5-6 November, London & 4-5 October, virtual pre-event
The Thinkers50 Awards Gala is back – bigger, bolder, and better!
It’s been four years since we were last able to welcome everyone in person to the biennial Thinkers50 Awards Gala and we can’t wait to do so again! We are especially thrilled to be able to invite the Thinkers50 Community to one of London’s great landmarks, the historic Guildhall. Here we will showcase some of the world’s leading business thinkers in a program that will inspire us all to Reconnect, Rethink, and Reset – everything we thought we knew about management. The event will culminate in a celebratory Gala Dinner, where we will unveil the 2023 Thinkers50 Ranking and the recipients of the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Awards.
If you missed the Ideas Premiere warm-up pre-event, which took place virtually 4-5 October, your gala ticket will give you exclusive access to the session recordings. The Ideas Premiere featured a fascinating line-up of thought leaders from the Thinkers50 Community, who shared their valuable insights on an array of pressing topics facing management and business today.
The Thinkers50 community is a talent pool like no other. Join the world’s leading business thinkers as we explore the ideas and best practices redefining the world of work, leadership, and the role of business in society. From climate change to AI, from inclusive organisations to new models of leadership, and from new ways of working to new ways of thinking.
We believe that the thorny issues facing humanity are management challenges. Tackling the toughest challenges will require us to revisit many of our assumptions and preconceptions about the purpose of work, business, and power – and about the capitalist system itself. We need a boldness of intent and the courage to try new things. We need to think bigger and move faster. We need to reconnect to a higher purpose, to rethink our modus operandi, and reset our aspirations.
At Thinkers50, we couldn’t be more passionate about our mission. Now more than ever, we believe that ideas can change the world, management matters, and fresh thinking can bring a better future for all. What new ideas will you bring to the party? What will you do to reshape the leadership landscape?
Join us on this unique journey – to reimagine the future of business.
Crypts
13:00 – 14:00
Great Hall
14:15 – 14:30
Thinkers50 co-founders, Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer open the Thinkers50 2023 Awards Gala.
Great Hall
Session #1
14:30 – 15:00
Founder, Leadership Development Institute for Young Women
Julie Carrier, founder of the Leadership Development Institute for Young Women and Thinkers50 Gala Ambassador, explains how helping young women discover their leadership identity and potential in high school empowers them to succeed.
Great Hall
Session #2
15:00 – 15:30
Chief Learning Officer and Associate Professor of Education, Weill Cornell Medicine
Ruth Gotian, author of The Success Factor and Thinkers50 Gala Ambassador, leads a session on mentoring, offering practical tips on how to find a mentor and become one.
Great Hall
15:50 – 16:05
Great Hall
Session #3
16:05 – 16:35
Professor of Executive Education, Columbia Business School
Dorie Clark, author of The Long Game and Thinkers50 Gala Ambassador, provides a masterclass in the art of networking – in preparation for our upcoming drinks reception.
Great Hall
Session #4
16:45 – 17:20
Thinkers50 co-founder
Thinkers50 co-founder
Thinkers50 Hall of Fame, author of Becoming Coachable
Which coaches have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of coaching? Thinkers50, in partnership with 100 Coaches and BetterUp, is proud to announce the first inductees into Coaching Legends, acknowledging the legacy and influence of the coaching greats. Introduced by Marshall Goldsmith.
Crypts
17:20 – 18:40
Carrying on networking? Looking for a pint and a pie? See our curated list of pubs and restaurants.
Old Library
08:00 – 09:00
Great Hall
09:00 – 09:15
Thinkers50 co-founders Des Dearlove and Stuart Crainer open the Thinkers50 Awards Gala – Day 2.
Great Hall
Session #1
09:15 – 09:45
Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School
From climate change to global poverty, stepping up to tackle the world’s wicked problems requires the courage to act. But what does this mean for leaders and their organizations? And how can the Thinkers50 community help drive the agenda?
In our lead-off session, Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson (author of The Fearless Organization and The Right Kind of Wrong) and Columbia Business School Professor Sheena Iyengar (author of The Art of Choosing and Think Bigger) dare us to do more – explaining why to make real progress we need to be braver. So how can we rethink failure to understand the right sort of wrong? And re-tool innovation to think bigger?
Great Hall
Session #2
09:45 – 10:15
Led by:
Executive Director, Duke University’s Coach K COLE
Author of Head & Heart and Adjunct Professor, Queensland University of Technology
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior, IMD
If we are to be bolder and braver, we need leaders fit for purpose. In this session led by Sanyin Siang, Kirstin Ferguson (author of Head & Heart) and Alyson Meister (IMD Professor and author of ‘What’s Your Leadership Origin Story,’ (HBR)) explore how our expectations of leaders have changed. What kind of leaders will we need over the next decade? And how can we help the leaders we need become fit for purpose?
Old Library
10:15 – 11:00
Great Hall
Session #3
11:00 – 11:35
Led by:
CEO and Founder, Candour
Barbara and David Zalaznick Professor of Business, Columbia Business School
The topic of diversity, inclusivity, and equity (DEI) has moved up the organizational agenda, but has it truly landed? DEI is about more than ticking boxes. Led by Ruchika Tulshyan (author of Inclusion on Purpose), Modupe Akinola (Faculty Director of the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics), and Rukasana Bhaijee (Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Financial Times), explain why we need to include all our talent if we are to prosper as organizations and communities. So, how can we reconnect to empower the people who have been silenced and marginalized? How can we translate good intentions into reality and impact?
Great Hall
Session #4
11:35 – 12:05
John L. Colley Professor of Business Administration, University of Virginia Darden School of Business
The best organizations are ones where people at all levels have a voice and are listened to – where they can speak out against wrongs, ask questions, blow whistles, and engage in vibrant performance-enhancing debate. Associate Fellow of Saïd Business School Megan Reitz (author of Speak Up) and Darden Business School Professor Jim Detert (author of Choosing Courage) argue that who gets heard is a function of power. So, how can we create psychologically safe workplaces where people feel free to speak their minds? And how can we disrupt hierarchy to reset the rules of dialogue?
Old Library
12:05 – 13:25
Great Hall
Session #5
13:25 – 14:10
Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy
Founder and CEO and Chief Tech Humanist, KO Insights
Technology changes fast, but humans don’t. So, as the business world scrambles to understand the opportunities and risks of technological shifts, from generative AI to robots, and quantum computing to the metaverse, what is the future for human workers? Digital explorers, Martin Lindstrom, Sinan Aral, and Kate O’Neill ask if it is possible to reset the digital revolution to make it more humane and people friendly. Is it enough to learn to co-exist with machines, or do we need to rethink what it means to be human?
Great Hall
Session #6
14:10 – 14:40
Professor of Executive Education, Columbia Business School
Generative AI has thrown everything we thought we knew in the air. From writers to musicians, many of the creative jobs we thought were immune turn out to be the first in its crosshairs. Goldman Sachs estimates that 300 million jobs will either be eliminated or largely diminished within the decade. Dorie Clark, author of The Long Game, and digital anthropologist Rahaf Harfoush argue that we are at our best when we face the future. So, how can we pivot for the new world of work? How can we reinvent ourselves to stay ahead of the technological tsunami?
Great Hall
14:40 – 15:10
Great Hall
Session #7
15:10 – 15:55
Founder, Adviser, Speaker, and Driver of Change, Winston Eco-Strategies
Professor at Tuck, Managing
Director at Innosight
Senior VP, General Counsel & Chief People Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.
The rise of aggressive carbon goals across the majority world’s multinationals could be taken as a sign that companies are taking sustainability seriously. But an anti-ESG backlash in the U.S., an unwillingness to challenge the status quo, and a lack of sufficient progress in tackling climate change and other global challenges, is frustrating many people in business and beyond. Andrew Winston, co-author of Net Positive, Scott Anthony, author of Dual Transformation, and Scott Milsten of e.l.f. Beauty, Inc., argue that it’s time to face the real challenges: the obsession with maximizing short-term shareholder value above all, along with vast misinformation and other forces dividing us. The clock is ticking, and the threats are existential. So, how can we become a sustainable species and build companies that profit from solving the world’s problems, not creating them — that is, businesses that give to the world more than they take?
Great Hall
Session #8
15:55 – 16:25
Professor of Strategy, Columbia Business School and Founder, Valize
Professor of Strategic Foresight, NYU Stern School of Business and CEO, Future Today Institute
We end the day with a call to action. Time zero events are red flags – they signal fundamental change. Spotting these inflection points early allows leaders to act while there’s still time. Rita McGrath, author of Seeing Around Corners, and CEO of the Future Today Institute Amy Webb, who pioneered a data-driven, technology-led foresight methodology, examine how we can spot these critical turning points. So how can we detect weak signals that predict big changes? And how can we extrapolate them to anticipate the future?
16:30 – 17:45
The dress code for the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony is Black Tie. There will be facilities for changing on site if you prefer not to return to your hotel.
We are also delighted to offer you the opportunity to peruse the Guildhall Art Gallery and 2,000-year-old Roman Amphitheatre, which lies below Guildhall Yard. We have exclusive access to these spaces between 17:00 and 18:15, during which time Guildhall members of staff will be on hand to assist as required. Entry is complimentary.
Old Library
17:45 – 18:45
Great Hall
19:00 – 19:30
Great Hall
19:30 – 20:45
We selected the caterers for this year’s Thinkers50 Awards Gala for their focus on sustainable, seasonal produce, and respect for the environment. They also happen to be exceptional chefs.
For years we have grown accustomed to vegetarian or vegan being the alternative option. We have decided to turn that custom on its head and encourage the pursuance of plant-based fine dining. We tried it. It’s really delicious!
Great Hall
20:45 – 22:30
What does the Virtual Ticket include?
Zoom access (Zoom Webinar for the sessions and Zoom Meeting for networking breaks).
How and when will I receive links to live and recorded sessions?
Pre-event recordings are available on our website. You should have received an email with the link. If not, please email us at .
Links to join the event on 5-6 November will be shared on 30 October and again on 5 November.
Recordings from the event will become available the following week – keep an eye out for your email.
I can’t make it to the London event, may I have a refund?
Unfortunately we are unable to refund tickets. You can, however, request to transfer it to someone else.
Can I share my ticket with someone who can attend parts of the program in my place?
Unfortunately this is not possible. It is one ticket per person.
What does the in-person ticket include?
Access to the entire event 5 & 6 November including the Thinkers50 Gala Awards Ceremony, as well as access to the recordings.
Address
71 Basinghall St, London EC2V 7HH.
How to get to the venue?
What is the best option for parking?
Is there a meeting space where I can work for a bit?
Coworking spaces are available in the area:
What is the dress code?
Business casual on 5 November. Also daytime 6 November until 16:30, when there will be time to change for the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony, which is black tie (bow tie).
Where can I rent a tuxedo?
Can I change into my Gala Dinner Outfit at Guildhall?
You will be able to change in the Guildhall bathroom facilities. Note that while these are spacious, they do not include dedicated private changing areas (apart from the WC stalls). You will be able to familiarise yourself with the venue on Sunday, when no change of clothing is required.
Where can I leave my luggage / change of clothes at Guildhall?
Guildhall has a checked cloakroom available for you to leave coats/jackets and smaller luggage, though we cannot guarantee capacity for larger suitcases.
I have food preferences / allergies. How can I let you know?
Why is the catering mainly plant-based?
We selected the caterers for this year’s Thinkers50 Awards Gala for their focus on sustainable, seasonal produce, and respect for the environment. They also happen to be innovative, talented, and knowledgeable chefs! More information: https://bubblefood.com/
The Thinkers50 Awards Gala will be following the UK government Covid-19 guidelines, including:
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Thinkers50 Limited
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Thinkers50 Limited
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United Kingdom
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