Hosted by Leaders of the Future, World in 2050, Diplomatic Courier, Pulledin Production
Leadership is entering one of the most transformative decades in modern history. AI capabilities are accelerating at a pace that challenges institutions and decision-making models across every sector. The old playbook no longer prepares leaders for the realities ahead, and many organizations are now asking the same question: What must leaders understand entering 2026?
Leaders of the Future is hosting its end-of-year global seminar, Future of AI in Business: Leadership Insights for a World in Acceleration, on December 16, 2025, bringing together a powerhouse lineup of executives, strategists, visionaries, and transformation leaders.
Learn more about the Leadership Conversations series →
This two-hour virtual gathering will examine how intelligent systems are reshaping strategy, culture, talent, authorship, sovereignty, and the architecture of work itself, and how leaders can prepare for the opportunities and pressures of the year ahead.
A Global Line-Up of Global Leaders
The seminar features keynote talks and fireside conversations, each designed to offer leaders essential insights and action steps for 2026.
Topics and speakers include:
Ana C. Rold | Entering 2026: The New Realities Redefining Business and Leadership
Ana opens the seminar with a global systems-level view of the geopolitical, technological, and organizational forces reshaping leadership conditions in 2026. She examines AI acceleration, power structures, digital sovereignty, and the new demands facing leaders in high-velocity environments.
Rika Nakazawa | From Artificial to Organic Intelligence: Reimagining Possibilities with 2 Billion-Year-Old “Code”
Rika introduces a fresh perspective on innovation through her PhD research in organic intelligence. She explores how AI and quantum science can help decode nature’s adaptive systems to inspire more resilient, sustainable industrial design.
Amy Peck & Tarja Stephens | Building Parallel Paths: How Leaders Reinvent Operations While Designing the Future
In this fireside conversation, Amy and Tarja examine how leaders can strengthen today’s operations while preparing for radically different future systems. They introduce “parallel paths” as a leadership model for running the present while building for long-term competitiveness.
Aman Merchant | Beyond AI Readiness: The Human Operating System Leaders Must Upgrade for 2026
Aman explores an overlooked truth: leaders were overstretched long before AI, and acceleration has now turned this strain into a systemic leadership challenge. His talk reframes readiness through three capacities, awareness, energy, adaptability, and introduces Discovery Teams as a tool for 2026 transformation cycles.
Nikos Acuña & Johanna Söderström | The Human Side of AI Transformation: People, Talent, and the New Rules of Work
Nikos and Johanna bring together the dual lens of advanced AI systems and enterprise-scale HR leadership. They explore how authorship, capability, and professional sovereignty evolve as intelligent systems enter workforce structures, and how leaders can guide their people through transformation with trust and clarity.
Tarja Stephens | Digital Counterparts at Work: The Next Era of Professional Intelligence
Tarja examines the rise of digital counterparts, intelligent extensions of a professional’s work and capabilities, and what their entry into the workforce could mean for individuals, organizations, and the global economy. She highlights questions of authorship, identity, sovereignty, and the future architecture of work.
Ana C. Rold & Dr. Moira Gilchrist | How to Lead the Conversation in the Age of AI
In the closing fireside chat, Ana and Moira explore how, in the age of AI, leaders can guide meaningful dialogue by challenging outdated assumptions, encouraging openness to new possibilities, and setting a confident tone for progress. They will examine how to leverage the power of AI and craft conversations that build trust, inspire confidence, and move industries forward in a fast-paced, evolving landscape.
A Global Network in Motion
Leaders from across industries and continents are joining this end-of-year gathering, a shared space to reflect on the lessons of 2025 and prepare for the new realities shaping 2026. The seminar reflects the guiding vision of Leaders of the Future: a global community of executives, thinkers, AI pioneers, and system shapers committed to navigating exponential change and sharing the action steps leaders can take to prepare for what comes next.
Each talk and conversations is designed to be short and highly relevant for today’s leaders, offering practical tools they can apply immediately.
Event Snapshot
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Time: 12:00–2:00 PM EST
Format: Virtual | Live | Recorded
Hosted by Leaders of the Future, co-hosted by Tarja Stephens, Ana C. Rold, and Anne-Marie Enns, in partnership with Diplomatic Courier, World in 2050, Pulledin Productions.
About Leaders of the Future
Leaders of the Future is a global leadership initiative at the forefront of AI, human potential, and system-level transformation. We bring together visionary minds, deep thinkers, and executives shaping the next era of leadership, connecting across sectors and continents to elevate collective intelligence and prepare for an accelerating world.
We are honored to welcome you to this end-of-year seminar and global connection as we prepare for 2026 together.
