The Next Five

Future energy technologies like fusion and hydrogen promise to be ‘game changers’ that could power our world and fuel our future. Both solutions have been talked about for decades yet remain just out of our grasp - but for how long? Current renewables like wind and solar can’t get us all the way to net zero while decarbonising carbon heavy sectors. Therefore, inventing, innovating and investing in future low carbon energy solutions such as fusion and hydrogen is key to success. But getting new technologies to commercial scale in time will require rapid collaboration on a global scale. So, what does the future of energy look like and what will the next five years hold?

Here to help navigate the topic are a series of industry experts. Bob Mumgaard, CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems joins to extol the exciting potential of fusion energy, and what the technology means for the future of human development. Founding partner of AP Ventures, Kevin Eggers explains how to unlock the hydrogen economy and Lisa Rebora, Senior Vice President of Emerging and Future Business at Equinor discusses how to fund, support and foster future solutions.

Show sources and credits: FT resources, UNFCCC, Politics and Prose Bookstore, The US State Department (DOE), BloombergNEF, ITER, CSPAN, IEA, UK Government. All soundbites used with permission. This content is paid for by advertisers and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EVs are already displacing 1.5million barrels of oil usage per day or 3% of total road fuel demand, however emissions from vehicles are still responsible for between 12-16% of global emissions. But now imagine a world where there are no ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars on the road. That’s the future that is needed if we are to hit net zero targets. To realise this by mid century annual EV sales must hit 138 million units by 2040.

In this episode of The Next Five podcast we take a deep-dive into the current landscape, tackle the future for EVs from industry leaders in the legacy and pure EV space, and highlight the opportunities and challenges along the way. Adrian Chai, Managing Director, Institutional Banking Group at DBS Bank discusses the gaps in finance in the EV value chain and where capital needs to flow to support the industry growth, as well as the future of the fast evolving battery market. Pras Ganesh, Executive Vice President & Corporate Information Security Officer at Toyota talks about the challenges and opportunities that legacy automakers have in the space, how capital investment is front loaded in new technologies and calls for a just transition. Mike Whittington, Head of Global Sales and Network at Polestar offers insight from a pure EV business model, extolling the need for supportive policy and greater investment into infrastructure globally to meet climate targets. Our Sources for the show: FT Resources, IEA, Mckinsey, BNEF, WEF, Reuters, Forbes. This content is paid for by advertisers and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times’ Commercial Department.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The premium alcohol industry is about more than just indulgence. It’s a category that is garnering greater attention from consumers, investors and collectors.

Increased disposable incomes, celebrity culture and social media has created new avenues for brand recognition and sales. Partnerships with other luxury brands also bring cross pollination appeal and is an area top spirit brands are looking to take more advantage of. Investing in premium alcohol is also an area of growth. Brand, age and rarity set the standard for big prices. The whisky category has seen records consistently broken in the last few years as wealthy individuals battle for the best bottles. In November 2023, a single bottle of The Macallan 1926 Valerio Adami, one of only 40 bottles originally released, sold for a new record price of £2.18 million at Sotheby's in London.

But there are some headwinds in both the primary and secondary markets that brands and consumers need to weather.

In this episode of The Next Five we speak with Duncan McFadzean, Managing Director at Noble & Co, who discusses the growth and challenges of the primary market and how brands can buck the economic downturn. Jaume Ferras, Creative Director at The Macallan, shows how luxury brands are working together to increase share of pocket. Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Whisky at Sotheby’s, conveys the highs and lows of investing in the secondary market and calls for the joys of consumption as well as investing in fine bottles.

Sources: FT Resources, Forbes, Matter of Form, Mordor Intelligence, Whisky Advocate, Spirit Filled

This content is paid for by advertisers and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times’ Commercial Department

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world is grappling with the need to hit the global Net Zero by 2050 target which means the net amount of greenhouse gases emitted into, and removed from, the atmosphere is zero by that date. All the while providing safe, secure and affordable energy for citizens. A tug of war between outcomes is afoot, where difficult decisions and trade-offs will need to be made by governments, energy majors and consumers. Energy security is key for economic resilience. Progress made in the last few decades in the UK and Euro area was buffeted by the Russia Ukraine war. Geopolitical events, such as mounting international tensions in the Middle East, could create further energy shocks. However, according to the European Security Mechanism, to enhance resilience to energy supply shocks, the EU needs to increase the use of domestically produced renewable energy. In this episode of The Next Five Torgrim Reitan, CFO and EVP at Equinor discussses the need for a balance between transitioning to renewables and offering stable supply of reliable energy sources such as natural gas. Rebecca Williams, Deputy CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) offers insight into the future for wind projects and how renewable energy can provide much needed energy security. Irina Kustova, Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy studies (CEPS), highlights the policy landscape surrounding the energy ecosystem and the challenges and opportunities ahead. Sources: FT resources, National Grid, European Commission, WEF, windeurope.org, European Security Mechanism, Mckinsey, S&P Global Commodities Insights, IEA.

This content is paid for by Equinor and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times' Commercial Department.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Individual creativity and idea construction sets us apart within our own societies, it is a deeply desirable trait, and can give you power and wealth. ‘Gosh, what a great idea!’, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ are often thought and heard. Cue Artificial intelligence, AI can enhance and enable our creativity- giving thousands of creative solutions to our input ideas. Less a brainstorm and more a cosmic tsunami of creation, all in a matter of seconds. It does this without its own personal agenda and selfish desire to have the idea that brings with it the potential for expression, power and wealth. But is it creative? Or, like in many industry applications, is AI a tool that makes us more creative.

In this episode of The Next Five, we hear from Doug Eck, Senior Research Director at the Google DeepMind working on generative media, who discusses how we amplify our own human ideas with technology and that AI brings an inflection point where new art forms could develop with its help. Youtube content creator Dani Verdari, discusses the use of AI in her own content creation, the benefits of having this technology at her fingertips and how it can help others become artists and creators. She also discusses some of the issues around copyright of works that arise. Neil Maiden, Professor of Digital Creativity at the Bayes Business School, City University of London and Director of the Center for Creativity Enabled by AI, looks at how we embed creative thinking in professional practices and how AI can be used to solve problems more effectively.

Sources: FT Resources, Harvard Business Review, Goldman Sachs, American Museum of Natural History, Science Daily, Lesley University, Forbes, Accenture.

This content is paid for by Google and is produced in partnership with the Financial Times’ Commercial Department

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.