Why rail transport has such an important future - saving time, costs and energy. Future patterns of passenger rail traffic, freight traffic, intercontinental transport, trams, light rail, container freight, AI linked intermodal transport (switching from truck to rail to shipping and so on), and hyperloop travel.  Rail trends have to be seen in wider context of demographic shifts, emerging markets, digital revolution, e-commerce, changes in patterns of globalisation and global trade.  New patterns of migration, manufacturing, management.  Why more will be spent on road / rail infrastructure in the next 30 years than in all of human history.

Impact of rail innovation on logistics and supply chains - including next-generation tracking, signalling, systems and controls. Does rail have a future? What is the outlook for the rail industry in 2030? Is High Speed Rail the future? What is the outlook for rail transportation?

50% of global wealth is owned by 1% and within 30 years that is likely to rise to 65% or more.  The number of dollar billionaires is growing rapidly every year.  The richest 80 people on earth own as much wealth as the poorest 3.4 billion people. Over 1,600 billionaires and their families own between them $6.4 trillion – which is more than the combined income of the poorest 120 countries in the world. And in the layer below that are a further 250,000 Ultra-High Net Worth individuals (UNHWs). So what is going to happen to all this wealth?  The answer is that a huge proportion will be given away.  Why?

I have been advising many of the largest Private Banks in the world and large Investment Funds for over 20 years.  I have also worked with many of the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs and Family Offices. For 20 years now I have been saying that Philanthropic advisory services will be at the heart of Private Banking and wealth management, for the next few decades. The reasons are simple....

They make a stunning range of membranes for things like canopies over concert halls or football stadiums. It's easy to get swept along by a story about high-tech, digital controls. automation and robotics but the future of manufacturing is also about inspiring people to achieve new levels of excellence and performance, reliability and cost control. Yes we need all these digital tools, but you still need people to design, install, monitor and manage, and that means motivating high performance teams every day to make the difference.

"I always enjoy factory visits - the physicality of it all is exciting, with perfection the constant goal, every time, without interruption in a continuous process which is always astonishing to watch".