2025 Business & Society Summit Agenda
Aspen Institute Business & Society Summit
July 8th-10th, 2025 | Aspen Meadows Resort, Aspen, CO
We invite you to join us for the chance to engage in honest dialogue, share fresh perspectives, and claim common ground on critical pursuits.
Agenda Themes
The Value Creation Mandate | Leading Through Disruption | Humanizing the Corporation
Agenda Themes & Sessions
The Value Creation Mandate
As political shifts reshape the business landscape, companies and investors must rethink how they balance risk and innovation to drive lasting value. How do they identify material risks and uncover opportunities for long-term growth while navigating the evolving economic, political, and regulatory forces shaping sustainability and the workplace?
MAIN STAGE PLENARY
The Prepared Leader’s Perspective
CEOs face uncertainty in global markets and changing expectations from employees, investors, boardrooms and customers. Executives work to balance tradeoffs between private inurement and public welfare without pulling back on decarbonization and labor and environmental improvement in the supply chain. How will responsible business be defined in this moment?
BREAKOUT // DIALOGUE
Energy Demand and the Future of Oil & Gas
The energy landscape is shifting and the energy sector is called to redefine what constitutes good practice in the face of rising demand. How are industry leaders adapting to the new landscape and addressing climate risks in this rapidly changing environment?
Who’s Investing in Nature?
Nature-based solutions offer a path to both resilience and profitability. What steps are leading companies taking to integrate natural capital into business strategy and protect ecosystems as essential assets?
Financing Sustainable Ambition
Sustainable innovation requires increasing corporate investment, but securing funding for long-term solutions remains a challenge. What financial tools and tactics can bridge the gap between ambition and action, to ensure that bold commitments translate into measurable impact?
The Exorbitant Cost of Catastrophe
Rising climate risks and rising insurance costs are straining individuals, businesses of all sizes and their communities. The challenges for traditional private insurers are significant and growing. Who will bear the financial risk of ever more costly disasters, and how will insurance systems evolve to value and help build resilience?
Leading Through Disruption
Geopolitical instability, regulatory shifts, and the rapid rise of AI are reshaping industries, forcing leaders to navigate uncertainty while maintaining continuity and trust with stakeholders. What does it take to maintain a long-term vision when short-term pressures demand quick decisions?
MAIN STAGE PLENARY
Navigating the New Politics of Business
What role should companies play in labor rights, economic opportunity, and shaping policy in an increasingly complex political landscape? We’ll tap the unique perspective of political leaders on how business leaders can best navigate the geopolitical landscape while staying true to their values.
BREAKOUT // DIALOGUE
Business Norms v. the Law
The legal frameworks business leaders have long taken for granted are no longer reliable. From sustainability to workforce policies, how are the foundations of our legal system shifting, and where should norms, protocols, and ethical boundaries adapt in response?
Navigating New Frontiers in Finance & Innovation
Disruptive technologies from AI to crypto are seizing the attention and imagination of both money managers and consumers. How can leaders balance the speed of innovation with responsibility, ensuring ethical considerations and long-term stability for those affected?
Long-Term Investing in the Face of Widespread Volatility
Predictability helps to facilitate long-term investment. But widespread volatility is rendering long-held market assumptions obsolete and changing the risk and return calculus for long-term investments. How are asset owners and managers of long-term capital adapting to the tectonic shifts in the global economic order, and the increasing pressures of climate and other material risks?
Humanizing the Corporation
Public trust in business is eroding as economic inequality rises and skepticism toward capitalism grows. Trade-offs persist over short-term gains versus the long-term well-being of employees, consumers, and society. Ensuring that prosperity is shared equitably is no longer just a moral question—it’s a strategic imperative that will define the future role of business in society.
MAIN STAGE PLENARY
Future Competitiveness Amid Global Volatility
Rising costs, inflation, and shifting global realities are redefining business strategy. How are companies adapting to policy changes, evolving supplier and customer relationships, and increased demand for both innovation and affordability in an era of uncertainty?
BREAKOUT // DIALOGUE
Building Trust in the Face of Grievance
Trust in both public and private institutions is declining, driven by economic anxiety, misinformation, and a growing divide between executives and workers, leaders and the public. What choices exist for business leaders when it comes to rebuilding trust?
The New Toolkit for Belonging in the Workplace
The socio-political climate has made it more challenging than ever for employers committed to fostering fair workplaces. How can leaders effectively—and legally—attract, retain, and empower employees from all backgrounds amid both government scrutiny of workplace anti-discrimination programs and worker pessimism about the future? How can leaders make sense of this moment and effectively navigate the way forward?
AI’s Transformative Impact on Business and People
The profound impact of AI in the workplace elevates questions about strategy and protections for employees. Can companies build AI-enabled enterprises that are both pro-innovation and pro-worker? What frameworks can ensure technologies support people, minimize harm, and drive sustainable progress?
Competing for the American Dream
The promise of economic opportunity has long defined the American story, but the ability of businesses to balance profit with worker and community well-being is increasingly called into question. What responsibility do business leaders have to create the conditions for economic mobility, address inequality, and rebuild trust in capitalism?
Sessions will be updated and refined as new insights, trends, and industry shifts emerge leading up to the event.
Summit Schedule
ARRIVAL DAY: Monday, July 7th
Afternoon: Suggested Arrival
Evening: Welcome Reception
EVENT KICKOFF: Tuesday, July 8th
Morning: Breakfast, Optional Programming
Afternoon: Lunch, Main Stage Opening, Breakout // Dialogue
Evening: Cocktail Reception
MAIN EVENT: Wednesday, July 9th
Morning: Breakfast, Breakout // Dialogue, Thematic Roundtables
Afternoon: Lunch, Advisory Sessions, Working Groups, Main Stage Discussion
Evening: Excursion for Cocktail Reception & Dinner
MAIN EVENT: Thursday, July 10th
Morning: Affinity Group Morning Workshops, Breakfast, Breakout // Dialogue, Main Stage Closing
Afternoon: Lunch, Close of Summit