Economics Conferences

Our Sixth Form students attended two fascinating virtual conferences this term.

Firstly, Business and Economics A Level students engaged in a virtual conference during which they were able to ask the speakers questions. The panel included Geoff Cooper, the former CEO of Travis Perkins, who spoke about what makes a business successful. Rudy Rudran, CEO of Batra Group, spoke about what makes a good CEO, and John Holland-Kaye, CEO of Heathrow Airport, spoke about how to run a large corporation successfully. Students also heard from Emma Blakey, Vice President of Private Credit at Alcentra, with a very engaging and practical talk on how to get on in finance. It was really interesting to hear all of the speakers emphasising the importance of Business culture in attracting and retaining high calibre staff, and the vital role it plays in ensuring success. Other big themes running through the talks were the value of diversity in firms and a genuine focus on sustainability. All in all, some thought provoking talks and a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear their classroom theory put into practice.

During the second conference of the term, students listened to an impressive and inspiring line-up of speakers addressing some very topical and relevant issues, with a focus on economics and politics. Fellow in Economics at Magdalen College, Oxford (photographed), Dr Jennifer Castle spoke about ‘Economics forecasting: a fool’s errand.’ Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for fiscal Studies, spoke about current fiscal policy surrounding Government spending and tax rates. Dr Christopher Bowdler, Fellow in Economics at Oriel College, Oxford spoke about the use of monetary policy by central banks to promote economic recovery in the aftermath of recessions. Founder and CEO of macroeconomic think tank Blondemoney, Helen Thomas gave a very down to earth and much anticipated talk on ‘Did Liz Truss break the UK economy and what does it mean for growth?’

These events are great examples of the opportunities in Sixth Form at Langley.