Aspen UK marked a significant occasion on Friday, May 3rd, with our second annual meeting hosted at Google’s London headquarters. The event served as a platform for meaningful discussions and collaborative exploration on the topic of AI and leadership.
The afternoon kicked off with a fireside discussion featuring a senior UK National Security figure and Rising Leader Mehreen Khan, Economics Editor at The Times. This set the tone for the moderated sessions where participants engaged in group discussions led by Aspen UK Faculty members, exploring readings on the theme “Exploring AI and Leadership: Past, Present, and Future.”
Following a break, we had several panel discussions:
The intersections of AI and Lifestyle
- Mariama Wurie, Senior Product Analyst, Google
- Javaad Alipoor, Founder, Javaad Alipoor company
- Yasmin Greenaway, Founder, AI
The intersections of AI and Climate
- Godefroy Harito, Co-Founder, TreeApp*
- Micol Chiesa Churchill, Investment Director, Planet Fund
- Maria Carvalho, Head of Climate Economics and Data, Natwest Group
*TreeApp will be planting over 200 trees to match the number of attendees at the Annual Meeting.
The intersections of AI and the Workforce
- Thomas Harwell, Head of Talent Engagement & Diversity Recruiting, EMEA, Google
- Tera Allas, CBE, Director of Research and Economics, McKinsey & Company
- Claudine Adeyemi-Adams, Founder and CEO, Earlybird
The talks concluded with a fireside chat between Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn, and Penny Richards, CEO of Aspen UK.
Over 200 attendees, including seminar alumni, Rising Leaders, and members of the Aspen UK and Google network, joined the event. For many, especially Rising Leaders, it was an invaluable opportunity to meet in-person.
The day ended with a reception, allowing attendees to network and forge connections across industries and geographies. The event highlighted the importance of exploring both the immense opportunities that AI presents in improving our lives, and the ethical challenges it creates for leaders in every sector. It reminded us of the vital role that dialogue and networks play in our lives, and the power of Aspen UK.