Main Conference Day 1 - Leadership Forum 2025 AgendaTuesday, 18 November 2025 - GMT (Greenwich Mean Time, GMTZ)

Kim Darroch’s opening address will cover two broad areas.

First, as someone who met President Trump more than a dozen times while British Ambassador to the United States, he will talk about what Trump is like, his beliefs, motivations and objectives, how he interacts with other leaders, and why his second term is likely to prove substantially different from his first. He will also cover Trump’s longstanding advocacy of tariffs and the implications of his policies for the global economy.

Second, drawing on his three years as UK National Security Adviser, and his experience of being in meetings with Netanyahu, Putin, and President Xi of China, he will talk about the main international issues and crises of the moment; Gaza, Iran/Israel, Ukraine, the challenge of China. He will offer some predictions on how these crises are likely to develop and what this means for the international risk landscape.

Following a turbulent year of geopolitical tensions, trade wars, market volatility, high profile cyber-attacks and emerging technology risk, hear from CROs and their take on leadership in an era of disruption

From technology failures to environmental disasters, interconnected systems are vulnerable to cascading breakdowns more than ever before. How are global risk leaders navigating business disruption?

How does risk management evolve beyond traditional crisis management toward forward-looking resilience systems that predict disruptions and build competitive edge through strategic foresight?

As AI, quantum computing, and hyperconnectivity transform the digital landscape, cybersecurity must keep pace. This panel explores how to stay ahead of emerging threats—protecting systems, data, and digital trust in an era of relentless change.

We’ll cover:

• New threat vectors in AI, quantum, and interconnected ecosystems
• Securing next-gen digital infrastructure
• Cyber governance and regulatory shifts on the horizon
• Building resilient, adaptable, and trustworthy cyber strategies

Join leading experts in cybersecurity and tech risk to map the path to secure tomorrow’s digital world.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming financial services - fuelling bold innovation while surfacing new, often underestimated risks. From governance blind spots to overstretched risk teams, many institutions are navigating unfamiliar terrain. This panel explores how to embrace AI’s potential without losing grip on trust, resilience, or strategic clarity.

Join leaders from banking, academia, and policy as they explore how to lead confidently through the paradoxes of AI—by shaping risk as a strategic enabler, not just a control function.

The global economy faces turbulence from shifting monetary policies, trade disruptions, and market overconfidence, threatening cash flows and asset values.

How are forward-thinking CROs responding?

The confluence of volatile financial markets, intensifying regulatory scrutiny, and the rapid emergence of AI technologies necessitates a strategic imperative for Credit Process Transformation. This isn't merely an operational upgrade; it's essential to safeguard asset quality and ensure sustained competitiveness.

This discussion will focus on:

• How banks plan to transform and innovate their credit processes to leverage them as strategic and competitive asset: from origination to credit portfolio strategy and management

• Navigating the evolving regulatory landscape by identifying strategies to proactively address and comply with new and emerging regulations (EBA LOM, EU AI Act, BCBS239).

• Exploring the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, agentic AI, and broader automation in areas like credit underwriting, early warning systems, collections, credit risk measurements and in general compliance.

• What are the expectations from financial institutions when approaching strategic investments in risk technologies in an increasingly complex landscape.

How are risk management teams developing integrated governance frameworks that address both cyber and operational vulnerabilities in their vendor ecosystem?

How are we developing next-gen CROs to evolve from risk managers to strategic advisors and digital risk pioneers? What tools do our leaders of tomorrow need in connecting emerging threats to business opportunities through integrated risk frameworks?