3-4 November 2025, London
The Thinkers50 London Summit & Awards Gala returns to London’s iconic Guildhall on 3 and 4 November 2025. And this year we couldn’t be more passionate about our mission. Business has work to do if it is to serve all its stakeholders and society as a whole. Tackling the toughest challenges – from climate change to global poverty – requires us to fundamentally rethink our preconceptions about the purpose of work, business, and leadership – and about the capitalist system itself.
Now more than ever we need fresh perspectives, a boldness of intent, and the courage to try new things, so Thinkers50 invites you to join us as we explore our 2025 theme of regeneration:
What is a regenerative organisation?
How do you drive regenerative growth?
What does it mean to be a regenerative leader?
It recognises that balancing economic, environmental, and societal impacts is not enough. Global threats such as health crises, growing inequality, and biodiversity loss mean our systems require a complete overhaul.
bring out the best in their people and their organisations to create value for customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and Mother Nature.
encompass how we think about talent, innovation, and every other aspect of organisational life.
creates positive impacts for all stakeholders. It’s about making profits whilst giving back more than we take, to replenish and grow the planet’s natural resources, and to make society more equitable and resilient.
The result? Not just a net zero, but a net positive impact for the planet and humanity.
And Regenerative Business is good for business. Nearly 80 percent of US consumers prefer “regenerative” brands to “sustainable” brands. Gen Y and Z consumers find sustainability simply too passive. They want to buy from regenerative businesses that embody and practice three noble qualities found in all living systems: renewal, restoration, and growth.
By creating a deeper and wider socio-economic impact, Regeneration takes us further towards a more conscientious capitalism.
At Thinkers50, we are interested in practical takeaways and clear actionable solutions:
Thinkers + Doers = Impact.
What new ideas, practices, and insights will you bring to London? What will you do to reshape the leadership landscape?
We believe that ideas can change the world, management matters, and fresh thinking can bring a better future for all. Join us on this unique journey – to reimagine the future of business!
Thinkers50 Hall of Fame and professor at London Business School.
Thinkers50 Ranking and recipient of the Thinkers50 2023 Strategy Award; professor at IMD.
Thinkers50 #1 Ranked Thinker; author of The Right Kind of Wrong and The Fearless Organization; professor at Harvard Business School.
Thinkers50 #8 Ranked Thinker; Founder & CEO of Strategyzer, inventor of the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas.
Professor at Harvard Business School; member of the Thinkers50 Ranking.
Thinkers50 #4 Ranked Thinker and professor, NYU Stern School of Business.
Recipient of the Thinkers50 2021 Digital Thinking Award and a member of the Thinkers50 Ranking; professor at MIT and director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy.
Recipient of the Thinkers50 2015 Innovation Award and member of the Thinkers50 Ranking; professor at Harvard Business School.
Professor at IMD and director of IMD’s Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Business; member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2022.
Thinkers50 #9 Ranked Thinker and recipient of the Thinkers50 2017 Innovation Award; author of Eat, Sleep, Innovate and Dual Transformation; professor at Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College.
Thinkers50 #7 Ranked Thinker; author of Seeing Around Corners, The End of the Competitive Advantage, and Discovery-Driven Growth; professor at Columbia Business School.
Thinkers50 #3 Ranked Thinker; co-author of Net Positive with Paul Polman, author of The Big Pivot and Green to Gold.
CEO, dean, and co-founder of the Institute for Future Readiness (UAE); member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2025.
Member of the Thinkers50 Ranking since 2011; author of five New York Times bestsellers including The Power of Regret, When, and Drive.
Member of the inaugural list of Leaders50; CEO of Greiner AG; previously served on the board of directors at BASF.
Former executive chairman, president, and CEO of the LEGO Group.
Thinkers50 Radar; chief science advocate and corporate scientist, 3M.
Business and enterprise lead at the Doughnut Economics Action Lab; senior associate at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Professor at Harvard Business School, member of the Thinkers50 Ranking.
Chief Innovation Officer, ManpowerGroup; member of the Thinkers50 Ranking.
Day 1, Monday
Registration and refreshments.
Co-founder,
Thinkers50
Co-founder,
Thinkers50
Author,
For the Culture
Is the world better off because your company is in it? As a leader, are you building a better future for your people and the planet? Simple questions, but many leaders who know what they need to do still fail to act. One reason is that most large organisations are designed for cowardice. In this session we challenge conventional leadership thinking and explore how leaders can overcome ‘the knowing doing gap’ to make the leap from extractive to regenerative leadership models.
How can leaders simultaneously create value for customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders – and the planet? Discover the practical tools, mindset changes, and strategies that enable leaders to instil a courageous mindset and generate positive outcomes across all stakeholder relationships while creating meaningful impact and driving business performance.
13:45
Professor, Harvard Business School
Professor of technology and operations management at Harvard Business School, Frances Frei is a member of the Thinkers50 Ranking alongside her co-author, Anne Morriss. Their books include Move Fast & Fix Things: The Trusted Leader’s Guide to Solving Hard Problems (HBR Press, 2023) and Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You (HBR Press, 2020).
14:00
CEO, Greiner
Member of the inaugural list of Leaders50, Saori Dubourg is the CEO of Greiner AG. She previously served on the board of directors at BASF, where she was responsible for various businesses leading up to 28 bn Euro of turnover and chaired the sustainability committee. Saori also serves on the German federal government’s Council for Sustainable Development and the Steering Committee of the Impact Taskforce
14:15
Professor, Harvard Business School
The Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, Ranjay Gulati is a member of the Thinkers50 Ranking. His books include Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-performance Companies (Harper Business, 2022) and the forthcoming How To Be Bold: The Surprising Science of Everyday Courage (Harper Business, 2025).
14:30
Co-author, Net Positive
Thinkers50 #3 Ranked Thinker, Andrew Winston is co-author of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take (HBR Press, 2021) with Paul Polman – a Financial Times Business Book of the Year. His other books include The Big Pivot (HBR Press, 2014) – a Best Business Book of the Year by Strategy+Business; and Green to Gold (Wiley, 2009).
Professor,
Harvard Business School
CEO,
Greiner
Professor,
Harvard Business School
Co-author,
Net Positive
Time to mingle with fellow guests and share insights from the session over an English cup of tea or freshly-brewed coffee.
Every two years, the Thinkers50 Lifetime Achievement Award is given to someone who has had a long-term impact on the way people think about and practice management. The first-ever award in this category was given to Charles Handy in 2011.
Throwing a spotlight on the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and their outstanding body of work.
Work is changing. New technology arriving at breakneck speed and changing generational attitudes are colliding, to challenge long held assumptions about the nature of work and working lives. AI and other advances are transforming the way we work and even what constitutes work. At the same time, people are living and working longer and making more career transitions than ever before. So, how can we understand and respond to the new world of work?
The secret to a healthy working life now is the ability to reinvent ourselves and our organisations. In short: to regenerate. A regenerative organisation must replenish, restore, and renew its people, resources, and environment. But how do you build and sustain a regenerative organisation and a resilient workforce?
Professor, London Business School
Inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame in 2024, Lynda Gratton is a professor of management practice at London Business School and the founder of research advisory practice HSM Advisory. Lynda’s books include Redesigning Work: How to Transform Your Organisation & Make Hybrid Work for Everyone (Penguin Business, 2022); The New Long Life (Bloomsbury, 2020); and The 100-Year Life (Bloomsbury, 2016).
Author, The Power of Regret
Member of the Thinkers50 Ranking since 2011, Dan Pink was shortlisted for the Thinkers50 2019 Talent Award and the Thinkers50 2013 Best Book Award. He is the author of several award-winning books, including The Power of Regret (Riverhead, 2022); When: The Secrets of Perfect Timing (Riverhead, 2018); To Sell is Human (Riverhead, 2013); Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Riverhead, 2011); and Free Agent Nation (Grand Central Publishing, 2002).
CEO, Institute for Future Readiness, UAE
A future readiness and corporate governance expert, Selina Neri is a member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2025. She is CEO, dean, and co-founder of the Institute for Future Readiness, UAE, and a professor of leadership and corporate governance at Hult Ashridge Executive Education. Selina was a guest on the Thinkers50 2025 Radar LinkedIn Live Series: Developing Future-Ready Talent.
Chief Innovation Officer, ManpowerGroup
Professor of business psychology at University College London and Columbia University, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is the Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup, co-founder of Deeper Signals and Metraprofiling, and a member of the Thinkers50 Ranking. His latest book Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique (HBR Press, 2023) – selected as one of the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books.
Professor,
London Business School
Author,
The Power of Regret
CEO,
Institute for Future Readiness,
UAE
Chief Innovation Officer,
ManpowerGroup
Time to recap and an opportunity to make new connections. For a list of suggested bars and restaurants to continue your evening, please visit our London Guide.
Day 2, Tuesday
Welcome coffee, tea, refreshments.
CEO,
Thinkers50
COO,
Thinkers50
The belief that economies and businesses must continually grow or begin to decline is baked into business strategies. But the planet cannot regenerate as fast as we are consuming its resources. Balancing economic, environmental, and societal impacts is not enough, we need a new type of growth. Regenerative growth is about generating profits and building the business whilst giving back more than we take, to replenish and increase the planet’s natural resources, and making society more equitable and resilient.
But how do we reset the growth imperative to get beyond growth for growth’s sake? How can companies embody, and practice three noble qualities found in all living systems: renewal, restoration, and growth?
Former CEO, LEGO Group
Jørgen Vig Knudstorp is the former CEO and president of the LEGO Group (2001-2016) and executive chair of the LEGO Brand Group (2017-2023). Since then, he has acted as special partner to the LEGO Brand Owner Family with responsibility for business and brand development. He is a board member of the LEGO A/S Group and Starbucks. Prior to LEGO, Jørgen was with McKinsey & Company.
Business and enterprise lead, Doughnut Economics Action Lab
Business and enterprise lead at the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, Erinch Sahan focuses on transforming the deep design of businesses to pursue regenerative and distributive strategies. A board member of the Social Enterprise World Forum and Finance Innovation Lab and a senior associate at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Erinch was previously CEO of the World Fair Trade Organization.
Professor, Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill has featured in the Thinkers50 Ranking since 2011. In 2015, she received the Thinkers50 Innovation Award. Linda is also faculty chair of the Leadership Initiative at Harvard. She is co-author of Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation (HBR Press, 2014) – a Thinkers50 Management Classic – and co-founder of advisory firm Paradox Strategies.
Professor, IMD
Professor of sustainable innovation and business transformation at IMD, Julia Binder is also director of IMD’s Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Business. Listed on the Thinkers50 Radar in 2022, she was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2025. Julia is co-author of The Circular Business Revolution: A practical framework for sustainable business models (Pearson Education, 2024).
Former CEO,
LEGO Group
Business and enterprise lead,
Doughnut Economics Action Lab
Professor,
Harvard Business School
Professor,
IMD
Time to refresh and replenish – and take stock of new learnings so far, with friends and fellow guests.
The world of management thinking is rich with innovative research and ideas. But the real challenge lies in putting those ideas to work. How can we communicate research insights to practitioners in a compelling way and help them translate them into business results? This session explores the often-overlooked journey from concept to implementation, examining what separates ideas that change the world from those that never leave the whiteboard.
How can thought leaders and practitioners work together to turn ideas into practice? From distilling ideas into compelling value propositions and overcoming implementation barriers to build organisational buy-in, how do you ensure the best thinking creates real change in the business world? Discover the strategies, skills, and partnerships essential for turning insights into impact.
Professor, Harvard Business School
Twice #1 on the Thinkers50 Ranking and recipient of the Thinkers50 2017 Talent Award and 2019 Breakthrough Idea Award, Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. Her books include The Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well (Atria Books, 2023) and The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety (Wiley, 2022).
Chief science advocate and corporate scientist, 3M
A member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2025, Jayshree Seth was named as the first chief science advocate at 3M in 2018 and works to break down the barriers to science appreciation and STEM education. She is the author of The Heart of Science Series and her 2023 TEDx talk Why I Reframed my Why highlights the context of shaping one’s purpose. Jayshree has featured in the 3M docuseries Not the Science Type.
Founder and CEO, Strategyzer
Founder and CEO of Strategyzer, Alex Osterwalder is the Thinkers50 #8 Ranked Thinker with Yves Pigneur. They are the recipients of the Thinkers50 2015 Strategy Award and inventors of the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas. Alex’s books include Business Model Generation (2010); Value Proposition Design (2014); Testing Business Ideas (2019); and The Invincible Company (2020) (all Wiley).
Professor,
Harvard Business School
Chief science advocate and corporate scientist,
3M
Founder and CEO,
Strategyzer
Afternoon teas, coffees, and light bites.
The future is here. Blink and you miss it. And it will arrive even faster tomorrow. What does it mean to lead with “eyes wide open” in today’s volatile landscape? As new technologies and trends power us into a new future, are we prepared to meet it? This session examines how strategic foresight can transform organisations from reactive survivors to proactive shapers of tomorrow.
How can leaders develop the vision and capabilities needed to build truly future-ready organisations? Discover practical approaches for anticipating change, preparing for multiple futures, and creating organisations that contribute to positive transformation rather than simply adapting to it. Join us as we explore the intersection of strategic thinking, organisational resilience, and regenerative principles.
Professor, NYU Stern School of Business
Thinkers50 #4 Ranked Thinker and CEO of the Future Today Institute, Amy Webb is a professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business. A quantitative futurist, she is the author of The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology (Public Affairs, 2022); The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity (Public Affairs, 2019); and The Signals Are Talking (Public Affairs, 2016).
Professor, IMD
Recipient of the Thinkers50 2023 Strategy Award and member of the Thinkers50 Ranking, Howard Yu is the LEGO Professor of Management and Innovation at IMD and the director of IMD’s Center for Future Readiness. He is the author of Leap: How to Thrive in a World Where Everything Can be Copied (PublicAffairs, 2018) – a top Best Business Book for strategy+business, Axiom, Inc, and the FT. His work has featured in MITSloan MR, the BBC, and HBR.
Professor, MIT
Recipient of the Thinkers50 2021 Digital Thinking Award and a member of the Thinkers50 Ranking, Sinan Aral is the David Austin Professor of Management, IT, Marketing and Data Science at MIT. He is also the director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and a funding partner at Manifest Capital. He is the author of The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health – and How We Must Adapt (Currency, 2020).
Professor,
NYU Stern School of Business
Professor,
IMD
Professor,
MIT
After two days of bold ideas and transformative vision, our final session distils our collective learning into a clear call to action. Scott Anthony and Rita McGrath reflect on the key insights, from reimagining leadership and work to redefining growth and foresight. What must we now do – individually and together – to shift from extractive habits to regenerative impact?
How can we empower ourselves as leaders to embed regenerative principles into daily decisions, strategies, and systems? How can we commit to bold next steps, so the question isn’t “what did we learn?” – but “what will we change tomorrow?” How can we leave not with inspiration alone, but with urgent intent? The future needs our leadership. Now.
Professor, Tuck School of Business
In the Thinkers50 Ranking since 2011, Scott Anthony is the holder of the Thinkers50 2017 Innovation Award. He is a professor at Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, and a senior advisor at Innosight. A leading voice on disruptive innovation, Scott’s books include Eat, Sleep, Innovate (HBR Press, 2020); Dual Transformation (HBR Press, 2017); The First Mile (HBR Press, 2014); and Seeing What’s Next (with Clayton Christensen, HBR Press, 2004).
Professor, Columba Business School
In the Thinkers50 Ranking since 2011, Rita Mcgrath is the holder of the Thinkers50 2013 Strategy Award. A longtime professor at Columba Business School and founder of Valize, Rita’s books include Seeing Around Corners (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019); The End of the Competitive Advantage (HBR Press, 2013) – #1 business book of 2013 by Strategy + Business – and Discovery-Driven Growth (HBR Press, 2009) – a Thinkers50 Management Classic.
Professor,
Tuck School of Business
Professor,
Columbia Business School
Co-founder,
Thinkers50
Co-founder,
Thinkers50
Author,
Speak Out, Listen Up
Monday, November 3rd
| 13.30 | Welcome to the Thinkers50 London Summit |
| 13.40 | Session 1: What is Regenerative Leadership (and Why Do We Need It)? Discussion and debate on the role of leaders |
| 15.15 | Networking break |
| 16.00 | Thinkers50 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation |
| 16.10 | Address by the recipient of the Thinkers50 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 16.40 | Session 2: The Future of Work in the Regenerative Organisation |
| 17.30 | Drinks reception |
| 18.00 | Close of Thinkers50 London Summit Day 1 |
Tuesday, November 4th
| 09.30 | Opening words from Thinkers50 CEO, Mikko Leskelä, and Thinkers50 COO, Monika Kosman |
| 09.40 | Session 3: Regenerative Growth: Rethinking the Growth Imperative Presentations and debate on the future of capitalism |
| 11.25 | Networking lunch |
| 12.40 | Session 4: Ideas@Work — From Ideas to Practice |
| 14.25 | Networking break |
| 15.10 | Session 5: Eyes Wide Open Discussion and debate on foresight and a regenerative future |
| 16.05 | Session 6: From Insight to Action — A Regenerative Mandate |
| 16.25 | Close of Thinkers50 London Summit |
For Awards Gala ticket holders
| 18.30 | Gala Dinner Announcement of the Thinkers50 2025 Ranking and presentation of The Thinkers50 2025 Distinguished Achievement Awards |
| 22.00 | Drinks and live music |
| 23.00 | Close |
To guarantee the intimacy and exclusivity Thinkers50 London Summit & Awards Gala attendees have come to expect in one of the most iconic venues in London, tickets are available only by application. Curating the audience in this way will help to shape the nature of the conversation and provide the best networking opportunities for participants.
£790.00 + VAT per person
The Daytime Program provides access to the daytime program on 3-4 November, but does not include the Gala Dinner, Drinks, and Awards Ceremony on 4 November.
£990.00 + VAT per person
The Full Program & Gala Dinner includes the daytime program on 3-4 November as well as the Gala Dinner, Drinks, and Awards Ceremony on 4 November.
£990.00 + VAT per person
The Thinkers50 London Summit provides daytime access 3-4 November but excludes the evening Awards Gala 4 November.
£1,200.00 + VAT per person
The Thinkers50 London Summit & Awards Gala includes daytime access 3-4 November plus the evening Awards Gala 4 November.
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Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
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Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited has updated its Privacy Policy on 28 March 2024 with several amendments and additions to the previous version, to fully incorporate to the text information required by current applicable date protection regulation. Processing of the personal data of Thinkers50’s customers, potential customers and other stakeholders has not been changed essentially, but the texts have been clarified and amended to give more detailed information of the processing activities.
