Some highlights, courtesy of Dr. Daniella Jenkins:

The Hon. Julia Gillard AC shared insights in conversation with Jude Kelly CBE including how distributed leadership, forming expedient political alliances and holding nerve in the wake of bad media helped her to successfully lead major programmes in her role as Prime Minister of Australia.

Estee Torok from the Gates Foundation and Vinny Smith discussed how they respectively tackle complexity, uncertainty and human behaviours when developing responses to devastating diseases: malaria and meningitis.

Paul Chapman led a punchy discussion with Huw Evans, Sarah Albon and Lynda Rawsthorne BSc MA FRICS FAPM FCIOB ChPP on the challenge of leading through times of institutional and organisational uncertainty.

Rafael Ramirez led a masterclass where we learned how we might develop strategies that are responsive to Turbulence, Uncertainty, Novelty and Ambiguity (TUNA) and the differences between modelling and scenario planning!

Professor Juliane Reinecke – recently back from COP26, discussed the promises and pains of sustainable energy transitions with Yousef A.S.N Al-Sabah, current President of RICS Tina Palliet and Carol Tansley

Jude Kelly CBE Kelly and Dame Alison Nimmo DBE shared memories of developing cultural events and legacies through their groundbreaking work on the London 2012 Olympics.

Senator Dr Ibrahim Jimoh debated the impact of project abandonment in Nigeria with me (estimated to cost the Nigerian economy $25bn) drawing on his doctoral thesis undertaken at the University of Cambridge

Agni Orfanoudaki led a thought provoking session on AI in major programmes with Jacob Vizinat and GAUTE Ø.

Daniel Armanios (he/him/il/他), FASME led a lively debate with Prof. Martina Huemann, Director of the Project Hub, UCL, Professor Christine Unterhitzenberger, Director of the Leeds Centre for Projects, University of Leeds, Campbell Middleton, Professor and Director of Laing O’Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology, University of Cambridge and Lavagnon Ika, Professor and Director of the Major Projects Observatory, University of Ottawa, on the way forward for major programmes and how we should take a Nike approach (just do it!).