insights.

Technology is not just a disruptor. It’s now forming the foundation of our society and changing the worldwide landscape 

We have to rethink our fashion industry because it has a direct impact on our ecosystem. Microplastic pollution puts marine life in danger as they end up absorbing microfibers found on our clothes. A whole industry must be changed.

Personalised learning technology can liberate students from a one-size-fits-all curriculum, but what role can investment play in building the new era of education?

Last week’s conviction of two former aides to President Donald Trump make it more urgent to look at the US mid-term Congressional elections, scheduled for 6 November. We see three possible scenarios and look at the investment implications for each.

Patrick Odier, our Senior Managing Partner, warmly welcomed and praised Pierre de Meuron, one of the chief architects at Herzog & de Meuron, on the inspiring design of our new head office

Article published in Le Temps, July 9, 2018
Patrick Odier, Senior Managing Partner, Lombard Odier Group

The World Economic Forum wrapped up last Friday. The annual gathering is always a source of reflection, stimulation and inspiration and this year was certainly an opportunity to Create a Shared Future in a Fractured World. With over 400 sessions on the official programme, it would be impossible to provide you with a comprehensive recap of everything that happened.

The big topic so far at this year’s World Economic Forum is the ‘Fourth Revolution’, essentially the digitalisation of our world. Whether it’s Narendra Modi’s comments that data is the biggest asset today, and that it creates the biggest challenges and the biggest opportunities, or Anne Richards’ suggestion that information infrastructure could be the source of the next systemic crisis, all eyes are focussed on the impact digitalisation is likely to have on our societies and our economies.

I’m very pleased to see and hear that the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being adopted as a standard by political, economic and societal stakeholders. This is important not just because it enables a commonality of language and understanding, but also because that, in turn, can be a powerful force for change. 

Yesterday evening I went back to school. I sat in on a session hosted by the University of Chicago, where I studied, which raised some very interesting questions about how to shape the digital world so it develops in a safe, inclusive way, and how to teach tomorrow’s thinkers to adapt.