What Next For London?

We were joined by Lyn Garner, CEO of the London Legacy Development Corporation, to discuss lessons from long-term planning and regeneration, and how these can be applied to a post-pandemic London. Lyn is passionate about the ongoing potential of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to enhance the lives of those in the communities living in close proximity, will also harnessing its potential as a global destination for arts and culture.

Mount Anvil founder Killian Hurley spoke to Jonathan Seager and Laura Osborne about the lessons he has learned from 30 years at the helm of a partnership-focused property business. As we move towards recovery, Killian emphasised the importance of quality, of developing the skills needed for the next generation of construction leaders and the value of working with those whose values you share.

As eyes lift to the horizon with news of a vaccine on the way, we explore a critical element of recovery with PwC, what next for international trade? Beyond the immediate Brexit debate, we dig into the opportunities ahead for London and the whole of the UK, why we need to tell a new story about our place in the world and how we can make the most of the country's soft power. Sophia Wolpers and Laura Osborne were joined by PwC partners Matt Alabaster and Claire Reid.

Zoe Haseman, Vice President Global Sustainability at Jacobs, talked to Laura Osborne and David Lutton about the shape of a green recovery for the capital, how we can accelerate the drive to Net Zero and the importance of a just transition that tackles inequality.

Laura Osborne spoke to Liam Harrison, Market Director at Atkins, about the future of devolution, funding infrastructure and the role of cities, as we look ahead to recovery. Liam shared his experiences and insights into decision making close to the community, and highlighted the need for a more rounded approach to procurement in the future.

London First's Dr David Lutton speaks with Claire Sherwin, the Global Head of Talent Acquisition, People Services and Technology at Finastra and Leslie Benson, the Senior Managing Director in the Strategic Communications group at FTI Consulting, on the future of work.

Sarah Bentley, new CEO of Thames Water, joins Laura Osborne and Daniel Mahoney to discuss the future of the sector, its response to CV-19 and why infrastructure is in Sarah's DNA. From opening up wetlands to the public through to the balance of resilience and price rises, Sarah talks about the importance of putting customers front of mind.

We interviewed Ian Stewart, Deloitte's Chief Economist, on the UK's economic prospects, where to find the light at the end of the tunnel and the approach we should take to recovery. From the lessons of the Thatcher years, through to the prospect of higher rates of unemployment via the balance between austerity and tax rises, we covered a lot of ground.

Laura Osborne and David Lutton spoke to Robin about his experience leading 50,000 staff through the pandemic and what it has taught him about innovation, motivation and dynamism. He shares the different experiences of his customers across sectors, his take on recovery and what we can learn from the approaches taken in other global cities.

We spoke to John Batten, Global Cities Director at Arcadis, to get his take on the future of major global capitals, how they've responded to the pandemic and the new opportunities to live and work differently that are emerging. He joined us from Lisbon but with insights from Milan, New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam and more. From road pricing to vertical forests, we covered a lot of extremely topical ground.