Aspen UK

How can leaders foster a collective vision amongst their team members? How can we empower groups to stand up for what they believe in? And, what are the opportunities to drive collective action to tackle difficult problems? 

Join Aspen UK as we dive into these questions with two Rising Leaders: Flynn Devine and Katie Hutchinson. 

 Find out more about the Aspen UK community of leaders here at Aspen.org

Can leaders make the wrong decisions? How can we lead the way even in difficult situations? And, what can conflict teach us about strong leadership?

In this episode, Penny delves into these questions with two Aspen UK Rising Leaders: Maria Romanenko and Godefroy Harito. 

Find out more about the Aspen UK community of leaders: https://www.aspenuk.org/rising-leaders-fellowship-overview/ 

Teamwork is a key part of excellent leadership. Achieving success depends on the collective efforts of the entire team, whether you’re launching a comms campaign or performing in a ballet show.

But how should we be leading our teams? Why should we work towards a possibility mindset? And, how should we really define success?

Join Penny Richards as she discusses this topic with two Rising Leaders: Isabelle Brouwers and Stefan Rollnick. 

Find out more about the Aspen UK community of leaders here: https://www.aspenuk.org/rising-leaders-fellowship-overview/%20 

Climate finance has huge potential, but it represents a departure from traditional approaches to investment. We need a new approach to how we invest our money, supporting more sustainable business models and implementing net-zero solutions.

In the final episode of our 'Critical Conversations' series with Mars Wrigley UK, we look at the most effective ways to invest in decarbonisation and the role we can all play in investing in a more sustainable future, from individuals to businesses and key finance players. 

Our expert panel includes Divyata Ashiya, Partner at Just Transition Capital; Professor Gbenga Ibikunle, Chair of Finance at the University of Edinburgh; Dr Liz Wildman,  Global Public Affairs Director for Climate and Circularity at Mars Wrigley UK and Maria Lombardo,  Head of Global ESG Advisory team Sustainable Finance at Standard Chartered Bank. 

This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar on 29 November 2023. 

From making travel more accessible to investing in artificial intelligence, leaders are paving the way for a better future. But what should we expect from leaders this year? What do recent examples of opportunistic leadership teach us? And how can leaders lean on experts to improve their decision-making?

In our first episode of 2024, Penny Richards explores all this and more with two Aspen UK Rising Leaders: Camilo Pires and Sheherazad Kapadia. 

Find out more about the Aspen UK community of leaders here: https://www.aspenuk.org/rising-leaders-fellowship-overview/%20 

From sports to STEM, where can we find unexpected leaders – and what impact do they have? What is servant leadership? And, what can we learn about leadership from our local community? 

In this episode, Penny delves into these questions with two Aspen UK Rising Leaders: Scott Forsyth and Alex Bulat.

Find out more about the Aspen UK community of leaders here:
https://www.aspenuk.org/rising-leaders-fellowship-overview/ 

How can leaders deal with failure? What can we learn from young people about leadership? And, with the growing impact of climate change being felt by communities globally, how are leaders paving the way for action?

Join Penny Richards as she delves into these questions with Aspen UK Rising Leader, Alexander Urwin and Beatrice Graupner, Aspen Young European Leader.  

Find out more about the Aspen UK community of leaders: https://www.aspenuk.org/rising-leaders-fellowship-overview/ 

How can leaders support future generations to flourish? Why do we need to invest in young people’s future? And, can we shape policy to ensure the future strength of our communities, environment, economy and society as a whole?

In this discussion, we explored the role of youth empowerment in building a better society. Paul Lindley, author of ‘Raising the Nation’ and ‘How to Build a Better Future For Our Children (And Everyone Else)’ was joined in conversation with two Aspen UK Rising Leaders to discuss this complex topic.

This discussion is brought to you by the Aspen UK Rising Leaders Fellowship: a community of leading young leaders in the UK who are keen to understand their own ethics and values and how these influence their actions and decisions as leaders.

This event was recorded as part of a live webinar on 4 December 2023. 

More and more people are living in our cities and as urban populations grow, so does the need to provide housing. Yet, building homes is often perceived to come at a high price: the destruction of natural landscapes and biodiversity. What are the innovative solutions in this space?  And, is there political will to help promote these projects?

In this panel discussion, we were joined by Anis Abou Zaki,  Partner in Environmental Design and Sustainability at Foster + Partners; Aileen Evans, CEO of Grand Union Housing Group; Dusty Gedge, International Ambassador for the European Federation of Green Roof and Wall Associations and Jess Kennedy, Climate & Sustainability Associate Director at Arup. The discussion was moderated by Kate Turner, a consultant, working in the space between decarbonisation and the digital sector.

This event was hosted in partnership with Mars Wrigley UK and recorded as part of a live webinar on 6 November 2023. 

Join a Boomer, Millennial, and Gen Zer as they discuss the possible consequences of the unprecedented biggest wealth transfer in history, certain to have a seismic impact on the future of capitalism and society.

Our panel features Ken Costa, a boomer, and two Aspen UK Rising Leaders, a Millennial working in investment management, and a Gen Z-er who is an Economic Advisor in the Department for Transport (UK). Ken Costa is the author of The 100 Trillion Dollar Wealth Transfer, which explores how we will need the wisdom and experience of Boomers – Hindsight – plus the social, ethical and environmental purpose motivating Zennials – Insight – to allow us to work together with Foresight. 

This event was recorded as part of a live webinar hosted by the Rising Leaders Fellowship on 27 October 2023. 

Climate change and a growing population are putting an increased strain on our food systems – will bananas and beef burgers become a thing of the past? The speed at which we are adapting is a long way off, but there are promising solutions available. 

This discussion convened expert speakers to discuss these solutions. We were joined by Catherine Chong, ESG Advisor; Adele Jones, Executive Director at the Sustainable Food Trust; Jean Moreau, CEO of Phenix and Liv Phoenix, Head of External Affairs at the NFU. This conversation was moderated by Naomi Jones, Corporate Affairs Director at Mars Wrigley UK. 

This event was recorded as part of a live webinar on 4 October 2023. 

In recent years, the way we talk about climate change has shifted significantly, influenced both by an increased public awareness of the issue and the imminent need for urgent action. In this discussion, we look at the meaningful ways the stories across our media landscape can drive climate action. The panel discusses innovative methods to weave sustainability into stories, from positive re-framing in the news to micro-messaging in our favourite sitcom shows.

This episode is part of our ‘Critical Conversations’ series with Mars Wrigley UK bringing together pioneers from different technologies looking to build our net-zero and no-carbon future. It features Justin Forsyth, Co-Founder of the Count Us In Campaign; Joi Lee, Head of Editorial at Earthrise Studio; and Dan McDougall, Film Director and Writer. This conversation was expertly led by Juliet Riddell, Head of New Formats at the Financial Times. 

This event was recorded as part of a live webinar on 20 September 2023. 

The food system is responsible for one third of global emissions and it is estimated that livestock farming alone makes up 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions – that’s almost as much as the entire transport sector.  But, with technology continuing to advance, will we be able to eat meat sustainably in the future?

In this webinar, we explored the revolutionary food technology making its way on to the market with Thin Lei Win in conversation with Jim Mellon, Executive Director of Agronomics. This is the second discussion in our new ‘Critical Conversations’ series with Mars Wrigley UK bringing together pioneers from different technologies looking to build our net-zero and no-carbon future. 

This event was recorded as part of a live webinar on 10 July 2023.

Both the government and the refugee advocacy sector are calling for more safe routes for people seeking asylum to enter the UK. But tens of thousands of refugees continue to arrive by unsafe means every year because they are unable to access safe passage. For this conversation in our series ‘Voices from a broken system: Rethinking refugee integration in the UK’, we will focus on how to ensure safe passage for refugees from different countries looking to find sanctuary in the UK. 

Our panel features Jacqueline Broadhead,  Director of the Global Exchange on Migration and Diversity at the University of Oxford; Lord David Blunkett, former Home Secretary; David Goodhart, Head of Policy Exchange’s Demography, Immigration, and Integration Unit and Enver Solomon, CEO of Refugee Council. The discussion was moderated by Martine Dennis, international news anchor. 

This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar on 7 June 2023. 

Solar and wind energy used to be considered speculative, prototype ideas of no-carbon energy solutions. Yet the enormous growth seen in these two forms of renewable energy over the last decade has soared past pessimistic predictions. Off the back of this success, the question for other promising innovations is how can they do the same? How can we apply the lessons learned from the success of solar and wind energy to other innovations? And, what solutions should we be betting on?

This is the first discussion in our new ‘Critical Conversations’ series with Mars Wrigley UK bringing together pioneers from different technologies looking to build our net-zero and no-carbon future. The panel features Steven Lua, CEO at Unitrove; Natasha Patel, Director at Baringa Partners; Gaurav N. Sant, Director of the Institute for Carbon Management at UCLA and Beena Sharma, CEO of CCU International. The moderator is Kate Turner, Sustainability and Innovation Consultant. 

This event was recorded as part of a live webinar on 22 May 2023. 

In recent years, there has been an increased visibility of social justice movements as a result of social media and global connectivity. But, as the work of social change movements builds momentum, what role can it play in encouraging intercultural diversity. How do social justice actors build more interculturally diverse communities? And how can intercultural exchange between activist groups impact their advocacy work?

For this conversation, we brought together social justice actors from various groups into conversation to discuss everything from collaboration between movements to how to prevent burnout whilst working towards social change. 

For the discussion, we were joined by Nathan Law, Hong Kong Activist; Jackie Driver, Strategic Lead for equality, diversity, and inclusion at Greater Manchester Integrated Care and Poku Osei, CEO at Babbasa.

This event was recorded as part of a live webinar on 15 May 2023.

Tackling climate change requires urgent action and the race to reach net zero is on. One single flight from London to New York produces roughly 986 kilograms of carbon dioxide, that’s more than most people in Africa, Asia or South America produce in an entire year. But with everybody’s love for travel and the need for international mobility, how can this industry adapt to help save our planet?

This panel features Christopher de Bellaigue, Author of ‘Flying Green: On the Frontiers of Aviation’; Cait Hewitt, Policy Director at the Aviation Environment Federation; Sergey Kiselev, Chief Business Officer at ZeroAvia; Maja Rosén, Co-Founder of We Stay On The Ground; and Aaron Munetsi, Chief Executive Officer of Airlines Association of Southern Africa.

This event was recorded as part of a live webinar on 25 April 2023.

In recent years, international cooperation has become more important than ever. From coordinating a global strategy to combat COVID-19, to uniting in response to the conflict in Ukraine and collaborating on the road to net zero, the crucial role of diplomacy is clear. But what’s it really like to be an international diplomat and what lessons can we learn from one of Europe’s most successful envoys?

In partnership with the Aspen Institute France, we hosted the Former First Vice President of the European Commission to discuss diplomacy in the 21st century. The Right Honourable Catherine Ashton has had an illustrious political career, from various ministerial roles in the UK to becoming the first woman British European Commissioner. In this conversation, Baroness Ashton joined Jean-Christophe Bas, Acting Executive Director of the Aspen Institute France, to provide insights from her diplomatic career following the release of her new book: And Then What? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy.

This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 17 April 2023.

Art is often seen as a medium for self-expression, a place for artists and creatives to share their personal experiences, and so offers a unique opportunity for cultural exchange. Yet, as we live in increasingly multi-cultural societies, artistic influences and sources are becoming more various and plural – so the urgent question is how do we navigate celebrating other cultures without crossing the line of cultural appropriation? What is the definition of ‘high culture’ in the UK – and is it changing? And how do we ensure artistic work is celebrated and valued equally, regardless of its cultural origins?

This event brings together speakers from across the Arts to discuss how to make space for cultural exchange in artistic expression, along with the nuances, challenges and rewards this may bring. Our discussion will explore a variety of art forms, from visual pieces to music and literature.

This panel features Soheila Sokhanvari, Iranian-born artist; Dr Gus Casely Hayford OBE, inaugural Director of V&A East; Syima Aslam, Founder of the Bradford Literature Festival; Freddie Opoku Addaie, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Dance Umbrella Festival and Roger Wilson,  Director of Operations of Black Lives in Music (BLIM). This event was moderated by Waqas Ahmed, Executive Director of the Khalili Foundation and Curator of the World Festival of Cultural Diversity. 

This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 20 March 2023. 

This is the first conversation in our series 'Voices from a broken system: Rethinking refugee integration in the UK' in partnership with the Woolf Institute and the independent Commission on the Integration of Refugees. The discussion will focus on the UK refugee experience. Bringing together refugees from different countries to speak about their experience in the UK, we will hear how their experiences differ and resemble each other, what has challenged them since arriving in the UK, and how they have succeeded in making a home.

The panel features Alina Prokopenko, a Ukrainian refugee living in the UK; Alphonsine Kabagabo, the Director of Women for Refugee Women; Iyad Yousef, a Syrian Data Analyst at the Centre for Metrics; and Mishka Pillay, campaigner and advocate with a focus on refugee rights and immigration detention in the UK. The conversation was moderated by Yasmeen Serhan, staff writer at TIME. 

This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 15 March 2023.