The Future Debate

Our final breakfast in the Summer 2012 series took the form of a debate on our futures, with three highly influential voices…

Rachel Botsman is author of the bestseller What’s Mine Is Yours. Her theory of ‘collaborative consumption’ (which suggests that consumers will increasingly opt for access rather than ownership), is described by TIME as one of the 10 ideas that will change the world. It’s also the basis for a large scale TV project scheduled for 2013. Rachel explored the trends and how they applied to a vast range of industry sectors.

Originally a high-flying investment analyst, Bronwen Maddox joined The Times as US Editor. She is now Editor and CEO of the right-leaning Prospect magazine. She sees her role as explaining City thinking to policymakers, and helping business navigate the geo-political landscape. Bronwen looked at potential outcomes for the Euro, and what happens when our politicians have to make such unpopular decisions that they risk becoming unelectable.

Jane Young is a leading social business strategist. Her work focuses on the cultural, process and infrastructure changes made possible by technology – how to get things done more quickly and more cheaply and pave the way for innovation. Jane drew on Richard Dawkins, Bill Hicks and NASA to show that free-flowing information is key when the pace of change is relentlessly accelerating.