Seven Hills was thrilled to support NatWest with its third FutureFit Forum. The full morning event built on the bank’s research into how businesses become sustainable for the future – not only in terms of their environmental footprint but sustainable in terms of their overall purpose, talent pipelines and technology. You can read more about it here.
To discuss, leaders from across the business ecosystem for a series of panels and fireside chats, moderated by Seven Hills co-founder Michael Hayman. Two sessions on sustainable innovation welcomed Brompton CEO Will Butler-Adams, Sage’s senior sustainability director Elena Zayakova-Williams and Gavin Starks, founder of Dgen for a panel on why sustainability can drive business growth, before a spotlight on the opportunities of a green energy transition from two trailblazers in the sector: Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson, alongside Laura Sandys CBE, Chair of the Government’s Energy Digitalisation Taskforce.
Attention turned next to the digital economy and the technology transformation businesses have experienced since 2020, with Microsoft UK CEO Clare Barclay, House of Lords digital economy spokesperson Lord Clement-Jones, techUK Director of Innovation and Technology Sue Daley, and Chief Policy & Regulatory Officer for digital identity firm Yoti, Julie Dawson.
The impact of such a transformation has been continued workforce disruption – from new working models to the influx of younger generations into the workplace. To discuss, a panel featuring Unilever’s VP Future of Work Patrick Hull, the founder of digital brand agency 3 Colours Rule and Global Tech Advocates’ Black Women in Tech group Flavilla Fongang, and Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder of food sharing app OLIO.
The event closed with a keynote fireside chat with Kamal Ahmed, former editorial director of BBC News and now co-founder of The News Movement, discussing what the rise of social media, sustainability and Gen Z means for businesses, and how they can adapt to a changing landscape.
Speakers were joined by 150 of NatWest’s mid-market customers, who gained practical insight about how they can become fit for the future.