October 2024
Jeremy King
Restaurateur
Hard Hat Tour of Simpson's in the Strand
Simpson’s in the Strand first opened its doors in 1828. In Spring 2025, just a few years short of its 200th anniversary, the consummate restaurateur Jeremy King will relaunch this legendary restaurant. The revitalised Simpson’s will encompass two dining rooms – the Grand Divan and the Green Room; two bars – Simpson’s Bar and Nellie’s; and a private ballroom seating 100 – the Assembly Room. We are delighted that Jeremy has invited us for an exclusive tour of the premises ahead of the refurbishment.
September 2024
The Park, with Jeremy King
Join us for breakfast with legendary restaurateur, Jeremy King, co-creator of London’s most iconic restaurants – Arlington (opened 2024), Le Caprice (opened 1981), The Ivy (1990), J Sheekey (1998), The Wolseley, The Delaney, Zedel, Colbert and Soutine – at his new restaurant, The Park, a New World, Grand Café, overlooking Kensington Gardens.
February 2024
Arlington
The return of an iconic restaurant
Join us for breakfast with legendary restaurateur, Jeremy King, co-creator of London’s most iconic restaurants – Le Caprice (opened 1981), The Ivy (1990), J Sheekey (1998), The Wolseley, The Delaney, Zedel, Colbert and Soutine – at his new restaurant, Arlington, on the site of the old Le Caprice. We will be reliving the magic of this unique space which comes alive again with the same style and glamour of the days when one rubbed shoulders with everyone from Princess Diana to Lucian Freud.
March 2024
Tom Athron
CEO of Fortum & Mason
Fortnum's - the home of extraordinary food and drink
Tom is quietly leading the reinvention of Fortnum’s, British retail institution and grocer to the Royal Family since 1707, into a modern, relevant, forward-looking luxury brand centred on extraordinary food and drink. Over breakfast in the innovative Food and Drink Studio on the newly revamped 3rd Floor, Tom will join us to talk about what it takes to transform a heritage brand and put it squarely at the heart of London’s thriving food scene.
December 2023
September 2023
Shobi Khan
CEO Canary Wharf Group
Canary Wharf: Transformation into a mixed-use neighbourhood
An exclusive, behind the scenes, tour of Canary Wharf, starting in the model room which provides a bird’s eye view of the entire estate. We will learn about their partnership with the Eden Project as well as the development pipeline, including Europe’s largest laboratory building. Breakfast will be at Level 39, one of London’s leading tech incubators, followed by an optional tour of the estate.
January 2023
Giuseppe Lavazza
Vice Chair and Director of Luigi Lavazza S.p.A
Breakfast at Lavazza's new flagship store
So much more than a coffee shop, Lavazza’s Flagship store welcomes us to the world of great Italian coffee, to be enjoyed in all its different forms, with Giuseppe Lavazza taking us on a journey from bean to cup and immersing us in the very best of Italian design and gastronomy.
October 2022
March 2022
September 2021
Jane Sun
Chief Executive Officer and Director of Trip.com Group Limited
The Global Travel Industry
As CEO of the largest online travel agency in China and one of the most respected female CEOs globally, few people are better placed to discuss the future of travel, both domestically and internationally.
March 2021
Paul Krugman meets Richard Layard
Can We Be Happier?, in collaboration with How to Academy
Paul and Richard will unveil concrete proposals for how we can each work to transform society, creating a culture that values and improves happiness for all. We hear from two of the most influential figures in contemporary political and economic thought, and discover a social movement promising to powerfully challenge our common assumptions and prejudices, injecting a note of rational optimism into our turbulent age.
Shai Weiss
CEO of Virgin Atlantic Ltd
The future of travel
Following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy, Shai led Virgin Atlantic through the crisis and delivered the privately funded, solvent recapitalisation of the airline and holiday business in September 2020. With the Covid-19 crisis continuing, Shai will be talking to John Arlidge about resilience and the future of the travel industry.
November 2020
Ian Schrager
Founder & Chairman of the Ian Schrager Company
Will we ever travel again? The future of the hospitality industry.
Will we ever go out again? Or go on holiday? What will the travel and hospitality industry look like in future? Ian Schrager, the man who made disco rock at Studio 54 and then went on to create the ’boutique’ or ‘style’ hotel, tells John Arlidge.
September 2020
Noreena Hertz
Best selling author and broadcaster
The Lonely Century: Coming Together in a World that's Pulling Apart
How will today’s loneliness crisis impact the upcoming US election? How can you make your staff feel connected to each other in the age of remote working? Why does AI risk making us feel even more lonely? What is the Loneliness Economy and why is it such a significant trend? Why are your children the loneliest generation in history? How can we come together again in a world that is so divided and fractured?
Even before a global pandemic introduced us to terms like social distancing, loneliness was well on its way to becoming the defining condition of the 21st century. Noreena joins us on the day before her book ‘The Lonely Century’ is published to discuss all this and more.
Deepak Chopra, MD
Author and Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health
Total Meditation: Practices in Living the Awakened Life
In uncertain times like these, it can feel like our lives are spinning entirely out of our control. The resulting stress can be truly debilitating, emotionally and physically. Indeed, we are experiencing a pandemic of anxiety and insecurity.
To help guide us through this, Dr Chopra will join us in a very special session. During this conversation, Dr Chopra will discuss how to escape the ‘matrix of fear’, how to become better leaders in times of crises, where to find your own self-control and security and why COVID-19 points the way toward a better future for all of us.
October 2020
Alain de Botton
Author
School of Life: An Emotional Education
April 2019
Erling Kagge
on Walking
Erling Kagge is a Norwegian explorer who was the first in history to reach the ‘three poles’ – North, South and the summit of Everest. In 1993 he became the first person ever to walk alone to the South Pole.
His first book, Silence, was published in 37 languages. His latest book is a breathtakingly beautiful, quietly life-changing celebration of walking.
Based in Norway, Erling searches for moments of silence amongst noisy family life and works as a writer and publisher. He is also an avid art collector.