Investing for Tomorrow

Hosted by The Thinking Ahead Institute

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Sep 2026

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About the show

Welcome to Investing for Tomorrow, the Thinking Ahead Institute's (TAI) podcast channel. The world is transforming at breakneck speed and we're here to talk about what this means for investments. TAI is a global not-for-profit group whose members comprise asset owners, asset managers and other groups motivated to influence the investment industry for the good of savers worldwide.

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September 29, 2026Episode 423 min

Is AI your next thinking partner?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly moving from a productivity tool to a strategic capability for investors. But its true potential may lie in helping investment teams make better decisions, challenge assumptions and consider a broader range of possibilities. In this episode of Investing for Tomorrow , Luba Nikulina , Chief Strategy Officer at IFM Investors, joins Roger Urwin , Co-founder of Thinking Ahead, to explore how AI is reshaping investment decision-making, enhancing collective intelligence and opening up new opportunities for the industry. The conversation also examines the importance of governance, accountability and guardrails, highlighting the risks that must be managed as AI becomes more deeply embedded in investment organisations. From decision quality and organisational redesign to fiduciary responsibility and trust, this discussion offers a balanced perspective on how investors can harness AI's potential while remaining clear-eyed about the challenges ahead.

August 7, 2026Episode 536 min

5. The human edge

What gives someone an edge in a world where expertise is increasingly accessible? In this episode of Investing for Tomorrow , Louisa Minter-Kemp sits down with Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE DL to explore trust, purpose and the future-fit professional. Building on our own work at Thinking Ahead on the Professional 2.0 , the conversation examines what makes people stand out when technology can replicate more of what we do. From authentic leadership and communication to AI, relationships and human judgement, Dawid reflects on the qualities that remain distinctly human and why trust may become one of the most valuable assets of all. Dawid h e started his career in the world of law, training as a barrister before going on to spend 16 years as an investment banker; before leaving that all behind and setting up two firms of his own called Reddington and Mallowstreet for another 20 years . He co-founded the 10,000 Interns Foundation and most recently founded Spellbound , a public speaking programme run in schools, universities and prisons .

June 26, 2026Episode 425 min

4. The Rise of Climate Physical Risk

This episode explores climate physical risk — the floods, heat and extreme weather events already affecting assets, operations and portfolios today. Moving beyond long-term transition narratives, we look at how these risks are showing up in real investment decisions right now, and what it takes to understand and act on them. Through a systems-level investing lens, the conversation unpacks how investors can move from broad climate scenarios to asset-level insight —and ultimately, from analysis to action.

June 12, 2026Episode 421 min

AI series part 4 | Aware Super - Charting AI in the investment industry

In the latest episode of our AI fireside chat series, Louisa Minter-Kemp is joined by Simon Warner , Chief Investment Officer at Aware Super, for a practical conversation on what AI really means for investment organisations today. Speaking from the front line, Simon cuts through the hype to focus on how investors can apply AI in a way that strengthens—not replaces—their core philosophy, decision-making, and competitive edge. Together with Roger Urwin , the discussion explores how asset owners can navigate accelerating change, make better use of data, and rethink organisational effectiveness. It's a grounded, thoughtful take on AI—less about the technology itself, and more about how investors adapt, evolve and make it work in practice.

May 27, 2026Episode 319 min

3. Inside Middle East mega funds

We turn our focus to the Middle East – a region rising up the ranks of global capital despite ongoing tensions. Drawing on our latest Asset Owner 100 research, we explore the Middle East as one of five global asset clusters, where leading sovereign wealth funds are moving beyond silos and thinking more holistically about capital, risk and opportunity. In this episode, Louisa Minter-Kemp chats to Laura Merlini, Managing Director, EMEA who shares fresh insights into how these funds are evolving, what they're investing into and what others can learn from the Gulf's approach.

May 2, 2026Episode 240 min

2. Power, politics and portfolios

Markets like certainty. Geopolitics offers anything but. This episode explores why investors might be getting geopolitical risk wrong, how a shifting world order is changing markets, and what a more adaptive approach to risk could look like. Power shifts, strategic rivalry and the breakdown of the global rules‑based order are reshaping markets in ways that traditional risk frameworks struggle to capture. In this episode of Investing for Tomorrow , Louisa Minter‑Kemp speaks with Alastair Irvine of Jupiter Asset Management about why geopolitics is so hard to price, how recent shocks exposed collective blind spots, and why investors need to think differently about uncertainty. Drawing on decades of experience, the conversation explores mispricing, volatility and the case for a more adaptive, systems‑led approach to risk, what the Thinking Ahead Institute calls Risk 2 . 0 , focused on resilience, long‑term thinking and understanding the world through the eyes of key protagonists. You can explore Alastair's insights via Substack .

April 7, 2026Episode 325 min

AI series part 1 | Dragonfly Investing - Charting AI in the investment industry

At Thinking Ahead, our latest fireside chat series ' Charting AI in the Investment Industry' explores how the investment landscape is evolving as artificial intelligence accelerates at an unprecedented pace. In our latest episode, Roger Urwin , Co-founder of Thinking Ahead, and Sue Brake , Chair of the Board at Dragonfly Thinking and former CIO of Future Fund, sit down with Louisa Minter-Kemp , Communications and Engagement Lead at Thinking Ahead. Sue has spent the past six months building over 60 AI agents in practice, and the conversation is as candid as it is practical. She opens with a striking claim: she would not attempt a Total Portfolio Approach transformation today without AI. Not because it speeds things up, but because AI brings something no human committee member can: no need to belong, no fear of conflict, and no hesitation to point out the problem in the room when everyone else stays quiet. The conversation spans a beliefs agent built to surface the disagreements investment committees avoid, a live systems map that changed how she thinks about risk, and what months of deep AI use does to your instincts. Her closing note is both exciting and sobering: organisations are too fully occupied to free up the people who most need this time, and the window to act is shorter than it looks.

March 25, 2026Episode 136 min

1. The big wealth reset

Kick off the new season of our Investing for Tomorrow podcast with a sharp look at how wealth is transforming. Louisa Minter-Kemp , Communications & Engagement Director at Thinking Ahead sits down with Rio Stedford of St. James's Place (SJP). SJP is the UK's largest wealth manager supported by almost 5,000 advisors across the country. With a front row view of how wealth clients needs are shifting, Rio unpacks those changing client expectations, the rise of private markets and how technology and hyper personalisation are reshaping advice. Listen in for an insightful take on where wealth is heading next. Resources mentioned: Thinking Ahead Institute's Global Wealth Study Thinking Ahead Institute's wealth hub

March 16, 2026Episode 27 min

AI series part 2 | CFA Institute - Charting AI in the investment industry

What does it really mean to combine human intelligence with artificial intelligence in investment decision-making? At Thinking Ahead, our latest fireside chat series ' Charting AI in the Investment Industry' explores how the investment landscape is evolving as artificial intelligence accelerates at an unprecedented pace. In our second episode, Roger Urwin , Co-founder of Thinking Ahead, joins Mona Naqvi , Managing Director of Research, Advocacy, and Standards at CFA Institute, to explore how that combination could transform the investment profession, and why systems thinking is emerging as a core skill for the future amidst this change. Moderated by Louisa Minter-Kemp , Communications and Engagement Lead at Thinking Ahead, the conversation spans the evolution of the Total Portfolio Approach to the shifting definition of human intelligence itself, examining how investors can recalibrate their compass in a world defined by AI, complexity, and structural change.

February 25, 2026Episode 111 min

AI series part 1 | RBC Global Asset Management - Charting AI in the investment industry

At Thinking Ahead, our fireside chat series ' Charting AI in the Investment Industry' explores how the investment landscape is evolving as artificial intelligence accelerates at an unprecedented pace. In this episode, Roger Urwin , Co-founder of the Thinking Ahead Institute, and Jaco van der Walt , Managing Director and Global Head of Quantitative Research & Investments at RBC Asset Management, join moderator Louisa Minter-Kemp , Communications and Engagement Lead at the Thinking Ahead Institute, to unpack how artificial intelligence is being embedded into investment organisations, and why governance, structure and judgement matter more than ever. From AI agents and autonomous analysis to the rise of pi-shaped organisations, Jaco highlights what RBC are focusing on within AI and how leading firms are rethinking decision-making in a world where machines can generate insight at extraordinary speed and scale.