Shaping the Future

Shaping the Future is a series of open lectures on major public issues held at the University of Exeter. The events feature distinguished speakers presenting their views on issues which will shape our lives, both economically and socially. Shaping the Future is supported by The Met Office.

This year's lectures

Details on this year's Shaping the Future lectures can be found on the 2011/2012 series page, including details of upcoming speakers.

Previous speakers

Shaping the Future has featured lectures from the likes of:

  • Tom Henderson OBE, Founder of ShelterBox
  • Professor Dame Sally C Davies, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health
  • Vincent de Rivaz, CEO, EDF Energy
  • Professor David Blanchflower CBE, PhD, Bruce V.Rauner Professor of Economics at  Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
  • John Hirst, CEO, Met Office
  • Professor Robert Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • Dr Dennis Gillings CBE, Chairman & CEO, Quintiles
  • Professor John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser
  • The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope
  • Dr Richard Ward, CEO, Lloyd’s
  • Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, former Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, current Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge
  • Lord Patten, former Governor of Hong Kong and current Chairman of the BBC Trust
  • Lord Winston, Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, London University, and past Director of NHS Research and Development for Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust
  • David Blunkett, former Home Secretary
  • Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6
  • Professor Amartya Sen, Nobel Prizewinning economist
  • Jonathon Porritt, Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission
  • Lord Hannay of Chiswick GCMG, former UK Ambassador to the UN

Audiences are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds including business leaders and opinion formers from throughout the South West peninsula.

Lectures start at 6.15pm, and are followed by a Q&A session, closing at 7.30pm with refreshments and networking afterwards.

You can find further details regarding previous Shaping the Future lectures in our archive pages:

Registering for events

To register for individual Shaping the Future lectures, please contact Margaret House-Hayes on 01392 725769 or email: events@exeter.ac.uk