Innovation
Dive in and enjoy some of our favourite talks from the Meaning back catalogue
Agamemnon Otero
Repowering community
Community energy pioneer Agamemnon shows us how the best kind of change happens not when it is imposed upon us by powerful corporations or tech entrepreneurs – but when we all feel we have a stake in the innovations and projects that truly improve our cities and our world.
Brett Hennig
The End of Politicians
Brett explains how the practice of sortition – once favoured by the ancient Greeks and now demanded by the Extinction Rebellion movement – could revive the practice of government, by asking ordinary people, randomly selected, to make decisions on behalf of society.
Nilofer Merchant
Onlyness in action
Nilofer Merchant is a champion for the untapped potential lying wasted in organisations around the world. She believes passionately in the power each and every one of us has to help solve the challenges of our time. And she brought her own unique gifts to Meaning 2019 as our guide and host for a day of inspiration and discovery.
Jennifer Brandel
People powered journalism
In an ever-changing world, journalism as we know it is struggling to survive. At Meaning, entrepreneur and journalist Jennifer Brandel made a compelling case for a new approach to media creativity using an innovative model for audience-first journalism.
Erinch Sahan
Fundamentally Fair
As chief executive of the World Fair Trade Organisation, Erinch brought to Meaning 2019 his passion and advocacy for fair trade – not just as a certification for products but as a way of operating collaboratively in business that supports communities, enables sustainability and creates prosperity.
Clare Farrell
Extinction Rebellion: ACT NOW!
Clare is an activist and campaigner devoting her creativity, her energy, and occasionally her personal liberty, to fight climate collapse. As a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion she is at the strategic heart of a mass movement of people using non-violent direct action in the firm belief that these are a proven way to create rapid change.
Miatta Fahnbulleh
The Green New Deal
As chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, Miatta leads an organisation that is at the cutting edge of thinking on progressive economics and social policy. At Meaning she helped us understand how a Green New Deal can work in practice to create a more equitable and sustainable economy for all.
Armin Steuernagel
Rethinking Ownership
Armin is an investor on a mission: a mission to help companies protect themselves from the clutches of vulture capital. At Meaning he introduced us to the concept of steward ownership as a way to nurture a business’s growth without risking the integrity of its founding purpose.
Sarah McKinley
Community Wealth Building
Sarah McKinley is part of the pioneering team that helped design ‘The Cleveland Model’ – a simple but radically transformative way for co-operative businesses to operate in partnership with public institutions as part of a healthy, resilient localised economy.
Bibi Bleekemolen
Fairphone
Not willing to accept the wasteful, unsustainable, unfair state of the consumer electronics industry, Fairphone decided to do things differently. Co-founder Bibi Bleekemolen shared their story at Meaning 2018.
Andrew Simms
Rapid transitions
Andrew is an author and campaigner with the powerful ability to not only communicate the scale of the challenges we face, but to embolden us to take the actions needed to urgently tackle climate breakdown.
Amy Whitaker
Inventing Point B
Bridging the divide between the worlds of art and business, Amy asks us to think differently. She challenges us to approach big challenges with the mindset and methodology of artists, embracing the creativity the emerges from uncertainty.
Dan McQuillan
Losing your voice
Dan’s deep understanding of science and technology is coupled with his acute awareness of humanity and society. At Meaning 2018 he asked us to consider the relationship between AI and our mental health.
Helen Taylor
Forest Green Rovers FC
Helen Taylor is ambassador for the world’s greenest football club. Working within an established and traditional culture, Helen shows what happens when organisations can find the bravery to take a stand for what they believe.
Mark Stevenson
Opening remarks
Mark brought his energetic approach to the whole of Meaning 2017 as our guest director and host. In his opening talk he sets out his hopes for a day full of conviction, optimism, purpose and connection.
Kyra Maya Phillips
The Misfit Economy
Boldest business innovators aren’t just found in corporate boardrooms or funky tech start-ups, but in street markets, prisons and refugee camps. Welcome to The Misfit Economy.
Vinay Gupta
The Internet of Agreements
Vinay is one of the world’s leading thinkers on global systems risk. He shares his thinking on the blockchain and its potential to radically alter world bureaucracy for the better.
Felix Weth
Platform cooperativism
Felix is founder of platform co-op Fairmondo: a connected marketplace where technology, power and profit belong to its users, not to the big online monopolies.
James Johnston
Democratising energy
James explains his disruptive, democratic approach to energy. As founder of Open Utility, he shows how technology brings transparency and opportunity to the industry.
Dave Birch
The blockchain and ambient accountability
Dave Birch examines the role of blockchain in building the future of business. Can we rethink the mechanisms and conventions of the global economy?
Julia Rebholz
A purposeful journey
Julia believes the energy industry needs to innovate. She argues that we should support the entrepreneurs bold enough to think differently about sustainability.
Jaideep Prabhu
Frugal Innovation
Jaideep gives us a refreshing view of innovation, demonstrating how working with fewer resources can lead to smarter results. Welcome to ‘Jugaad’ innovation.
Stefania Druga
Making change
Stefania shows us how the innovation and collaboration engendered by maker culture is enabling grass-roots problem-solving in developing countries.
Miriam Turner
Co-innovation for sustainability
Miriam Turner helps us see how businesses can adopt the principles of the circular economy – extending the lifespan of raw materials through designed reuse.
Mark Stevenson
An optimist on tour
Mark examines how emerging technologies will disrupt and transform the future of geo-politics, industries, organisations, careers, and life as we know it.
Dave Birch
The future of money
A thought-leader in financial technology, Dave gives us an entertaining tour of money: what is does, how we use it and how it is evolving in our ever-changing world.
Anne-Marie Huby
Reinventing charitable giving
As founder ofJustGiving, Anne-Marie Huby tells us how innovation can disrupt all kinds of services, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and charities alike.
Rick Falkvinge
How to start a revolution
Founder of the Swedish Pirate Party, Rick Falkvinge inspires us with a story of how firm conviction, strong networks and a little technology can change the world.
James Watt
A different kind of business
Punk brewer James tells the story of how he co-founded BrewDog, who – with a big vision and a load of passion – overturned an entire industry to become Scotland’s biggest brewer.
Honor Harger
Seeing in the dark
Artist Honor Harger takes us on a creative journey where technology, infrastructure and human beings are combined to create a vision of the future.
Indy Johar
The future of capitalism
Beginning what has become a strong future-focussed theme among Meaning speakers, Indy asks us to imagine what the future of life and work may hold.
Pam Warhurst
The power of small actions
Pam Warhurst likes to shake things up. She tells her story of seized opportunities, healthy communities and working quickly with great impact.