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think ahead is London Business School’s event and podcast series, in which London Business School’s leading faculty and other global experts explore today’s big business issues, giving you future-focused, actionable insights.

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Upcoming think ahead events

Our next think ahead event will take place in November. Registration will open soon. In the meantime, please look at some of our previous event content here.

Past think ahead events

Eco-Chic: Sustainability in the luxury sector

As we become more conscious of sustainable spending, the balance between luxury and sustainability can define our choices. Luxury items are, by their very nature, additional to, rather than integral to, what we need to live our lives well. The current appetite for fast fashion has shone a light on the many advantages of luxury. Luxury goods are designed and hand-crafted by artisans and are durable, made of robust, high-quality materials – a clear contrast with low-cost, throwaway items.

Is this enough to give luxury the sustainability credentials that could reinforce and widen its appeal to increasingly sustainability-focused consumers? What can we learn from brand leaders in this space? How do consumers ensure that they are being ethical in their behaviour?

The discussion covered:

How brands can lead by example and successfully integrate sustainable business models and practices
How to be an ethical consumer
Sustainability as a core identity at the heart of a brand
How can business increase consumers’ willingness to pay for sustainable goods?
Can business models be adapted to be less reliant on volume growth?

ATMs to Algorithms: Assessing Tech’s Influence in Finance

As the digital revolution continues to move at pace, are we embracing technology with blind faith? In an era where algorithms trade stocks, chatbots handle customer inquiries, Robo-advisers are on the rise, cryptocurrencies still battle to offer an alternative to traditional currencies and decentralization, the financial sector is undergoing a profound transformation. The increasing reliance of technology brings unprecedented opportunities as well as challenges to a sector that must navigate risk successfully.

Does the use of technology bring a secure and efficient financial system or is it opening the door to a set of risks that outweigh the relative benefits? Is the digital revolution a trusted ally or a lurking adversary?

Traditional to Trailblazing: Strategies for Mid-Career Transition

Many of us are asking ourselves profound questions about the work we do. Rewarding work drives social bonds and connectivity and keeps us mentally and physically alert, while studies show that long-periods of worklessness has the opposite effect, especially if finances are restricted. Yet, the work that you do in your 20s and 30s may not be the work you want to do in your 40s and 50s. Passions change, and life events can influence the need or aspiration to pursue a different course. The pandemic proved the impetus for thousands of people to make work pivots and in the age of the 100-year life, career change may be more common, but society is still entrenched in the old linear path and not yet programmed to support new work and life structures. So, how can you shed the fear and emotional stress of trying something new?

London Business School‘s upcoming think ahead event, From Traditional to Trailblazing: Strategies for Mid-Career Transition will provide you with practical strategies to support you through a successful mid-career change, learning from global industry practitioners with real-world experience. Our London Business School Faculty will present world-leading academic research to guide you as you trailblaze the future of work, and help you navigate mid-career changes with more optimism, creativity, and success.

The event will feature Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Chair in Organisational Behaviour; Professor of Organisational Behaviour, at London Business School; Kurt Budge, Mining Executive/Former CEO, Registered Forrest Yoga Teacher, Executive Coach in training; Russell Jones, ex-Army captain turned artist, and will be moderated by Sarah Gordon, Visiting Professor in Practice at the LSE, former Business Editor, Financial Times, former CEO at the Impact Investing Institute, and will cover:

What makes career change so difficult?
Is there a bias to overcome in pursuing a non-traditional career path?
Strategies to face sustainable and successful mid-career change with optimism and creativity
Will this be the future of work?

Leading with Purpose in Turbulent Times

Hear recommendations and suggestions from leading London Business School faculty and global industry practitioners on how best to manage teams through instability, volatility and stress. Discovering the best way forward will be as crucial as understanding what actions and reactions to avoid as you strive to keep employees engaged and motivated in turbulent times.

Professor Randall S. Peterson, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School and Academic Director of the Leadership Institute hosted this unmissable and lively discussion. Randall was joined by David Faro, Associate Professor at London Business School; Priya Mande JEMBA2002, CEO of a Stealth Biotech with 30 years of experience across Pharma and Biotech; and Chris Averill, Leadership and Business Coach.

The Road to COP28 – Aligning Expectations with Actions

Hear from LBS faculty, alumni and other global experts and practitioners, as they came together to discuss the synergies, challenges, opportunities and trade-offs that need to be considered and balanced when tackling climate change.

Core topics that were explored include:

The role of business schools in meeting the climate challenge
Business expectations of COP28
Meeting the challenges of climate regulation and finance, energy transition and climate transition
A view from Dubai on the road to COP28
Complex climate trade-offs

How will AI innovation in healthcare improve our lives?

Global healthcare challenges are complex and diverse and advances in AI could save millions of lives. AI is transforming the healthcare industry by refining diagnostic and monitoring capabilities and improving access to health services and information in both the developed and the developing world. AI has also been instrumental in the development of health management systems, as well as contributing to cutting-edge research which has led to human trials of AI-designed drugs.

How do these advances improve lives in the developed and developing world? What are the common challenges and points of difference? Will AI take us closer to the 100-year life?

Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Vice-Dean at London Business School was joined by Professor Nicos Savva, Professor of Management Science and Operations at London Business School; Crystal Ruff, Senior Director Neuroscience and Vaccines at Takeda; Barbara Domayne-Hayman, Entrepreneur-in-residence, Francis Crick Institute; and Andrew Vallance-Owen, CMO Medicover AB. The panel discussed the outlook, opportunities and challenges of AI in healthcare in the developed and developing world.

The Business Implications of AI

While Generative AI is all the rage, the way it will impact business is still up for grabs. Yet it is clear that a number of sectors – from advertising to education to healthcare - will be challenged, and business models will be upended, while the opportunity landscape may be uneven. Our expert panel looked at which sectors and business models are most likely to be impacted, and how organisations can better prepare.

Professor Michael G Jacobides, a member of the WEF’s AI Alliance, joined Giuseppe Stigliano, CEO of Spring Studios, who sees the advertising world being transformed by the creative side of AI, as well as Arka Dhar (SLN2022), Product Lead at OpenAI and Clare Mortimer, IBM’s Business Transformation Services Leader for UK & Ireland to discuss the outlook, opportunities and challenges of AI for business. The panel also covered the strategies and leadership required to navigate the new landscape.

View our programmes covering AI here

Issues and uncertainties in the global economy

With the global economy under multiple inter-connected pressures - from war and climate change to inflation and supply chain disruption - understanding the impact and outlook for business is difficult. Our esteemed panel, including Professor Richard Portes, Professor Lucrezia Reichlin, Professor Jérémie Gallien, and Professor Nicos Savva, explored the challenges and opportunities of the global economic landscape for business. Moderated by Eshe Nelson, Business and Economics Reporter at The New York Times, this wide-ranging discussion covered issues including: deglobalisation, monetary policy, inflation, cryptocurrency, decentralised finance, AI and supply chain.

How to achieve breakthrough growth

Our first think ahead event took place at our Regent’s Park Campus on Tuesday 23 May 2023, where our world-class panel, comprised of leading faculty and business practitioners, discussed Breakthrough growth and how to achieve it.

Growth is at the heart of every firm’s ambitions, but how do you move beyond incremental gains to achieve breakthrough growth in tough economic times? From macro-economic and lifestyle trends, to consumer-led disruption and innovation breakthroughs, this event, with leading London Business School faculty, explored the opportunities for businesses to achieve breakthrough growth.

Our panel also discussed the internal environment needed to exploit these opportunities, from making the right strategic choices, to creating the optimal culture and leadership for achieving growth. Professor Julian Birkinshaw, Adjunct Associate Professor Helen Edwards, Adjunct Professor Linda Yueh and Chris McCarthy, Director at MedTech EMEA Johnson & Johnson, explored breakthrough growth from a national and global viewpoint. James Hurley, Enterprise Editor at The Times, moderated the conversation.