On the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is no lack of challenges for companies operating in Europe today. From geopolitics to the increased cohesiveness of the trade bloc and its willingness to take interventionist decisions, to the prospect of increased defense spending, the future of energy and the cost-of-living crisis, to the increased cost and scarcity of certain commodities and components boards of directors must navigate an increasing number of fault lines. What can we expect from European geopolitics over the coming year? What are the most sophisticated board members doing to get ahead of changing circumstances, or to minimise their effects?

Join our distinguished panel, including retired US Navy Admiral and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO James Stavridis; former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Hubert Vedrine, in discussion with Rana Foroohar, Global Business Columnist, The Financial Times and Global Economic Analyst, CNN, as moderator to think through the implications of today’s changing Europe for company boards.

What are the tech megatrends shaping company tech investments today?  How are leading boards thinking about the transformational opportunities from technology?  Are companies investing fast enough to keep up with the pace of innovation and competition as the global giants consider which industry to take on next? Our panelists will offer their perspective on how high-performing boards can assist management in thinking about the strategic implications of the latest advances in technology, from artificial intelligence, to cloud and quantum computing, to cyber security and data privacy.

Our distinguished panel includes Marillyn Hewson, former CEO of Lockheed Martin, Peter Sany, former CIO at Novartis, Deutsche Telekom, Swiss Post, and UBS; and Maria Amparo Moraleda, non-executive Director at Moller-Maersk, Vodafone Group, Airbus and Caixabank, in discussion with Mark Lillie, Deloitte Global CIO Program leader as moderator.

Despite efforts by central banks around the world, higher levels of inflation appear to be with us for an extended period. What are the implications of this extended period of inflationary pressure – for government budgets, for consumers, for savings and investment and for companies? Will the impacts look similar from country to country, or will there be regional or country-level differences? For boards, inflation makes long-term strategic planning more challenging, especially assumptions behind investment, pricing and hiring, and much else besides.  But will this time of challenge also accelerate other megatrends, such as investment in technology and other innovations?

Our distinguished panel comprises Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank from 2003 to 2011; Jason Furman, Advisor to the Asia Group LLC and former member of the US Council of Economic Advisers until President Obama, and Curtis Dubay, Chief Economist for the US Chamber of Commerce, in discussion with Rana Foroohar, Global Business Columnist, The Financial Times and Global Economic Analyst, CNN, as moderator.