The 6th International Wicked Symposium

A gathering of the thinkers, builders, investors, and policymakers who refuse to accept that the world's hardest problems are unsolvable.

Wicked problems — from climate breakdown to the disruptions of AI, from geopolitical fragmentation to demographic transformation — do not yield to single-sector solutions. They demand new coalitions, new models, and new levels of ambition. The Symposium exists to catalyse exactly that.

Expect panels, discussions and fireside chats featuring the innovators who are finding solutions to these problems, group discussions where you can contribute your own thinking, and plenty of time to network between sessions and over a light lunch.

Please contact the organiser if you'd like a ticket discount code.

This year's agenda:

OPENING & Welcome

• Dean Peter Todd, Imperial College Business School

An Introduction to Wicked Labs

• Dr. Cristóbal García-Herrera - Director & Co-Founder, Wicked Labs, Imperial Business School

PANEL I · Wicked Problems Around and Beyond: Climate, (Geopolitical) Wars & Novel Policy Approaches in the AI Era

• Prof. Erkko Autio - Dept. of Management & Entrepreneurship, Imperial Business School & Co-Founder, Wicked Labs
• Dr. Owen Jackson - Director of Policy Forum, Imperial College London
• Alberto Cottica - Former R&D Specialist, United Nations Development Programme Accelerator Lab
• Dr. Tanya Filer - Founder & CEO, StateUp; Affiliated Researcher, Bennett School of Public Policy, Cambridge

Coffee + Networking break

PANEL II · CLIMATE — Towards a Net Zero Society: Incumbents & New Ventures — How's the Pace?

• Dr. Nick de León - RCA & Co-Founder, Wicked Labs
• Mirabelle Muuls - Associate Professor, Imperial Business School & Convening Director for Sustainability, School of Convergence Science
• Sehila Gonzalez - Global Director, Fusion Energy, Clean Air Task Force
• Veronica Robledo - Global Rainforest Portfolio Lead, Jacobs Futura Foundation
• Adam Mitchell-Heggs - Founder & Circular Venture Builder, Net Positive Labs

PANEL III · AI & INNOVATION — What's New Under the Sun in Autonomous Innovation, Corporate Venturing & Venture Building in the Age of AI?

• Michael Nichols - Honorary Practice Fellow, Imperial Business School; Author, Fatal Abstraction (Emerald, 2026)
• Susana Jurado - Head of Innovation Portfolio, Telefónica / Wayra Builder
• Uwe Kirschner - Partner, Business Model Innovation, Bosch Innovation Consulting
• Adam Mitchell-Heggs - Co-Founder, Net Positive Labs
• Tom Kemp - Head of Group Innovation, Tesco

FIRESIDE CHAT ·  AI and the Future of Industries and Governments

• Inma Martínez - AI Pioneer, Global Advisor & Wicked Labs Board Member
• Steve Blank - Serial Entrepreneur, Stanford & Imperial Lecturer
• Dr. Cristóbal García-Herrera (Moderator) - Director & Co-Founder, Wicked Labs, Imperial Business School

Lunch + Networking Break