Populism, polarisation and the new multi polar power divide: the new reality for global business
Join Lockton and Acuti Associates for an evening of debate on how businesses should navigate today's deeply unpredictable geopolitical landscape.
Tim Marshall, best selling author and leading authority on foreign affairs, will deliver the opening keynote speech. He will then open up the debate to our panel of expert commentators including Dr Tim Hames, Acuti Associates Partner and author of the definitive book on Trump's second term, and Ian Wright CBE, a distinguished business and senior management advisor specialising in risk and reputation.
The debate will explore the challenges across the continent and the adaptations which businesses need to make.
Key questions to be discussed include:
- What's the scorecard after President Trump's first 100 days in office? What can we interpret from this as to the key drivers for Trump's second term?
- Unpredictability is the new certainty - how should businesses respond to the new normal and employ a new model for risk management?
- What does the shift to a new 'Great Fragmentation' mean for global trade and organisations?
- As businesses navigate a world of more extreme political swings, how will this impact key issues such as AI - which countries and trading blocks will be the initial winners?
Date
Thursday 20th March 2025
Location
Lockton, St Botolph Building, 138 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7AG (map)
Agenda
17:30 Registration, networking and refreshments
18:00 Panel discussion
19:00 Drinks and canapés
21:00 Event closes
Panellists
Dr Tim Hames
Tim is a former Lecturer in Politics at Oxford University (US and UK), ex-Assistant Editor, Chief Leader Writer and a columnist with The Times and a recent Director General of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA). Like his fellow partners he takes a forensic interest in the interaction between politics and business, and especially private equity.
Tim Marshall
Britain’s best-selling author on international affairs, Tim is the former Diplomatic Editor and Foreign Correspondent for Sky News. He has covered the conflicts in Kosovo, Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria and has extensively analysed how geography influences the ways states behave and interact with one another. Tim also draws from his insights into international relations to predict future affairs and crises, and his work increasingly comments on the intersection of technological advances with political developments. His Sunday Times No1 best seller, The Future of Geography: How the Competition in Space Will Change Our World explores the geopolitics of space.
Luke Withers
Luke leads Lockton’s Industry Practices strategy in the UK and is the Head of the Food & Drink Practice, he is also a Global Client Advocate for several of Lockton’s largest FTSE 250 clients. Following studying his degree in Risk and Environmental Management, he has spent the last 14 years working in risk and Insurance, advising large multinational organisations both in house and as a consultant for Insurers and global Insurance brokers.
Ian Wright CBE
Ian has been intimately involved in UK politics since the early 1980s (initially in the Social Democratic Party) and was particular close to the private dialogue on policy and electoral positioning between Tony Blair and Paddy Ashdown in the 1990s. At a professional level he has been a Director of Communications for The Boots Company, served as the Global Corporate Relations Director of Diageo PLC and most recently been the Chief Executive of the UK Food & Drink Federation.