Executives step ahead of the curve with the latest insights
International professionals hear the burning business trends at an Executive Education LBS Live event
Two hundred professionals visited London Business School (LBS) in search of cutting-edge insights to keep them and their organisations ultra-competitive in today’s dynamic business environment.
The full-day LBS Live event offered global executives from diverse backgrounds and industries a taster of the hot topics taught on the School’s Executive Education programmes, as well as time away from their organisations to reflect and refocus.
Mark Wilson, Finance Director of family-owned group Squire’s Garden Centres and former Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Unilever, attended the event. He said: “I saw this as an opportunity to get exposure to the bright lights of strategy.
“As a finance director of a group, it's easy to become too focused on the operational day-to-day retail business. It’s easy to lose perspective. This was an opportunity to step back from the business and think about the broader environment. It has certainly helped me to refocus.”
The expert line-up of speakers at this year’s event included multidisciplinary faculty addressing issues grouped broadly into four areas:
1. Global: challenges shaping international business
2. Grow: personal development including leadership and career development
3. Knowledge: strategic thinking and the latest business, management and economic research
4. Experience: innovative techniques used to embed learning first-hand.
Costas Markides, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, spoke about succeeding in a disrupted world. He said: “The digital revolution of the last 20 years has changed us, as consumers and employees. It has also created new markets and has altered the way organisations compete. How will you respond to and exploit new opportunities?”
• Listen to Professor Markides discuss disruption with pioneers from the frontline
Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Charles Handy Chair in Organisational Behaviour, took to the stage to discuss the theme of her book, Act like a leader, think like a leader. She challenged the audience to “network across and out so that you connect to and learn from a more diverse range of stakeholders".
Elsewhere, Florin Vasvari, Professor of Accounting, shared lessons from private equity and corporate acquisitions for business.
“Should your company be investing in data science and machine learning?” asked Nicos Savva, Associate Professor of Management Science and Operations. On the subject of data, he said: “It’s not important what you call it, what’s important is what it can do for your organisation.”
Madan Pillutla, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Deputy Dean (Faculty) at LBS, shared five surprising evidence-based insights to help executives become better negotiators.
• Discover what Professor Pillutla says about decoys and deliberations
The audience also heard about the story behind the numbers and how to use them to your advantage with Chris Higson, Associate Professor of Accounting Practice; effective decision-making in a turbulent age with David Faro, Associate Professor of Marketing and Niro Sivanathan, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour; avoiding burnout and building your personal reliance with Richard Jolly, Adjunct Professor of Organisational Behaviour; and how to raise your value creation IQ with Henri Servaes, Professor of Finance.
Strategy sage Dominic Houlder, Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, discussed the execution advantage. “You will not get competitive advantage unless you coordinate horizontally," he warned.
Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship; Adecco Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, ended the day by encouraging executives to build their own career strategy.
