Chancellor-in-Conversation: Event Booking Details
2pm - 3.30pm Wednesday,14 January 2026
Decarbonise to compete: AI adoption, skills, and new trade rules. What North East firms must do next.
We welcome our Chancellor Dr Fiona Hill for her latest Chancellor-in-Conversation event at the Waterside Building in Durham.
Dr Hill will be joined by a panel of industry subject experts for a discussion on what Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption, skills, and new trade rules could mean for business in the North East of England.
Panel discussion
The panel will explore AI evolution and adoption in the North East of England, in light of the AI Growth Zone, which has been trailed by the UK Government.
The discussion will be introduced by Professor Olga Epitropaki, Deputy Executive Dean (Research), and chaired by Professor Kieran Fernandes, Executive Dean of Durham University Business School.
Following the panel discussion, an audience question and answer session will operate under the Chatham House Rule. This states that participants are free to use information from the question and answer session, but neither the identity nor affiliation of the speakers may be revealed. We encourage open discussion and free sharing of information and will not be recording this part of the event.
Our participants
Professor Olga Epitropaki
Professor Olga Epitropaki is Professor of Management and Deputy Executive Dean, Research at Durham University Business School. She studies how leaders and followers form views of one another, build exchange ties and shape identity at work, with links to creativity, wellbeing and performance. Her work on implicit leadership theories, leader–member exchange and leadership development appears in leading journals, and she helps strengthen research culture through mentoring, collaboration and doctoral supervision, and inclusive practice too.
Professor Kieran Fernandes
Professor Kieran Fernandes is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business at Durham University. He provides strategic and operational leadership for the School’s education, research and external engagement, with a focus on high-impact partnerships, executive education and civic contribution. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, his work spans innovation, technology and operations management, and place-based growth and policy, with extensive experience in university leadership and collaboration with government and industry.
Dr Fiona Hill
Dr Fiona Hill is an acclaimed foreign affairs specialist, author and former presidential advisor to George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She is an authority on Russian and European geopolitics and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a non-profit policy organisation based in Washington DC. She has served on the US National Intelligence Council, was a member of the US National Security Council and co-led the UK Government’s Strategic Defence Review 2025.
Henri Murison
Henri Murison is Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, the business-led body that convenes major employers and civic leaders across the North of England. Since 2017 he has led its policy and advocacy work on long-term regional growth, making the case for transport investment, deeper devolution, and fairer outcomes in education and skills. He works with government, business, universities and partners to turn Northern ambitions into practical delivery and investment.
Grant Brown
Grant Brown is Director of Corporate Strategy at Hitachi in EMEA, working on growth, partnerships and market positioning across Hitachi’s mobility and digital activities. He contributes to strategy on decarbonisation and innovation, engaging external stakeholders on topics such as ports, shipping and future transport systems. He represents Hitachi in thought leadership forums, helping translate strategic priorities into practical programmes and collaborations.
Attendance information
If you wish to book for a group of seven people or more, please email conferenceadministration.service@durham.ac.uk.
Due to the popularity of the Chancellor-in-Conversation events, a waiting list will be in operation. If you are no longer able to attend, we ask that you cancel your booking to enable others to join.
Please be aware that there will be photography at the event, and the panel discussion will be filmed. If you do not wish to be included in images or footage produced, please indicate your preference when you book here, contact conferenceadministration.service@durham.ac.uk, or make yourself known to Event Durham staff at the event.
Travel & parking information
Parking and information on how to reach The Waterside Building is available at: Our locations - Durham University Business School
This event is organised by Advancement, Marketing and Communications; the Governance team; and Event Durham.
