Gerd Leonhard, Green Futurist and Keynote Speaker,

People will question whether the recent form of capitalism – hyper-free markets based on debt-fuelled consumption – is fit for purpose. At our recent Pioneer Partner dinner one of the CEOs said: “At first responses to the financial crisis were tactical, now they will have to be strategic.”

Why is this? We’ve all realised these economic headwinds aren’t just a blip. Something fundamental was awry at the core of our recent, Western, capitalism. Europe and the UK face a decade of austerity. It is clear that if we do nothing to change fundamentals, then all is gloom. So, people from a wide range of different backgrounds are questioning capitalism.