With economic warning signs flashing red, entrenched alliances fragmenting, and technological competition accelerating as the primary arena for power, how do countries and businesses navigate this environment? In this talk, Dr Naylor identifies the major flashpoints and risks in the year ahead, outlines strategies for weathering the coming turbulence, and focuses attention of the opportunities that will present themselves amidst major upheaval.

From AI-generated disinformation to algorithmic bias, technology is reshaping the bedrock of our societies: truth, trust, and politics itself. In this talk, Dr Naylor examines the struggle to control the digital frontier, dissecting how AI, data, and cyber domains are forging a new international order, while also grappling the implications of what technological transformation means for humanity itself. In a world of intelligent machines, who writes the rules? Will these technologies spread power or further concentrate it. How do we secure a future that is not only technologically advanced, but one in which humans can flourish and the planet can be protected?

In a world of fractured global order, corporations are no longer just economic actors- they are geopolitical ones. In this talk Dr Naylor explores how companies must navigate the volatile space between competing national interests, where supply chains are instruments of statecraft and a company’s stance on climate or AI ethics is a definitive strategic consideration. This new reality demands a new core competency: corporate statecraft. How does a company equip itself to effectively navigate an increasingly volatile international domain? As corporate power expands, what responsibilities and opportunities do business leaders have to shape global order, while navigating the complex trade-offs between power, profit, and principles?

For decades, a certain set of rules were considered the inevitable future- free trade, democratic expansion, multilateralism. With this order now in retreat, Dr Naylor examines the profound global shift underway. We will move beyond the headlines to analyze the rise of competing systems, the return of spheres of influence, and the emerging world that will replace the old. Is this a temporary disruption or a fundamental reordering? And what comes next?

In a world of rising geopolitical tensions, the conventional security playbook is no longer sufficient. In this talk Dr. Naylor challenges leaders to make a critical pivot: from a narrow focus on deterrence to building broad partnerships rooted in resilience. He argues that 21st security is less about permanent alliances and more about robust partnerships. Yet, even as global order is rewritten, the fundamentals of diplomacy endure:  clear communication, strategic representation, and steadfast negotiation remain the indispensable bedrock upon which success is built.