One Question Annual Conversation, 2025

In times of economic uncertainty, political change, cultural shifts, and increasing polarisation, new models of leadership have never felt more urgent or more difficult.

On October 8th, 2025, our annual conversation returns for its seventh edition, asking One Question:

“How do we lead through uncertainty?”

At a time of widespread instability, how do we create opportunity? Is uncertainty the perfect condition for growth, and if so, what does growth really look like today? How do our values shape the decisions we make? And what kind of leadership builds businesses and societies that are both sustainable and profitable?

Hosted at The Lavery, Kensington, London, we’ll bring together our community of business leaders, academics, artists, authors, activists, and politicians for a series of conversations exploring One Question from different perspectives.

The conversation begins with leadership today, how we lead, how we communicate, and how we build trust from different perspectives. Our following theme for the conversation is infrastructure and strategy, including perspectives on policy, power, and risk mitigation. And finally, we close the conversation to explore the tools that shape change: technology, optimism, and the cultural cues that drive new relationships and new opportunities.

Sarah is joined by Simon Rogerson, CEO of Octopus Group, to open the conversation on what it means to lead with genuine values, and how this shapes our behaviour and that of our organisations. From there, we’ll hear Mathu Jeyaloganathan, Chief Investment Officer of Camden Council’s Wealth Fund, on investing in community as a way to mitigate risk; Sarada Peri, former speechwriter to President Obama, on acting on the trust we communicate; Stephanie Ankrah of Nike on finding opportunity in uncertainty; and many more voices, each bringing their perspective to answer One Question in conversation.

The conversation concludes with Sarah Parsonage, CEO of Fleishman Hillard, Marshall Manson and Melissa Limani, 3rd year LSE Law Student, distilling the Many Answers from throughout the day, followed by a drinks reception inviting you to reflect on the question and continue the conversation over drinks.

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Following the conversation, we publish our annual critical thinking, reflecting on the conversation and enabling our community to develop their own answers on how we lead through uncertainty in 2026 and beyond.

One Question begins at 10 am on the 8th October, and conversations are held under the Chatham House Rule.

To find out more about our annual conversation or about membership, please send us an email. 

“One Question in one word. Necessary.” 

Rankin, Fashion Photographer