ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Turning Uncertainty
into Advantage
Online
Online | Tuesday 6 October 2026
9.45 – 11.15 CEST
Event
In a world of constant change, organisations must look to proactively build growth – rather than simply reacting to the latest disruption.
Resilience alone is not enough. Organisations must also make adaptability a core part of leadership, culture and decision-making. Innovation must be central to how work gets done – not a side project – and be supported by systems that enable learning, experimentation and agility.
Leadership expectations are evolving. Trust, emotional intelligence and digital fluency are now essential. In a world shaped by AI, high-trust cultures enable faster decisions and stronger collaboration. Leaders must therefore balance technological competence with human insight.
Turning Uncertainty into Advantage in 2026 will equip senior leaders with the foresight, frameworks and leadership capabilities to move beyond recovery and design organisations that grow stronger in the face of uncertainty.
Learning Objectives
- Headwinds, Risks and Opportunities: Explore how trends and forecasts in economics, geopolitics, technology and security will impact your organisation and what you need to do to prepare.
- Strengthen resilience and innovation capacity in uncertain environments: Learn how resilient systems enable continuous experimentation and innovation, and how organisations can operationalise a culture of learning and agility across functions.
- Develop trust-based leadership for accelerated change: Explore how trust supports performance in uncertain environments and how leaders can support alignment in times of ambiguity.
- Prepare for the future of leadership in the age of AI and acceleration: Identify the mindsets, skills and behaviours leaders will need to navigate the complexity of the 2030s, including integrating human and artificial intelligence and leading with both empathy and digital fluency.
- Develop comfort in complexity: Understand how to create organisational cultures that enable individuals to thrive in complex, uncertain environments.
Who is this event for?
Senior HR and business leaders who are focused on future-proofing their organisation to mitigate organisational risks and thrive in uncertain environments.
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To attend the in-person version of this event, see information here.
Speaker
Robert Ward
Director of Geoeconomics & Strategy, Japan Chair, The International Institute for Strategic Studies
Robert Ward is Director of Geo-economics & Strategy, Japan Chair at The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an organization that is a world-leading authority on global security, political risk and military conflict.
Robert was the Editorial Director at the Economist Intelligence Unit, until recently, where he led the EIU’s country, industry and data analysis and forecasting teams, setting the direction for EIU’s global economic, political analysis and forecasts. As one of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s most seasoned speakers, for many years Robert played a leading role in articulating the EIU’s global view to business audiences around the world, through his lively and informal speaking style. Able to explain complex issues in an engaging and entertaining way, he is at home with audiences of all sizes and levels of seniority.
Robert is an expert on global, political and economic issues, Japan & China business, developed & emerging market economies and politics, political risk analysis, economic forecasting, advisory, new product development & strategy, subscription publishing, online publishing, change management in teams, large-team development and management.
A fluent speaker of Japanese, he regularly contributes to international and Japanese media and also appears frequently on the BBC, CNN, CNBC and other broadcast media.
