Three places at once – the FIA, Recovery Summit and Transition Forum

This week is one of those where I have ended up in three places at once, virtually of course.

It does seem to be the season for conferences and seminars so I am delighted to have been involved – MC-ing, interviewing and more – in three very different events.

Formula 1 media guru James Allen and I have been co-MCs for the @fia eConference 2020. In case you didn’t know – the FIA has two aspects – it both governs Formula 1 and is a membership organisation for motor clubs, like the RAC and the AAA.

There’s been discussion at the conference about how and when we’ll see motor sport back into action. Yet the organisation’s strong response to Covid19, as well as its involvement in electric car racing (Formula E) and road safety means that sustainability and innovation and the Global Goals are on the agenda too.

There have been some high level guests including Jean Todt, FIA President & UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, François Fillon, Former Prime Minister of France and Maurice Levy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Publicis Groupe who have made many interesting observations. I will have a blog post about the event up soon.

Recovery Summit

Also this week the organisation Speakers Associates have been hosting their ‘Recovery Summit’ in which 60 of the world’s leading authorities have been sharing their latest thinking on the global economy, leadership, managing change, innovation, disruption and resilience. Once again the roster of speakers has been incredible and includes athlete turned politician and President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, Jim Hagemann Snabe, former Co-CEO of SAP, current chairman at Maersk and Siemens and a member of the board of trustees at the World Economic Forum and the always fascinating digital anthropologist, Rahaf Harfoush. I am especially looking forward to an event I am hosting tomorrow in which Allan Pease, international keynote speaker whose widely known as “Mr Body Language”, will be outlining what the future will be for relationships in a post #covid world with. Is all that cheek to cheek air kissing history? Will we ever shake hands on a deal again? You can find out more then. Go here for details.

Transition Forum

Also tomorrow I am hosting the latest in a series of events for the Transition Forum. Over the past few weeks – each Thursday at 4PM UK time – a range of experts have been exploring the future of specific topics largely from an environmental/climate change perspective. This Thursday is one of my favourite topics – the future of mobility. Joining me, my co-conspirator Stan Stalnaker and my co-host Laura Tenouji will be among others Vincent Lemaire, President Safra, Huw W Hampson Jones, CEO @oxisenergy Paul Holthus CEO Of @OceanCouncil, Timothy Papandreou @tpap_ founder of Emerging Transport Advisors and Sylvie Perrin founder of La Plateform Verte. You can tune in here.

That’s a lot of hot air from me in a week – impact on carbon emissions still to be measured.