Well, hello, everybody, 

and welcome to Business:
 the next 25 years.

This year, Said Business
School celebrates

its 25th anniversary,

and to mark
 that special occasion,

we have created a content
hub in which Said’s world

leading academics look at the

future of business
 over the next 25 years.

I am blessed to be
the chair of the Said

Business School,
 the leading school 

of innovative business models. 

At this critical juncture,
 where we need a change

and a reset,
 we all understand

that evolving our business
 models is critical

if we're going to survive
 and thrive as a society.

We need a business model
 that is more sustainable,

more equitable,
 more inclusive 

and yes,
 more multi-generational. 

The seeds are being sown
 for a fertile ground

to drive that solution,
 and the Said Business

School is one of the leading

business voices
 in that work. 

Trust in many institutions
 is low at the moment,

but fortunately, 

trust continues to be high
 in academic institutions,

so the School has
a big role to play.

COVID and the urgency of 

the climate crisis
 have been a rude awakening.

We have discovered
 that we can’t

have healthy people
 on an unhealthy planet.

The complex relationships
 between biodiversity

loss, climate change,
 inequality, economic growth

and social cohesion 

have become increasingly
 transparent to many,

and so have the cracks
 in our economic system.

We've started to realise that

infinite growth on a finite planet

is simply not possible,

and anything you can do
 forever is, by definition,

unsustainable. 

It ultimately will reach the point

 where systems will
collapse, and indeed,

I believe that that is
 already starting to happen.

During the crisis
Said Business School

has been a calm voice
 of thinking and sharing

best practises and direction. 

Now, as we design our future
 and build back better,

we need the rigour,
 the thinking, the insights

and the research
 from the school

so that it can anticipate
 what the future might hold,

as well as the opportunities 

and risks if we don't take action.

The academics now need to
 challenge the boundaries

in which we operate
 alongside, of course,

bringing an enormous cadre
 of intellectual knowhow.

COVID and the climate
crisis have woken us up

and made us realise
 that we are first

and foremost
 citizens of planet Earth.

We are now understanding 

that the challenges
 are there and that

we are all responsible
 for finding the solutions.

Yes, we are at a crucial
moment in the history of mankind

and the U.N.
17 Sustainable Development Goals, 

I believe are a great framework
 and an enormous opportunity

to guide us, especially as
 we have arrived at the point

where the cost of inaction,
 as shown during COVID,

is now significantly higher
 than the cost of action.

And this is why I believe so many,

including the business community 

at large, increasingly start 

to see this as an enormous
 opportunity to seize.

Yes, it's complex. 

The SDGs are
 all interconnected.

Take, for example, climate change.

It drives poverty
 and inequality, affects

food security and education,
 and yes, results in

increased levels of
 conflict and once more, it’s

the women and
 children that suffer most.

As Greta Thunberg has said,

it actually doesn't make
sense to go to school if we can’t

create that world we can
 live in 30 years from now.

The first and foremost
 burning issues

are climate
 change and inequality, 

and I believe they are
 the same issues

just two sides of that same coin.

We are at a tipping point.

The progress agenda
 on both of these sustainable

development goals
 is frankly way off plan.

And since COVID, we've
 actually slipped backwards.

The problems we face
 as a planet are so large

that it requires a new form of
collaboration across all the sectors.

It's incredibly difficult to implement
 such a huge change alone.

System thinking and implementing 

these complex,
 interdependent solutions 

do require a different
level of skill sets.

Government, civil society,
 business and academia,

we all now
 need to work together

if we want to save the world
 for future generations.

Above all, I believe it
 boils down to courageous

leadership, people indeed
 do make the difference.

Academic institutions, such
 as Said Business School,

have now more than ever
 a key part to play in

creating the leaders and
 designing the way forward.

Increasingly successful
 business understands 

that profit should not come 

from creating the world's problems, 

but actually
 from solving them. 

They understand that
 they need to take care

of all of the stakeholders
 that create value,

not just the myopic
 focus on the shareholders.

if they want to have
 the long term success.

It also means taking responsibility
for the total impact on society

– all consequences,
 intended or not.

And yes,
 these leading companies

see the power of
partnership realising

that these complex issues can only
be solved together and working

crossing what were previously
these impenetrable boundaries.

And yes,
 that requires courage.

Courage to set the right
 targets needed knows

not those that you
can get away with.

Courage to take responsibility 

for your total impact
 in society,

all consequences
 intended or not.

Courage to work with others
to drive these tougher systems.

changes that are needed. Easy?

Not at all. Needed?
 Absolutely.

But as mentioned, 

it requires above
 all the right leadership

to drive this new form
 of cooperative capitalism

grounded on the higher
 moral level.

One that is more inclusive,
 human, self-reflective,

more purposeful,
 more collaborative.

Leaders who are courageous,
 curious and operate

with a higher sense of
 morality and authenticity.

I believe these are
 the leaders of today as well

the leaders in 25 years time. 

They are the leaders
 that Said Business School

attracts and nurtures,
 and I'm proud 

to be a part of that work in
a small way, it gives me energy.

The Said Business School

is the place where leaders
 of the future go and learn.

The next 25 years
 are going to be crucial.

The task ahead is undoubtedly
difficult and complex, 

with many of the challenges

outside of our direct control.

We therefore need the best
 insights and knowledge.

This collection of insightful
articles therefore, from the world's

leading academics
 at Said Business School

is not only useful
 but essential

if we are to create
 the next generation

of agile, brave,
 anticipatory leaders

determined to build
 a better world for all.

I hope you enjoyed
 our contributions.

In closing, 

I remain an optimist and
 positive about our future

provided we can create
 a better world where we can

all live in harmony now
 and for generations to come.

The young are shouting for it.

Technology increasingly
 makes it accessible

and yes, it is 

financially attractive,
 with the cost of inaction

now being higher
 than the cost of action.

Not a surprise that many
are starting to move.

There simply is no alternative.

We owe it to the planet and
 to our future generations.

This is a challenging
 time to be alive,

but I believe also
 an exciting one in a time

where we can
 all come together

to contribute
 to a better future

and a more equal world
 and a healthier planet.

It was Nobel Prize winner
 Wangari Maathai who said it

well when she said that
 in the course of history,

there comes a time
 when humanity is called upon

to shift to a higher level
 of consciousness to reach

a higher moral ground. 

Ladies and gentlemen,
 I believe that time is now.

Thank you for your attention.