Leading Responsibly in a World Moving through Crisis

Event details

22 April 2021

09:00 - 17:00

How can business leaders prepare to lead in a post-pandemic world, as well as responsibly lead through an ongoing crisis?

COVID-19 blurred the boundary between work and home life and exposed systemic global issues not only in healthcare, but across society. As people look to authority for reassurance, guidance and action, business leaders must embrace a different normal and commit to making ethical choices, even if it means a slower return to profitability for their businesses.

At Imperial College Business School’s annual conference 2021, business leaders and policy makers, alongside our world-class academics, will discuss responsible leadership in the age of COVID-19 as we shift towards a new era of business.

Conference topics include:

Being a nimble and principled leader in a time of crisis
The role of business in dismantling systemic racism and social inequality
Leading in a digitally transformed organisation

Navigating the ethical conundrums of new digital technologies

This exclusive, invite-only event has been designed specifically for senior executives interested in sharing ideas about new and innovative ways to lead. Delegates will have the chance to add their voice to the debate and network with key players from business and academia.

Keynote speakers

John Allan, Vice President, CBI and Chairman, Tesco

John is the Vice President of the CBI, where he was previously President from June 2018 to June 2020, and is also currently Chairman of Tesco plc and Barratt Developments plc. Allan’s has extensive leadership skills and has acquired significant board, retail and financial experience from both the commercial and financial sectors.

Neil Ferguson, Professor of mathematical biology, Imperial College London

Neil Ferguson OBE is a British epidemiologist and professor of mathematical biology, who specialises in the patterns of spread of infectious disease in humans and animals. He is the head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health and Vice-Dean for Academic Development in the Faculty of Medicine, both at Imperial College London. Neil is currently leading the Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team.

Vivian Hunt, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

Dame Vivian is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company. She previously led the firm’s Pharmaceuticals & Medical Products Practice in EMEA and continues to advise a diverse range of corporate, public, and third sector clients on various topics. She was previously named as one of the top ten “most influential black people in Britain” by the Powerlist Foundation, and The Financial Times identified her both as one of the “European Women to Watch” and “one of the 30 most influential people in the City of London”. In 2018, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the economy and women in business.

Andrew Witty, Co-leader, WHO COVID-19 vaccine program (TBC)

Sir Andrew Witty is currently co-leading the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 vaccine program, taking a leave of absence from his role as CEO and President of Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group. Andrew has served in numerous advisory roles to governments around the world including South Africa, Singapore, China and the UK and is former chancellor of the University of Nottingham. From 2008 to 2017, Witty was chief executive officer and a director of the leading pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Witty was knighted in 2012 for services to the U.K. economy.