2024 AESC Global Conference - London

As The Corporate Philosopher, I’ve worked closely with CEOs, their leadership teams, and colleagues to navigate multi-billion-dollar ethical challenges and opportunities. Each experience has been a story of reflection, learning and commitment to change for good.

Using AI Responsibly

In 2023, OLIVER, a global in-house marketing agency, asked me to help their employees explore the ethics of using generative AI in the right way. Rob Goddard, Director of Technology Solutions, reflected, “Roger facilitated an extremely well thought out and structured workshops on Ethics in AI and provided us with great insight and future thinking, provoking great interaction and feedback from our staff to set us up to think about how we can leverage AI responsibly and for the greater good”.

Since then, co-designer Pavlos Stampoulides and I have begun a research project to explore how ChatGPT, Genesis, Claude, and other AI chatbots complete our 200,000-user MoralDNA ethics profile. So far, every chatbot has deviated significantly from human moral values and reasoning, with a significant bias towards a simplistic rules-based response, devoid of any compassion. In 2024, we plan to share this emerging research not only with the developers of these chatbots but also with AI safety groups and with end-users.

Partnerships with Visionaries

In 2007, I embarked on an inspiring journey with CEO Joe Garner at HSBC, followed by collaborations at Openreach in 2012 and Nationwide Building Society in 2016. Our focus was on building a culture of social purpose and shared ethical values. Together, we worked with every leader and team on the art of making good decisions and doing the right thing. Reflecting on our journey in 2023, Joe penned a heartfelt reference, acknowledging, “Roger is brilliant in his field and thinks very differently from most. He can add massive value to individuals and organisations.”

Building a Fairer Society

In 2021, I was asked to work with the Prime Minister’s office for a national government to understand which ethical values help build a better, fairer society. We reviewed insights from anthropology, psychology and moral philosophy and identified Integrity, Humanity, Justice, Wisdom, Courage, Temperance, and Resilience as the foundations for a fairer and sustainable society. Whilst this work will always be a “work in progress”, for a national leader to ask this question is quite remarkable.

Karen Greenbaum is CEO of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), the global association representing the nearly $20b profession worldwide. AESC is dedicated to strengthening leadership worldwide. AESC’s rigorous Code of Professional Practice guides its members, spanning 1,400+ offices in 70+ countries and beyond, to serve as strategic advisors on behalf of their clients. AESC Members are best positioned to provide companies with a competitive advantage—the ability to find, attract and develop the best talent in the world and ensure that executives are successfully integrated.

Ms. Greenbaum is an experienced business leader having served as the President and COO for the $1 billion US business of Mercer Consulting/MMC, a Fortune 200 company and later as COO for Nixon Peabody LLP a nearly $500 million global 100 law firm. She also served as an executive search consultant and partner before being selected as President and CEO of AESC.

Ms. Greenbaum is committed to diverse leadership, representing AESC as an official member of the 30% Club, a global group of Chairs and CEOs committed to board diversity and The Committee of 200, a global non-profit focused on advancing women in business. AESC recognizes that diversity is a business imperative. As trusted advisors to those companies that drive economies, lead innovation, and compete across vital sectors and geographies, AESC members know first-hand the power of diverse corporate leadership.

Director, Business Intelligence at Coulter Partners, a board and senior level executive search and leadership development specialist, working at the intersection of Science, Health and Technology. Neha heads up a global team, responsible for the provision of industry insight and market intelligence to support the company in better understanding client needs and sector trends. She also works closely with the senior team on organisational strategy, business development and operational services. She is passionate about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion topics, driving internal and external D, E, & I efforts; she has been a member of the Association of Executive Search Consultancies EMEA IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access) Council since February 2021.

Neha joined Coulter Partners in 2016 after a 14-year tenure at international executive search firm, Russell Reynolds Associates. She brings a deep understanding of the global executive search industry and has worked in several sectors including Technology, Life Sciences and Not-for-Profit.

Neha holds a BA (Hons.) from University College London and a Postgraduate in International Business from the London School of Economics.

Ineke is Founding partner with Hoffman, based in brussels.
The company has over 30 years of experience and serves successfully large international companies, small and medium size family-owned businesses, private equity-backed companies in the following areas : Executive Search, Executive Interim Management and Board assessments.
Hoffman has joined forces recently with High Tech partners, a European Search Consultancy Group, headquartered in Brussels.
Together they formed a new international group, Hoffman Talent Partners, offering a borderless customer-centric approach.

Ineke is a Dutch national and living in brussels for more than 40 years. Ineke has been active in the Executive Search industry for more than 30 years. Her areas of expertise lie in the following areas: Technology, Digital and Innovation, Media, Entertainment and Sports, EU and global associations and technology drive start-and scale-ups.

She held a Board Mandate with AESC during 6 years, from 2014 till 2020.

Ineke has two daughters of 28 and 24 years old.

Dimitris has a solid foundation in Management Consulting, having held several managerial roles and led projects in Corporate and Project Finance, Debt Restructuring, Corporate Re-organization, and Business Development. His broad experience spans multiple sectors, equipping him with a deep understanding of various business models and key value drivers. He holds a degree in Economics and an MSc in Economic and Business Strategy from the University of Piraeus, Greece.

In 2016, Dimitris joined AIMS International Hellas as a Partner, where he quickly became a key figure. In June 2018, he was elected to the Executive Board of AIMS International, overseeing Eastern Europe and Eurasia. His leadership continued to expand as he took on the role of Executive VP for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) in 2021. In June 2022, during AIMS International’s AGM in Madrid, he was elected as the Global President of AIMS International, a role he continues to serve alongside his local duties as Managing Partner of AIMS International Hellas.

Dimitris is a prominent member of the Financial and Professional Services Global Practice and the Industrial Global Practice of AIMS International. His key strength lies in his ability to swiftly understand the business needs of his clients, offering bespoke, value-adding solutions that drive their success.

Beyond his leadership roles, Dimitris is committed to fostering high standards of business ethics and operational excellence within the organization. He is fluent in both Greek and English, further enhancing his ability to work seamlessly with clients across regions and industries.

Tim has been a professional services advisor and business leader for the past 30 years. He founded Sheffield Haworth in 1993 and is responsible for chairing the Board and group strategy. Tim plays an active role with client relationships and industry bodies, advising chairs, chief executives, boards, executive committees, and human resource directors on their senior talent challenges, working with a diverse range of organizations.

Tim sits on the Board of Directors of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) and Chairs the Council for Europe and Africa. He is also a board trustee of Spinal Muscular Atrophy UK, a national charity, and participates in supporting disabled sports bodies.

Samia is leading the Generative AI Service Line in Atos and Co-leading the AI & Data domain within the Atos Research Community (ARC). She previously led Atos' AI Lab in France, Atos' Corporate Innovation Center, as well as the Client Advisory Group for France and thr Growing Markets. Samia has over 10 years experience in digital transformation consulting and a passion for innovation and artificial intelligence.

She is committed to fostering co-innovation and cultivating strong client relationships, always ensuring that the customer remains at the heart of the design and development process. Her goal is to harness the transformative power of GenAI to improve human-machine collaboration, create seamless experiences and drive impactful innovations.