LEAD THE FUTURE 2023

Turning the severe challenges facing our society into solutions is an overwhelming task. Business leaders have a big responsibility and a challenge to enable value creation from both a financial and a non-financial perspective, and the economic downturn and high inflation has increased the pressure on most.

It was both thought-provoking and heartwarming to come together and raise the gaze regarding how to take responsibility and lead the future. CEOs, Stanley Cup winners, world-leading researchers, thought leaders, rising stars, entrepreneurs, psychologists, engineers, doctors, and economists, what a privilege to learn from you all!

Some insights:

⭐ Businesses goals need to be aligned with societal contribution and global values. With Generation Z set to make up 27% of the OECD workforce by 2027, demands on successful DEIB work, purpose, and authentic leadership will inherently increase and businesses will need to take this into consideration. However, short-termism is still prevalent in the business world, and leaders must be incentivized and courageous to maintain a long-term focus and find ways to embrace broader value creation, rather than short-term financial performance.

⭐ Today, a quarter of the world population live in conflict-affected areas. However, polarization is not only present in wars and conflicts, but also in the business world and in all our companies. With globalization decreasing, the business world’s possibility to affect anti-democratic movements is diminishing. Polarization also limits our innovation power. Work on diversity and inclusion as well as bubble hopping is critical to solve the complex challenges.

⭐ Top performance and wellbeing are not contradictions – together, they are imperative to business success. Research from McKinsey revealed that organizations that successfully combined people and performance enjoyed 2x faster revenue growth than performance-driven companies during the pandemic. The future of business is to merge these perspectives, not only in your purpose, but also in your business strategy.

⭐ Even leading stars in the business world are humans. 1 in 8 people live with a mental health condition right now, and the trend is negative. It is time to re-design organizations to make them fit for the future and fit for people. The business world needs role models to show the way with human centric leadership at the highest level of organizations.

Deeply impressed by all the guests, your perspectives and not least your ability to contribute to an authentic and inclusive evening. Let’s scale hope!

Read more