Finally, many would say, the US election is over… Finally, clarity. Or not? As 2024 comes to an end, governments and businesses around the world are now trying to prepare for the impact of Trump’s second term. At the same time, regional and international crises continue to escalate.

Whenever we talk about the ‘big challenges’ facing business leader, we tend to focus on those related to disruption, business innovation, transformation and change. The digital and technological developments, the sustainability agenda, aspects of ‘the future of work’ and transformational leadership are typical examples of what we – also here – talk about. The business aspects of a business world… And rightly so.

However, increasingly (geo-)politics are adding substantially to the risks and uncertainties related to running and leading businesses. Therefore, in this Next Agenda edition, we will change the focus for a moment – and talk politics…

But the world is still more than politics. We also take you through a fast-paced, untraditional approach to next year’s many trend reports, we highlight some of this year’s breakthroughs and ask you to focus on the new opportunities for business education.

And finally, we take the temperature of the business of executive education. A shift is taking place – don’t miss the train.