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What are our masterclasses?

Leaders in business, charity and the public sector speak on challenging topics. These masterclasses attract an audience of prominent figures, students, staff and the general public.

Speakers share responses to challenges they've faced, and pose social, ethical, environmental and business dilemmas.

Watch the full Masterclasses playlist

See upcoming Masterclass events

Featured speakers

Anthony Levy

In this special guest session for our Business Planning and Sustainable Entrepreneurship module — we welcomed Anthony Levy, Founder and CEO of Circularity First. Anthony reflected on his entrepreneurial experiences and shared practical lessons learned for business planning and new venture creation.

Mark S. Weiner

Mark takes us behind the scenes of what it really takes to bring a filmmaking project to life — from initial concept through team building, logistics, funding, post-production and delivery to a global audience. He explores one of the film’s core themes: how shared physical spaces help build team bonds, resilience and a deeper sense of connection. He also reflects on why place matters — not just emotionally, but strategically — when it comes to leading strong, cohesive, high-performing teams. It’s a thought-provoking look at leadership, community, and why where we work together matters just as much as how.

Paul Cogan

Co-CEO of the Bettys & Taylors Group, Paul shares insights into the history of the business, the critical role of the Group’s values the “six p’s” and the benefits and challenges of being a purpose-led organisation. Paul is a member of a peer-based leadership team, the Collaborative CEO, and provides his thoughts on this innovative model of leadership and the role that it's taking in shaping the future strategy of the Group.

Christian Stanbury

The award of public contracts has increasingly emphasised the need for the private sector to deliver community benefits and make a social impact. The lack of skills and knowledge in the marketplace has led to a growing need for expertise in delivering social value. In this masterclass, Christian Stanbury, Chief Executive Officer of the Welsh Education Partnership Company (WEPCo), shares his experience and a solution created by the Welsh Government through the Mutual Investment Model.

Miles Manning

For this masterclass, Miles Manning explores the effect of crisis on decision-making and wellbeing, with over thirty years’ experience of Policing within The Metropolitan Police, Miles speaks about the lessons he learned during multiple deployments both within the UK and internationally.

David Caswell

In this talk, David Caswell examines ChatGPT and generative AI from the perspective of media.

Ian Foxley

Based on his ‘lived experience’ as a whistleblower behind the Airbus Group/GPT case, Ian Foxley describes how he discovered corruption within defence procurement contracts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Laura Ibbotson

Listen to Laura Ibbotson offering her insight on how working parents can be better supported - from what we can learn from other countries, to what government and businesses can do. 

Jyoti Sharma

In this talk, founder and CEO of TaraCares, Jyoti Sharma, discusses why the insurmountable public health challenge of menopause affects the total health of the society with females being the prime victim of centuries of dismissal by families, societies, governments and healthcare systems – the very structures that must safeguard female health for its continued survival.

Tristam Hicks

Tristam Hicks speaks about his book 'The War on Dirty Money' which challenges the global approach, arguing that complacency, self-interest and misunderstanding have now created longstanding absurdities.

Seijiro Takeshita

In this masterclass, Dr Seijiro Takeshita discusses the phenomenon 'Karoshi', death from overwork, and its broader implications for employees and society at large.

Andrew Robshaw

Andrew Robshaw discusses Thankonomics which challenges the fundamentals of business and economics by exploring the true meaning of words like value, money and appreciation. We try to create value, money and appreciation every day, spending our lives in organisations trying to increase them. But what do these words really mean?

Previous speakers

Our previous Masterclasses have featured prominent speakers on a wide range of topics, including the craft of leadership, engineering for an urban environment, 'Thankonomics', equality in English football, and life in the aviation industry.

If you're interested in sharing your expertise, then please contact Professor Beatrice D'Ippolito

Masterclass speakers: Nick Waters, Seijiro Takeshita and Andrew Robshaw

Some of our previous Masterclass speakers, include (left to right): Nick Waters, Professor Seijiro Takeshita and Andrew Robshaw.