Theme: Resilience

Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Through their stories, our speakers will help us understand what Resilience means, how they and others have developed it, and how it can help us navigate the challenges of the 21st century.

Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
1 Kensington Gore
London, London, City of, SW7 2AR
United Kingdom

Abdullah Al-Shakarchi

Masters in Management Candidate, London Business School

How do individuals survive the hardships of conflict and a trade embargo? London Business School Masters in Management student, Abdullah Al-Shakarchi, grew up in the aftermath of the Gulf War of 1990. He tells the story of Iraq's people uniting under the slogan "Screw the Embargo" to defy the horrors of Saddam Hussein's tyranny and international sanctions, reflecting on the decade's lasting impact on Iraqis today. Iraq's secret to resilience was having the correct resources and a timeless spirit of adaptation and innovation.

All Speakers

All speakers.

Ann Cairns

President, International, Mastercard

"Lessons From Lehman Brothers Ann Cairns, President of International Markets for Mastercard and Chair of ICE Clear Europe, will reflect on her time as acting CEO of Lehman Brothers in the aftermath of the 2008 crash. She will tell us what she learned of Resilience from the employees of Lehman, and offer thoughts on how to ensure the Resilience of the financial system in years to come."

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox

CEO, 20 first

"Conscious Coupling: Dual Careers in the Age of Longevity Our careers are lengthening; transforming from sprints into marathons, and we need to think strategically about how we position ourselves to thrive in this new world. Avivah will explore the most crucial career choice that we each make – our life partners. Paradoxically, this is also often the team that we spend the least time on. Avivah will suggest that we should bring leadership skills home, and that we should think more consciously about the dual career model that we each wish to adopt. Avivah is CEO of 20-first, a leading international gender-balance consultancy. 20-first works with top management at some of the world’s best-known companies to identify the business opportunities of gender balance and how to achieve them. She has written a number of best-sellers in the field, including Seven Steps to Leading a Gender Balanced Business, published by Harvard Business Review."

Cath Bishop

Former Olympian and Diplomat

Bouncing Back and Building Resilience When faced with high-pressure situations, how can we prepare ourselves to navigate through them and bounce back successfully from failure? Combining personal experiences and recent research findings, Cath will explore how psychological flexibility, self-awareness, and genuine relationships can help strengthen us and make us more durable to setbacks and trauma. Cath is an experienced leadership speaker and will walk through stories from winning Olympic silver to working among falling mortar shells as a UK diplomat in Basra to get underneath the essential elements of building resilience.

Chris Moore

CEO, The Clink Charity

"Changing attitudes, transforming lives and creating second chances There are 86k adults in prison in England & Wales. Sadly, 44% of them return to prison within the first year of release. Chris will explore how the Clink Charity breaks this cycle of crime, by training and equipping serving prisoners to gain their City and Guild level 2 qualifications in Food Service, Food Preparation and Horticulture. The training programme reduces the chances of a prisoner reoffending by 50%, and at the same time, supports the hospitality industry that has a major skills shortage. Chris has been CEO of the Clink Charity since 2010, and currently serves as Vice Chair for the Institute of Hospitality, and as an external director for Westminster Abbey Enterprises. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, including as Head of Group Restaurants at Fenwick Ltd, and Restaurants General Manager for Harrods."

Claire Fox

Director, Academy of Ideas

"Fireside Chat: Jess Butcher puts questions to Claire Fox, Director of the Academy of Ideas. ‘How Offence Culture is stifling intellectual progress and damaging young minds’ Jess Butcher interviews Claire Fox about her recent book ‘I Find that Offensive’ exploring Fox’s concerns that offence culture has become the dominant ideology of modern society, damaging debate, intellectual progress and affecting the resilience and mental health of our young. Together they explore some of the reasons for it and also potential solutions for how to reverse this dangerous societal tide."

Jasmine Whitbread

CEO, London First

"Brexit and building London’s resilience as a global business capital As the UK prepares to leave the EU, London is facing a moment of real jeopardy. Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of business group, London First, will set out the key challenges facing the capital and what needs to happen to keep London top of the global charts - from staying open to talented people to building the homes and transport links they need. With a background in business and a decade leading change for the world’s poorest children, Jasmine believes in the power of business leadership to make a positive difference. She’ll draw on her experience to explore how to bring people together to bring about change, including how she’s convening major employers to keep London thriving in a time of uncertainty."

Jennifer Lynch

PhD in Organisational Behaviour Candidate, London Business School

"Why You’re More Creative Than You Think You Are What can be done in the face of the growing loneliness epidemic? London Business School PhD student, Jennifer Lynch, builds on principles of creativity research to offer a fresh perspective. Her talk outlines a new way to think about creativity, extending it beyond the traditional domains of the arts and the intellect. She illuminates a third domain of creativity, creativity in the relational sense, as a way of being that results in meaningful human connection."

Jess Butcher

Entrepreneur, Non-Exec Director and Angel investor. Co-Founder of Blippar, one of Britain's best-funded technology scale-ups and one of the world's leading computer vision and augmented reality technology platforms. She is the recipient of numerous female entrepreneur and tech awards including BBC's Top 100 Women and Fortune's Most Powerful Female Entrepreneurs. She is a passionate start-up mentor, public speaker and writer on subjects as diverse as women in technology, female entrepreneurialism, digital innovation, digital detox and work-life balance. She received an MBE in the 2018 New Years Honours List for her services to technology and entrepreneurship.

Jess Butcher MBE

JB MBE

Jonathan Aitken

Author

"The Delusions of Triumph and Disaster Former UK Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament and the author of 18 books, Jonathan Aitken, will tell us his extraordinary journey from the Houses of Parliament to prison following his conviction for perjury in 1999. Jonathan will share his lessons on resilience and rebuilding a successful career when all seems lost."

Lucy Choi

Masters in Business Administration Candidate, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

As a classically trained pianist and singer living and working in Hong Kong, Masters in Business Administration student Lucy Choi noticed a gap between the traditional art form of Western opera and the modern world. Lucy will describe to us her efforts to build a bridge between these two worlds to make opera more accessible and relevant to a 21st century audience. Lucy will share her passion for opera, its impact on her life, and how opera can find its place in modern society.

Paddy Scott

Photographer

Humanity’s effect on our planet’s “permanent” landscapes What effect is humanity having on our planet’s most “permanent” landscapes? Paddy will relate his experiences as an award-winning landscape photographer being witness to the dichotomy of landscapes appearing untouchable and yet truly changing at an alarming pace. We pay the effects little mind because to us, they appear quite slow, when truly in geological terms they are happening in the blink of an eye. Paddy will explore the landscapes of Antarctica, Patagonia, and the Himalayas through the photographer’s lens and talk about the challenges these landscapes are facing in light of growing human pressures and global warming. A member of the Royal Photographic Society and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Scott is a photographer, cameraman and filmmaker. Paddy’s photography has been credited with numerous awards, including as a finalist in the 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards at the Natural History Museum.

Professor Dan Cable

Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School

"Alive At Work What is a “best self” and can it be turned on and made chronically accessible? Dan Cable will explore the notions of best self activation and signature strengths, examining how both people’s lives and organizational performance can be improved when people’s best selves are activated at work. Dan will introduce the seeking system, the part of the brain that urges us to explore what is possible based on our personal strengths, and explain how leaders can tap into enthusiasm and energy when they activate the best self. Dan Cable is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School and has been ranked among the top 25 most influential management scholars in the world. His most recent research has recently been featured on Wall Street Journal and The New York Times to name a few, and was published on Harvard Business Review and the Academy of Management Journal. "

Professor Herminia Ibarra

Charles Handy Chair in Organisational Behaviour; Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School

"The Authenticity Paradox: Who am I when I’m changing? Who doesn’t want to be authentic? But, a simplistic understanding of what authenticity means hinders growth and limits our impact. Learning, by definition, starts with unnatural and often superficial behaviors that can make us feel calculating, instead of genuine and spontaneous, and we latch onto authenticity as an excuse for sticking with what’s comfortable. But, the moments that most challenge our sense of self are also the ones that can teach us the most. By viewing ourselves as works in progress and evolving our professional identities through trial and error, we can develop in ways that both feel right to us and suit our changing circumstances. Herminia Ibarra is the Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behavior at LBS. Prior to LBS, she served on the INSEAD and Harvard Business School faculties. An authority on leadership, Thinkers 50 ranks Ibarra among the most influential management thinkers in the world."

Richard Barker

Advisor and Investment Committee Member, Iona Capital Ltd

"What the Abolition of Slavery tells us about Climate Change Climate Change is today’s defining global moral issue. Our collective response to it will not only define the kind of planet on which future generations will live, but also how they will judge this current generation. By exploring another historical moral movement, the Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire, Richard will not only open a door on a poorly understood era of British history, but also provide insights into the development of the Climate Change movement and its possible future trajectory. Richard Barker is an Adviser and Investment Committee Member at Iona Capital, a specialist environmental infrastructure investor. He has been active in the low carbon space for over a decade having previously been CEO of the UK’s leading biogas company and also CEO of France’s largest aluminium recycling company. He is passionate about Climate Change and is a member of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps."

Rick Wheatley

EVP New Growth, Director of the Leadership Vanguard, Xynteo AS

"Sustainable Business Models The current global growth model is broken, helping the few, not many; working against, not with nature; contributing to short-term gains while compromising on long-term impact. We need future-fit leaders who can reinvent this growth model, not through philanthropy, but through ideas that sit at the intersection of commercial opportunity and societal needs. Rick will discuss a new leadership model to address the leadership deficit and help emerging leaders take this journey, and incubate ideas that use commercial muscle to address human problems. "

Steve Barron

Founder, Margent Farm

"From film to farming BAFTA and Emmy-nominated director and producer Steve Barron will describe his transition from film to farming to create a cleaner and more sustainable world. In conjunction with the University of Cambridge, Steve has established Margent Farm to explore the ability of industrial hemp to revolutionise construction with its adaptable and highly efficient properties. From film cameras to houses, Steve will reveal the enormous opportunity for hemp to redefine our environment."