LBS Corporate 100 examines the leadership agenda for 2026’s toughest business decisions

Over three days, London Business School welcomed senior executives, faculty and strategic partners for another series of LBS Corporate 100 roundtables, bringing together C-Suite representatives to examine the defining challenges facing organisations in 2026. Across dedicated HR & Learning & Development, Recruiter and C-suite roundtables, discussions focused on the difficult decisions leaders must make as organisations navigate workforce transformation, artificial intelligence and a volatile geopolitical landscape.

The programme opened with the HR & L&D roundtable, “People first, but at what cost? The hard choices facing HR in 2026”, where participants explored how organisations can build resilient, high-performing workforces amid shifting employee expectations, hybrid working, skills shortages, evolving regulation and growing demands for inclusion. The opening session titled “Managing the 2026 workforce”, challenged leaders to consider how HR can balance competing priorities while maintaining organisational performance and long-term talent strategies.

The Recruiter roundtable the following day, examined the changing role of talent acquisition professionals under the theme “From Transactional to Strategic: The Evolving Value of the Recruiter”. A standout session, “Beyond the hype: How to think about AI”, saw Visiting Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship Gary Hamel encourage organisations to view AI not as a standalone technology initiative, but as a strategic choice requiring fundamental changes to leadership, organisational design and ways of working.

The final event concluded with a C-suite roundtable, “Pressure Points: Leading in a Time of Great Power Rivalry”. Opening the day, Affiliate Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour José M. de Areilza led a distinguished panel featuring Sir Robin Niblett and Professor Leslie Vinjamuri, who explored the implications of intensifying US–China competition, conflict in the Middle East and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Together, they examined how geopolitical instability is reshaping global markets, supply chains and executive decision-making.

Throughout the roundtables, keynote addresses, faculty insights, interactive discussions and peer-to-peer exchanges reinforced the value of bringing together leaders from across industry sectors to exchange knowledge and to tackle complex business challenges through open dialogue and shared learning.

Tim Landucci, Director of Corporate Community at London Business School, said: "Our latest series of LBS Corporate 100 roundtables demonstrated the challenges facing organisations can no longer be viewed in isolation. Decisions about people, technology and geopolitics are increasingly interconnected, requiring leaders to think across disciplines and beyond organisational boundaries. By bringing together senior executives, world-leading faculty and expert practitioners, the LBS Corporate 100 creates the conditions to examine fresh perspectives, open dialogue and practical collaboration that help organisations lead with greater confidence in a complex world."

The LBS Corporate 100 initiative reflects London Business School's commitment to lifelong learning, cross-sector collaboration and informed leadership. Bringing together global organisations, public institutions, SMEs and third-sector partners, the community provides a forum for engaging with the School's research, faculty expertise and global network to address the issues shaping the future of business and society.

For more information, please visit LBS Corporate 100