Investing for Tomorrow

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

From geopolitical uncertainty to climate risk, technological disruption to shifting workplace expectations, today's leaders are operating in a world that looks nothing like the one they entered. The demands are higher, the context more complex, and the need for clarity, empathy and long-term thinking has never been greater.
In this episode, we explore how leadership is being redefined, not in theory, but in lived experience.
What does it mean to lead with purpose? How do leaders stay grounded amid complexity? And what does the next era of leadership require from all of us, inside and outside the workplace?
Joined by three industry leaders — Kirshni Totaram Global Head of Institutional Business, Coronation Fund Managers, Yolanda Blanch Chairperson, Pensions Caixa 30 (PC30) and Diya Luke, Global Head of Investments, WTW — we explore the principles, practices and perspectives shaping leadership today.

Resources mentioned:
Toolkit: Spotlight on Superteams
Research paper: Culture – the organisational superpower
Book: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel Pink
Book: The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organisation – Peter Senge
Book: Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things – Adam Grant
Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
Book: Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement – Daniel Kahneman et al.
Book: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking – Susan Cain
Explainer: Theory U – Otto Scharmer
Article: Understand team effectiveness – Google

Defined contribution (DC) pensions have overtaken defined benefit schemes globally, marking a fundamental shift in how societies save for retirement. But while the model has grown in scale and sophistication, a central challenge remains: how can DC systems deliver reliable income for life? 

In this episode, we explore the evolving world of DC pensions — from technology and private markets to sustainability, systemic risk, scale, and member outcomes. Joined by Tim Hodgson, Co-founder, Thinking Ahead Institute, and Jelena Croad, Head of LifeSight, WTW, we unpack insights from Thinking Ahead's Global DC Peer Study and discuss how leading providers are responding to growing pressures and opportunities. 
Resources mentioned:
Study: Global DC Peer Study
Investment insight: Data 'slop' and disinformation emerge as systemic risks for investors

In this episode we explore the future of wealth management at a time of profound demographic and cultural change. 

Joined by Andrea Caloisi, Associate Director, Thinking Ahead Institute, and Ellie Lloyd Jones, Director, WTW Investments and Strategic Development Support, atomos wealth, we unpack the findings of Thinking Ahead's new Global Wealth Study and the implications for an industry in transition. 

We discuss the "Great Wealth Avalanche" and how this shift is already reshaping client expectations. We also examine the role of technology and AI in lowering barriers to advice, the growing demand for ESG-integrated products, and why wealth management may increasingly look like wealth care: a model built around financial wellbeing as much as financial returns. 
Resources mentioned:
TAI Global Wealth Study
TV series: Succession

Risk 2.0 isn't just a theory—it's changing how risk is measured, analysed, and managed in real time.

In part one of our Risk 2.0 series, we explored the concept as a more adaptive approach to risk—one that accounts for uncertainty, resilience, and long-term thinking. 

In part two, we turn to practice. Investors are applying new tools, new data, and new thinking to navigate today's more complex landscape. From forward-looking indicators to options-based hedging, the focus shifts from philosophy to application.

Joined by Benedek Voros, Director of Index Investment Strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices, and Mandy Xu, Head of Derivatives Market Intelligence at Cboe Global Markets, we unpack the relevance of volatility dashboards, the growing role of dispersion, the breakdown in traditional correlations, and the tools enabling more precise, flexible risk management.