by Blackheath Advisors

The Board Alchemist

• insight • learning • debate • connection

Thought-leadership, events and convening platform — designed to stimulate debate, share insights and develop meaningful connections - in an environment of rising stakeholder expectations and a rapidly changing economic, technological and geopolitical landscape.

Digital ID

Cyber Security

Fruad

Platforms & Super-apps

Digital Transformation

I - Hot Topic Dinner Debates

Invite-only dinners for Chairs, NEDs and CEOs with a curated speaker and facilitated discussion.

We believe in the magic of bringing the right mix of people together in focussed discussion and debate - with a dash of challenge, humility and humour - to unlock awareness, ideas, clarity, confidence and energy.

Payment Severeignty

A curated series of high-stakes discussions for Chairs, NEDs and CEOs, combining peer-level learning with the rigor of formal debate on the most pressing issues facing contemporary boardrooms.

RULES:

Spirit of debate is grounded in respect, openness, insight, courage, and passion.
Debate summations for the Proposition & Opposition do not necessarily represent the views of the speakers.
Must bring a sense of humour to the table.
All debates are under Chatham House Rule.

1 - The Illusion of Independence

This house believes true board independence is a fantasy.

DATE: Tues, 30th June 2026

TIME: 18:30 - 22:00

LOCATION: The Wolsely, Mayfair

CHAIR: Laura McCracken & Simon Black

PROPOSITION: Sponsor designate

OPPOSITION: Sponsor designate

MENU:

Appetiser – The Reality Check

Social dynamics in the boardroom and dangers of long tenure
Information asymmetry - management vs board
Shareholder influence - the emergence of a shadow director

Main – The Trade-offs

Distance / objectivity vs accessibility / trust
Equity stake vs cash compensation
Shareholder interests vs stakeholder interest

Dessert – The Redesign

Should INEDs accept equity stakes?
Should term limits exist for INEDs?
What would “real independence” actually look like?

This House believes AI should have a formal vote in the boardroom by 2030.

2 - The Thinking Machine

DATE: Tues, 4th August 2026

TIME: 18:30 - 22:00

LOCATION: The Wolseley, Mayfair

CHAIR: Laura McCracken & Benoir Reillier

PROPOSITION: Sponsor designate

OPPOSITION: Sponsor designate

MENU:

Appetiser – Decision Superiority

Human vs machine judgment
Pattern recognition vs intuition
Speed vs deliberation

Main – Governance & Accountability

Who is liable for AI-driven decisions?
Fiduciary duty in an AI-augmented world
Explainability vs performance

Dessert – Power Shift

Who controls the AI?
Vendor dependence vs proprietary models
Is this augmentation… or replacement?

3 - Trust, Identity & Control

DATE: Tues, 8th September 2026

This House believes digital identity will become the most valuable asset on the balance sheet.

TIME: 18:30 - 22:00

LOCATION: The Wolseley, Mayfair

CHAIR: Laura McCracken & David Birch

PROPOSITION: Sponsor designate

MENU:

Appetiser – Identity as Infrastructure

KYC, fraud, onboarding
Identity portability
Ownership: individual vs institution

Main – Privacy vs Power

Surveillance vs convenience
Monetisation of identity
Regulatory direction (UK/EU/global)

Dessert – Strategic Dominance

Identity as competitive moat
Platform lock-in
Winners: banks, Big Tech, or new players?

This House believes cybersecurity is now a board’s primary fiduciary duty.

4 - The Invisibile Battlefield

DATE: Tues, 6th October 2026

TIME: 18:30 - 22:00

LOCATION: The Wolsely, Mayfair

PROPOSITION: Sponsor designate

CHAIR: Laura McCracken & Dr. Ruth Waderhofer

OPPOSITION: Sponsor designate

MENU:

Appetiser – The Reality

Frequency and inevitability of attacks
Boards’ limited understanding
Cyber as existential risk

Main – Investment & Trade-offs

Growth vs protection
“How much is enough?”
Ownership: CIO, CRO, or the board?

Dessert – Crisis Leadership

Decision-making under attack
Transparency vs containment
What separates great boards in crisis?

5 - The End of Globalisation?

MOTION: This House believes resilience will replace efficiency as the primary driver of corporate strategy.

DATE: Tues, 3rd November 2026

LOCATION: The Wolsely, Mayfair

TIME: 18:30 - 22:00

CHAIR: Laura McCracken & Rupert Jones

OPPOSITION: Sponsor designate

PROPOSITION: Sponsor designate

MENU:

Appetiser – The Shift

Supply chain shocks
War, geopolitics, fragmentation
End of just-in-time

Main – Strategic Trade-offs

Cost vs resilience
Reshoring vs diversification
Shareholder expectations vs long-term risk

Dessert – Winners & Losers

Who thrives in fragmentation?
National vs global champions
Board-level decision frameworks

6 - The New Power Map

This House believes national sovereignty will trump corporate globalisation.

DATE: Tues, 12th January 2026

TIME: 18:30 - 22:00

LOCATION: The Wolsely, Mayfair

CHAIR: Laura McCracken & James Freis

PROPOSITION: Sponsor designate

OPPOSITION: Sponsor designate

MENU:

Appetiser – The Rebalancing

Energy Payments, Tech, Defence
Rise of economic nationalism
Regulatory fragmentation

Main – Corporate Reality

Operating across conflicting regimes
Political risk as a core business issue
Ethical dilemmas

Dessert – The Board's Role

How should boards navigate this world?
Neutrality vs alignment
What does leadership look like now?

II - Keynotes & After Dinner Speeches

Board-grade talks that connect macro trends, compelling stories, pivotal events and future predictions to governance, leadership and strategic choices.

Speakers range from authors, academics, politicians, business leaders, military strategists and futurists.

Our signature series is led by Blackheath's founder.

Laura McCracken

SIGNATURE SERIES: "CRISIS IN THE BOARDROOM"

Keynotes, after-dinner talks, and board-level roundtable discussions drawing upon lived experience across multiple high-pressure crisis situations - ending in successes and failures. Laura believes that people and industries learn more from crisis events than success stories. She engages her audience in tailored, interactive talks using storytelling techniques with candid insights with lessons learned.

2008 Financial Crisis — defining leadership at ABN Amro, RBS and HBOS amid mergers, bailouts, and market shockwaves
Amazon (2015-16) — driving culture change in the wake of the New York Times exposé on a workplace culture
Facebook (2018–19) — navigating the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the failed launch of Libra
Wirecard Scandal — unravelling Europe's largest corporate scandal and collapse
GuavaPay Collapse — overseeing the rise and fall of a fintech amid tense regulator negotiations

"Laura McCracken's keynote speech set the tone perfectly for our flagship industry event. She was entertaining and refreshingly candid with a hugely timely talk that clearly resonated with the audience."

— Director, fscom, 2026 UK Payments Regulatory Outlook

III - Crisis Simulations

Board-level crisis simulations, tabletop exercises and executive "war games" to rehearse high-stakes decisions under pressure.

Board-level crisis simulations designed to stress-test decision clarity, role clarity, shared operating rhythm, and rehearsed instincts under pressure. Each module is led by a senior practitioner with deep experience in crisis management and complex operational environments. Crisis simulation exercises are an illuminating way to uncover readiness gaps in an organisation. We recommend integrating into a Board Strategy Day.

MODULE 1

Cyber Crisis

"Ransomware at 03:17"

Operational outage escalating to customer harm, data exposure, extortion demands, and an unforgiving external narrative. Walk away with a crisis governance "battle rhythm" and incident decision tree.

MODULE 2

Regulatory Flashpoint

"The Call You Don't Want"

Sudden regulatory escalation: skilled person, business restrictions, governance concerns. Walk away with a regulatory response architecture and remediation sequencing plan.

MODULE 3

Operational Resilience

"Third Party Down, Payments Frozen"

Critical supplier failure, processing disruption, settlement delays, cascading customer impact. Walk away with validated resilience roles, service triage approach, and an uplift plan.