Rethink Work:
Evolve or Endure

Céline Abecassis-Moedas is currently Pro-Rector for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. She holds a PhD in Management from École Polytechnique, Paris and an MA in Management (Université Paris Dauphine). She is a graduate from École Normale Supérieure de Cachan and La Sorbonne in Economics and Management. She is an Associate Professor (with aggregation) in Strategy and Innovation Management at CATÓLICA-LISBON. She was Dean for Executive Education from 2019 to 2024. She is non-executive director at CUF, Vista Alegre Atlantis and Lectra. Céline Abecassis-Moedas was Assistant Professor at the Centre for Business Management at Queen Mary-University of London and she worked in Business Development at Lectra in New York and as a Consultant at AT Kearney in London. She was as International Faculty Fellow at MIT Sloan School of Management. Céline’s research interests are on the role of design in innovation, design management, innovation management and entrepreneurship mostly in creative industries. Her work as been published in top journals such as Journal of Product Innovation Management, Creativity and Innovation Management, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Journal of Business Research, Innovation: Organisation & Management, International Journal of Operations and Production Management.

Ian Goldin is Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford, Professorial Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford University, and from 2006 to 2016 was the founding Director of Oxford University’s interdisciplinary Oxford Martin School. He currently leads the Oxford Martin research programmes on Technological and Economic Change, Future of Work and Future of Development. He has published over 60 journal articles and 23 books, most recently Rescue: From Global Crisis to a Better World.

Gina Jardine is a former C-suite executive who has made her mark on some of the world’s largest and most renowned companies listed across the leading stock indices. With a career spanning over 30 years, Gina has worked across public, private, and semi-government organisations, where she was responsible for developing and leading high-performing teams and organisations in her roles as Chief People Officer. Her global experience in industries such as mining, building products, automotive and warehousing and logistics, has given her a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by organisations that have long term investments in financial and human capital-intensive programs. She has worked with some of the industries leading Chairs and CEO’s to help organisations deliver their strategy by ensuring that the Organisation and People agendas are aligned, that the culture drives performance and that employees have the capability and engagement to succeed. As a mentor and coach, Gina focuses on helping a range of diverse and senior executives navigate the cultural elements required for success in modern organisations.

Deborah Perry Piscione is a futurist, serial entrepreneur, and a leading expert in innovation, AI, and web3 technologies. A New York Times bestselling author and LinkedIn Learning instructor, she moved to Silicon Valley in 2006, where a chance encounter led to her first startup securing multimillion-dollar funding. Inspired by Silicon Valley’s collaborative culture, she wrote Secrets of Silicon Valley, a bestseller adopted by a global consulting firm to enhance their innovation practices.

Perry Piscione developed the Improvisational Innovation approach, enabling anyone within a company to contribute ideas in a trusted environment, a method now embraced by Fortune 500 companies. Her LinkedIn Learning courses, ‘Risk Taking for Leaders’ and ‘Executing on Innovation,’ reach a global audience in multiple languages.

As a co-founder of the Work3 Institute and co-author of Employment is Dead: How Disruptive Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Way We Work (Harvard Business Review Press), she guides organisations through the transition to AI-driven work models. Recognised as a thought leader, Stanford’s Graduate School of Business featured her in a case study, underscoring her impact on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Andy Spence has a passion for making work better. For over two decades, he has advised global organisations on workforce strategy, becoming a trusted voice for the C-Suite.  Andy’s career spans work with Big 4 consultancies, startups, and leading his own consulting firm for the past 17 years. His pioneering collaboration with Don Tapscott on Blockchain in the workplace has inspired countless entrepreneurs and technologists, with industry recognition as a key opinion leader in the future of work.

Andy has delivered keynotes and executive workshops in global cities, from London and Paris, to Singapore, Sydney and Shanghai.  His audiences value his ability to synthesise global megatrends into actionable insights, combining data-driven analysis, engaging storytelling, with a dash of humour. As an independent management consultant, Andy has helped build people-centric organisations, working with clients like the NHS, John Lewis Partnership, Novartis, and Deloitte.

His writing and media partnerships include Bloomberg, Mercer, HR.com, RSA, Global Drucker Forum, and many others. Andy publishes the popular Workforce Futurist Newsletter, offering original research and industry insights on building a better world of work. Through his extensive experience and visionary thinking, Andy Spence continues to shape the future of work, making him an invaluable resource for CHROs looking to navigate the complex landscape of workforce strategy.

Kristofor is a Talent and Learning Executive with 25 years of Digital HR product experience including professional services consulting, corporate learning and development, servicing and employee experience (UX) across a range of industries, countries and cultures. Successfully delivers the vision, architecture and implementation of award-winning solutions that drive business results and behavioural outcomes in large, global workforces. Experience with Fortune 500 companies including Accenture, HP, Avaya, Microsoft, Verizon, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase.

Sarah Toms is Chief Innovation Officer at IMD. She leads information technology, learning innovation, Strategic Talent Solutions, and the AI Strategy. A demonstrated thought leader in education innovation, Sarah is passionate about amplifying IMD’s mission to drive positive impact for individuals, organizations, and society.

She previously co-founded Wharton Interactive, an initiative at the Wharton School that has scaled globally. Sarah has been on the Executive Committee of Reimagine Education for almost a decade, and was one of the ten globally to be selected as an AWS Education Champion. Her other great passion is supporting organizations who work to attract and promote women and girls into STEM.

She has spent nearly three decades working at the bleeding edge of technology, and was an entrepreneur for over a decade, founding companies that built global CRM, product development, productivity management, and financial systems. Sarah is also coauthor of The Customer Centricity Playbook, the Digital Book Awards 2019 Best Business Book.