About Susanna Kempe
A graduate of Cambridge University, Susanna’s professional experience includes over 15 years in senior leadership roles in international B2B and learning businesses. Susanna began her career at the Institute for International Research (IIR) where she first worked with Lord Laidlaw, rising to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). When IIR, which was the world’s largest organiser of commercial conferences, was acquired by Informa plc in 2005 Susanna was appointed CMO of the enlarged group and also led the public company’s investor relations programmes. She subsequently joined Emap Ltd as Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer and CEO of Emap Networks, that group’s conferences business. Later she became CEO of the fashion industry forecaster WGSN and was latterly Group Content and Marketing Partner of the leading strategy consultancy Brunswick Group. A German-American raised and educated in the UK and a committed internationalist, Susanna has been involved in globally trading businesses throughout her career, directing activity in the Americas, across continental Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Susanna has been extensively involved with education and professional development over many years. She was Head of Group Training and led the commercial acquisition and integration of a portfolio of corporate training businesses whilst at IIR; and created learning academies at both Informa and Emap. She believes experiencing and appreciating different cultures promotes better global understanding, creativity and leadership. She is passionate about the power of education to transform lives; and believes that we need to develop a new generation of diverse leaders who are curious, bold and devoted to decency, truthfulness, and innovation. Susanna is committed to diversity not only as a societal imperative but as a critical component of commercial success. As an advisor to the trustees of the Foundation, Susanna first learnt about its purpose and programmes before becoming its Chief Executive responsible for the Laidlaw Schools Trust, the Laidlaw Scholars and its other education programmes. Susanna read English and Philosophy at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. She has five half blues in swimming and water polo; and played netball and rowed for Newnham.
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10 Steps to Breaking the Glass Ceiling in a Post-Covid19 World
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Columbia Business School Laidlaw Foundation Trustees Programme Management Laidlaw Conference 2019Recent Conversations
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Experts Like Susanna Kempe
Ariella Lang
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, Columbia University
Recent Comments
I love this quotation. I think I have learned more from the things that went wrong - the falls (small and truly epic) - than the things that have gone well. Serena is such a phenomenal leader. Her reading of "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou is breathtakingly stunning and completely inspiring.
Thanks Conor for such an interesting and informative blog post. I am so pleased you have had a good Laidlaw experience. I am particularly happy to read that you think the ethical leadership training has given you the ability to spot ethical blindspots and will help you to be a more ethical leader. I am not sure that we have quite nailed the best way of helping our Scholars build ethical resilience, or "moral muscle", so very interested to hear any other feedback or comments. What was your LiA?
That sounds like a wonderful experience. Are you fluent in Italian?
Thanks Conor for such an interesting and informative blog post. I am so pleased you have had a good Laidlaw experience. I am particularly happy to read that you think the ethical leadership training has given you the ability to spot ethical blindspots and will help you to be a more ethical leader. I am not sure that we have quite nailed the best way of helping our Scholars build ethical resilience, or "moral muscle", so very interested to hear any other feedback or comments. What was your LiA?
Noor, it was great to meet you on Friday. I think this is an incredibly important research project and I am very much looking forward to reading the results. Even more so, seeing how the prototypes are demonstrably more efficient for whichever refugee centre you go on to support the following summer. Best of luck and do keep posting your progress!
Until now, I thought the most powerful Voltaire quotation was the one that is misattributed to him: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". A belief which in an age of misinformation and polarisation is increasingly difficult, but probably commensurately more important, to hold on to it. This though is equally arresting, hard and exhortative.
@Kayla Kim She sounds amazing. Where did you come across her? Who owns and runs the business now?
That is a fantastic article. I love the fact that not only were her first 300 employees mainly women but that they all worked from home too. I have just bought the book.
@Kayla Kim She sounds amazing. Where did you come across her? Who owns and runs the business now?
There is a humility and searing honesty to this which makes it particularly noteworthy. Ketanji, like pretty much everyone in this network, went to a world class university; in her case, Harvard. It can be very tempting, when you are super smart, when you know you can get away with winging it, because you are smart, and you are surrounded by other smart people doing the same, not to put the effort in. It is also, far too easy, to assume you have all the answers because you do genuinely have a lot of good ones. Look around the world at senior politicians who don't read their briefs, who make up policies on the fly, who dismiss expertise when it is inconvenient. It is deeply wrong - and far too pervasive. The recognition that we are not always the smartest in the room; and this promise, to be the hardest working, are worth emulating.