor of Management Practice in Organisational Behaviour Lynda Gratton discussed the subject of "hotspots" - moments when employees feel engaged and inspired - in her morning presentation, looking at how organisations can help create an environment to increase their probability.
Later in the day global science was at the centre of heated debate, with Professor Lord Robert Winston arguing that large pharmaceutical companies were not living up to their claims to be socially responsible. Following discussion looked at climate change and the role of business, with Chairman of Anglo American Sir Mark Moody-Stuart saying that "simple and practical" regulatory frameworks were crucial to effecting change.
To read more on presentations from the Global Leadership Summit, please download the document below.
The Times is streaming podcasts from the Global Leadership Summit on their website. To download these podcasts visit The Times website.