Exploring where and how we’re going to live and work in the months and years ahead. We will discuss: a glimpse of the future, stimulus to plan, reasons to be excited and considering the bigger picture of the workplace return decision.

You will hear from Simon Kuper, International Thought Leader and Financial Times journalist. Based in Paris, Simon has been writing for the Financial Times for some 20 years. His column is highly respected and read by tens of thousands of people around the world. He is best known for his analyses of modern/urban life, from the future of offices, to demographics and the impact of Covid and Brexit. His insights on modern/future living are peppered with humour and insightful anthropological observations. Simon will share his views on ‘The Future of Place’ by exploring the likely future of city centres, offices, neighbourhoods, mobility, shops, homes and gardens.

This partner event with MLN features Professor Emeritus Keith Grint, global authority on leadership and change. Keith will discuss strategies for tame, wicked and critical challenges. As we emerge from the pandemic, and the realities of Brexit, organisations (of all shapes, sizes and sectors) will face a new set of risks and challenges. This event will illuminate these likely realities and suggest leadership strategies to overcome them.

This event also features Conor Lambe, Chief Economist Danske Bank and Sean McGahan, Risk Expert and Chairman of the Institute of Risk Management in NI. Conor will discuss the headlines from his most recent Quarterly Sectoral Forecast and outline the likely economic circumstances for the year ahead. Sean will share his view on the most pressing risks facing organisations and leaders as we move into a post-pandemic, post-Brexit world.

With Covid-19 restrictions ongoing, ensuring the wellbeing of ourselves and our teams has never been more important. In partnership with MLN our latest virtual event brings together a stellar line-up of speakers, who will share experiences, insights and strategies focussed on ensuring our wellbeing and enhancing our performance.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE

Britain’s Greatest Paralympic Athlete Tanni competed in five Paralympic Games, winning 11 Gold Medals, and is acknowledged as one of the most gifted and courageous sportswomen of her generation. In addition to her outstanding Paralympic achievements, she won the London Wheelchair Marathon a total of six times between 1992 and 2002. Tanni has gone on to play a prominent role in public life. In 2010 she was elevated to the House of Lords as a crossbench peer, with a particular focus on health, welfare, sport, disability and youth development. Amongst other positions she is chair of UK Active, Chancellor of Northumbria University, President of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations and an ambassador for UNICEF.

Caroline van der Feltz

Award-winning HR Leader Caroline is HR Director for Danske Bank UK, where she leads the People Strategy as part of the bank’s Executive Committee. She received the ‘Excellence in HR Leadership Award’ at the 2020 CIPD HR Awards and her team was crowned ‘Best HR/L&D Team of the Year’ at the same awards. Caroline has spent the majority of her career in London and returned to NI in 2015. Prior to taking up her current role, she worked in senior positions for a number of FTSE 100 companies including Reckitt Benckiser, Coutts and RBS.

Barry Winkless

Author, Speaker & Thought Leader Barry is Head of the Future of Work Institute and Chief Strategy Officer at CPL. He is a highly respected author, speaker and thought leader in the disciplines of creative leadership, strategic wellbeing and employee engagement with a particular focus on how society is changing and what that means to the world of work. Over the past 25 years Barry has worked globally with some of the world’s most respected organisations and has executed significant real world projects across Ireland, Europe and the USA.

Northern Ireland’s first two-weight World Champion boxer Carl Frampton joins our host Dr. Wendy Austin MBE to discuss resilience and bouncing back in a post-COVID society. How does Frampton deal with adversity? What advice does he have for building resilience and overcoming setbacks? How does Frampton react to criticism and how does he deal with the pressure of living life in the public eye? How important have Frampton’s family and support network been to his success? Who are his inspirations? Why do the physical and mental challenges of boxing go hand in hand and how important is it to be vocal about mental health? What impact has COVID had on boxing? How does Frampton stay motivated? What’s the greatest challenge outside of boxing that Frampton has overcome? What are his ambitions when he hangs up the gloves? And how can Frampton’s attitude and philosophy be applied to other walks of life, such as business? Listen to the Danske Advantage podcast to find out!

Keynote and Q&A with an international speaker and thought-leader on future human behaviour, societal change and business strategy.

Being self-employed means you’re responsible for the success of your business, but the pensions side of things might have slipped through the net. After all, it can be complicated at times. Wednesday 15th September 2021 was Pensions Awareness Day and we were joined by experts from the government-backed ‘MoneyHelper’ who helped cut through the complexity of pensions and talk about your pensions with a focus on four key areas: your money, work, health and family.

We are committed to supporting the growth of local businesses and this live event recording features Dr Wendy Austin MBE interviewing an expert panel on the opportunities open to businesses in Northern Ireland.

Angela McGowan, Director CBI NI - The Northern Ireland Protocol, opportunities for business and ensuring the long-term competitiveness of NI.

Steve Harper, Executive Director International Business, Invest NI – Realising commercial opportunities outside Northern Ireland and the global reach of Invest NI.

Ian Edwards, Tax Partner EY – Product and process innovation, the importance of collaboration & types of tax credit available for R&D & Patent Box reliefs.