The Wilberforce Society's 2026 Conference

The Evolution of the Working World

Bringing generations together to voice a forward-looking perspective on how to best adapt to the inevitable changes in the working world.

The Wilberforce Society

2026 Conference

Saturday, the 7th of March at the Cambridge Union

Foreword:

How the nature of work will evolve due to AI, emerging fiscal policies, and the mental wellbeing crisis, is a topic that each and every one of us has thought about at least once. These three core aspects of the change will reshape the landscape of the commercial world and reorient the purpose, value, and identity of the workforce of the future. The Wilberforce Society’s 2026 Conference sets out to assess this topic from the shoes of both young and ambitious students about to enter the working world and experienced workers considering how their current roles might be affected. It is imperative to fuse both perspectives in evaluating this matter. Younger generations lie at the forefront of change and in the case of tech transformation, are likely more adapt to making most use of it, while older generations hold the real-world knowledge and experience to guide these transformations.

Proposed programme:

The Conference will aim to provide a macroeconomic outlook, discussing and proposing policies that would be favourable for the UK government to implement, while also providing some ideas for what corporations and workers can do on a more individual level. This transformation will reshape strategies at all levels of government and business and so our conversations must address decision-making and policies on every scale.

Panels:

Emerging technologies, AI, and their strategic corporate adaptation

Can governments play a role in ensuring that the implementation of AI does not massively increase structural unemployment?
What is the trade off against falling behind other countries on the tech progress? How should the government work with companies to adapt their HR training strategies, and re-education programs ensuring that human capital aligns with AI- driven operations?

Should the UK continue encouraging the development of STEM skills?

Which skills should individuals aim to develop? What kinds of tasks will bring together artificial intelligence with human intelligence rather than replace it?

How will emerging technologies reshape the corporate strategies of leading firms, from workforce planning to long-term competitive positioning?

How should corporations motivate the non-displaced employees who would have to work increasingly more with AI rather than other humans? What should one do on a personal level?

Discussing personal motivation, it is important to evaluate the current state of mental health of the work force.

The mental wellbeing of the labour force

Should governments impose policies to set necessary standards defining working cultures? Should the number of working hours within competitive industries such as banking and consulting be capped?

To what extent do workplace cultures and production models affect (and possibly harm) mental wellbeing among workers? Does a Patagonia inspired friendly working culture improve productivity?
How should corporations be organised with mental wellbeing in mind?

Are the benefits of stronger worker well-being greater than the costs of funding such schemes?
How have social media and the information overload that is difficult to control effected mental health?

What can be done on an individual level to keep one’s mental health strong and productivity high? Where does the work-life balance lie in the evolving working world?

Considering this, are there any other ways of incentivising human productivity to rise, can well- structured tax policies play that role?

Fiscal Policies of the Future

Which fiscal policies should the UK government implement in light of the UK being outcompeted on the industrial production and technological innovation fronts? Should taxes be lowered? Could that act as the necessary incentive for entrepreneurship, and industrial organisations to return to the UK and boost the economy?

What fiscal policies should be established in the light of the biggest transfer of wealth that we are undergoing? Should inheritance taxes be increased or decreased?
On the government spending side, is UBI in the case of AI-caused structural unemployment, inevitable?

If fiscal policy doesn’t change, should migration be a route to consider? Which cities could be potentially attractive for relocation?

Tickets can be bought here.

Timings:

Panel Speakers:

Panel 1

Panel 2

Panel 3

POLICY WORKSHOP PROGRAMME FOR PUPILS	TIME
Welcome	09:30
Public Policy-making Simulation & Discussion	10:00
Breakout Groups	11:30
Lunch	12:00

CONFERENCE 2026	TIME
Welcome	13:30
Opening Remarks from Keynote Speaker	14:00
Panel 1: Emerging Technologies, AI and Strategic Corporate Adaptation	14:30
Panel 2: The Mental Wellbeing of the Labour Force	15:30
Panel 3: Fiscal Policies of the Future	16:30
Concluding Remarks	17:30

Name	Biography
Professor Mark Esposito	Mark Esposito is Professor of Strategy and Tech Policy at Northeastern University and Faculty Associate at Harvard University. He serves as Chief Economist at micro1, a Silicon Valley AI lab and is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global AI Alliance.
Dr Nicola Millard	Dr Nicola Millard is an award-winning presenter, with 2 TEDx talks and hundreds of conference panel, chair, and keynote sessions under her belt. She was involved with some BT firsts, including the application of artificial intelligence into BT’s call centres, BT’s experiments with home working, and helping to develop BT’s “net easy” customer score.
Professor Melanie Simms	Melanie Simms is Professor of Work and Employment at the University of Glasgow and also a Research Associate at the Resolution Foundation. Her research interests focus on the collective regulation of work, the future of work, and how people make transitions into and out of employment. Her most recent research reviews the new Employment Rights Act.
Ms Ashly Jiju	Ashly Jiju is a Research Assistant at Fairwork, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, focusing on labour rights, governance, and accountability across the AI supply chain. Her work sits at the intersection of technology and public policy, contributing to research and stakeholder engagement on responsible and equitable AI.

Name	Biography
Dr Damian Pudner	Dr Pudner is a macroeconomist specialising in monetary economics and financial markets, and a former Director of the Institute of International Monetary Research. Over a career spanning more than twenty-five years, he worked in global fixed-income markets at leading investment banks and hedge funds, focusing on yield-curve dynamics and the transmission of monetary policy.
Professor Hanming Fang	Professor Hanming Fang is Norman C. Grosman Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and a visiting Professor in the Faculty of Economics at Cambridge. He is an elected Fellow of the Econometric Society.
Professor Shaojia Liu	Professor Guy (Shaojia) Liu, DPhil at Oxford, Honorary Professor of UCL in Energy Studies, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Peking University, and Founding Director of PKU PHBS UK Campus. His research spans industrial organisation, energy economics and policy, and firm competitiveness.
Professor Ray Barrell	Professor Ray Barrell is currently Honorary and Emeritus Professor of Economics and Finance at Brunel University, and Honorary Fellow at National Institute of Economics and Social Research (NIESR). He was a university lecturer in economics from 1976 to 1984, teaching at Sussex, Southampton, Stirling and Brunel and specialising in monetary economics and econometrics. He then moved to be an Economic Advisor at HM Treasury from 1984 to 1987 before moving to NIESR in 1988.

Name	Biography
Professor Dame Carol Black, GBE FRCP FMed Sci	Dame Carol is currently the Government’s independent advisor on drug misuse. She is also Chair of the British Library, the Centre for Ageing Better and the Centre for Homelessness Impact. She is a past President of the Royal College of Physicians of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, past Chair of the Nuffield Trust for Health Policy, and she has been a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery.
Mr. Peter Cheese	Mr. Peter Cheese is CEO of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, a professional body for people professionals in fields such as human resources, learning and development, and organisation development. He possesses extensive experience organisational consulting, last serving as Global Managing Director at Accenture’s Talent and Organisation Performance Practice. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Academy of Social Sciences.
Mr. Nick Pahl	Mr Nick Pahl is CEO of the Society for Occupational Medicine, the largest and oldest nationally recognised professional organisation for occupational health. He has held senior posts in the NHS, Hospice UK, and Marie Stopes International with a focus on public health. He also serves as Chair of ROSPA’s National Occupational Health and Safety Committee, Trustee of the British Geriatrics Society, and honorary member of the Faculty of Public Health.
Ms. Julie Bailie	Ms. Julie Bailie is Associate Director of Training and IPS Consultancy at the Centre for Mental Health, a leading independent mental health charity with a focus on reducing inequalities in mental health through research, policy analysis, convening and learning. She has over 20 years experience in the mental health sector, including as a senior manager for NHS mental health trusts running employment and recovery services and is recipient of the International IPS Excellence in Training Award in 2022.
Dr. Alex Wood	Dr. Alex Wood is Assistant Professor in Economic Sociology at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the implications of digital technology for power relations, working conditions, and the transformation of capitalism. He was also Principal Investigator for the British Academy-funded Gig Rights Project.
Dr. Virginia Leavell	Dr. Virginia Leavell is Assistant Professor in Organisational Theory and Information Systems at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. Her research focuses on how organisations use digital technologies to plan for the future and anticipate technological change to shape organisational structure and action. She is also a political organiser, educator, fundraiser, and consultant for non-profits and labour organisations in the US and Thailand.