Aspen UK

In this episode, Kathy Gilsinan of the Atlantic leads a discussion on the future of migration and refugee protection. She is joined by Matthew Saltmarsh, senior external relations officer at UNHCR; Rita Dayoub, founder, Health Workers at the Front Line; Sanj Srikanthan, CEO of Shelterbox; and Jacob Warn, campaign coordinator at Europe Must Act. They discuss their concerns with the current Covid-19 crisis on top of the refugee crisis, describe the future of funding, and the roles that migrants can play if they are given the opportunity to work and contribute to their host societies.  

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As we begin to imagine life on the other side of lockdown, the issue of the future of live music is something that is beginning to concern us. In this episode, producer and broadcaster Jez Nelson explores this issue with singer, songwriter and activist Angélique Kidjo; composer, conductor and arranger of The Heritage Orchestra Jules Buckley; chairman of The Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr.; and director of Serious, David Jones. Together they discuss the immediate impact this crisis has had on the music industry, describe the practicalities of live music events with social distancing measures in place and explore whether the lockdown has triggered a new era of creativity for artists. 

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In this episode, Yara Bayoumy, National Security Editor at The Atlantic leads a discussion on the future of international institutions with Lord Mark Malloch Brown, former Deputy Secretary-General and Chief of Staff for the UN and Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary. Together they debate the role that institutions such as the United Nations and the World Health Organisation should play in the current Covid-19 crisis, explore how they can build authority and legitimacy, and discuss how this unforeseen experience has put governments in a “hugely better position” to react to future pandemics. 

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In this episode, Isabel Berwick, work and careers editor at the Financial Times talks to Amy Webb, founder and CEO of the Future Today Institute about privacy, technology and foresight. Together they explore the effects of covid-19 on current technology trends and the impact it will have on work, discuss what it would take for us to be certain about the future, and stress why we must become comfortable with uncertainty. 

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Join us in this episode where Tom Heap, broadcaster and presenter of the BBC’s Countryfile, leads a conversation on the future of climate change between Zoe Cohen of Extinction Rebellion and Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Together, they discuss whether this extraordinary time will bring threats or opportunities for limiting climate change and debate what more needs to be done by corporations, governments and the public.

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In this episode, Jamie Mcdonald of Generosity Inc and GivingTuesday leads a conversation on the future of volunteering with Tiger de Souza, volunteering, participation and inclusion director at the National Trust, Mary-Ellen McTague, co-founder of The Creameries, Paul Reddish, CEO of Volunteering Matters and Karl Wilding, director of Public Policy and Volunteering at NCVO. Each guest represents a different point of view on volunteerism in the UK, when brought together for this discussion they explore how communities have responded to the current crisis, describe the role of volunteer management and discuss how we enable people to find ways that they can help others. 

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In this episode, Robin Lustig, journalist and broadcaster, and Kalypso Nicolaidis, professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford explore the topic of sacrifice in ancient mythology. Together, they discuss what the lens of history and ancient mythology can teach us about the unprecedented times that we are currently living in, and describe how the story of this pandemic should be told in years to come.  

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In this episode we debate the future of museums with Dr Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A Museum, Diane Lees, director general of the Imperial War Museum and Mark Urban, diplomatic editor at BBC Newsnight. Together they explore why this topic is crucial to culture and society, describe what changes have been made to ensure that the history and knowledge within museums remains accessible to the public, and explore what can be done to ensure their future safety.

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In this episode, journalist and TV presenter, Jon Snow, moderates a discussion about what Britain will be like after the Covid-19 crisis. He is joined by Margaret MacMillan, emeritus professor of International History at Oxford University and Anand Menon, professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London, and the Director of the UK in a Changing Europe Project, to discuss why it is important that we learn from this pandemic and stress the importance of having international leadership. 

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In this episode, Mark Thompson, CEO of the New York Times and Ed Williams, CEO of Edelman EMEA and chairman of Aspen UK, question whether Covid-19 has rebuilt the broken trust between politicians, the media and the public or made it worse. Together, they assess how political language is being used during the pandemic and the emergence of conspiracy theories, explore how Trump's handling of the crisis could impact the US election and describe what traditional media may look like if it survives this unprecedented period. 

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