Europe is entering a defining delivery decade. As influence shifts across geopolitics, technology and capital, the challenge is no longer vision - it is execution. From defence and energy to industrial renewal and AI governance, the choices made now will shape the frameworks followed around the world.
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The inaugural Reuters NEXT Europe hosted 300 global leaders at the intersection of policy, markets and industry to navigate rising pressures, tighter constraints and more consequential trade-offs. As growth remains uneven, confidence fragile and technology accelerates change, leaders explored acting with clarity in a system being reshaped in real time.
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Powered by Reuters’ award-winning global newsroom, the summit delivered trusted, decision-grade intelligence across geopolitics, markets, technology and society - making sense of how influence is shifting across systems and borders to build one strategic picture of Europe and the wider world.
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This is where Europe moves from intent to delivery - and sets the pace for what comes next.
Group CEOs, enterprise CFOs and Chief Risk Officers, fintech innovators and regulators operating at the intersection of stability and transformation. This community is navigating regulatory complexity, managing systemic risk and enabling capital flows in a more fragmented and scrutinised financial system.
Europe's bid to lead in ethical, trustworthy AI is shifting from vision to implementation, amid intense global competition, limited access to frontier compute, and uneven scale-up funding. As the EU AI Act rolls out in phases, policymakers and tech leaders must turn compliance into a competitive edge while balancing safety with speed, and sovereignty with scale. How can Europe close the innovation gap, build resilient digital infrastructure and unlock the talent needed to lead?
Building a better world demands that we re-evaluate our understanding of business, policy, and society today. Co-curated with Reuters’ award-winning newsroom, NEXT Europe gave global leaders, innovators and CEOs the opportunity to think differently about the defining challenges facing business, society and the world at large.
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Critical challenges were tackled on our World Stage in a series of interviews and diverse panel discussions, live broadcast to millions worldwide.
Attendees engaged in a dynamic, structured debate where leading voices went head-to-head on The key to security in Europe is AI. We heard compelling arguments from Microsoft, NATO, the European Commission and others - assumptions were challenged, perspectives tested, and attendees gained a more nuanced view through rigorous, peer-led exchange.
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Other off-stage discussions included a practical skill-building workshop on resilience for executive leadership, hosted by RADA Business, and private leadership roundtables hosted by Reuters journalists on Europe’s energy transition and portfolio allocation.
Ample networking opportunities were hosted at Reuters NEXT Europe with finance & AI mixers, 1:1 meeting services and an evening drinks reception. Attendees recharged with a curated selection of smoothies served at the NEXT BlendHealth Bar, and refreshed their professional profiles with the NEXT Headshot Lounge.
Global investment is entering a more uncertain era, as growth slows, industrial competition intensifies and the balance of economic influence shifts. As head of the European Union's lending arm, Calviño discusses how public capital can shape investment flows, strengthen resilience and accelerate Europe’s capacity to deliver long-term growth and security.
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European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño
Moderator: Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
As global consumer priorities evolve and pressure builds across supply chains, regulation and public health expectations, brands are competing not just on products but on trust and relevance. Licht discusses what it takes to scale responsibly in an increasingly complex landscape where influence is always shifting between companies, consumers and regulators.
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Reckitt Chief Executive Officer Kris Licht
Moderator: Reuters Chief Companies Correspondent Alexander Marrow
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This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
Telecoms is entering a defining new phase, as operators race to invest in next-generation networks, capture the opportunities of AI and digital services, and navigate tougher competition and regulatory scrutiny – all while control over connectivity becomes a source of strategic influence. Della Valle discusses the outlook for connectivity, consolidation, investment - and the role telecoms will play in shaping the foundations of Europe’s digital economy.
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Vodafone Group Chief Executive Margherita Della Valle
Moderator: Reuters Senior Correspondent Paul Sandle
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
Persistent disruption, from geopolitical shocks to technological acceleration, is exposing the limits of legacy supply chain models. Resilient logistics solutions require digitally enabled intelligent operations, AI-literacy and upskilling, as well as scalable operating models. What are the risks and benefits of investment in these areas, and how will flexible models absorb future shocks?
GXO Chief Technology Officer Nizar Trigui
Moderator: Event Moderator Fionnuala Sweeney
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This session is in partnership with GXO.
One of the world's most iconic diamond companies is reinventing itself amid shifting consumer expectations, new technologies, and mounting ESG scrutiny – as influence shifts across generations, values and supply chains. From provenance and lab-grown competition to partnerships in producer countries, we explore what it takes to protect brand value and trust in a market where relevance, transparency and ethics increasingly define competition advantage.
De Beers Group Chief Executive Officer Al Cook
Moderator: Reuters EMEA Mining Correspondent Clara Denina
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
As Europe’s population ages and dependency ratios rise, mounting pressure on public finances is narrowing fiscal space – reshaping how capital is allocated and risk is shared. Scaling energy transition investment will require greater reliance on both private capital and policy reform. Long-term savings, in public and private systems, will be a stabilising force, but face growing scrutiny on returns, risk and allocation. We discuss how stewards of long-duration capital reconcile intergenerational fairness with capital discipline, how sustainability, security and performance converge – and which trade-offs are becoming acceptable in financing Europe’s transition.
Zurich Insurance Chief Executive Officer, Life, Health, & Bank Distribution, Alison Martin
Natixis Wealth Management Chief Investment Officer Benoît Peloille
Moderator: Reuters Correspondent Yoruk Bahceli
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This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
In a pivotal moment for Europe’s security and global alliances, President Zelenskiy joins Reuters NEXT live from the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains to assess the state of the war and the durability of Western support. Speaking from the frontlines of diplomacy, the president will outline what Ukraine needs next - and what’s at stake if unity falters.
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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Moderator: Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni
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This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
Reuters senior editors and correspondents discuss how we are covering the Russa/Ukraine war and whether an end to the conflict is in sight. We look at the broader challenges for European security and how the region is facing up to the prospect of taking on more responsibility for its own defence from the United States.
Reuters Russia and CIS Bureau Chief Guy Faulconbridge
Reuters European Security Correspondent Lili Bayer
Reuters Reuters Central & Eastern Europe Security Correspondent Thomas Balmforth
Moderator: Reuters Europe Editor Rachel Armstrong
The eurozone economy is navigating a delicate phase, as policymakers balance slowing inflation, uneven growth, persistent global uncertainty and fragile confidence. As policy choices in Europe ripple across global markets and capital flows, Lane discusses the ECB’s approach to monetary policy, the outlook for prices and demand, and the challenges ahead.
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European Central Bank Member of the Executive Board Philip R. Lane
Moderator: Reuters ECB Chief Correspondent Balazs Koranyi
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
Consumer goods brands are navigating a profound reset, facing the most demanding and unpredictable consumer in recent memory as cultural influence shifts and new generations redefine value. Inflation, trade tensions and volatile markets are testing supply chains and pricing models, turning brand strategy into a series of high-stakes decisions, often made with incomplete information. How do companies reinforce brand strength and deepen consumer loyalty when certainty is limited and trade-offs are everywhere?
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Carlsberg Breweries Chief Financial Officer Ulrica Fearn
Event Moderator: Reuters European Retail Correspondent Helen Reid
This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
How do destinations create the balance between driving the visitor economy, offering compelling investor packages, and avoiding overtourism – as influence shifts between governments, investors and increasingly discerning travellers?
The Royal Commission for AlUla Chief Tourism Officer Phillip Jones
Event Moderator Fionnuala Sweeney
This is session is in partnership with the Royal Commission for Al Ula.
A decade after Britain voted to leave the European Union the debate around reversing it has re-ignited. Transatlantic tensions and the battle over No. 10 have put Brexit back under a spotlight. But is rejoining the EU even possible and what was the actual cost of leaving in the first place? Join vodcast host Carmel Crimmins and senior editors in London for a live recording of Reuters Econ World.
Reuters Europe Editor Rachel Armstrong
Reuters UK Bureau Chief Kate Holton
Moderator: Reuters Econ World Podcast Host Carmel Crimmins
The EU’s mobilisation of €200 billion for AI factories, data spaces, and skills-building will spur wide-scale adoption. But competitiveness will be decided by execution: what ships, what scales and what becomes trusted. A focus on the physical and intellectual AI-infrastructure will naturally advance AI-powered fintech solutions, cybersecurity approaches, and decision-making capabilities, while raising hard choices on sovereignty standards and speed. Which solutions are ahead of the curve, and how can they contribute toward a competitive Europe? How might private capital complement investment across industries?
LSEG Group Head of Workflows Nej D'Jelal
Rolls-Royce Group Chief Digital Information Officer Kaveh Pourteymour
Moderator: IMD World Competitiveness Center Director & Professor Arturo Bris
This session is in partnership with LSEG.
As artificial intelligence reshapes how music is created, discovered and monetised, what does that mean for artists, rights holders and audiences, and for where influence sits in the creative economy? Industry power players explore how generative tools are changing the creative process, and the opportunities and risks for labels and platforms as regulators, platforms and creators define the rules of engagement in real time. We examine the emerging models for rights, revenue and attribution, and what responsible innovation looks like when algorithms can compose and personalise music at scale.
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Warner Music Group Executive Vice President & Chief Digital Officer Carletta Higginson
IFPI Chief Executive Officer Victoria Oakley
Artist Included Creative Director Boy George
Moderator: Reuters Correspondent Andy Bruce
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This session is hosted by a Reuters journalist under the Trust Principles.
Is AI supporting or harming Europe in its quest to be secure, competitive and sovereign? In this Chatham House Oxford-style debate, participants will argue how AI does or does not support European defence in response to increasing threats, geopolitical tensions, and private sector growth.
Microsoft Senior Director, Cybersecurity Policy & Diplomacy, Kaja Ciglic
Zurich Insurance Chief Executive Officer, Life, Health, & Bank Distribution, Alison Martin
European Roundtable for Industry Secretary General Anthony Gooch-Galvez
Geneva Centre for Security Policy Head of Global & Emerging Risks Jean-Marc Rickli
Moderator: IMD World Competitiveness Center Director & Professor Arturo Bris
This is an open interactive session, held under the Chatham House Rule.
How can leaders build resilience in a post-VUCA world, and what does this mean for the experience of leadership today? Where VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) defined the environment leaders operated in, a newer perspective is BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible), which describes systemic and emotional realities for people operating amid contemporary global disruption. In 2026, this articulation of world events, markets, and geopolitical challenges is crucially relevant.
Join RADA Business for this practical, skill-building session.
Moderator: RADA Business Commercial Director Charlie Walker-Wise
This is an open interactive session, held under the Chatham House Rule.
As the Iran conflict disrupts global fossil energy flows, faster deployment of clean power is seen by many as the best way of enhancing energy security. This circle examines the barriers holding back an acceleration of the energy transition and the strategy changes policymakers and companies can make to mitigate the risk.
• Structural barriers: from physical infrastructure to capital, policy, and supply chain constraints
• Energy transition strategies: what’s working across a range of sectors and what needs to change
Moderator: Reuters Sustainable Finance Editor Simon Jessop
This is an invitation-only interactive session for Chief Sustainability Officers, held under the Chatham House Rule.
Global portfolios remain deeply dependent on U.S. assets—yet political volatility, stretched valuations, and uncertainty around the dollar are forcing even the most sophisticated allocators to reconsider how much exposure is too much. At the same time, UK pension schemes face growing pressure to invest domestically, challenging long held diversification principles.
This discussion, hosted by Reuters Breakingviews, will interrogate the limits of U.S. dominance, map credible replacement growth engines, and confront the UK’s home bias debate head on.
Moderator: Reuters Breakingviews Associate Editor Liam Proud
This is an invitation-only interactive session for C-suite leaders, held under the Chatham House Rule.
