Keynote | What Leaders & Executives Need to Know Next: Future Shifts, Future Skills, and… Four Blobs?

The next 10 years will be the most disorienting of your career. They could also become the most impactful. The 2025 Skills Horizon explores what leaders need to know next, and how you can make the most of the decade ahead. We will step you through the five messy shifts shaping our world— including the challenges and opportunities these shifts bring. We will
bring you wisdom and insights drawn from conversations with more than 70 Australian and global leaders and executives, from heads of government to head chefs. We will cover the 36 skills you’ll need to lead through the next decade. And we’ll introduce you to the four Blobs, which are the four key areas of skills convergence. We will, in short, help you stay ready for anything as a leader.

Key Takeaways:

Audiences leave with an understanding of the new skills you need to learn (and the old ones you need to unlearn), the emerging risks and new opportunities for themselves and their organisation, and insights from prominent leaders on how the world is changing. The Skills Horizon is the audience’s dynamic guide to navigating what lies ahead, through learning and upskilling. It will provide you with a strategic lens for prioritising and planning your development and leadership trajectory—along with those of the people in your organisation.

About Sandra

Dr Sandra Peter and Dr Kai Riemer are Co-Directors of Sydney Executive Plus and professors at the University of Sydney Business School. When they aren’t busy wading through data and dashing through airports, they’re speaking with heads of government and head chefs about leading through disruption, they’re upskilling over a thousand executives across 20+ industries in cutting-edge tech, and they’re sharing their insights on the future of work with adoring audiences in boardrooms, ballrooms, and opera houses around the world. Businesses. Governments. Education and defence departments. Sandra’s led strategic initiatives and collaborated on executive programs with a variety of high-profile organisations. Her research expertise is in strategic foresight and the transformative influence of emerging technologies, with a focus on AI. And she’s explored those areas in numerous media formats: as a published author in high-impact journals, in regular commentary and interviews in national and international media, and as the co-host of influential business and technology podcasts.