Staying Grounded in Crisis.

2nd Annual Conference: June 19, 2025, Paris

Our second annual conference focused on one of the most challenging leadership tests: managing through crisis.

COVID-19 was a central theme, but the conversation expanded beyond it, offering insights on leadership, navigating uncertainty, and building systems that last.

Meet the speakers

  • Juliette Audet

    Chief Business Officer at NewAmsterdam Pharma.

    BREAK-OUT:
    LEADERSHIP WITH OR AGAINST THE TIDE?

  • Rami Kiwan

    Economist, former Head of Policy Strategy, 2020 G20.

    BREAK-OUT:
    STEERING THE CONVERSATION WHEN THE WORLD IS UPSIDE DOWN.

  • Dr. Zareena Mahomed

    Physician, UK National Health Service.

    BREAK-OUT:
    ADAPTING TO CHANGE: LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES FROM THE COVID FRONTLINES.

  • Philippe Testa

    Head of Health and Risk Reduction Department, French Red Cross.

    BREAK-OUT:
    GROWING WITH CRISIS: HOW EMERGENCY RESPONSE SHAPES ORGANISATIONS.

  • Baptiste Raymond

    Founder, Tembo Citizen & Tusker Club.

    METHODOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS:
    WHAT MAKES A LEADERSHIP CULTURE?

  • Susan van Esch

    Head of the MA Degree Programme, Crossover Creativity, University of the Arts Utrecht.

    CLOSING SESSION:
    RADICAL CREATIVITY, A CONSTRUCTIVE COUNTERFORCE IN A POLARISING WORLD.

  • Noureddine Boutayeb

    President, Fondation Marocaine du PréScolaire, former State Minister of Interior, Kingdom of Morocco (2017 – 2021).

    KEYNOTE:
    LEARNINGS FROM COVID-19 RESPONSE & COP22 ORGANISATION.

Top 10 Insights

  • 1. Build credibility before the crisis hits: relationships and trust are your capital.

  • 2. Create your own team: choose competence over hierarchy.

  • 3. Focus only on what matters: with no margin for error, prioritise the essential.

  • 4. Stay in constant communication: reply rapidly to emails and questions.

  • 5. Absorb the stress: shoulder the pressure so your team can stay focused.

  • 6. Leverage your network: collaboration and support are key to adaptation.

  • 7. Decide with incomplete information: you will rarely have the full picture.

  • 8. Think beyond the immediate: plan for resilience, not just survival.

  • 9. Maintain your own stability: know your limits and protect your wellbeing.

  • 10. Embrace creativity not just as a tool, but as a posture: see it as a way of staying grounded and flexible in the face of uncertainty.

A Final Thought

Crisis reveals who we are and what we stand for. Whether it’s building systems resilient to shock, leading through ambiguity, realigning values when organisations shift, or creating space for radical imagination, crisis becomes a mirror for leadership.

Our aim is to make that conversation easier, normalising doubts, surfacing dilemmas, and helping leaders meet the moment with courage and care.