Alumni UK Live

Welcome address - 10.45-11.00 UK time

Maddalaine Ansell, Director Education, British Council

The nowhere office: In conversation with Julia Hobsbawm - 11.00-12.00 UK time

Organisations across the globe are experiencing similar challenges around productivity, stress, managing employees working from home and demands for equality, inclusivity, more purposeful work and greater work/life balance. Drawing on her extensive experience, research and historical perspectives of the workplace, Julia will share her insights from her book 'The Nowhere Office: Reinventing Work and the Workplace' on how employers, employees and managers can best negotiate the changing landscape of the office in ways that benefit everyone.

This innovative session will offer insight and knowledge to anyone who is interested in thinking about new ways of working. 

Julia Hobsbawm OBE, writer, speaker, consultant, and Bloomberg commentator and columnist about the future of work

Chair: Maarya Rehman, Deputy Director Pakistan, British Council

  

The future of work: influences and predictions - 12.00-13.00 UK time

This expert panel session brings together speakers with research backgrounds in organisational psychology, employability, skills utilisation, employee wellbeing, technology, and problem solving through business conduct. How will artificial intelligence change career opportunities? How can businesses make better use of research and data to improve employee wellbeing? Together the panel will explore what influences are currently shaping working practices and business culture and predict what changes may come in the future. 

Individuals interested in an analysis of the future of work and using that knowledge to help you prepare for success, should not miss this session. 

Professor Rob Briner, Professor of Organisational Psychology, Queen Mary University

Dr Belgin Okay-Somerville, Senior Lecturer (Management), Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow

Dr Yildiz Tugba Kurtulus Kara, Founder and Managing Director, Society 5.0 Institute

Nadia Nathania, Co-Founder & Managing Director, PT Intune Musik Nusantara Raya

Chair: Maarya Rehman, Deputy Director Pakistan, British Council

 

The future of technology in the workplace - 14.00-15.00 UK time

Technology is all around us, it's changing the way we live our lives and how we work. Our panellists are all founders of tech-based companies in India and will share their experience of how to create and use technology for good, what successes and challenges we can learn from big tech and predictions on technological advancements we might see in the workplace in the next 10 to 20 years. 

Don’t miss this future focussed session if you have an interest in technology and its infinite possibilities in the workplace and beyond. 

Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, 21k School

Purva Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Good Good Piggy

Abhishek Rungta, Founder & CEO, Indus Net Technologies

Chair: Aatreyee GuhaThakurta, British Council 

 

 

Practical career workshop: The power of no - 11.00-12.00 UK time

It might be tempting to say yes to everything. It might feel like we’re setting ourselves apart by taking extra responsibilities or working late. However, saying “No” and setting boundaries at work is crucial for many reasons. During this one-hour workshop Victoria will walk you through the types of boundaries and how to set them for the benefit of everyone. You’ll leave this inspiring workshop with an understanding of your own boundaries and future-proof toolkit. 

Victoria McLean, CEO, Hanover Talent Solutions and City CV

 

The insider's guide to being your own boss - 14.00-15.00 UK time

Hear from award-winning entrepreneurs from across Africa as they share practical advice and stories of their own entrepreneurship journeys to help you:

• take the first steps to starting your own business 
• know what to expect when transitioning from employment to being your own boss, including how stay motivated and key skills you’ll need to succeed
• navigate scaling up and securing funding
• and how to promote yourself and your business.

This advice filled session is for anyone who has entrepreneurship ambitions and wants to learn directly from others who are already leading their own enterprises. 

Chima Amadi, Founder & CEO, Clemac Digital Health

Albert Opoku, Co-Founder, Hapaweb Solutions

Cherubim Mawuli Amenyedor, President, Strategic Imperative (STRIMPE) 

Ntsiki Mkhize, Founder & Chief Social Entrepreneur, MentHer

Chair: Mukami Kowino, Deputy Country Director Kenya, British Council 

 

Gender inequality, no thank you - 10.30-11.00 UK time

This session addresses the experience of women in leadership in the field of higher education. It raises the question of how women leaders can strategically make change happen for a more gender equitable and inclusive society. With an educational background in gender and development and experience as vice president of a university and director of an intergovernmental organisation, Dr Romyen will reflect on the struggle, strategy and collective efforts in advocating for women’s empowerment.

Dr Romyen Kosaikanont, Director, SEAMEO RIHED

Chair: Jane Franklin,  Deputy Head, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, British Council

Women in Leadership: The honest truth - 11.00-12.00 UK time

It is universally acknowledged that there are not enough women in leadership roles, and those that have broken the glass ceiling still face challenges of gender equality when they get there. In this session you’ll hear personal experiences of women CEOs and senior leaders as they discuss how they have navigated difficult conversations and situations, what companies can do to promote workplace gender equality and how men can be allies in achieving this. This session is not to be missed if you are a woman looking to progress into leadership roles.  

Nishtha Satyam, Head of Mission, UN Women in Timor Leste

Ni (Helen) Huan, CEO, Green Light Year

Stella Kasdagli, Co-Founder, Women on Top

Mary Dinah, Founder and Chief Executive, Mary Dinah Foundation

Richard Sunderland, Director Education Business Development, British Council

Chair: Jane Franklin, Deputy Head, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, British Council

Empowered to lead: How leading for legacy can build a brighter future and drive change - 13.00-14.00 UK time

Research tells us that where an organisation has greater gender diversity, they are more profitable, sustainable and impactful. Yet, women continue to be underrepresented at decision making tables, and long term systems thinking and legacy approaches to leading the way are needed. 

In this session Sharon Amesu will refer to the latest research on women in leadership. She will discuss why we need more women leaders and how together, we can play a role in empowering women leaders to be powerful future-builders and agents of change for all.

Sharon Amesu, Leadership and Inclusion Strategist, City CV

 

Practial career workshop: Why women apologise too much - 15.00-16.00 UK time

How to talk confidently, and unapologetically, about your achievements in an interview is one of the most common challenges we address in our coaching sessions. In this workshop, Victoria will discuss the negative impact the ‘apologising habit’ has on careers and how to break that habit for good. She will share: 

• what impact over-apologising has on your career;
• why women apologise more than men, especially in the workplace;
• top strategies to break the habit.

This workshop will show you how you can talk confidently, and unapologetically, to get the balance right. 

Victoria McLean, CEO, Hanover Talent Solutions and City CV

Practical career workshop: Brand new brand you - 11.00-12.00 UK time

Career success is all about standing out. To do that, you need to be armed with a strong understanding of your value and uniqueness. 

Many of us are very good at focussing on the things we can’t do, rather than the things we can, and there is often a huge gap between how others perceive us and how we want to be perceived.

We want to help you bridge this gap both in person and through the power of your digital brand - LinkedIn. In this workshop, Victoria will help you shape yourself and your brand for both internal and external networks, give you the confidence to excel in your career, and enhance prospects of promotion and career success. 

Victoria McLean, CEO, Hanover Talent Solutions and City CV

 

A career to change the world - 23.00-00.00 UK time

Do you want a career that tackles a local, national or global challenge? In a world where you can be anything, many people are choosing to focus their work and careers on making the world a safer and fairer place. The panel will share advice on developing careers with social purpose, leaving a positive legacy on the world, and the mechanisms of making change happen. If you want a career with an impact, don’t miss this. 

Itzel Morales Lagunes, Director of Community, Climate Reality Project América Latina

María Luisa Zorrilla Abascal PhD, Academic Researcher and Director of Multimodal Education, Institute of Education Sciences at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos in Mexico (UAEM)

Margarita Maria Mendez Sandoval, Co-founder, Fundacion Koikos

Lourenco Capriglione, Research Fellow, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL

Chair: Darren Coyle, Country Director Colombia and Peru, British Council

 

 

The secret life of CEOs - 12.00-13.00 UK time

What’s it really like to be a CEO? This is your opportunity to hear and learn from inspirational CEOs who have led organisations around the world, each with different career journeys. In this intimate session, panellists will talk openly and honestly about the challenges of holding a CEO position, how much they rely on their instincts, what they find most rewarding and pinpointing the pivotal moments in their careers that got them to where they are today.  

Don’t miss this session if you have aspirations to take on a leadership role and progress to CEO level. 

Scott McDonald, Chief Executive, British Council 

Adam Habib, Director, SOAS, University of London  

Vu Hoang Yen, CEO, Be Group - New speaker

Chair: Van Anh Hoang, Head of Education (Vietnam), British Council  

Finding your leadership lane - 13.00-13.50 UK time

When you think of examples of good leaders, who comes to mind? What qualities do they possess that make them effective? Leadership comes in many forms and the panel will share their own experiences of management, how they translate theory into practice, and how culture and sector influence leadership. They will explore what it means to be aware of your own leadership style and how you can adapt it to different situations to help you become a great leader. 

Dr Zemin Chen (Penny), Associate Professor in Innovation and Enterprise, UCLan

Alexandru Savva, CEO, Central Securities Depository; Adviser to the Governor, National Bank of Moldova

Dr Hajjah Yatela Zainal Abidin, CEO, Sime Darby Foundation 

Shaun Adam Bin Abdullah, Manager, Public Policy and Government Relations, The European Union Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Chair: Andrew Chadwick, Global Programme Lead, Higher Education and Science, British Council