As we near the end of another year of seismic change in business and politics, here and abroad, our award-winning CA Summit returns, promising star speakers offering insight, experience and incisive debate

The return of CA Summit, for the first time since 2022, is a timely opportunity for CAs and other financial professionals to grapple with the fast-changing economic and social landscape. The award-winning digital event, held over two-hour sessions on consecutive afternoons (19–20 November), brings together leaders from the worlds of business, politics and technology.

Speakers such as data scientist, businesswoman and campaigner, Edwina Dunn, and former minister and Waitrose MD, Lord Mark Price, will examine both the escalating tech advances and economic uncertainty through the lens of ethical leadership. How can businesses harness AI to shape society for the better? And if the world plunges into recession, how will companies continue to prioritise environmental concerns and worker wellbeing? These and other questions will get an airing in a must-see event hosted by the BBC’s Dharshini David.

Are You Ready for Business 3.0?

The AI revolution has dominated headlines over the past two years, with tech evangelists arguing it has the power to end low productivity, transform healthcare (some AI tools are now better than humans at reading cancer scans) and even tackle the climate crisis. In financial services, it’s expected to result in faster and more accurate calculations and gradually replace many of the mundane tasks accountants dislike about their jobs.

Paradoxically, there are also fears that AI will both cause a “jobs apocalypse” (up to eight million UK jobs could be lost, according to one think-tank study) and warnings that its failure so far to significantly monetise its business model, while raising vast amounts of investment capital, risks a repeat of the dotcom crash. And, of course, there are the small matters of political disinformation, deepfakes and, potentially, an existential threat to humanity itself.

CA Summit 2024 will endeavour to find out what AI and other new technologies mean for you and your businesses. Our experts will exchange views on what you should be doing to prepare for an AI-powered world, its ethical concerns, the extent of regulation and the challenge of upskilling workforces.

New Governments, Same Old Economy?

This day focuses on the post-election and post-Budget economic prospects. Labour swept to power with a huge landslide, but will the change in government lead to radical changes in the UK economy? Chancellor Rachel Reeves has talked about “securonomics” to make the UK less vulnerable to global economic headwinds, as well as unlocking investment through new institutions such as GB Energy and the National Wealth Fund. But she also says she’s been left a toxic economic inheritance – and is emphasising fiscal prudence. Can the two be reconciled, now that she has rewritten the fiscal rules to allow borrowing for investment? And what should businesses, and their finance teams, do in terms of forecasting?

Meanwhile, global economic stability may depend on the outcome of this month’s US elections, with Donald Trump promising swingeing tariffs on imports. Our experts will discuss the seismic shifts in a year that has seen dozens of consequential national elections, from India to Mexico.