What Next For London?

Zoe Haseman, Vice President Global Sustainability at Jacobs, talked to Laura Osborne and David Lutton about the shape of a green recovery for the capital, how we can accelerate the drive to Net Zero and the importance of a just transition that tackles inequality.

Laura Osborne spoke to Liam Harrison, Market Director at Atkins, about the future of devolution, funding infrastructure and the role of cities, as we look ahead to recovery. Liam shared his experiences and insights into decision making close to the community, and highlighted the need for a more rounded approach to procurement in the future.

London First's Dr David Lutton speaks with  Claire Sherwin, the Global Head of Talent Acquisition, People Services and Technology at Finastra and Leslie Benson, the Senior Managing Director in the Strategic Communications group at FTI Consulting, on the future of work.

Sarah Bentley, new CEO of Thames Water, joins Laura Osborne and Daniel Mahoney to discuss the future of the sector, its response to CV-19 and why infrastructure is in Sarah's DNA. From opening up wetlands to the public through to the balance of resilience and price rises, Sarah talks about the importance of putting customers front of mind.

We interviewed Ian Stewart, Deloitte's Chief Economist, on the UK's economic prospects, where to find the light at the end of the tunnel and the approach we should take to recovery. From the lessons of the Thatcher years, through to the prospect of higher rates of unemployment via the balance between austerity and tax rises, we covered a lot of ground.

Laura Osborne and David Lutton spoke to Robin about his experience leading 50,000 staff through the pandemic and what it has taught him about innovation, motivation and dynamism. He shares the different experiences of his customers across sectors, his take on recovery and what we can learn from the approaches taken in other global cities.

We spoke to John Batten, Global Cities Director at Arcadis, to get his take on the future of major global capitals, how they've responded to the pandemic and the new opportunities to live and work differently that are emerging. He joined us from Lisbon but with insights from Milan, New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam and more. From road pricing to vertical forests, we covered a lot of extremely top...

Apex Airspace CEO Ash Bhatti and London First CEO Jasmine Whitbread talk about the role of innovation in solving London's housing crisis, how airspace development can help the capital's councils make the most of their estates and why the next Mayor needs to keep housing delivery front of mind during the CV-19 recovery.

This week, we are joined by Sir Charles Bowman and Sunil Patel, both partners at PwC, to talk about the urgent need to focus on reskilling and upskilling, which has been made even more urgent in the COVID-19 context. They share lessons from around the globe with Mark Hilton and Laura Osborne, making a clear case for a skills-led recovery across the UK.

Zoe Humphries, Director at AECOM, and Mathieu Proust, General Manager at WeWork, talk to David Lutton and Laura Osborne about the future of office. From interactive studio space, through to the value of a human connection, they discuss why rumours that the office is dead are premature and what the future of office design needs to look like to bring people back to physical collaboration spaces.

With the shape of the economic recovery still subject to debate, Mark Hilton (London First ED for People) spoke to Ant Mazen (Head of Skills and Capabilities at Lloyds Bank) about the pragmatic changes needed to support the capital's workforce now and into the future. Following the release of the Skilling London report, they talked about the need for reskilling to be made easier, for deepening exp...

Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners (L&P), and Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chair at the City of London Corporation, join London First CEO Jasmine Whitbread to discuss rebuilding confidence and returning to growth. From making space for cyclists, to a shift to risk-based international travel, via the return to the office, they discussed the decisions that must be made urgently for the capital t...

Kate Kenny, Jacobs' VP and Head of Sector for Cities and Places (Europe) talked to Laura Osborne and David Lutton about the choices that need to be made as we seek to build back better and why inclusive growth should be at the heart of those plans. They discussed levelling up in the UK and across London, addressing inequality in all its forms and the many benefits of more inclusive design.

Laura Osborne and David Lutton talk to London Night Czar, BBC Radio 6 broadcaster and author Amy Lamé about the recovery of the night-time economy in the capital. From planning and licensing reform, through the night tube and the future of cultural venues across the city, Amy makes the case for why we need to think about all 24 hours in the day when we plan for recovery.

Apprenticeship starts have been hard hit over the last few months: Sandy Lindsay MBE, North West Business Leadership Team, and London First's Mark Hilton discuss what's needed to get the system back on its feet and ensure that the apprenticeship "brand" bounces back. From innovative ways of using the apprenticeship levy to making the system easier for SMEs to use, now is the time for Government to...

Dr Mike Lynch, founder of Invoke Capital and artificial intelligence pioneer, joined John Dickie and Laura Osborne to explore the role of AI in London's recovery. From remote working technology, through to the jobs of the future, this episode digs into what new normal could look like and why there could be less to fear than we might think.

Caroline Artis, Senior Partner for the London Markets at EY and Neil Aitken, London and Southeast Lead at BT Group join Laura Osborne and David Lutton to talk about the future of doing business in London and what this means for digital connectivity and skills, as well as the traditional office. While things will no doubt be different in the future, there remains a core component of staff desperate...

Mark Essex, Public Policy Director at KPMG, spoke to David Lutton and Laura Osborne about the trends shaping the capital's recovery – which ones are likely to be accelerated and which are too early to call. From how you harness the benefits of in person collaboration in a more online world, through to what next on Brexit, Mark gives us a tour of his current thinking on the city's big issues.

Mark Reynolds is the Group CEO of Mace and a London First Board member. In conversation with Jasmine Whitbread, London First's CEO, he shared his thoughts on the role of the construction industry in the COVID-19 recovery, what the crisis has meant for his business and the cross-sectoral lessons that we can all learn, as we chart the path back to growth.

The events industry was hit hard and fast by the COVID-19 crisis and has had to rapidly transform how it operates. Our guest, Elizabeth Forrester, has led events teams for many years and is currently the Head of Events at London First. She shares her take on how events will evolve, the lessons from virtual engagement and why the future of the events industry is so closely connected with the future...

Phil Baker is usually London First's interim head of strategic communications but for two weeks earlier this month he was seconded to help set up NHS Nightingale's comms function. Phil shares his experience of this crisis, talks about how it shaped his view of the recovery ahead and ends on the need for someone to invent a much better virtual whiteboard.

Brendan Sarsfield, CEO of Peabody Group, gives his view on some key lessons from the COVID-19 crisis, from tackling pre-existing issues with Universal Credit, to the desperate need to make home ownership a reality for the next generation of Londoners. He sets out some of the choices we must make now if we are to have a strong recovery.

London First's Director of Strategy and Policy, John Dickie, shares his reflections on the initial response to Covid-19 across the capital and what must happen next to set us on the road to recovery.

What has the initial response to Covid-19 highlighted about London's infrastructure, both physical and digital, and how it will need to evolve in the future? The pilot episode of London First's new podcast, What next for London?, asks in-house infrastructure expert Daniel Mahoney to share his thoughts on how the city should to evolve as the result of the current crisis. London has emerged as the i...