The Midtown Big Ideas Exchange

THE MIDTOWN BIG IDEAS EXCHANGE, 21 OCTOBER 2015 TO 25 APRIL 2016

Margaret Mountford and Sir Ranulph Fiennes to lead Midtown debate series on the future of business and the nature of leadership

Margaret Mountford, the Apprentice mentor, lawyer and businesswoman, and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the intrepid adventurer and author, will lead an illustrious line-up of speakers in the return of one of London’s most innovative series of debates: the Midtown Big Ideas Exchange.

The series launches at the British Museum on 21 October with Mountford giving the opening address and leading an interactive Q&A at a debate on ‘The Future of Business, Philosophy and the Wisdom of Cities’. Other thought-provoking topics in the six-month programme include resilience and communication in the workplace, employee value versus company profit and balancing millennial workers with modern business strategy.

The Midtown Big Ideas Exchange is an innovative initiative launched by inmidtown, which represents more than 300 businesses in Bloomsbury, Holborn and St Giles, in collaboration with The School of Life. It brings together members of Midtown’s eclectic and dynamic business community for debate, discussion and networking and is the only initiative of its kind in London, returning for a second time after a successful inaugural series last year.

Senior figures from some of Midtown’s businesses including Google, Yahoo and Mishcon de Reya will join the panels for each debate in the 12-part series, all of which will be hosted by fellow businesses in the area including Hoxton and Mitsubishi Corp.

The series will come to a climactic close in spring next year when Sir Ranulph Fiennes hosts an event on ‘History’s greatest imperfect leaders’ (25 April 2015).

Each debate promises a fresh and engaging look at the issues faced by London’s changing workplace. Other high-profile speakers joining the discussions include Saira Khan, the Apprentice contestant; Martha Fiennes, the director; Emma Woolf, the author and great-niece of Virginia Woolf; Brian Kilkelly, CEO of World Cities Network; and James Anderson , 17 year old entrepreneur and founder of space lounges and thinkspace.

Tass Mavrogordato, CEO of inmidtown, says: “Midtown is a prestigious, vibrant and sought-after commercial centre where you’ll find London’s best businesses. It’s a clear destination of choice that contributes heavily to London’s ongoing development as a thriving commercial city. The Midtown Big Ideas Exchange celebrates the first-class knowledge and household brand names that are now synonymous with the area; each debate will provide Londoners and Midtowners with a unique opportunity to debate and learn from some of the capital’s most forward-thinking leaders and innovators.”

Margaret Mountford says: “³Working as a lawyer in a major City firm with multinational clients
taught me the importance of understanding future business trends before they happen. It helps you to stay competitive on the global stage and that¹s something London needs to do. I look forward to hearing how Londoners feel about their future business prospects.²

Eighteen Midtown businesses are participating in the series, namely AECOM, British Museum, Farrer & Co, Google, Grange Hotels, Hoxton, Mindshare, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mishcon de Reya, Metro Bank, NBA, RP Architectures, Sodexo, The Moment, Thames & Hudson, Weve and Yahoo.

The Midtown Big Ideas Exchange runs from 21 October 2015 to 25 April 2016 and all Londoners are invited to attend. Tickets for the 12 events in the series are now available.