Thinkers50 x ESCP: Deep Dive on Talent

The greatest challenges facing business today call for collective intelligence, fresh thinking and closer collaboration between academia and business leaders.

This is the vision at the heart of why ESCP joins Thinkers50 as Education Partner for the 2026 London Summit and Awards Gala.

Beyond the Thinkers50 Summit & Gala, this partnership will also see ESCP contribute directly to the programme by hosting one of Thinkers50's new Call to Action Deep Dive sessions.

On 3rd November 2026, ESCP in London will welcome participants for a dedicated Talent workshop, co-designed with Thinkers50, and hosted on ESCP’s London Campus.

More Human, More AI? Rethinking Talent for a Changing World

Attracting, developing and engaging people is getting harder, and the pressure is coming from two directions at once. Organisations are still working out how to build careers people want to stay in. At the same time, as AI and automation reshape how work gets done, a new paradox is emerging: the more technology enters the workplace, the more employees expect their organisation to feel human.

The afternoon workshop ‘More Human, More AI? Rethinking Talent for a Changing World’ takes both in turn.

It opens with a fireside chat hosted by Professor Isaac Getz, co-author of The Caring Company, in conversation with Bernie Charles, Chief HR Officer of Handelsbanken, on what caring leadership looks like inside a large organisation and how it shapes the way people are attracted, developed and retained.

A roundtable discussion with industry experts follows, turning to Developing Talent in the Age of AI: What Should Leaders Rethink? and bringing together perspectives on AI, Gen Z and employee engagement.

Come ready to contribute. Across the afternoon, you'll explore questions such as:

• What does caring leadership look like in practice, not just in principle?
• What do people want from work when machines do more of it?
• How do you build careers and progression when the work itself keeps changing?

Workshop Schedule

• 13:30 – 14:40: Welcome message from ESCP & Thinkers50
• 14:40 – 14:30: Fireside Chat with Prof. Isaac Getz joined by Bernie Charles, Chief HR Officer of Handelsbanken
• 14:30 – 14:45: Coffee Break
• 14:45 – 16:00: Roundtable - Developing Talent in the Age of AI: What Should Leaders Rethink?
• 16:00 – 17:30: Networking & Coffee

How to Attend

Members of the ESCP Alumni community can request to attend by contacting Chloe King or by completing this form.
Interested parties from outside of ESCP can find more information on attending the event here.

ESCP & Thinkers50

This partnership builds on the recognition of ESCP's contributions to international management thinking. Over the past two years, four ESCP professors have been featured on the Thinkers50 Radar, which recognises emerging management thinkers whose ideas have the potential to shape the future of business:
 

• Professor of Entrepreneurial Strategy Christoph Seckler, Thinkers50 Radar 2026 (read more)
• Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Alisa Sydow, Thinkers50 Radar 2025
• Professor of Strategy and Decision Making Philip Meissner, Thinkers50 Radar 2025
• Prof. Isaac Getz and co-author were finalists for the Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award 2025, with their book, The Caring Company

Through this partnership, we aim to connect the expertise of our faculty and alumni with a wider international community of thinkers and practitioners, creating opportunities to exchange knowledge, broaden our understanding of management and explore new approaches to the challenges facing business and society.

Together with Thinkers50, we look forward to advancing the conversations and collaborations that will help shape more responsible, human-centred management.