Following on from Chief Disruptor LIVE: Virtual April 2021 where leaders focussed on recovery and growth from the global pandemic, Chief Disruptor LIVE October 2021 will take a look forwards to a post-pandemic business environment exploring how organisations can flourish in a brave new world. Although the uncertainty and struggles of the pandemic are far from over, our 2021 Digital Trends Report illustrated a newfound optimism amongst businesses. 64% of organisations see opportunities coming out of the impacts of the pandemic with only 16% considering there to be major threats to their organisations. 

With organisations now looking towards long-term fundamental change as opposed to short-term quick fixes, the prevailing mood in the year ahead is that organisations will no longer focus on surviving but thriving. The year ahead is set to be the chance for businesses to forge new realities out of fresh possibilities. From putting the customer first, to accelerating the journey to data maturity, to navigating hybrid-working and recruiting Gen Z, business and technology leaders are changing their priorities and harvesting the fortuity of the moment.

We asked some of our speakers and supporting partners at Chief Disruptor LIVE October 2021 what their top tip is for thriving in a new world. Here’s what they had to say.

Mark Jankovich, CEO of Delphis Eco:

Sustainability entrepreneur Mark Jankovich is the founder and CEO of Delphis Eco, Britain’s leading manufacturer of professional environmentally-friendly cleaning products. 

Delphis Eco is one of 650+ companies that have signed up to the Better Business Act (BBA) which aims to change UK law to make sure every company in the UK aligns the interests of their shareholders with those of wider society and the environment. Delphis Eco is leading the way to better business with its creation of its Collaborate to Zero programme and the Supply Chain Commitment to Net-Zero charter.

“My top tips are to go as hard and as fast as you can. Work out quickly who else wants to be on the journey, collaborate as much as you can so that we can all move faster to a more sustainable future.”

Robyn Hope Nicholl, Co-Founder of Step Your World:

Robyn is the Co-Founder of Step Your World. Step is an innovative app that revolutionises the way we plan, travel and map our lives via social media.

Recently featured in Tatler magazine, Step Your World is a tech start-up taking the app world by storm. Starting off as an aesthetically curated Instagram account offering travel tips from cultured and connected millennials, Robyn and her co-founder Rachel Rockowitz launched their app earlier this year. Step marries together geolocation technology and social media to create a truly innovative way to explore new locations.

“Stay agile and curious. Pay attention to the shifting digital landscape and learn to move with it - not behind it.”

Peter Domican, Senior Fellow at The Institute for Strategy, Resilience & Security UCL:

Peter Domican is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Strategy, Resilience, and Security at UCL (ISRS). He is the co-author of whitepapers on ‘Trustable Software’ and ‘Digital Resilience’.

Peter specialises in aiding organisations to navigate change and address the opportunities and challenges faced by digital technology. He is the co-author of white papers on “Trustable Software” and “Digital Resilience”. He is currently working on projects on issues affecting preventive health including the adoption of new technology and the resilience lessons arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Do not just think about the problems that technology will solve - think about solving the problems that technology will create.” 

Sean MacHale, Head of Institutional Strategy, Sustainability and Growth at The Bank of Ireland:

Sean MacHale specialises in ESG and green financing, capital markets, business development and alternative investments at The Bank of Ireland. Sean has extensive experience in the financial services sector delivering corporate strategy for institutional business.

“I am really looking forward to discussing all things ESG and sustainability. To me, it is these issues which pose both the greatest challenge and opportunity to business and society since the industrial revolution.”

Apoorva Kumar, Global Net Revenue Management Director – Systems & Tools at PepsiCo:

Apoorva has over 15 years of experience in leading business transformations, analytics and commercial excellence initiatives for consumer goods companies globally. Prior to his role at PepsiCo, he spent over 11 years in senior leadership roles at GSK.

“Businesses and individuals need to make a real human connection to thrive in the new world.”

Kate Bohn, Former Accelerator and Incubator Lead and Transformational Leader at Lloyds Banking Group:

Kate takes pride in being a disruptor. She has 20+ years of experience in high-value disruption delivery from identifying challenges to ideation and execution. Kate currently engages with start-ups and scale-ups against known and future commercial challenges.

“Learning to set aside preconceived notions and being open to a totally different perspective and different opinions is an increasingly important skill and will support us all as we build inclusive, impactful solutions for all through an increasingly fast-paced change in the world.”