Aspen

Following Cynthia Bougeault's visit we look at the breakdown of the 'rational' stage of consciousness around the world. What are the implications? What can take it's place?

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 

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, 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.

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. 

Baroness Casey of Blackstock sat down with Ruth Warder, Co-CEO UK & EMEA Brand Chair at Edelman, to discuss the breakdown of trust in UK society. The conversation explored how this disintegration contributes to the polarisation we are currently witnessing and, most importantly, what measures should be taken to counteract its driving forces.

Baroness Casey is a leading expert when it comes to this topic; a long time independent advisor on social welfare, her previous roles include: Chair of the Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness, Crossbench Peer in the UK House of Lords, former head of the COVID-19 Rough Sleeping Task Force, and leader of the independent review of the Met Police.

This event is part of the Edelman-Aspen Trust Dialogue series put on in partnership with Edelman UK to understand the causes behind the polarisation that we are seeing in society today and, critically, how its driving forces can be countered.

Edelman has studied the dynamic shifts in trust for more than 20 years. Over the last decade their Trust Barometer study, which measures trust in institutions across 28 markets globally, has shown a deepening divide in trust levels between the elite minority in society and the disenchanted majority.

We will be joined by an expert guest for each event and will seek to understand this trust deficit by identifying key issues for public and private institutions, exploring why mistrust is so pervasive and try to identify how trust can be re-built.

This episode was recorded as a live webinar on 8 December 2022.

After one of the most historic elections in Brazil’s history that saw Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva be elected to the presidency, the future direction of the country is in a uncertain place. President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will have to navigate stagnated growth and high crime levels, balance supporting agri-business while preventing deforestation and protecting indigenous peoples, and build unity in an increasingly polarised society.

Chargé d’Affaires Melanie Hopkins, United Kingdom Acting Ambassador in Brazil; Richard Lapper, a consultant on Latin America and the author of the book ‘Beef, Bible, and Bullets: Brazil in The Age of Bolsonaro’; Pamella Lessa, Impact Director of the social organisation SEJA; and Dr Carlos Nobre,  Earth System Scientist currently associated with Institute for Advanced Studies, University of São Paolo speak with Michael Stott, Latin American Editor at the Financial Times on the future of Brazil at this historical inflection point. 

This event was recorded at a live event on 15 November, 2022.

The global transition to a net-zero economy hinges on a strong and trusting relationship between business, government and society. How can institutions, businesses and communities unite to forge a path to a clean global future where prosperity is delivered, but not at the expense of the planet?

KEY EXPERT:
Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP – COP26 President and UK Cabinet minister

IN CONVERSATION WITH:
Ed Williams – President & CEO, Edelman EMEA

This event is part of the Edelman-Aspen Trust Dialogue series put on in partnership with Edelman UKto understand the causes behind the polarisation that we are seeing in society today and, critically, how its driving forces can be countered.

Edelman has studied the dynamic shifts in trust for more than 20 years. Over the last decade their Trust Barometer study, which measures trust in institutions across 28 markets globally, has shown a deepening divide in trust levels between the elite minority in society and the disenchanted majority.

We are joined by an expert guest for each event and seek to understand this trust deficit by identifying key issues for public and private institutions, exploring why mistrust is so pervasive and try to identify how trust can be re-built.

This podcast was recorded live on July 14th 2022.

The modern educational system is designed around academic performance, university admissions and preparing students for their professional careers. But there is less emphasis on the promotion of the skills associated with facilitating inter-cultural dialogue, such as communication, listening, and openness. And this issue isn’t limited to school curricula; classrooms often lack in racial, gender, religious and sexual diversity.

Schools and universities represent ideal platforms to encourage the development of intercultural dialogue in society. Embracing different cultures in the classroom is crucial for uniting communities, developing an awareness of different cultural perspectives, and promoting open-mindedness, tolerance, and empathy.

This event brought together educators, academics, and non-profit leaders to explore how to enhance intercultural exchange in schools, universities, and curricula. Our discussion focused on how we can devise a curriculum to produce a more well-rounded cultural education of our youth and how we can we bring together students of different cultural backgrounds to learn and exchange experiences together.

The Aspen Institute UK, in partnership with the Khalili Foundation, explore these pertinent questions. It is part of the wider World Festival of Cultural Diversity which, in association with UNESCO, is bringing together various intellectual and creative initiatives in collective celebration of our world’s cultures.

This event was recorded as part of a live broadcast on 27 September 2022.

Moderated by:
James Westhead - Head of Engagement at Big Society Capital, previously TeachFirst and BBC News correspondent

Panel:
Victor Adebowale - visiting Professor and Chancellor at the University of Lincoln
Faiqa Amreen – Head of History at Park View School; Professional Development Specialist at Lyfta
Zulum Elumogo – Zulum Elumogo is a Special Advisor at Freuds Communications; on the Board of Directors for the Fair Education Alliance, Dance Umbrella and the Barbican Centre
Tariq Modood – Tariq is Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy and founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol

This event was recorded as a live broadcast on 30 June 2022.

In the UK, as economic inequality increases, so does public distrust of our economy and its institutions. So, if a more economically equal society is also a more trusting one, what responsibility do our institutions have in rebalancing the system and, consequently, improving trust?

Part of the Edelman-Aspen Trust Dialogue series put on in partnership with Edelman UK, this event saw Miatta Fahnbulleh, Chief Executive at the New Economics Foundation, in conversation with Hugh Taggart, Co-CEO and Global Head of Crisis at Edelman UK. In this timely conversation, Miatta and Hugh explore the role of economic institutions in creating a trusting society, and question how this trust can be promoted in our current polarised climate. 

Edelman has studied the dynamic shifts in trust for more than 20 years. Over the last decade their Trust Barometer study, which measures trust in institutions across 28 markets globally, has shown a deepening divide in trust levels between the elite minority in society and the disenchanted majority.

This event was recorded as a live broadcast on 4 May 2022.  

Trusted information is the lifeblood of a well-functioning society – are our media models and platforms able to support this? In this conversation, our speakers explore the forces driving trust, and distrust, in the media, between those who write & publish the stories and those who read them. 

Part of the Edelman-Aspen Trust Dialogue series put on in partnership with Edelman UK, this event saw Mark Thompson, former CEO of The New York Times Company and Former Director-General of the BBC, in conversation with Ed Williams, President and CEO of Edelman EMEA. Their discussion sought to understand the causes behind the polarisation we see in society today and, critically, how its driving forces can be countered.

Edelman has studied the dynamic shifts in trust for more than 20 years. Over the last decade their Trust Barometer study, which measures trust in institutions across 28 markets globally, has shown a deepening divide in trust levels between the elite minority in society and the disenchanted majority.